Squire On Main

Met with some friends for a 60^th birthday Hat and Heels Sunday brunch. The atmosphere was amazing, wait staff very sweet. The drinks were perfect and the chicken and waffles with banana habanero sauce was outstanding. I’m looking forward to returning. I recommend Squires on Main to all Unilocalers!

I would like to give the Squire on Main 5 stars but I won’t be back on any night that they have music. Four of us had reservations on February 19^th and while the food is excellent and our waiter very good, the noise level was so loud we had to leave without dessert. The room seems like a perfect place for a romantic dinner except for the bar crowd. I’d like to know what type of restaurant Sean wants it to be. My wife said we’re probably too old at 60 to appreciate the noise level.
I would like to know who the chef is since he is excellent. One review mentioned ‘owner/​chef’ but I don’t think the owner is the chef.
We’ll be back for the food on a night when there isn’t any musician. I have to have the mushroom ravioli again.

My husband and I came in for dinner on Valentine’s Day. Everything was wonderful, and we loved the atmosphere. They only had a Valentine’s Day special menu, which was well crafted and executed. Large portions, as well. We cannot wait to go back and try some of the regular menu!

Disappointed in ambiance, loud music and overall experience.

The atmosphere was perfect for dinner with a group of my girlfriends. Our waiter was very sweet, and the fresh pasta was amazing. Always skeptical of seafood in Buffalo, but it was fresh and perfectly cooked.

, Saturday night was was so much fun with band and dancing. They kept the place hopping until everybody left or started leaving, they shut down around 12:30 which was great because nobody wanted to leave. We had just small snacks the truffle potato chips which were good. they just needed to be a little crisper and the fried crab roll. They did not have wasabi which I would have liked to have had but they’re dipping sauce was very good. I will definitely go back next Saturday to try some dinner and hopefully hear some music that I will enjoy as much as I did this past Saturday. The ambiance is a bit stark but attractive. I love the bar and the bartender Amy is warm friendly and very entertaining and makes a mean drink. Definitely a place to go back to

Always fantastic at Squire On Main! The goat cheese wonton salad is a great starter and tonight they had cream of mushroom soup which was tasty. I went with the seafood puffed party. You can’t get fresher seafood in Buffalo. Well worth the price. Will be back soon!

I have been itching to go to Squire since it opened. Today, I finally had my chance. I have to say honestly, I was a little disappointed.
The food was OK but the menu is pretty limited. No real choices for gluten free eating and very limited vegetarian choices. Nearly nothing for someone who is both.
The service is dreadful. We had a lunch party of 6 with two waitresses and their skill was just off they weren’t rude but they certainly were neither friendly nor helpful. One waitress was utterly clueless and the other was just sort of there. Definitely not service oriented.
The actual restaurant itself was a little shabby. The side entry was closed and the awning above it was ripped. The inside was a bit rough and there’s a big gap above the front window in the upper left hand corner.
It seems that this place has a great brand and a great concept but the execution is lackluster and a little wanting. I hope they do well but I also hope they make the changes necessary to improve it to warrant the prices they charge.

I miss Brodo
First let me say I realize this was restaurant week and things were busy.
2^nd if the review was based solely on the food it would have been at least a 4, maybe a 5.
But the service was here. Started with the reservation. Called on Friday night. Whomever took the call sounded rushed. Took my name but not my phone number so I wondered what she wrote down. Of course they didn’t have our reservation but they did seat us.
Minor problem, the menu online (especially the drink menu). Again minor issue but how difficult is it to keep it up to day.
Food was rushed, we had an appetizer, salad and dinner. All excellent. But we were done in less than an hour. Again I guess it was due to restaurant week, but give us a chance to look at the menu before sticking the pad in my face.
I asked for a glass of wine with dinner. I absolutely hate it when it doesn’t come before the entrée. Not only did that not happen but our server actually brought a bottle to the next table, opened it and filled theirs. Still no wine. I finally caught her and told her to forget it but guess what! It still was on the bill.
She then came with the check, never asked if we wanted dessert or coffee. Sometimes we like to get dessert to go but that wasn’t allowed tonight.
When we complained to the hostess she nodded her head as she was looking around the room so she wasn’t paying attention or didn’t care. She said she hoped we give them another chance but there are so many other choices it’s unlikely.

