5-stars for great service, cleanliness, and atmosphere. Came here for drinks and to watch a show by Buffalo Improv House. The show was in the back room which was brightly lit, laid out with about 20 lightweight wooden fold-up chairs but no tables (so ok to hold a drink in your hand but you wouldn't be able to eat a meal back here). There was a physical bar in the room but no drinks or staff. There's also a unisex restroom in here. The rest of the bar is low lighting, but clean and had a few tables in addition to the bar seating to enjoy a meal. Service was great and they had a handful of good beers on tap. read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - In the back room, during an event for Buffalo Improv House - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Service was excellent. Had an amazing lemon drop and the crispy chicken sandwich which was very good. Cool bar and a decent amount of tables too. Street parking. read more

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My first time here! I loved the vibe and the food was incredible. We had the baked brie dip, fried chicken sliders and a jambalaya penne pasta. Everything was perfect! I highly recommend this place! read more

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Had a really fun night with couple of friends, with some delicious food and great cozy vibes and drinks! We started off with the baked brie dip with spinach and artichokes, and freshly baked bread, this was so delicious and amazing for chilly nights! We had the fried chicken sliders, which were so cute and so delicious, probably my favorite. The main dish we had was jambalaya penne pasta, this was so good and perfect! It was an amazing night, the bartender and staff were kind and great service! read more

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Problem with the bartender. Very nasty. Just walked in and he was in a mood for sure! Didn't want to be there.

What a great local tavern. The food is mostly handheld, but upscale quality. The service is the real star of this show ... The cook and bartender are outstanding! read more

New menu with great food, on a recent trip I had the baked gnocchi and french onion soup, both were delicious, great service and great bartenders as well, they make a great manhatten read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - Baked gnocchi...photo by @phil_eatsfood - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

You can't go wrong at Hardware. A regular watering hole of mine but the bartenders are some of the friendliest guys around, always welcoming, knowledgeable, and a good time. I miss the bruschetta but everything out of their kitchen is fabulous. This time around just got the calamari which comes with a punch thanks to the hot peppers but the chicken sandwich is their new big thing. read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - Fried Calamari - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Hardware just opened back up for the first time since the pandemic and they have totally revamped their menu. We sat at the bar for dinner our bartender was very attentive and always made sure our drinks were full. Everything on the menu sounded great but I went with the fried chicken sandwich. YUM the sauce they put on there should be bottles and sold in stores. There's a few tables on Allen if you want to enjoy dinner outside, but I must say when the sun went down the restaurant was so dark you would barely see in front of you. Overall, loving what they are doing there and excited to see how they progress as they continue to make changes read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Went on a Saturday night for dinner. A friend had gone before and got a half chicken, so we thought there would be more of a dinner menu. It was only apps, burgers and sandwiches. So I'd call ahead and check what menu they have if you're looking for more entre options. The spinach and Brie dip was the highlight of the night. Frisco melt was pretty good - mix of a burger and grilled cheese! Good vibes and atmosphere, had a great time with friends! read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - Frisco melt! - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

the bartender was very rude and had a couldnt seem to comprehend what was being said to him. The owner couldnt care less about how his employees were treating and speaking to the customers and tried to force us out for voicing our side of the story. I wouldn't recommend going here if you plan on changing anything to any order they will take your stuff away and tell u to leave because you didn't pay. read more

The new food menu is amazing!! Love the chicken sandwich, apps, and the steak. They've done a great job with the re opening read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - a burger and fries - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Allen Street Hardware is a neat, cozy bar with some decent food. I've been here for events in the past (they have a nice back room), but most recently came here for a meeting and ended up having a salad. They had a super simple salad on the menu, which I added steak to for $8, it came with greens and tomatoes and a balsamic reduction. While the salad itself was on the smaller side, the steak was the highlight of it. The cut was delicious and it was cooked perfectly to order. Very juicy and tender. If the steak was that good, it definitely has me thinking that Allen Street Hardware is a great place to go for a nice steak and meal. I'll be back! read more

