Al-E-Oops

I don’t get the appeal of this place. Stopped in for dinner one night. Décor was dated and dusty, waitress did not seem attentive even though there were only 2 other tables in the place. Myself and my date ordered the pulled pork. It was okay. Nothing special. Date ordered coleslaw. It tasted soured and he got sick later that night. Won’t be back… too twilight zone for me.

Stay away. Far away. The service is terrible and the food is just as bad. Don’t get the hype about this place.

One of the few places in WNY I never get tired of frequenting, Al-​E-​Oops is my favorite place for ribs and BBQ!
Come when you’re ready for chicken, pork, and ribs, and try them all. I love the combo platter. Never a disappointment!
Have fun visiting this friendly restaurant!

The food was decent. Ribs had a smokey flavor but could have been more tender. The cornbread was nice.
Unfortunately we were apparently a big inconvenience to our server, who came by the table only when necessary to drop food. We waited quite a bit for our check while the three servers sat at a table across the room ignoring us.
When paying with more than one card, she was extremely huffy about it and pretty much stormed off after returning the receipts for signatures.
We won’t be back.

I happened to see this place while driving into my hotel to check in. The pkg lot was packed.
It was getting late in the evening. So by the time I checked in and came back the lot was empty.
The place is huge to cater to groups as well as individual dinners.
I ordered the ½ ribs dinner. Very good. Came w/​salad and baby potatoes. The ribs were tender fork off the bone.
The staff was very friendly and prompt.

Disco fries are great! Be careful though the portion is huge and it’ll fill you up.
I had the ½ rack of ribs. They were delicious and fell off the bone. Comes with a potato, coleslaw, cornbread, and beans. Everything was outstanding for a reasonable price.
My boyfriend got ribs, scallops, and caeser salad combo. Scallops were huge and tender!
We have no complaints. Our waitress was pleasant and we had a good experience.

I have a tradition. Every year on or around Valentine’s Day I get a rack of ribs from Al E Oops. Back when I was writing bar reviews I went to Al E Oops on assignment and instantly fell in love with the place because of the ribs. And honestly, why would you go to a place known for their barbeque and order a salad or some other nonsense?
You can smell the wood chips burning when you get out of your car in the lot, so that tells you two things: They’re slow cooking their meats and they’re doing it right. Slow and low is the universal component to great barbeque. The pick up service (phone etiquette, priority when picking up your order) needs a lot of work, but the food is so good that I overlook it. If you’re calling an order in, often you get put on hold, you get an attitude or sometimes you get hung up on. Let me say this again: The food is so good that I overlook it. Other reviews have trashed the wait staff, but to their defense, most of the waitresses are little old ladies, so you can’t expect them to zip around the dining room on rollerblades. It’s to be expected.
On to the food. For less than $ 25, you get a full rack of fall-​off-​the-​bone ribs (it’s a combination of dry rub and sauce, but not sloppy), two sides of sauce, choice of potato (the twice baked is spectacular), corn bread, garlic bread, an ample container of baked beans and an equally ample container of cole slaw. For $ 25. In 2015. That, my friends, is recession proof pricing.
I’ve been to ‘Famous’ rib restaurants where the ribs were overpriced and tasted like rubber chew toys as well as other local joints where the kitchen just doesn’t ‘get’ how to properly prepare barbeque. Slow and low with a combination of wet and dry rub. Al E Oops knows what they’re doing and they’ve been doing it for a very long time. They also offer combination platters (chicken, pulled pork, etc.), a pretty good ribeye and I’ve heard the scallops are spot on. Nine times out of ten I order the ribs, and if it’s your first time, don’t even look at the menu. Go with the ribs and you won’t be disappointed.

