Allen Burger Venture

I dream of these tater tots.
ABV is a really solid burger-​and-​beer place, and clearly hundreds of others agree. The meat burgers are humanely and sustainably sourced, which sets them apart from the other burger joints. The veggie burger was a nice surprise, as it’s a housemade white bean burger, not the average Morningstar or Boca option. You can also sub tofu into any of the creative burger creations to make them vegetarian — which I highly recommend. I subbed tofu in for the sausage on the Italian sausage burger, and it was completely divine.
And the tater tots — homemade, crispy-​on-​the-​outside creamy-​on-​the-​inside delights with just enough salt — enough said.
Great beer and whiskey list as well.

The burgers were very dry and burnt. I was also disappointed with the lack of local breweries on the menu. Sorely disappointed. Our waiter also forgot my drink and appeared to be on a substance while at work. I will not be returning here for a bite to eat or drink. The only good thing about ABV was the music.

Good drinks mostly have dark liquors though. Definitely a good place if you want to drink dark liquors like bourbon.

Came here for dinner and was not disappointed. Mark B. Was our waiter, super friendly and attentive with great suggestions. Great atmosphere, abundant drink menu (with beers, a few wines and cocktails). I don’t drink beer so i got the «zombie killer», a cider/​wine fusion; sweeter than i care for but still good.
We split the house made tater tots for an app and then the #3 burger with substitute of truffle fries (for $ 2 upcharge). Burger wasn’t huge but not small, good to share if not wanting a huge meal.
We were too full to try dessert, maybe on our next visit. We will be back :)

Not only do they have burgers with unique toppings, they also have a list of «alternative» burgers that all look interesting. I ordered the Tuna Takiki, which was made of tuna steaks that they grind in house and form into a deliciously seasoned patty coated in ground peppercorn. Substituted the fries for «tots», which was well worth the $ 2 upcharge, they were delicious and came with an amazing chive-​sour cream. Pair your burger with a craft brew and you’re all set, there are 24 on tap. And if craft beer’s not your thing, they also have wine on tap, cans of beer, a creative cocktail menu, and whiskey. Lots of whiskey choices with flight options too. I didn’t see Black Squirrel though, disappointing since its local.
My only gripe was that they don’t take reservations. We needed a table for 6 and literally waited 2 hours at the bar. :(It only looked like they had 2 tables that sat more than 4 people, so eventually they just squeezed us at a table meant for 4 which was annoying as two people had to straddle bars beneath the table between their legs. The reason for the wait wasn’t necessarily how busy they were, but the time it took for the food to come out. I’d love to come back but there are other options for burgers and brews around the city that take reservations and can accommodate groups of 5 or more, so I may try them first before coming back here.

I had a really good time here with friends over drinks and yes, I ordered a burger but I’m disappointed to say that it was not the best part. I actually think I got sick from the burger, as I had bad stomach problems for a couple of days after. However, the atmosphere is fun and I really enjoyed it for drinks. I just am not sure I’d be brave enough to try a burger again here, which is too bad, as that was the part I was looking forward to the most!

A joint with hundreds of positive reviews probably doesn’t need another one, but ABV is such a great place that it deserves another voice singing in it’s choir of praise.
There’s something special when a restaurant fits its location. ABV is located on Allen street, a street that has been part of Buffalo nightlife for decades, serving the tattooed, the disheveled, and the outcast with a stage on which to begin and end their adventures. It has always had a punk vibe, with such iconic punk bars such as the old Pink. ABV is to upscale dining what the Pink is to a bar. It’s authentic. It’s energetic. It’s a strong statement about doing things your own way.
The burgers are perfect. Absolute perfection. The beer and cocktail selection is amazing, and the staff actually knows what it is they’re serving to the customers. They’re as passionate about what they do as you are as a customer.
If there’s a complaint is that ABV is a victim of it’s own success. The wait for a table is often too long… but then again, they have great drinks to make the wait easier.
I would sin more about ABV, but I would rather save my mouth for shoving a delicious burger into it.

This IS the burger joint you are looking for, how burgers are meant to be prepared and eaten. You ask for a rate burger it comes out creamy meat smooth in the middle. This place is not filled with pansy ass cooks to afraid to serve you raw meat! No sir! Rare is rare! The outside drizzled with a mess of the specialty toppings this places unique burgers comes with. A sizable list of brews on tap with helpful bartender to find you the right drink. If you a fan of whiskey this might also be worth a stop in. They have a huge list of whiskey up on the wall.
The place can be crowded on a game day, Friday or Saturday night so if you are just looking for lunch or dinner I would go during the week. If you want to take in a happening bar go prime time, it’s packed.