This is a cool bar tucked almost to the corner of Allen Street. I liked the atmosphere here, dark but with enough light to make it seem seedy without being actually seedy. They've got a nice looking menu and although I haven't tried the food it sure sounded like some good stuff was to be had. Drinks were a little on the pricey side but it's the area so it's to be expected. Service was great and prompt and the drinks themselves were good and strong. Neat place and I enjoyed it. I'd come back for sure to try out their awesome sounding food! read more

Fun little place to have a drink and watch the Bills game on Sunday night. They had a DJ setting up and looks like an interesting food menu as well. Next time we will have to try the food. read more

Great place to go dancing. Reminds me of my college bars with well drinks. Best spot to end the night.

My husband and I have been here a few times now.. and the ambiance is right, the service has been good, but the food just isn't great. Most recently my husband got the meatloaf and he said it was very blah. I had to send my salad back because it had so much dressing it tasted covered in mayonnaise. The bruschetta was the best thing we ate all night - but way too buttery. I would stick to drinking here and a snack but don't waste your money on dinner. read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - Bruschetta - delicious but very buttery - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe? OK. It's on Allen Street. So that part makes sense. All the guys are hard. Obviously. Because there's a bunch of Buffalonian girls (who are exceptional) in clubwear and stuff. So yeah. Ware... well everyone in there seems to really care about what they ware. So that part makes sense. Store... you never quite know what you have in store for you when you walk into the back room. You will probably get someone rubbing up on you. Cafe... this is the party I have a problem with. This place is so nothing like a cafe. So yeah. Maybe by day. I will have to check it out by day. Like most night spots in Buffalo, this place is full of attractive people and one thing that sets it apart is that it has a brilliant DJ in the back room playing infectious tracks that everyone enjoys, definitely a great spot to take people that like the party lifestyle and dancing. I'm not too close with some of the bouncers (long story) but I'm definitely well known in these parts for squeezing into tight parking spots that the bouncers are absolutely sure I will not be able to squeeze into, and very angry that I tried... and succeeded... several times. My best memory of this place other than the DJ, is the Latin girl (you know who you are), that decided to rub herself all over me and every other guy that was dancing here (and some of the girls), and probably made out with half of the men in the place. I think every place needs to have one person like that, otherwise it's just not normal... but I'm glad to say I was not, and have never been, one of the many to swap spit with aforementioned way-too-drunk person. But if that's the kind of thing you're looking for, it totes happens here all the time. Drinks are pricey but not too obscene. It costs $5 to get in. Due to the unfriendliness of the bouncers, due to the entry fee in a city that doesn't have to charge entry fees, and due to the fact that the awesome DJ isn't always there, I'm gonna stick with a 3. But it's as close to being a 4 as any night spot in Buffalo ever will be. read more

This is my go to place for practically anything - drinks with friends, dinner and late night music. I've tried almost all of their regular menu items and they are consistently great. The specials menu changes daily and includes soup, appetizers and entrees. It's a little more expensive but it's totally worth it. This usually includes different types of seafood and somewhat unusual meats. They have had frogs legs and duck on here in the past. The current chef here has been doing some wonderful things with the specials menu. Most recently, I had the clams in a wine broth with Andouille as an appetizer. I split this with my boyfriend but I was so full I could barely eat my meal. This restaurant does not proclaim itself to have gluten free options. I do want to mention though that my boyfriend usually has very good luck with the food here. He doesn't get reactions from the food. The ingredients they use are pretty clear on the menu and the kitchen staff will answer questions about preparation for you. They have a large beer and wine selection here. If you're not sure what to order, the bartenders are really helpful and will help you pick something out depending on your tastes. I always get great service when I go here and recommend it to anyone. However, if you're looking for somewhere to go after 11PM, it can get really crowded and the kitchen doesn't stay open all night. read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - Flat iron steak - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

my favorite late night bite and drinks spot! when I lived in Buffalo, one of my close friends and I routinely came here on wednesday night after clinic and shared the baked brie with fruits and nuts and a bottle of red wine. It was always gooey and yummy! I've had their steak entree for a meal. But most times it's the weekend music scene and drinks that brought me and my friends to Allen Street Hardward Store Cafe. Great vibe, great hangout, great selection of drinks (wines, beers, cocktails). Great staff and great crowd! read more