Had martinis and the order of mussels with my girlfriend at the bar. Arrived at 5:30 on a Friday and we were the first people there!
The martinis we’re perfect and the mussels were spectacular. HUGE mussels in a delicious broth with tomatoes and bread. Will definitely go back for a dinner.

There were a group of four of us for dinner and all I can say was that it was ridiculously HOT!!! We were so uncomfortable we cut our meal short and had to leave. We asked the waitress to please adjust the air conditioning (several diners around us were also complaining). She said of course. We then asked the hostess, who looked extremely annoyed at being asked. The food was quite tasty; however, it was hard to enjoy because we were all complaining to each other…

Food is amazing! Save yourself the hassle and take it to go.
Small, loud crowded bar and restaurant. Looks and feels like mass confusion among staff.

I had a great experience here for a Unilocal Elite event and was very excited to come back for dinner. I even came back for dinner twice in case my first bad experience was a fluke, but unfortunately my second experience was even worse than the first.
The first time I came for dinner, there was some glass on the floor, I pointed it out to my server and she just sounded annoyed and basically said she knew it was there and someone broke something earlier. It was a really bad start to the evening and it didn’t get much better as the night went on.
The second time I came for dinner, my friend and I had to wait about 35 minutes for our meal, and then another 20 – 30 minutes for our dessert. At no point did our server apologize for the wait. She never really bothered to speak with us much at all and checked on us once the entire dinner. It was my friend’s birthday and the hostess did take pictures for us, which I appreciated. At the end of the meal, the server came and put the check on our table and literally didn’t even say a word — not even a goodbye. She just placed it down on her way to do something else.
Considering both times I’ve come here my check for two entrees and one dessert were $ 70 I left extremely disappointed. There are plenty of other places to go for a nice dinner that have much better service, especially at that price point. The food was good but I don’t think I’ll be coming back for dinner again.

Coming in for a casual weekday lunch I expected a decent meal. I was disappointed. Ordering the wild mushroom ravioli landed me something that fell far short.
The ravioli felt like it had been frozen and thawed up. It was not especially warm overall and lukewarm in the middle at most. The consistency felt like a mix between a crumble and a paste.
It came with a broth that primarily consisted of flavored water. Overall a disappointing experience to the point where I will avoid this restaurant again, probably choosing McDonalds over it.
Ah yes, also somewhat surprised that the tiny soda with lots of it was very costly and had no refills.

Still love Squire– from the delicious array of menu items to the dessert and martinis which are to die for. I am constantly recommending this place!

The only thing that breaks my heart about Squire on Main is that I wasn’t available the night the Elite Squad was here for the 12-​course tasting dinner. I was flying back to Buffalo from a week in the Caribbean. How #firstworldproblems of me… I thought that sun kissed skin and a week away on the ocean would trump any possible Unilocal event, but after eating lunch here today, well I’m not so sure.
My dad’s office is probably less than a mile from here. Since he was leaving the office early today, he asked if anyone wanted to get lunch with him. I jumped at the chance and texted in all caps SQUIRE ON MAIN, NOON. He and his staff used to order from Brodo from time to time. I made sure I sent him the link for the menu so he could print it out to order take out when the mood strikes.
Met dad and mom at Squire. The space is really nice and simple, contemporary, and fresh feeling. It seems bigger than Brodo was, but I’m not sure if that’s true. I loved how walking in the front door, there was a small rack of Buffalo ties. This used to be a men’s shop after all. You can buy a tie here, and the wait staff all wear them as well. We were seated at a table, and I will agree a tad that the tables are close together, but it wasn’t an issue while we were dining. Our servers were hilarious. One was in training and the server training him was a freakin’ hoot! He had a one liner for everything. I liked his style!
I ordered the mushroom ravioli and crab chowder. The crab chowder had AMAZING flavor. It was sooooo good! My mushroom ravioli was damn amazing. The flavors were so good together, especially when I got a bite with discernible pine nut flavor… YUM! I cleaned my plate, but I’ll admit that if I had been at home, I would have licked the plate clean of every last drop of that delicious flavor.
My dad ordered the sandwich special and his meal came with a side of tater tots. But these weren’t JUST tater tots. They were light, airy, crispy bits of fluffy potato heaven! And they were seasoned perfectly! If you come here, get the tots. They are so unexpectedly amazing! I ate more than I should have from his plate… Muahahaha!
We were easily talked into dessert– Bananas Foster Bread Pudding. I’ve gotta say, bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts ever. The waiter said the pudding was made with WAFFLES. And let me tell you, when it came to the table, it was a huge portion, and the smell of it alone had me on the verge of making my O face. My first spoonful pushed me right into the O face. It may possibly be one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten in my life. If this is an option when you dine here, get it! But just be aware that it’s dense enough and rich enough to share with at least one other person, but maybe more like 3 other people. SO DELICIOUS!
The hilarious waiter sealed the deal when he brought the check to my dad (who already had his card out) and said «good girls never pay». OF COURSE THEY DON’T. Again, I like his style! Hahaha! #firstworldproblems again. ;)
Not only did we have an AMAZING meal, but we laughed throughout. It was such a great experience! I’m so glad we came here but still so beside myself that I missed that Elite tasting dinner. Well, I will just have to make up for it by coming back here for more.

