The Phoenix

Nice neighborhood atmosphere, the food was excellent. We had the scallops and open faced steak sandwich. Prepared perfectly. I look forward to my next visit!

I recently went back to the Phoenix. It seems that they no longer have the symbols to indicate gluten free on the menu. I thought oh great another restaurant where I have to draw attention to my dietary needs when I really don’t want to. I wanted to leave because it was so comforting the last time I was here. The panic set in the anxiety too. The waitress came up and I felt better. She was very helpful going over all the things that were and could be made gluten free. Sometimes it is hard to go out and enjoy myself because I get really sick when I eat gluten. I felt taken care of here and you know what? The food is fabulous and the staff is very friendly too.

If you need further proof of Buffalo’s renaissance (which you shouldn’t, but let’s say you’re a skeptic) here it is. The Phoenix is both elegant and casual The owner has designed the menu to be both a rare treat (Lobster Risotto and a and a regular stop (according to my father, a great aficionado, their fish fry is the best he’s ever had, and they are generous with the fries.)

I wasn’t too impressed for my first ever visit to The Phoenix. I stopped in for restaurant week to see what this place was about, especially because it is in my neck of the woods.
The food was okay. They were out of the calamari appetizer so I settled for the bread and dip. The bread was over-​charred and just tasted burnt. My entrée was pretty good but I didn’t love that the vegetables had lots of mushrooms mixed in. I always thought mushrooms are a common love it or hate it food that is typically listed on the menu if included. I wouldn’t have ordered my entrée if I knew there would be so many mushrooms. I spent so much time picking around them. The dessert was okay. It had a hint of spice that didn’t seem to mesh well with the flavor of the dessert. It was almost like they were trying too hard to be creative.
There were some good parts of the meal and the atmosphere was nice so I’m willing to try The Phoenix again. I’m curious if it had something to do with restaurant week so I’ll definitely avoid that week next time.

I wish this was better than it was. This was my second time there and again, it’s extremely mediocre thank god I had a giftcard. If I’m paying $ 8 for a cocktail it better be good. At other restaurants that charge that amount they use all fresh ingredients… everything was a pre-​made juice bleck. We had calamari– bleh, scallops– overcooked, the «tex mex» flatbread had cheese, arugula, and pieces of gross pork… nothing says tex mex like that! And ended with the fish fry, and decided to go with the blackened option. Overly salty, macaroni salad was bad. Ugh!!! JUST BAD!!!

Delicious food, great cocktails, and wonderful staff. And easy parking behind the restaurant. I can’t recommend this place strongly enough!

I loved the food, the atmosphere, and the service. There’s a dinner for two special. I can’t wait to go back for more.

Great atmosphere, nice patio, specialty cocktails and a pretty simple beer and wine list which was more than adequate. 100 beer choices is not always needed! The apps were delish… steamed clams, flatbread of the day was Steak and Gorgonzola, Hot Pepper Dip… all really very tasty. Also had the Black Bean Soup which was filled with plenty of whole beans and nicely spiced. Entrees were ample and enough for another meal for each of us. Chicken Milanese, a Fish Fry, Linguine with Clam Sauce, and the Pork Tenderloin, all excellent. Only drawback was service was a little on the slow side, but we were enjoying plenty of conversation, and guessing the oldies tunes playing in the background. Definitely worth the trip. Great neighborhood tavern/​restaurant. We’ll be back!

Adorable and delicious! Very cute addition to the area.
I came here on a Friday night with a party of 6 and no reservations. They managed to sit us fairly fast and outside on their super cute patio! It’s cozy with string lights and perfect for summer nights.
I had the shrimp and grits. The portion was gigantic. It was spicy and very well seasoned. The grits were better than any I had in NOLA. My mom and uncle had a fish fry, which looked huge as well. They both enjoyed it.
Their cocktail list isn’t bad or too expensive. I had the cherry blossom, which wasn’t too sweet or too potent. It was perfect.

Food is meeh… Not bad but not great… Patio looks nice and they have their own parking lot

*Phoenix is still open* I heard from a couple of people that Phoenix was closing or already closed. I was bummed because I didn’t get to try it yet.
However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover they were open tonight, doing well, AND super happy to take walk-​ins!
Layout is great. 3 distinct areas (bar, dining area, and outside patio) but open floor plan makes it cozy like one big living room. Atmosphere is upbeat but chill, food is delicious, and prices are fair. They also have a really cute back patio which is perfect for summer days and nights.
Especially for that area… Phoenix is a somewhat hidden gem, and welcomed little heart beat in Black Rock.
I saw a sign for Brunch… might try that next!