This is my favorite bar on allen. They have a great beer list and decent wine as well and I love the atmosphere. It can get quite crowded on the weekends (especially Saturday, which is old school hip hop night) but my favorite times to come are weeknights. There's always a table to sit at with your friends and there might even be spots at the bar. I've only eaten here once and I just got the cheese board. They gave us HUGE portions of cheese (my favorite that day was this sage cheddar) and this perfectly, buttery toasted bread. I came here for my birthday last night and sat at the bar. Our bartender was actually the owner (didn't know that til afterwards!) but he gave us a complimentary shot and let me sample a few different wines before I decided. I love going to hardware! read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Decided to do a date night with the Hubby and was looking for a place with good food. This place has gotten nice reviews from my fellow yelpers so we decided to try it out. We went the day after Xmas and just to be sure it was open, the husband called to see if they were having any food specials. The lady who answered the phone was awesome. She literally went down the list of food they were offering; in detail! We were so impressed with her customer service and the menu, we decided to stop in. Upon first look at the place we were sort of surprised secondary to the food specials were kinda upscale and the atmosphere of the place is kinda rustic, even grunge a little bit. It looked like that on the inside and out. Anywho we were seated and our waitress came right over. She was pleasant and funny and gave us recommendation on what we should eat. We started of with drinks, I ordered an absolute cosmo ($9), it was absolutely delicious! Perfect amount of liquor and not two sweet. I ended up ordering 2! Husband order a Crown neat ($8 or 9), lets just say nice pour! Now we have a spot that we now we can drink and get our money's worth. Kudos to the bartender! We started off with a the calamari app ($13), eh I kinda thought this was a tad expensive for a app but we tried it anyway. The dish was very sharable, we didn't even finish the whole thing. The calamari was in large pieces which for me; I ended up having to cut it into smaller pieces to be able to eat. I would rather them in smaller strips, easier to eat and I have this thing with seeing calamari tentacles (personal problem, I know) that turns me off some. The flavor was ok, not bad, not the best I have had. It was just OK, I wouldn't really order it again, I would opt to try something else. On to the entrees, I settled on a fish dish (Marlin I believe) topped with a lemon sauce. It came with risotto and grilled asparagus. The fish actually came out on the cold side, so I had to send it back to the kitchen to heat it up (I'm guessing they nuked it?). The waitress was very nice about me sending the fish back, which I appreciated (not so sure about the cook, he was coming out of the kitchen when she handed him the plate, I think he made a face lol) The risotto and asparagus had a fine temp. The fish was good. The texture was a little bit thicker than what I usually like, I tend to like my fish a more flaker. The waitress warned me that the Marlin is described as a "steak fish". Although, the texture wasn't my favorite it was still good, the flavors were OK, nothing really stood out about them. When paired with the lemon sauce it gave the fish a lemony type of taste (which makes sense). The risotto was delicious very flavorful and soft but not to mushy. It was the stand out of the dish, just wonderful. The asparagus was cooked perfectly as well. Overall, I wouldn't order the fish dish again but anything with the risotto and asparagus is fair game. Husband order the center cut pork chop dish that came with a sweet potato hash with bacon and asparagus. Overall, he said he enjoyed his dish. Again, his pork chop was slightly less than warm, which he didn't send back. I tried it and it was good, again, no bursting flavors that made it stand out but good. I really liked the sweet potato bacon hash. It was flavorful and delicious (anything with bacon is delicious), husband said it was good as well but it would have been better if it was topped with brown sugar (how we do it at home!). I actually enjoyed his dish better than mine (except I liked my risotto better than the sweet potato). I would order his again and just make sure the pork chop was hot. I also ordered a side of mac and cheese ($5) being from WI, I am a sucker for cheese anywhere that I go. It was ok, wasn't really my cup of tea, there was just something missing from the flavor. The bowl was plentiful but I wouldn't order it again. Overall, a great dinning experience with good food and great service and drinks! If it was not for the service and drinks, I think that I would have rated it 3 stars vs. 4. We ended up spending about $100 which isn't bad for two entrees, 1 app, and 3 alcoholic drinks. We will be back to this restaurant egger to try other items on the menus and of course the great drinks!!! read more