NYE in the buff and no real plans? ABV is the place to be! No reservation needed, laid back hipster atmosphere. Lots of wood and rusty lighting fixtures buttttttt the most uncomfortable seats I’ve ever sat on. So 4 stars because of the hard wood chairs. On to the food… Holy shit the up charge for the truffle fries is well worth every penny! I’ve actually never eaten fries with mayo but that’s what they gave me and that’s what I ate! I’m sad that I’ve wasted 41 years of my life without mayo. I always get well done because I’m weird about red meat but it was a tad dry due to this. Overall a great food experience!

This place has great atmosphere and décor. Their burgers are unique and not like anything else offered anywhere else in the area. The staff is friendly and helpful every time I come in to eat.
My only hang up is that the french fries don’t seem to have any consistency. Now, allow me to clarify what I mean by that statement.
My first visit to ABV the french fries were great. I believed them to be fresh cut and seasoned just enough to make them stand out.
My second visit, I could have sworn the french fries were of the frozen-​pre-​packaged variety, to the point where the difference made me pull aside the waiter and ask. He was very polite and answered all of my questions, nevertheless, my fries were left untouched (I know, I’m being a bit of a fry snob here).
My third trip to ABV, the fries were still less than stellar.
However, my fourth trip, the delicious fries had returned. I didn’t know what to make of this, but I was happy to have them back.
Now, I’m not sure what caused the roller coaster ride that was ABV’s french fry inconsistency problem, but since my fourth trip the fries have remained steadfast in their flavor. Yet still, in the very back of my mind, I worry that those bland frozen fries, monochrome in their taste, will one day return.

Ahhhh THIS is the burger i was looking for. Maybe my last visit was just a fluke, but regardless, I finally got the burger I always wanted from this place
I ordered a burger they had on special with blue cheese and bacon with some cajun fries, and it was one of the best burgers I have ever had. This time the burger was cooked to a perfect medium (which is what I ordered) and the flavor complex was outstanding. Thick, juicy, flavorful, and down right delicious. Still, this burger was 17 $…which is pretty obnoxious, but maybe this review is just as obnoxious :). Whatever the case, hands down the best burger in buffalo (since Grovers is technically in East Amherst).
We also had the chili which was also damn delicious, go for the bowl and share it.

When I stopped in on a lunch break, ABV’s decorated interior lead me to believe I was about to eat lunch with the bad guy from the «Saw» movies. The beer taps are comprised of rusty pitchforks, various types of spikes, arrow heads and even a hand grenade. There is even an array of meat cleavers affixed to the wall… I mean, c’mon. Fortunately, all of the other patrons were happy looking business types that seemed to ignore all the morbid décor, so I did too.
Now to the food (the reason I went into a restaurant to begin with). The burgers are indeed fantastic as they’ve been described by many other reviewers. I ordered a number three burger (applewood smoked bacon, caramelized «Ommegang» onions & porter cheddar). It was very filling and delicious, and I can attribute both of those things to the type of bun the burger was served on: the buns here seem to be built to sop up all the magnificent burger grease and juices like a sanitary napkin does to blue liquid on all of those TV commercials (sorry if this is a disturbing analogy but hey, if you’re still reading my review you’re probably a fan of my style anyways).
I sat at the bar while I awaited my takeout and the bartender struck up a conversation about beer with me (my favorite kind of conversation). He even poured me a couple of tastings of beer to ask me my opinion. Not only was he very pleasant and interesting to talk to, he didn’t once try to disembowel me, slice my Achilles’ tendon in half or anything! Nothing scary about that.
My only complaint is the price of it all. The prices of the fare here are downright outrageous. Tator tots — which are handmade with bacon pieces in them, and I did find to be delicious — are a $ 2 upgrade from a pile of hand-​cut fries, and you’re given only six of them. There is also a deal where you can buy your own bottle of some special edition Crown Royal whiskey for $ 160 and keep it at the bar to drink whenever you’re in. I can’t figure why anyone would do that unless they had rich people problems.