My favorite restaurant. I’ve had 5 or 6 different dishes there and all delivered. Steak and lobster– excellent! Good portion and price. Crab Cakes– best in Buffalo. Very good ribs, very good bbq pork and chicken. What really does it though is the Lobster Bisque. They actually put lobster in it, unlike most places. Delicious, I could eat 5 bowls when they have it.

service was awful ! nowhere to be found — kept walking by/​walking around — never looked up … i had to wave her over or ask another worker for our server. food was terrible ! we thought we were on candid camera lol they are supposed to be known for ribs — not good — you want ribs, go to Fat Bobs or Smoke on the Water ! or anywhere else !

Not my kind of place. Everything looked tired and dated except the friendly service.
The patio was clean but boring. Thank god for the trees next door. They could plant some trees in that parking area or have planters on the patio.
The menu had too many items. Prices were high but the food quality average at its best. Overall it was ehhhh.
:/​

the bbq rib and chicken platter was huge and excellent. fall off the bone good and so tender. sides were really good too!

SERVICE WAS AWFUL!!!
We were trying to go to Linguini’s Italian Restaurant across the street but they were closed for the holiday so we said give this place a try. Don’t get me wrong the Ribs were pretty good. Not bad. BUT THE SEAFOOD WAS AWFUL. Do not believe the sign outside that said there were fresh Seafood. It was nor fresh or good for consumption.
I had a mixed dish with ribs and Scallops and the Scallops were Chewy and BITTER! What was that??? My husband had to wait 15 minutes with an empty glass before the waitress came back to see if he needed a refill. Mind you she was condescending and had a bad attitude.
We will never visit again…

Ehhhhhhhhh… I hate to spoil the happiness of everyones reviews, and I really hate to not give a great review of a friendly mom & pop resto — especially when the hostess (who could have been the owner) was a sweetheart older woman, and our waitress was a well seasoned girl, friendly and great at her job. BUT I have to be honest here.
First of all Lancaster, NY never EVER comes to my mind as a dining destination, (or for anything really) but when we couldn’t get in to Black & Blue before 9PM, the male counterpart of our fun couple suggested Al E Oops — God, the name alone — I decided to just roll with it and off we went.
Sweet lady greets us into the ponderosa wonderland, seats us immediately. We wait for our friends for about 6 seconds when great waitress — let me qualify great: a waitress who knows her stuff, is friendly enough, but not overbearing, and knows the menu…
Plastic menu with inserted xeroxed sheets offer all kinds of options, all with no substitues allowed. Lots of fish. Jim and I decide to mix it up, and order 2 «platters» to share, barbeque and fish. Fish platter ain’t cheap. $ 24.95. The 4 of us decide on apps. Clam strips and «pork skins.» Pork skins are potato skins topped with pulled pork. Sounds good. I’ve made them at home… even look at my FB… Interesting that they cut the potatoes in half the short way, so they look like little cups. The apps come right out. Potatoes look effing great. They taste bland as hell. Clam strips were good. I don’t usually eat clam strips. Don’t ever see them on menu’s either anymore, but I was starving, so I THINK they were good, paltry serving size for 4 people though.
Entrees: My fish platter comes. Baked haddock, clams casino, steamed shrimp & scallops. Caesar salad comes too. Salad is comprised of good greens and 2 strips of bacon! Yum!!. Nope. Sadness ensues. Where’s the caesar dressing? It was on there, but it was just a hint of a teaspoon at best. I didn’t complain. I didn’t ask for more because what was on there was bland as hell and I didn’t need more of that… What ever.
Fish platter. Hello… chef? When a customer is spending $ 25 bucks on a dish, it isn’t appreciated that you plunk down 4 plastic lidded cups of tartar and cocktail sauce ON TOP (read INTO) of the food. Haddock was cooked well, but again B L A N D. Steamed shrimp: miniscule. BLAND. Clams casino: 6 huge filled shells… Meh. Scallops: pan seared. Period. NO SEASONING. Jims pulled pork and ribs were ok. Nothing anywhere near Dinosaur BBQ. The chicken was along the lines of a Chiavetta’s barbeque version served at your church’s lawn fête. The bread, Italian, was dry and cornbread had cinnamon sprinkled on top… it was dry as well.
We stayed for awhile after we ate, and shot the Sh! t… watched the place clear out in time for the lone guy to set up his sound system and write names on a dry erase board for open mike.
Then we went to Creekview to get back to normal, and then we went home, and that is the end of my story.