I first met Bill S. Preston, Esquire, at Squire. Unfortunately, Ted Theodore Logan was not there. Bill was reading «Esquire» magazine, and listening to «Hip To Be Squire» by Huey Lewis & the Buffalo News.
Aside from that, Squire has some of the best food in all of WNY. It’s firmly in the «expensive» category, an upstart, new, bold and brave endeavor, a future bastion of fine dining in the region, and while I liked Oliver’s even more, every bite of every item at Squire thus far has been exquisite, which is exactly what you expect and demand at these lofty prices.
What to get: Manicotti Pepper, Mushroom Ravioli, Tuna Salad, Salmon, Beef Penne, Cauliflower.
What else: everything.
I wouldn’t make a habit of spending this kind of money on one meal, but if you’re someone that likes to treat yourself to the finer things in life, then you must try it. Including drinks, appetizers, and desserts, it will cost you a fair amount to get «Squired away» at the end of the meal. But it’s worth it.
Item by item, everything I tried the first time I came here:
Manicotti Stuffed Pepper — was one of the most delicious stuffed peppers I’ve had, and if you like stuffed peppers, you should try this one. Although I asked for just one cotti, and they insisted on bringing me manicotti. (shrug).
Sushi — I don’t really like sushi, but this tasted great. However, I’d never get it again.
Hummus — it wasn’t in any way traditional, and wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but judging it as «not actually hummus», it was delicious, and is well worth a try if you like very herbalicious dips. The pita points were good quality too.
Pizza — I would never order Pizza in an expensive restaurant, because it’s so cheap and so good elsewhere so it just feels wrong. I tried the 1949 and it tasted heavenly, absolutely marvellous, with mushrooms, peppers, and arugula. The HKC with garlic, tomatoes and basil, was excellent too. Hard to choose, but the 1949 wins.
Tuna Salad — divine, every single bite is heaven, and the tuna is some of the best-​tasting fish I’ve eaten. One of my favourite salads — ever.
Apple Salad — I’m not a fruit-​with-​savoury-​food person, so, no.
Marinated Tomato — very good, with gorgonzola and prosciutto di Parma, tasted excellent although I wouldn’t get it again.
Feta-​Crusted Salmon — delicious fish entrée, solidifying the fact that this restaurant knows how to prepare fish. Can’t decide which was better: this or Tuna.
Wild Mushroom Ravioli — I didn’t think I’d like this at all. In fact, it was orgasmically good. Nothing about it sounds like anything I’d like to eat, yet I recommended that my friend order this when she came here, and she and her bf loved it.
Roasted Cauliflower — very unpopular with the group I came with. I have no idea why, since it’s delicious. Essentially the «white version of broccoli», and the creamy chipotle poured all over it was both spicy and heavenly. Damn, this chef knows how to cook.
Dessert — it was a «Peanut Butter Pie», shared with a friend. I don’t like Peanut Butter, but it was surprisingly good, but my friend who is obsessed with Peanut Butter has asked me several times when I’m going here (I wish… lol) so she can get it again. So to speak.
Beef Tenderloin Penne — I shared this with someone second-​hand (as leftovers), and this did not taste like any traditional Italian dish, but was fantastic. Both creamy and garlicky and full of flavour. I highly recommend it. She also said that the Hampshire Pork Chop (which her boyfriend finished completely and therefore I couldn’t try any) was incredible.
So all in all, a pretty amazing menu. There are a few questionable reviews for the place, mostly regarding service, but I haven’t experienced that.
I can see where some problems come from, though. The owner is extremely passionate and, perhaps, «hot-​blooded», and it’s possible that this honest, warm passion might spill over into defensiveness or conflict on occasion. The odd «wrong thing» might be said accidentally, either in person or on the internet. A couple of the responses I’ve read here on the Squire Unilocal page should have been run past a PR Person first.
Not that I was asked for advice, but, for what it’s worth: owners should stay positive, focus on the positives, keep doing what you do wonderfully well, which is making incredible food, providing exceptional service, and being warm and friendly in any online responses to fans and critics alike. Anything which falls even slightly outside that broad definition, I would advise avoiding completely. It’s just not worth it, even if the customer in question is completely wrong on every level. Let it go without even giving it a second thought.
Fine diners simply must try Squire. Buffalo has very few places that reach this level of culinary excellence, taking noms to a fine art. Enjoy the few that we have. Make sure this place sticks around. It deserves to.
Because if we lose restaurants like this, we’ll be back to Squire One.