Came in for a bite with some friends on a Sunday evening around 7 PM. The place was pretty empty so we were seated quickly. They have a fairly extensive menu with various types of burgers with various types of meats (or vege) as well.
All of our dishes were very tasty and fulfilling. The reason I’m giving them 3 instead of 4 stars was that we waited well over 40 minutes to receive our food after we had placed our order. If the restaurant had been busier, then I would have understood, but we were many 1 of 6 parties there that night and 2 of the parties were at the bar drinking, not eating.

I have been to ABV now 3 times. Every time I have been we have always started with the house tater tots as an app, served with apple sauce and sour cream, I prefer just ketchup but any which way, they are a must because they are so delicious!
I have also had a variety of burgers, pork, beef and turkey. They have all been cooked to perfection but my favorite has been the beef. I normally always order the truffle fries as my side, they are outstanding, I did order the onion rings once and did not care for them. Beer selection has always been good. The only thing that has happened twice… The beer my husband ordered was supposed to be a 16oz but they bring him a 12oz and it’s the same excuse, it was a misprint on their menu. Not our problem.
Anyway, I love it there and our best servicer has been savannah.

Really enjoyed it here. Good burger and the creativity really pulls it together. I felt like I could order anything off the menu (I had a hard time deciding) and be happy.
Pleasantly suprised that their cocktails are pretty good too!

I shall confirm what 100+ other Unilocalers have already revealed: they’ve got some truly tasty burgers at Allen Burger Venture. I was torn between ordering the Colorado Lamb burger or the Tuna Tataki burger. The waitress pointed me at the Tuna Tataki burger and it was del-​friggen-​licious, The Wasabi Yuzu sauce was a flavor-​slap and earned itself many fry-​dunks from my date and I. People — go get yourself some peppercorn-​crusted flavor-​slap!
Also, interior design was extremely cool. Lighting was a mix of quirky lamps and candles, with lots of interesting little details that are worth searching for.
Anyway! Based on food alone, this place is a 5. So, Kat, why you scoring this place three stars? Well, Allen Burger Venture has to answer for a couple serious flaws: awful seating and outrageous prices. The seats we were given were incredibly small and uncomfortable, and I say this as a reasonably slender female; I imagine things were even worse for anyone average sized and up. Keep in mind this place is tiny and at dinner time seems to be packed with people, so when you’re seated there’s a chance you won’t be more than three feet from another patron at a different table. Burgers a la Claustrophobia. Also, the underside of our table had a wheel attached to it that was further compromising my date’s ability to sit comfortably. Yes. Table-​wheels. Another quirky detail of the interior design, but are humans meant to suffer for the sake of art?
And the prices — sheesh. $ 15+ for burgers with significant upcharges for getting anything but plain old fries as your side. If I recall correctly, it was three extra bucks to get a salad instead of fries for a dish that was already 16 bucks.
So! In summation: yumtastic food, neat design, crap seats, second-​degree wallet-​abuse.
I will begrudgingly return for their delicious burgers.

I’m really torn. I want to like Allen Burger Venture because their hamburgers are so gosh darn good but their service is lacking in my opinion. I ventured down to ABV for the second time this past week… I wanted to give them a second chance despite the fact it was Restaurant Week.
Walking into ABV it’s dark, like really dark. I got my ID checked at the door and proceeded to the hostess. On both occasions I was seated quickly. Like I mentioned before, it’s dark in here. The first time here I truly had trouble reading the menu because of the lighting, or lack thereof. The second time I was here I was confused about the Restaurant Week special particularly with the variety of burgers, drinks, etc. Eventually our waitress came over and explained the beers that have an asterisk (that was marked in pencil) are available for the Restaurant Week special in addition to any of the burgers. Now, ABV has quite an extensive list of burgers to begin with. There were at least 6 – 8 more for Restaurant Week!!! Oooh, the options! I placed my order for a Blueberry Wheat from Ellicottville Brewing Company and started to pour over the burger options.
I was stuck between #8 (applewood smoked bacon, sunny side up organic egg, american cheese) and the tuna tataki burger (peppercorn crusted tuna, avocado, pickled cucumbers, brioche roll, wasabi yuzu) so I asked our waitress when she came around to take our order. She suggested the tuna burger, I ordered it rare. Funny thing about me asking for her advice is that I had the #8 burger the first time I was at ABV… I’m glad she suggested the tuna burger as I really enjoyed it. I do think it was better than the beef burger (#8) but then again we’re comparing apples to oranges. I really appreciated that the burgers (and tuna) are truly cooked to your preference. Not all restaurants will give you a medium rare or rare burger. And the options are plentiful, take a peak at their menu prior to heading out to save yourself some time… you might need it depending on how the service is for you.
So with that, back to the service, I just feel as though both times I have been here it’s been lacking. Most recently I only ate half of my burger and wanted a to-​go box. I was waiting patiently when another waitress asked if I’d like a box… I told her that our waitress was getting one for me. The next time this other waitress passed by she said she’d bring me a box since I still hadn’t received one. Not a huge deal, I was enjoying my company. It’s just that a waitress that wasn’t even assigned to us was much more attentive than the one we were assigned. I understand it’s Restaurant Week and restaurants get busy but I have always felt as though they should be at the top of their game to get customers wanting to come back! Our waitress even forgot to give us the pint glasses we were supposed to get as part of the Restaurant Week special, something we were interested in and something that persuaded us to go to ABV for this particular special.
If you haven’t been to ABV, I guess it’s a place to check out. The food is great, you’re sure to find something you enjoy but with a pricetag. For me, ABV is A-​OK. Between the service and the price of these burgers, I’ll be checking out other burger options in WNY before I head back to Allen Burger Venture.