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Went out with an old roommate from my DC years last night. This place sits across from the famous Nietzsches music club. Really a wonderful funky neighborhood (sits a few buildings down from one of my other favorites the Alley Cat). The bartender is a witty amiable sort who makes a great Manhattan. The catfish po boy was excellent..with fresh cut fries. The interior of this place is a classic Buffalo well aged and cozy. Another gem in this great city. read more

Hardware is one of my favorite spots on Allen to go out with friends and have a drink. In all the years I have lived in Buffalo this week was the first time I have ever had dinner at the establishment. For dinner I have the Calamari and The Chef's Salad with Steak on top. First off Hardware has a good beer and wine selection most would enjoy and be able to find a beer or wine they would like. The mixed drinks are always on the spot. Normally never to strong nor to weak, just right. My first course was the Calamari. First thing about the Calamari here is, WOW I have never saw Calamari so large in Buffalo. If you want a good portion with abnormally large pieces of Calamari this is the place. It was breaded nicely with not to much breading on the pieces. Where I normally find in other restaurants in the area they think the more breading the better. The sauce was interesting, was not your normal marinara sauce, but a tangy/sweet sauce with the texture of a honey. One complaint I do have about the Calamari is it was not cooked fully, it was a little to chewy for me and could tell it needed to be cooked more just by the coloring of the breading. For dinner I had the Chef's Salad with Steak on top. The salad had mixed greens, roasted beets, red onion, caramelized pecans, goat cheese, and a roasted shallot champagne vinaigrette with slices steak on top. The steak was cook the way I ask for and tasty. The vinaigrette complimented all the salad toppings nicely. Was a perfect dinner salad. No complaints here and would get it again. Hardware is a great hangout place with friends and is really fun on Hip Hop night. Crowd can get diverse on certain nights, but I find more Hipsters then anything in this bar, but then again it is on Allen you don't get the typical Elmwood or Chippewa crowd. read more

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I ordered via SkipTheDishes, so this isn't a review on service or experience. In one word? Underwhelming. I ordered the catfish po'boy with some really high expectations; warm & flaky baguette bread, and delicious, crispy catfish. But that didn't really happen. I was most disappointed by the fish; it wasn't seasoned at all, and it was incredibly soggy in most bites. The bread was good, but not what one expects when they order a po'boy. On a good note, they provided a more than generous helping of hand-cut fries. I may give this place another shot, because the buttermilk chicken sandwich looks divine. read more

Such a great neighborhood! Staff is chill and friendly, and the bartenders are super knowledgeable and willing to make you a surprise if you're not sure what you'd like. My partner had never tried Pimm's but thought it sounded great, and the bartender (can't recall his name, unfortunately, but was a friendly bald guy with glasses) explained the flavor and made her a classic Pimm's cup. He also made me the PERFECT perfect Manhattan (see what I did there?) with SoCo because he happened to not have Red Stag. Again, not a problem, because it was stinkin' delicious. When we were interested in nibbles, the chef came out of the kitchen to clarify which fry sauces and aspects of the bruschetta were vegan, and to discuss how we could customize the dishes. Very considerate and really above and beyond what I'd ever expect of a chef. Come here if you can, and if you can't, reevaluate. Get here. read more

This is THE BAR to go to on the Allen bar crawl. Mind you, I've never had the food so I can't comment on that but the drinks are everything! If you're looking to have a casual evening with friends, you need to get there around 10 and probably get to the next bar around 11. It's more tame at these hours, so it's ideal if you don't like crowds or loud music. Once it hits 11, the scene starts to pick up. Cover is $5 starting around that time, so if you don't want to pay a cover, get there early and just hang out before the real party starts. The back room opens at 12 and makes the place so iconic. There's another bar in the back, a screen, more restrooms, and more music. If you're looking to meet people, go to Hardware at this time. I've met all kinds of people here and had some of the funniest experiences of my life. The bartenders are classy dudes who make a mean $15 Long Island Iced Tea. So worth it though. read more