This was one of the best meals I have had in a very long time. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. I have a gluten allergy and most of their dishes can be done gluten free! We got the banana pepper dip, it was excellent and came with delicious rice chips! I ordered the salmon entrée (without the horseradish) and it was cooked to perfection, came with an assortment of fresh vegetables and rice! My boyfriend got the steak which was also cooked perfectly. We will most definitely be going back. The back patio is the cutest place to dine!

The Phoenix is open again for brunch. On a more recent visit I had the Eggs Benedict, which is made with Steak instead of ham and it was magnificent. My companion had the Smoked Salmon platter which was also very delicious. Everything was so good and the service was fun, friendly and honest. They also make one of the best Friday Fish Fries in town if you’re looking for some where different to go. They have a back patio which is great in the summer.

Once again, excellent, actually I think it’s even better.
We’ve been here several times now and are always pleased.
Food, service, atmosphere are all great.
We will be back!

Their location, their setting, their staff, all comfortable, friendly and accessible. They’ve got some really different dishes that taste amazing and a patio in the back when Buffalo is done being a tundra! Black Rock is so vibrant and happening, this is one of the better new spots in all of the city.

Four of us came here for dinner and I found everything to be so-​so. Sure, the place is warm (actually too warm…, we were sweating) and welcoming… But the service and the food were no better than average.
The small tasting plate (olives, hummus, etc…) mentioned by another reviewer was never brought to the table. In fact, we had to even ask for bread and it wasn’t brought out until we had started our entrees. And who brings out only four tiny rolls for four guests? One each… no more, no less. At least it was tasty and served with real butter.
The butternut squash soup my boyfriend and I shared was yummy and topped with flavorful house made pumpkin bread croutons. It could have perhaps used a little less nutmeg, but that’s just my opinion.
For an entrée I had the «Chicken Milanese» which I thought from the description (breaded chicken cutlet with arugula, tomato, and fresh buffalo mozzarella) would be a hot dish with tomato slices atop of the chicken and melted cheese and a bit of greens for flavor and color. My mistake! It was warm, breaded and fried chicken breast topped with a huge cold salad of lots of arugula with a few teeny tiny tomato and cheese chunks. The accompanying (fresh steamed) broccoli and (absolutely delicious, slightly lumpy) mashed potatoes simply didn’t pair well with the rest of the dish. Is it a salad or is it an entrée?
For dessert we shared the «Phoenix Tart» which was easily the highlight of the meal! Buttery almond shortbread crust, cayenne caramel filling, chocolate whipped cream, and dark chocolate curls… It was an exciting, inventive, and delicious ending to a so-​so meal.

Fantastic experience! Everything was great.
Our server was fun and outgoing and made some great recommendations. She was on top of everything, from our drinks never going empty to our food coming out at a great pace, not to fast nor to slow. Bartender and owner we’re also welcoming and there to help with anything we needed.
For my first course I had calamari, which was seasoned to perfection and had a great outter crunch with the tender calimari inside. Only thing I really didn’t like was the lack of creativity when it came to the dipping sauce for the appetizer, but I am sure if I asked for something else they would have made it happen.
For my entrée I had a strip steak with glazed carrots and freshly hand mashed potatoes. My steak was cooked perfectly and also seasoned to perfection. Carrots were cooked perfected as well, not to soft and had a great taste that was not to sweet that I so commonly find when having glazed carrots in a restaurant. You could definitely tell these garlic mashed potatoes were fresh and not sitting around in a steam table all night and didn’t over do the garlic.
For my last dish I had a delicious flourless chocolate cake with whip cream and a raspberry glaze. Definitely one of the best flourless cakes I have ever had. Had the texture of a piece of freshly made fudge.
Beer and wine selection had a wide range of different options that most would be happy with. This place is more then reasonably priced, quality of the food was great and the porition size was generous. I will definitely be back!