Where to begin!!! I just love this place! I made dinner reservations a week in advance and I’m glad I did. Popular place in Snyder! We dined on Good Friday and our reservations were at 7pm. We arrived about 15 minutes early gave us enough time to order a martini at the bar — Buy one Get one everyday! I went with the Cucumber Cosmo (I’m a Hendricks & Tonic girl, this was just as good if not better than my old stand by) while my husband went with the classic Manhattan. I was able to save my back up for after dinner. While we were enjoying our drinks, the hostess came over to let us know that our table was ready whenever we were but we didn’t need to rush. They don’t allow you to carry over your bar tab, which I understand, I’m sure they get more tips that way. We advised the hostess that we were ready to be seated. She led us over to a nice table for 2 right by the windows.
Moments later we were greeted by Jeff our waiter for the evening. We had met him at the Elite event so I was delighted that he was our waiter! He told us the specials for the evening which sounded delicious. After we placed our order, a server brought us over some house bread with their dipping oil. Sean was gracious enough to come over and chat with us for a bit. A very smart business man who will have this restaurant for years to come!
Onto the food! Since we were lucky enough to sample many of the menu items at the Elite event, I already knew of the entrée that I wanted but I also wanted to try new items too! For starters I ordered the fried goat cheese wonton salad! You’re going to want to lick the plate! The raspberry vinaigrette is killer! I can not stop thinking about how AMAZING that salad was! For my entrée I had to have the wild mushroom ravioli which I fell in love with a the Elite event. It was even better having a whole plate of the them! My husband started off with the special soup of the night, Seafood bisque which he described as having plenty of delicious lumps of crab and vegetables in it. For his entrée he went with the cornmeal crusted trout accompanied with asparagus and beets. The trout was cooked perfectly, I had a bite and it was tasty! We decided to share a piece of the Peanut Butter Mousse pie for dessert. Neither one of us had much room but once that pie hit our palates it stood no chance! The consistency was a perfect creamy blend of peanut butter and the chocolate drizzle over the top! After a few bites, it was gone!
Jeff was Excellent! He took great care of us, making sure anything we needed, we received :) After we finished dessert, we moved back to the bar and met up with friends that I recommend go there for dinner. The place was packed, which was great to see! I will continue to spread the word on how amazing this place is!