Only 1 vegan option right now, but it is really good (vegan chickpea grilled cheese). My brother had the fish fry, which was both huge and tasty. The drinks are quite generous, especially for the price. read more

I don't really care if this place is incredibly hipster-ish or not, if the place is filled to the brim with them. In fact, I generally like hipster places. I often dig their creativity, their guts. This place has creativity, has guts. I like that. But it just ain't that good, and that can't be forgiven. You know what they say about first impressions? It should be a big deal when a half dozen people, a veritable gaggle, enter a restaurant on a slow Sunday evening. I don't mean that I expect a red carpet. But I do mean that I expect a restaurant with a "Please Wait To Be Seated" sign to notice us within the first minute, or two, or three of our arrival and either direct us to seating or else tell us seating was unavailable. Well, seating WAS available, the bar was empty, and I still had to embark on a quest for a waitress. Quest accomplished, +300 experience points. We ordered drinks off of a wide and reasonably sized beer and wine list. Look, if a place serves Paulaner for $5.00 a bottle, it can't do much wrong in my book... unless it's also out of that Paulaner. So I navigated the menu and found another hefeweizen I didn't too much mind drinking. It wasn't the same, but I was sitting outside on a Sunday evening with great company. I didn't mind. Between us, a whole bunch of different-styled sandwiches were ordered. Thinking ahead, one of my party asked for separate checks, and the waitress sighed in relief. "Thanks for telling me beforehand," she said. "That makes it a lot easier." So I ordered a burger with bacon and roasted red peppers and readied myself to nosh on an old-fashioned American dinner. The burgers are served on an oven-toasted kaiser bun with onions, lettuce, and tomatoes heaped to the side as many establishments now serve them. (As an aside, I do sincerely dislike this practice. Unintegrated into the sandwich, they're add-ons, apparently unnecessary.) However, rarely in a case like this would you see the sandwich nailed shut, a toothpick like a stake holding the sandwich together. While ignoring the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, the roasted red peppers (sopping wet) and the bacon hadn't been ignored. Indeed, the bacon wasn't overlooked. Overcooked and overly long, two slices of bacon had been placed in a crosshatch pattern over top of the rest with the toothpick John Henry-ed through the middle. I found myself opening the burger and cracking the strips in half, nestling them back under the lid. I eschewed tooth picking, but I almost wish I hadn't. Enough grease from the burger had pooled to sop the bottom half of the bun, soaking my fingers. The toothpick, it seems, would have made things less messy. Have I even commented on the fact that the burger meat itself was unseasoned?! Even Severus Snape would award ten points for Gryffindor for vanquishing that beast. So the thing was served with fries. They were okay, forgettable. I munched a few idly as my group and I chatted about the problems of our day. Whatever. A few other concerns about service: 1) No one checked to refill water, to check if more libations were needed except when serving food, throughout the entirety of our 90-minute stay. 2) The employees demonstrated a genuine fear of their supervisor and stated so enough that it became, in gest, a recurring theme of my party's discussions the entire night. 3) When the check arrived, it had not in fact been separated. Terrible service and absurdly poorly executed food mean result in a firm conviction that I won't be back here for food. For drinks? Possibly. Situated in a happening neighborhood and boasting a nice selection of brews (including that elusive Paulaner), I suppose there is a redeeming feature. Two stars. read more