I give The Phoenix 4 stars, only because of our service. When I do go back, I hope it gets better.
We walked into The Phoenix and were greeted by a woman who could possibly be the owner which was very nice. Unfortunately, the service declined after that.
Our waitress came over 3 times. To take the order, to ask how the food was when we were basically finished, and then to take the check which took forever. Maybe I am just being picky, but it seemed like the waitress/​owner went over to each and every other table and asked them how the food was, if they have ever been there before, where they were from, how they heard about the restaurant, etc. but we were ignored. I have a feeling this happened because we are a young looking couple. It looked liked every other table was getting great service other then us which upset us. Again, this could just be me, when we go back ill update this review if it changed.
There is my rant about service, now onto the food:
The food was excellent. We ordered the Black Bean soup and the ceasar salad which were both delicious. The soup was especially good. I honestly cant explain it, but I would recommend it to my fellow soupers.
For entrees, we each got the horseradish crusted salmon, served with baby carrots, and buttery rice… WOAH! This dish blew both of us away.
The salmon was cooked PERFECTLY. It effortlessly flaked off into delicious pieces. We both kept on saying how good it was and how we couldn’t wait to come back and get it again. This might be the best piece of salmon I have had in Buffalo.
So in short, The Phoenix: Your food was awesome, your service could improve, and your décor is cool (the little Patron bottles on the tables and the dark stained wood against the orange walls). I will be coming back, and i do recommend this restaurant. The intimate tables make this place especially good for a date.

Can’t say enough how totally impressed I am with this place. The building itself is a great example of architectural preservation done right. The 100+ year old structure was in rough shape for many, many years as a dive bar, but now (as the name implies) has a fantastic new life that kept all the character of the original while adding much needed functionality. Kudos to the owners!
A testament to the quality of the food, on an ever-​evolving menu, is that you’ll be hard pressed to get a seat without a reservation on Friday or Saturday. Even on weeknights, it can be on the busy side.
After being seated by the friendly hostess, we started with the Banana Pepper Dip ($ 8), which was decadent and just the right amount of spicy. I had the eggplant parmesan sandwich ($ 12), while my dining companion opted for the shrimp and grits ($ 18). Both were delicious almost too big to finish. We finished with a nectarine tart with vanilla ice cream – fantastic and home-​made (as are all their desserts ($ 6).
For VEGETARIANS, there are the aformentioned banana pepper dip and eggplant parmesan sandwich. In addition, they are serving a nice spaghetti squash entrée (can’t wait to try this!) and a number of great-​looking salads. I would highly recommend the polenta fries with lemon-​mayo dipping sauce, as well! Panko-​crusted green beans were also listed today – and if I’d been able to eat another bite, I might have ordered them.
The environment here is classy but casual and there’s plenty of seating at the bar if you just want to have a cocktail and chat with folks from the neighborhood. Next door (and around behind the venue) you’ll find plenty of off-​street parking. A lovely patio beyond the dining room offers a quite refuge away from the street noise and a breath of fresh air.

The Phoenix is a note worthy addition to the Black Rock neighborhood. After I saw the beautiful steel-​head logo out front (made locally) and walked in, I could tell a lot of care has been put into even the smallest details of this space.
The interior has a spacious and homey living room feel, yet is intimate and comfortable and romantic all at the same time. There are flower decorations, as well as all sorts of different ornaments to add to the character of the space. The bar is wooden and lovely and has a good amount of drinks and the bartenders were jovial, conversational and personable when I was in here.
There are booths to sit at and comfortable tables with accompanying tall chairs. The place also has a beautiful outside patio, which is bound to be popular in the warmer-​weather months.
As we walked in here, the owner greeted us and sat us down and our waitress quickly came by to take our order. I was the only person in our party who was hungry (the other three people in our party simply ordered drinks) and our waitress didn’t even bat an eye or mind that not everyone was ordering food. The service remained impeccable, prompt and the best that I’ve experienced in a long while.
For an appetizer, I ordered the Banana Pepper Dip. It came out pretty quick and was a nice spicy, cheesy dip for the pieces of matza/​naan-​type bread that was served alongside. We finished off the dip and for an $ 8 appetizer, it was great to share between the four of us.
For the food, I chose the Fish Fry Friday Special they had ($ 14.50) and although it was one of the pricier fish fries, it was absolutely delectable and perfect in every single way. The crust was crunchy and perfectly cooked, the tartar sauce was homemade and delicious. The white fish meat inside melted in my mouth and was supreme high quality. The portion was larger than the plate as you can see in the photos and I finished the whole thing. The only criticism I have is that the fries were a bit too salty and I would have preferred less salt or even no salt and them instructing me to add as much salt as I would like myself.
The service, food and everything about the experience was perfect. I can’t wait to come back and try more!