10 Best Restaurants in Niagara Falls and Western New York, New York

Anchor claims to have originated Buffalo wings. Some people dispute that, but many come to sample the groundbreaking invention in bar food. Try them hot for the full experience. A buffalo's head hanging on the wall is about all the atmosphere you need.

The polished-wood dining room and bar, decorated with vintage signs, are separated, which helps with noise control during Buffalo Bills games at this Southern-inspired neighborhood joint. Slip into a booth and order a rack of baby back ribs, a chicken-and-rib platter with homemade corn bread, fried Cajun-spice catfish, or a po'boy sandwich, and choose from a long list of bourbons and beers. Locals say that everything, from the stew to the fish fry to the barbecue, is top-notch.

Meat lovers splurge on what some rate the best steaks in western New York. Expensive but not stuffy, the two-level wood-paneled dining room with red-satin banquettes and warm lighting buzzes with conversation and Sinatra. Start your meal with fresh raw oysters or tuna tartare, and move on to the main event: succulent rib eye, filet mignon, prime rib, and chateaubriand. Non-beef entrées include free-range chicken breast in a lemon-thyme sauce, grilled salmon, and steamed king crab legs.

Many say the Buffalo-style wings at Buzzy's are better than those at Buffalo's Anchor Bar. An institution since 1953, this no-frills place with bland decor and windows facing Route 62 serves build-your-own pizzas, eight specialty pies, calzones, and a dozen or so subs and hoagies. The wings and chicken fingers—fresh, not frozen—come with blue-cheese dip and a choice of 10 sauces, including one called Suicide, which the menu warns is "very hot—no refunds or exchanges."

On Lewiston's historic main street (Center Street), Carmelo's has a classy small dining room with an oiled wooden bar, dark-wood beamed ceiling, partial stone walls, and white tablecloths. Fresh and often local ingredients are used in pastas, like homemade ricotta gnocchi with rapini and sweet sausage or slow-cooked veal, pork, and pancetta Bolognese, and in entrées, such as peppercorn-encrusted ahi tuna with a ginger-soy glaze.

Since 1934, this pubby place has served up its specialty sandwiches, among them a stack of ham, turkey, and Swiss with onions and Russian dressing on marble rye. Also on the menu: pot roast on a roll with caramelized onions and cheddar; sesame-encrusted yellowfin tuna salad; and, for dinner, lobster ravioli in a crab-vodka sauce and barbecue ribs. It's a huge space, with two dining rooms—one a true pub with wooden booths, checkerboard floors, and '50s-era sports pennants, and the other a sunroom with a fireplace at one end. Sidewalk seating is available in summer. The gigantic, multipage beer menu, with rare brews from around the world, is sure to impress.

Since 1927, the Antonacci family has been serving traditional dishes from the south of Italy like veal à la Francesca, chicken cacciatore, and veal Parmesan. The interior is an explosion of floral wallpaper, pastoral-scene murals, glitzy chandeliers, and faux grapevines.

The menu and 20 or so nightly specials, handwritten on a card and delivered to your table, consists of an equal number of small and large plates: grilled prawns with linguine, fresh zucchini, and Parmesan; pan-seared beef tenderloin au poivre with a brandy-cream sauce; tomato-mozzarella-prosciutto salad; smoked salmon with capers and horseradish. The wine list is long, with many good options. The small, two-room dining space hums with conversation; it's traditional, with exposed-brick-and-cream walls with black trim, but livened up by colorful art and unobtrusively defiant leopard-print carpeting. Some tables are in the attached, brick-walled bar.

This urban bistro occupies a dark, brick-walled space humming with conversation and music from the bar. You feel just as at home ordering drinks and one of the many tapas-size dishes as full meals. Small plates might include fried oysters with tomato, corn, and jalapeño salsa or Gorgonzola fondue for two, scooped up with portobello mushroom "fries" and asparagus spears. Pasta-heavy entrées include the homemade ravioli of the day, seafood linguine, and pork tenderloin with Grand Marnier–cranberry sauce. Some complain of slow service—order a martini and settle in. Brunch is served on Sunday.

Just feet from the brink of Niagara Falls, this spot with panoramic views lives up to its name. The scenery is awesome, as is the thick New York strip steak. The signature Buffalo chicken wrap (crispy chicken fingers, hot sauce, lettuce, and blue cheese in a flour tortilla) is a good choice for lunch.