I feel like this place gets away with a lot because they keep the lights dim and the music loud. Both things I'm not a fan of when I want to have a drink and some food with friends. They do have a good beer menu - though a small draught list. Which is fine, it's a small place. It's middle of the road in terms of costs. The food, however, is quite expensive. The veggie burger comes with fries, great, but doesn't come with cheese or much else - and it's 9 dollars. The creation of a veggie burger, however, is not that difficult. But, why am I complaining about bar food prices? They are meant to be high. But some of the more gourmet things are ridiculous. I just don't enjoy coming here. When it's packed, its incredibly uncomfortable. The last time, it was nice - until they started blasting the music. It was probably 6pm. That's really ridiculous - why did someone do that? And they could use with more lights - perhaps it would help the bartender notice that my group was trying to get new drinks for about 5-7 minutes when it wasn't busy. As far as Allen goes, I don't think anyone throws up on this place, so it's probably the best on Allen. Just sayin' read more

Overall experience: Extremely under whelmed. Scene: It is a Friday night.....during restaurant week. We have no reservations for any restaurant. All of these ingredients together equal a recipe for disaster. Obviously it was a last minute plan to head out to dinner that evening. On a whim, we headed out to good 'ole Allen Street, with no particular destination in mind (maybe Cantina Loco, obviously that's my "go to" spot). After driving around in circles unable to obtain a parking spot ANYWHERE, I decided to pick a new location and headed back up on Elmwood. Repeat driving in circles again. At this point, I wasn't looking for a restaurant; I was looking for ANY parking spot, then would go anywhere in walking distance. Finally, we found a spot back down near Allen, and we walked into Hardware. The place was absolutely packed. I expected there to be a long wait, however the hostess surprised us and said there was no wait for two people. She seated us immediately at one of the TINY tables as soon as you walked in the door. We were so close to the people next to us that I felt rude not introducing myself before sitting down. The $20.13 menu was handwritten (in not so neat hand writing). Neither of us was interested in any of the meal options on that menu. I did spot on that menu a gumbo appetizer listed for $10 that sounded appealing. I decided to get that, my boyfriend ordered a burger, and we ordered fried calamari as our appetizer. First the "fried" calamari came out. I use the word fried loosely in quotes. Half of the thick pieces of calamari had NO breading on them, and the other half the breading fell off before the fork reached my mouth. I LOVE calamari from pretty much anywhere, and this was just unpalatable. The pieces were so large and the lack of "fried" breading just turned me off. I can see this maybe being acceptable if you didn't order "fried" calamari but in this case it was a shame. I never send food back; however I couldn't even force this down my throat. The very pleasing and kind waitress checked on us, and when I told her about the calamari she graciously took the plate and said "I don't mind, it's not my cooking". She offered to get us something else; we chose the brushetta. When that came out I could tell that they were trying to put in effort for presentation. However it was another let down. The large clumps of pesto were a huge turn off. It was basically just toast, clump of pesto, and tomatoes. We ended up taking 34 of it home (and no one has touched it in the fridge). The gumbo was just "ok". It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. It was presented with rice, crawfish, sausage, and shrimp in a dark roux with toast on the side. The roux was uninspiring and not very flavorful. I could only find one piece of shrimp in the entire dish. My boyfriend ate a little and seemed to like it - (again though, the rest is sitting in the fridge untouched). My boyfriend said his burger was good, although it reminded him (looks and taste wise) of a frozen burger. The French fries that accompanied the burger were rather dried out. The food was a horrible let down and I probably won't come back here again to eat. However the service was very good. Especially our waitress with the calamari situation. The hostess and waitress were pleasant and attentive the entire time. read more

Allen Street Hardware Store Cafe - Gumbo - Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Sorry, I'm prewarning you that this is bipolar review. A. I am partial to Hardware when it is the early dinner time. At this time the restaurant is not insane and you can actually hear the snobby chatter around you. Their food is light, affordable and tastey. Also service is usually great with servers who actually can recommend wine paired with whatever youre eating. Extra bonus points to the waitress that recommended that super wine that got me accidentally drunk. B. 11-2am you are probably going to want to just punch yourself in the face instead of trying to get a drink in here. Just try to navigate through the crowd without touching some hipster girl's $90 mullet haircut. If you can actually tolerate the crowd and get the attention of the less than stellar bartender, the patio is great for drunkard watching. read more

