The Village Cut and Shave

This place cuts the best hair, but as a business they just suck. If you’re a walk in you’ll likely be waiting for an hour while the regulars come in after you and get serviced before you.

Normally I don’t take the time to write reviews unless a business is horrendous or exceptionally great. I walked in my first time at around 5pm after I had gotten out of work. I sat around for about 10minutes and was approached by some dude named Anthony.
He Sat me down and was incredibly personable and friendly. Probably one of the most chill person ive met since moving to buffalo from New York City.
Anthony is very knowledgable and styles your hair exactly the way you want. I highly recommend Him as he is very humble and passionate in what he does. You will not be disappointed with him. I Will definitely be back.
(In case you read this, my bad for running out so quick. Didn’t realize how late it got. I’ll be back to give you a dap before im out)

Sadly, I’m writing a revised review. The barbers here are really nice neighborhood guys that I want to support and, the atmosphere is usually ok (aside from occasionally turning up the volume on the loud arguing heads on ESPN for hours on end about some latest nonsense), and the prices are reasonable. But the place is so packed and so slow! I routinely wait nearly 1.5 hours in the waiting room for a 10 minute cut, and I frequently show up for a walk-​in and they have 5 people waiting for one barber and, at least once, I’ve waited 30 minutes before it turns out there are actually a number of appointments in front of me and they ask me to come back. Why aren’t there more people working here at a time? There are a number of chairs, but usually only 1 or 2 people working and a crowd waiting. Also, a simple cut often takes half an hour and I’ve had some barbers answer their cell phones for calls and texts and play with the TV while they cut my hair. Not cool guys. Today I showed up at noon, and the closed sign was up, the place had 6 people waiting on one barber.

Your friendly neighborhood barber shop. Boy talks, cool vibrant atmosphere, Marley playing in the back.
Great barbers, exceptional service and I’ve never had that anxiety feeling like they’re going to screw it up.
Brian and Jose are amazing — they both get the kind of haircut I’ve explained to them. I haven’t had a chance to get my haircut from any other barbers but so far I’ve had no complaints and I always look forward to going there.
Big ups, boys!

Although I’ve never had a hot towel shave before, I can’t imagine they get much better than the one given to me by Brian this afternoon. The whole process took about 20 – 25 minutes and I was completely satisfied. I’d highly recommend Village Cut & Shave with plans to return in the near future.

Walked in the day after thanksgiving, sat right down, and got a great cut from a guy that knew what he was doing. Next time I’m in buffalo I’ll be back

After being cancelled on by my regular salon I decided to try The Village Cut and Shave. I’m not really a barber kind of guy and admittedly had a misconception about this place. The vibe I got once I was in there was that they were going for a kind of classic /​modern hybrid.
The guy who cut my hair (Sean /​Shawn) cut me down from an embarrassingly long shag with such expertise that I actually felt bad at the thought of my hair growing again. He was more of a hair scientist or artist than barber and really took the time to understand my hair patterns — rather than trying to impose a style on me, which is what I’m used to.
If you’re used to salons and are looking for something different but you’re afraid of the risk I’d highly recommend this place.
They don’t take reservations by phone so it’s definitely a kind of walk in /​make your next appointment as you’re leaving type of place.

I like this place. I’ve had my haircut by Jose four or five times. The first time he gave me a hipper/​younger cut than a man my age should probably wear. However everytime after that, he’s given me a cut that was exactly what I asked for.
They seem like nice guys. The atmosphere is friendly and chill. I haven’t had my beard trimmed there yet but plan to next time.
It’s nice to have a barbershop that’s a good balance of traditional and trendy.
edited: I’ve come to be very disappointed with them, not as barbers but as businessmen. They’re often not there when the say they’re open. Three times I’ve been there at 10 when they’re supposedly open and waited 20 – 30 minutes and either no one shows up or they stroll in with no apology. A little professionalism would go a long way.

Went in for the first time. Got exactly what I wanted. A taper fade done right. And not quickly or haphazardly, dude took his time and focused on tight lines and blending. And at a great price too. I will be back.

I have tried this frustratingly badly run mess 2x now. The first time I waited 45 minutes and then some dude with glasses took over an hour to give me what amounted to a brush cut. Guys walk in and skip the waiting crowd with an «appointment».
There should either be appts. or walk ins. this is stupid and frustrating for those waiting. While the 6 of us were waiting one of the 2 guys working took lunch. Then a smoke and then a phone call! ARRRGH.
Then lets talk about how devoid of personality these guys are.
I finally walked out today giving up forever on this establishment. If you value your time I wouldn’t waste it here.

I stumbled upon this place by accident, in the winter of 2010, right when they opened. I’d actually never been to a barbershop before. In a city where 1 out of every 5 girls at a bar works as a hairstylist, there is always someone around to cut your hair. But, then I found VCS.
It’s more than just a barbershop — its a social club to discuss the week’s events, a sports venue to talk about whether or not Kobe is as good as everyone says Kobe is, and who was the worst Bills draft pick of the last 10 years. It’s a debate room floor and a place to relax. And somewhere, wrapped up in the social, financial, sports, world and local news conversations you’re engaged in – you end up getting one of the best damn haircuts you’ve ever had.
Straight razor shave? Sure, why not.
Head massage? If you’ve got the time.
Beard trim? Hell yes.
Walk through the door and you’re greeted by the smell of barbasol and Clubman — and always without fail and smile and nod from Brian Freeman.
VCS is a welcomed addition to the Elmwood Village landscape and will undoubtedly be there for a very long time.

l didn’t want to be the first to give this place a bad review, so I’ll piggy-​back on the previous one. Though the barber that works here is a really nice and cool guy, I walked out w/​one of the worst haircuts I’ve ever had as well. I usually cut my own hair which is easy enough b/​c it’s just buzzed all around, but due to technical difficulties, I was desperate to pony up $ 16 for a trim in this hot weather. I tried getting their hours by calling multiple times but no one ever picked up. Luckily I just walked by one day and they were open so I just walked in. Not only did I have to have it re-​trimmed b/​c there were patches he missed, but I realized there were more when I got home and ended up having a friend re-​trim it. On the plus side, it’s a pretty nice spot and the barber is really a good guy but he just can’t cut hair very well which is a problem when that’s your job…