Love this place when I’m in the mood for BBQ! And my friends and relatives who moved out of town, always try and make a visit here when they’re in town.
Huge portions as mentioned before. And the sides are terrific. They tend to alternate making homemade potato salad or homemake macaroni salad for the week, and both are delicious! Would definitely recommend one of these. Also love the coleslaw and the corn bread. Not a big fan of the BBQ beans, however, but hey.
The ribs are by far the best, next I would rate the BBQ pork as pretty good. Not a big fan of the Chicken, but my husband thinks it’s great!

As always the food is great! The portions are huge, easily enough for two to eat. Although the entres are a bit pricey like I said they are huge portions. They give you two different kinds of bbq sauce on the table. Friendly staff, cozy atmosphere. Here is the problem: The food is so good and you get such huge portions they are always crowded so make sure you arrive early or much after the dinner rush unless youd like to wait at the farily large bar.

Let’s start with the name. It’s dreadful. That stupid name actually kept me away from checking this restaurant out; I passed it off as yet another cheesy neighborhood sports bar, probably run by a guy named Lou who thinks he’s a marketing genius. But forget the name and check this place out.
I’m not a bland eater. I like my food well-​spiced spices and cooked with care. Alle-​Oops delivers. The bbq chicken and ribs are both fantastic, as is the corn bread. The broiled scallops were good, though they lacked creativity.
The atmosphere is comfortable, the décor is nice (in a rustic sort of way) and the service is very good. This is a solid choice, and has become my family’s go-​to restaurant when we want a nice dinner.

Looked like just another standard American food place but no! Absolutely amazing ribs! Even for a not really meat eater like me — could not resist not trying! Service is good and its always busy! Conclusion: don’t judge by location or name. Sometimes a place on the corner in front of the gas station has as good food as a 5 star restaurant in downtown.

Best BBQ in Western NY. Good portion sizes. Most likely to take some home especially if you get the potato skins for the starter. Waiter staff need a little help, for example, they should always ask: «are you familiar with our sauces? Or would you like me to explain them to you?»

Drive by all the time but only ate there a few days ago for the first time. Menu and food both very good. Atmosphere is casual. Expect a good meal and if you select carefully, very good value. I especially enjoyed my scallops with my ribs. I will be back.

Don’t go round back, there’s a passageway that has lots of slick oil that they pour out into the gutters, that overflows, and you are guaranteed to slip over and hurt yourself. It happens all the time, and the staff always say «call an ambulance, we’ve had another Alley Oops!» OK, I made that up.
Edit: I’ve been thinking about their BBQ food and especially their loaded baked potato, and I realize that with such bad BBQ options in WNY, this place really is a diamond in the rough. So I’m moving it to a ⁵⁄₅.
Edit: I ate it again and no, I was right the first time. ⁴⁄₅. And a little pricey too and charging for extras too, no es frio.
This place is awesome! Great loaded potato :) Good BBQ food!
I’m surprised that people rate based on an argument that someone had, or how long it took to be seated. I rate purely on food. But that’s just me.
Al-​E-​Oops has fantastic BBQ food, delicious sandwiches, and decent prices too. I thoroughly recommend paying them a visit if you’re in WNY and fancy a little pulled pork or something along those lines!
The people working here are really nice too. Try their pork sandwich. It’s not the best BBQ in the area (for BBQ wings, Zip’s on Hertel… for BBQ southern style/​midwestern style, try Kentucky Greg’s on George Urban), but it’s definitely up there in a city that is lacking in BBQ options. What’s more, everyone here is really nice.
They have a great open mic too. I used to play there :)