I don't know if this Polaroid moment at Allen Street Hardware was just bad timing or not, but I think we bought some rusty hardware today. My dinner partner ordered a 12 oz, hand-packed choice burger with melted cheese and julienne fries. I ordered the veggie burger also with fries. We started with the Bread Basket from the appetizer menu which had grilled pita, croustades and olives with hummus, olive remoulade and pesto spreads. The olives were wonderful as was the grilled pita which I layered with all 3 spreads. The croustades were a little thick for my liking and a bit too explosively crumbly. The 12 oz burger {which I sampled) was ordered "medium" and arrived medium on half and medium-rare on the other half. Such talent? The veggie burger, unfortunately, had the consistency of a Morningstar Farms veggie plank. I stared at it wishing that I'd asked more questions before I placed the order. Taste, well, I don't want to be unkind. And each of our fries...pure grease! Nuff' said. So, questionable food quality aside, there were a few other issues. First, it was very cold outside and there seemed to be a cold draft, or vent or breeze (you certainly couldn't call it heat) near our table. Second, we ordered our drinks and after they arrived told our server that we needed another minute or two with the menu. When we first arrived at the restaurant there were 5 staff (4 servers + 1 bar) at the front of the house and - after we asked for a little more time - there were "zero". For eleven minutes there was no one up front. We finally flagged down another server who went into the back to find ours. We saw 4 staff, including one of the kitchen staff, emerge from the back. We left our food there - two half-eaten burgers and a mound of greasy fries. read more

I went back and tried the food and found it lacking. First of all the service was terrible. We went at 5pm and brought our baby. They looked at us like we were cretins. This seemed weird as there were other folks with kids there and it was very early and most tables were empty. They do not have any booster seats or high chairs, but we made do. Little did we realize however that it was going to take forever to get our food. We ordered quickly and simply, but it took over 45 minutes to get served. Tables began to fill up after us but we ordered before that. I can't imagine how long it takes to get food when it is busy. I also accidentally spilled my beer. No help in cleaning it up was offered. They did come by and ask if I wanted to buy another though. The food was mediocre. There were some good flavors there (fried chicken was good) but it was unbelievably greasy. We got a bowl of green beans and poured out more than a 1/4 cup of oil. The bean were just soaking in it. I used extra napkins to soak up the remaining oil and salt, but they were still barely edible. I mentioned this to the hostess when she asked how the meal was. She just said "Oh." No apologies, no offering to tell the kitchen, no asking if we would like something else... We left feeling greasy and oversalted. Also ... who in the world can use those mirrors in the bathroom. If I jumped I could almost see the top of my head in it. Yes I'll go back, but I'll stick to the bar and so should you. read more

To be fair, I'm only rating the meal I had tonight. Every other occasion I've been to the bar for drinks and music has been delightful. Now, on to the justifiable sour review... My pal and I were in excellent spirits after we went to a record fair to buy vinyl and listen to punk rock, then a celebrity autobiography comedy show. Of all the bars/restaurants on Allen, we chose to dine at Hardware. Perhaps we should've chosen to sit inside with the too-loud-to-hear-your-friends music, but we took advantage of the summer breeze and sat outside. My friend's food came out after some time, but not mine because the waitress dropped my panini and (wrong) side dish after being elbowed. I understand that these things happen, but she took out her negative attitude on us throughout the meal. We ordered a healthier side dish (asparagus), but were given mac 'n' cheese and didn't have enough time before the waitress rushed off to tell her we didn't request that. The manager came over to apologize for the delay and said she'd remove the mac 'n' cheese, also seeing we had already half-eaten it because how can you not? The side -- a measly $3 -- wasn't removed in the end since we did eat it. Want to know why I ate it? Because you mishandled my meal and I was hungry at 10pm. The eggplant, pesto, and mozzarella panini finally came out, which I found was flimsy due to too much oil and lacked enough pesto. The worst part: the waitress took my knife and napkin away while I was STILL EATING. Hardware, step it up. read more