The 5 stars are for the food. I’m doing a «Fox Style» review and giving stars on the food only. Rounding up from 4.5 stars.
We had: Stuffed pepper app. I enjoyed this app when I had it before, but this one arrived overheated (microwaved?) and smothered in cheese. But we did eat it. We had waited quite some time. 3.5 stars. We won’t order it again but it’s probably a great app to many people.
Then we had 2 of the evenings specials as entrees and they were terrific. One pork (or veal) chop and one tuna dish. They get 5 stars each. The pork (or veal) chop was moist and cooked perfectly. The tuna was coated in a nut mixture and terrific over jasmine rice. Sides of beets and asparagus were tasty. We also had the tuna salad. Very good. Generous potion. Enjoyed. 4 stars.
The rest of the experience —
According to the Owner/​Chef his target audience is over 40. We fit that bill.
We had an early dinner here on a weeknight. We called for reservations but no one called back. So we chanced it and «just showed up» before 6 one night.
As has been mentioned in some other reviews, we were left standing for a time. Hmm. Ok. But plenty of open tables so no issue there once we were acknowledged.
When seated it took a while for our server to come but she was charming when she arrived. Drink orders were taken. It took a LOOOOOONG time for those to appear. Granted we were not taking advantage of the 2 for 1 martinis others at the bar were happily enjoying. But our drinks were not complicated and should have arrived in a more timely fashion. But the bartender was busy shaking up the martinis. And the people at the bar had been there for a time and were pretty loud. Which brings me to one of the issues. This is a LOUD space. The bar is at the back of the restaurant and there’s no divider or other «sound absorber /​blocker» so it’s fairly loud. I was surprised that before 6 the bar was so active, but it was and they had been there for a time. And were enjoying themselves.
Then the music came on and the volume went up. Ok.
I had asked our server for some lemons and limes from the bar. She forgot. Normally I would not even mention it. But we were one of 2 seated tables and she was busy moving ice around for the bar I guess and doing other things unrelated to serving tables. Things that should have been done before we arrived or by someone else once she had tables to tend to.
Finally our mains arrived and were very good. But one plate was super hot, warming light? I’m not sure but the other plate was not super hot. And both were warm dishes. So we did not get that. But ok. Both were really really good. I’d order them for takeout again without hesitation.
They honored a gift certificate I had which was great. The prices are reasonable given quality of food.
But if I were rating this in my usual style and against the other fine dining places in the area it would be 3.5 stars.
4.5 for food
5 for apparent cleanliness
2 for noise — offering 2 for 1 martinis makes for LOUD patrons. Figure out a way to dull the sound for regular diners.
1 for overall ambiance. Loud. Bright at some tables and dark at others. Black cloth tablecloths with white paper «tablecloths» over them. Odd.
2.5 for service — our waitress was distracted. By non server tasks; by too many tables; by other things I don’t even know about. I had to get fruit for drinks and a straw at different times. Both times by walking to the bartender who took quite some time to acknowledge me, when she saw me coming from a table.
We did not even consider dessert because the service took so long. We were concerned that would take another 20 min.
Overall if I were to compare this to Siena (down the block) or Olivers (one of my favs) or Lombardos (close to home) or the Rue Franklin it’s not in the same league. The food is. But the rest does not compare. And for the prices you want the «whole package» or at least better service. So come for the food, but expect a wait in seating and service. And to ask your companion «what» a few times.
We paid cash because we were afraid how long it would take a credit card to get run. That’s one way to get cash, but I doubt that’s the intention.
Parking lot in back or street spots. Entrance not wheelchair/​walker accessible, but there seem to be other doors and maybe those are.
I’ll happily go back for takeout (if they do that) but I’ll think twice about a meal. Especially if people have been sitting at the bar with those 2 for 1 martinis.
I wish this place the best. The owner is passionate. Talented. Pleasant. But if I were him I’d focus on some areas of improvement: Noise. Serving. Timing.

Squire on Main is an up and coming hot spot. I had the opportunity to dine with two of my favorite Unilocalers here a few weeks ago. We started with waters and ordered two appetizers: the sushi fixe (maki roll filled with lump crab meat, avocado & cucumber, lightly tempura crusted. Served with wasabi tobiko aioli) and the stuffed artichoke appetizer. Both were very good, I particularly liked the stuffed artichokes.
For my main entrée, I ordered one of the specials — a mahi mahi tuna with lobster guacamole over rice. The waitress double checked that I would be okay with it being a little more on the rare side and I was looking forward to that. Unfortunately, the tuna wasn’t what I would consider rare :(Don’t get me wrong, it was still edible and pretty tasty. I was able to sample two other dishes which were prepared nicely.
A lot of other reviews mention the tables being close together and mediocre service. Yes, the tables are close together but you have wiggle room. As for the service, the only advice I would have is that our waitress would ask if we wanted something that other servers would probably just bring. For example, we placed our bread on our appetizer plates and she observed this and then asked if we would like her to bring out more plates with our appetizers. In this instance, she probably should have just brought out the plates. Regardless, this isn’t a huge deal, better to be safe than sorry right?
I look forward to returning to Squire on Main with more friends and family. I am eager to taste A LOT of the options on their menu — seafood, sushi, steak — three of my favorites! Here’s to hoping Squire on Main is successful for many years to come, I would recommend it!