I always cringe when I see a burger priced for over $ 15. At ABV you won’t find any burger for less than that … but at ABV I bite into the burger and realize it’s worth every single damn penny. ABV is unlike other downtown venues that think they can charge a lot just because they’re trendy. ABV actually delivers and completely justifies the hefty price tag.
I’ve had a couple burgers here and I think the best way to go your first time is an actual burger (as compared to sausage, chicken, etc.). On my last visit I got the number «One» which had forest mushrooms, a unique cheese that I can’t recall (but reminded me of gorgonzola) and some type of unbelievable sauce. It was cooked exactly to order (medium). The bun was warm and perfectly complemented the burger. Served with delicious handcut fries.
Beer selection here is fantastic but you can also go with a cocktail. The bartenders are great.

ABV’s participation in Dining Out For Life, made it easier for me to finally try this place, as I had been reluctant due to the price.
I had the Brown Sugar burger from the specials menu. It was creative, delicious, and cooked perfectly medium as ordered. A co-​worker ordered her burger medium-​rare and it too, was cook to perfection. The accompanying hand cut fries were also very good. While it is true that there are other places to get a good burger at a lower price, this was more of an exceptional burger. I enjoyed my lunch immensely. The quality was really there.
Because we were on lunch, no drinks for us. But the bar looked very nice and I browsed the drink menus. While these are not my personal taste, they appear to have quite the selection of whiskey, bourbon, and scotch. The service was good; prompt and friendly, but it wasn’t busy when we went — only a few other people in the place.
The doors to the bathrooms don signs of a rooster or a cat. Well played ABV.
The only consideration is this: all of the tables with the exception of two booths, are high tops. And the high tops come with these tiny, uncomfortable stools; approximately 1′ x 1′ square. If you are a fat-​bottomed girl or a «big guy», it’s not happening. If you happen to be in a wheelchair, have a back problem, or just hate high tops, you may be out of luck as well. When I called, I was told that they never take reservations so it’s first come, first serve for those booth seats. If none of the previously mentioned applies to you, then no worries. But I thought it was worth noting considering that the seating may not be accommodating for some folks.

I have a sad obsession with ABV. I have brought someone new here almost every time i have gone and each one of them have loved it. My grandmother, who i would like to add loves to complain about the food almost everywhere we go, had ZERO complaints about her food! I was in SHOCK.
I hate onions but the onion rings here are amazing! The tater tots are also highly recommended by my one friend who is a tater tot lover. The meat that this places uses truly sets them apart from the rest. Each burger is very unique, i haven’t branched out much i usually stick with the number for w. o onions, simple yet delicious. They have great specials as well so check those out too!
A lot of people come here to just drink, the beer list is out of this world and ALWAYS changing. They also have a cool way of how they pour/​process their wine, something about a copper pipe that you can see next to the bar, sounded cool when the guy was explaining it to me.
They have an outdoor area in case that’s something you are looking for as well.
I do want to add that i was a bit disappointed my last visit, my burger was overcooked and the server didn’t come back over until we were ready for the check. Obviously because i love it here so much i wont let that bother me.