The food and atmosphere is nice. There's usually limited staff so I tend to sit at the bar for faster service. Which is great because the bar is huge and wraps around to the other side. If you are going to enjoy the food I suggest going during the week. Friday and Saturday nights turn into an overpriced club scene. They charge you to get in (a couple of guys said they had to pay $20 one night) and its super crowded. It gets to a point where the bouncers seem aggravated and aggressive. On a normal day its pretty quiet and a nice place to relax. read more

Not up for a night out but looking for something quick for dinner, we ordered take-out - a burger w/ fries and a roast pork sandwich. The burger (ordered medium) was half-cooked medium and half-cooked medium-well. Not sure how they managed to pull that off but after reading some other reviews, it seems like this talented cook has done this before. The pork sandwich was described on their online menu as roast pork with brie, wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, and rosemary gravy; served with fries. It was listed under Sandwiches, not under Panini (a different section of the menu) but what we received was a roasted pork panini. Even the to-go box said "Pork Panini". The fries were a little soggy and surprisingly cold since we only live a block and a half away from the bar. Their menu is unique enough (not strictly burgers or pizza) that we will probably be back. Eventually. Maybe. Duke's has better burgers and is right next door. read more

The HPC (Hipster per Capita) ratio is through the tin roof. Please tell me why you are wearing your messenger bag out to a bar on a Friday night at 10 PM? Hipsters: please stop chatting up the ladies that I am chilling with. They could give two shits about the hand crafted artisanal snowshovel that you lovingly made using soy based allergen free wood pulp (or whatever drivel you are spewing). Cheers: Quite an improvement over the last venue that called this place home. While ACE is "the helpful place", they did not sell any fine exilers. Plenty of good looking people who certainly shower on a regular basis. Barkeeps are always helpful, dropping tidbits of info as they pour. Food is Buffalo renown, cheese plates and panini oh my!!! Secluded exterior whizzing area. Stranger of the Night soup kitchen right around the corner in case you blow your life savings and need a little mac n cheese. Jeers: Labatt Blue. Get that slime away from the Unibroue. Patio needs to be fenced in with Razor wire and a million amps running through it to keep the locals at bay. While the brew menu may appear to be extensive, I am not really sure who put it together and why. It's almost like they went to Premier Gourmet, put a blindfold on, and started picking. Prices are staggering. I would suggest downing a few around the corner with Slyvester. Of course it won't be a fine Belgian Tripel, but hey, everyone can use a little Olde English in their life. Good luck finding the bathroom. I gave up after a 5 minute search and whizzed outside. Watch out for the Allentown locals who would love to assume your identity (and your wallet), and as always, do not talk to anyone sporting a shopping cart or a snow shovel especially a free range organic one. read more

I find it difficult to write a review for Hardware because I can't stand being here late at night when it's too busy to even move, let alone get a drink or use one of their two tiny little bathrooms. Yet the redeeming qualities of the bar and the restaurant are simply too good to ignore. First of all, the beer selection: incredible. The variety of bottled beer is unparalleled. All the bartenders are incredibly knowledgeable and adept at providing recommendations based on your particular tastes. Good draft selection, but not as large as some other bars - that's not necessary a bad thing in this case. Now the food. I recently came here for brunch and was quite simply blown away. I ordered off the special menu and had an egg sandwich. Sounds simply enough, right? Yet somehow this egg sandwich was one of the best things I have ever had for brunch. The roll was as light as air with a very slight crispiness on the outside - it was not too dense to fill me up and prevent me from enjoying the rest. I don't believe they toasted it with butter because the sandwich was not dripping with greasiness, oil and/or butter, as compared to other places. Perfect amount of cheese with two thick pieces of bacon with very little fat. Topped off with some sriracha. Wow. Served with amazing hash browns with onions. Way better than home fries. Moral of the story: I will continue to go here during the day but will avoid it like the plague after 8 pm. read more

Love how dark inside this place is, great wine and beer menu. The food is delicious and love checking out the specials that change weekly. The bartenders are friendly- overall a great spot in Allentown! read more