This place was so much fun! Cornhole, zip lining, ropes course, food, drinks...highly recommend!

Cool atmosphere and based solely on the fact that it's located on the river in an upcoming section of Buffalo wins Riverworks big points. The outside patio/ balcony is and will always be an awesome place to be on a nice Buffalo day. Have a boat? Dock it right outside and go in for a bite to eat or a cool drink. There appears to be a lot of different sports events to watch or participate in as well which makes this venue unique and desirable. Going during the week for lunch you will hardly have to wait for a table. Nights and weekends different story - although the venue is huge the wait can be a while (especially if it's a really nice night). However, they boast of their four bars located within the venue that you can grab a drink at while you wait - beer and cocktails. I intentionally left the food for last as it's the last reason I go. It's ok. The menu selection is decent with some unique items you don't find on your typical "American" menu. The food isn't bad but it's nothing to write home about. Portion sizes are decent, not huge. Prices are comparable to other restaurants of this fare. In short, I've never gone for the food - I go because it's a cool place to be. read more

they serve ranch with their chicken wings enough said. besides that, it's actually pretty cool here. read more

Went to Riverworks for a Shower. My fiirst time there. It was about 5:30 pm and the parking lot was filling up. I parked so far away from the entrance. I really hate that. It was great that the waitress accommodated 16 separate checks. So great not to pay for somebody's steak and top shelf drinks when I had a salad. Also great: watching the Roller Derby Practice. Food was mediocre. Got the Beef on Weck dip to share; no roast beef to be seen or tasted. The Cobb Salad was good with beets and craisins and apples. It was ok. fine. not great. The people who got pizzas said the same thing; if they were good, not amazing. read more

This is another one of those reviews wherein I sincerely wish Yelp would allow users to rate on a ".5" scale. If that were a feature, I'd give Buffalo RiverWorks a 2.5. However, since that feature doesn't exist, I feel that a 2/5 will suffice. My wife, wife's friend, and friend's boyfriend met at BRW for an evening dinner and drinks. The place is located next to the silo area of the waterfront, and is absolutely massive. The place has a roller derby rink on the first floor, and several bars split between the first and second floors. **THE BAD** Pearl Street's "The Ward" had just opened inside BRW as a dedicated restaurant, and that's where we went. As mentioned by previous reviewers, the place had a ton of empty tables, but we were told that a wait would be 75 minutes for an outside table and 30 minutes for an inside table. Considering the obvious amount of empty tables, we thought this was quite odd. The hostess (who seemed quite crabby) said the wait was due to being understaffed. We decided to try our luck by sitting at a bar table, and wouldn't you know it-- we had a table no more than one minute after leaving the hostess area. We went up to the bar and ordered drinks/food. It is worth noting that the bartender that took our order was an extremely rude jerk. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I chalk his attitude (And the hostess' attitude) up to a lack of staff. The couple that were with us received their food fairly quickly. My wife and I did not. This was odd, as we all ordered on the same ticket. About 15 minutes after our friends received their food, I saw a waiter carry out the orders for my wife and myself. The waiter placed our order on the bar. We figured the (jerk) bartender would bring the food over to us, as that is what he did for our friends. NOPE! After waiting a bit more than five minutes, I got fed up, walked over to the bar and took our orders right off the counter top. I'm surprised nobody stopped me, as I could have very easily been mistaken for stealing someone else's order. Message: A lack of staff does not mean that the staff on-hand should be inattentive. After we finished eating, we decided to get another drink from our favorite (not really) bartender. Evidently, my presence was a nuisance to him, as he exuded that same rude attitude as I asked for two Flying Bisons. Please note, there were no beers on tap (that I saw)-- these beers were CAN beers, and all he had to do was pop the top. The act of opening the cans and taking my money seemed to have been a monumentally plebeian task that was beneath his job description. **THE GOOD** So what makes this place worth visiting? The location is fantastic, with on-site parking for cars, and dock-side parking for boats. The atmosphere when we went was electric, and being right next to piece of architectural history (the silos) was great to see up close and personal. The food was absolutely delicious. I assume The Ward @ BRW is staffed by Pearl Street chefs. I ordered the crab and lobster roll with steak fries and my wife ordered the fish and chips. My roll had a generous amount of crab/lobster salad that was perfectly savory and not too heavy on the mayo. The overall sandwich was portioned just right-- not too heavy, but not stingy. My wife's fish and chips was great as well-- three battered pieces of perch that packed a nice flavor. **OVERALL** It's a shame that my first visit to BRW was tainted by the surly and inattentive staff (not counting the fellow who closed out my tab-- a different guy than the initial bartender). I'd consider this an isolated incident, but past reviews indicate that the lack of staff, long waits, and poor attitude is a constant issue of concern. BRW really needs to correct this if they want to cement themselves as a waterfront place to be. If these issues are addressed at some point, then Buffalo RiverWorks easily has the potential to be a solid 4-star establishment. read more

Came here for the Business First Brick By Brick award ceremony since my dad was being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. This space is really pretty cool! Decent sized parking area, cool grain elevators and ruins right next door. On a clear day, there is probably great river scenery but when we were here a low, thick fog hung in the air and prevented us from seeing anything. They converted this space to accommodate probably 200+ people at large round tables. I thought the chairs were totally uncomfortable and I was even nervous that it wouldn't support me for long. It did, but yikes! They had an open bar, with plenty of local craft beers, and drinks all in bottles and cans. The food was considered heavy appetizers, but was really a meal. They had cheese and crackers, fruit, veggies and dip, 2 hot pasta dishes that were just okay, amazing hot breadsticks, carved beef, and amazing carved turkey. It was a nice spread but overall just okay. Aside from the awesome turkey and amazing breadsticks. They had dessert after too. Really good, rich dessert platters. The lemon bars were my favorite. Anyway, this is a cool space and probably would be awesome for a wedding. read more

I have been here about 6 times for hockey, food and drinks so I think I have a good idea of how they perform. I only gave two stars - one for the facility - plenty of outdoor space and it's cool that there is a rink as well. The other is for the food. However, everything else is lacking. On my last visit where I agreed to meet some people (so I couldn't just turn around and leave) we arrived and were directed to "overflow" parking due to a wedding. Then we had to pay $5 TO WALK FARTHER AND PARK IN THE OVERFLOW. This is kind of absurd if you think about it. I get they were having a big event and had to open up farther parking.. but to charge $5 for it is just a low blow. In addition they have been open for many months now and still are charging $7 for cans or bottles of beer. No taps are functioning yet. This is acceptable for a brand new place but a year out? Come on. Finally, the food is decent. Not spectacular but decent. One star for the facility, one star for the halfway decent food. I'm glad this is going on in Buffalo but they still have some work to do. read more

Ok here we go. What is going on with the service??!! Are you paying people less? Are you mean to your servers? Because they are miserable! Wow. We are here spending $$ and while I can I understand a bad day but really? First I felt invisible at the bar for a good 20 min and it wasn't even busy. We sit down to eat and a person in our party did not receive her appetizer or her main dish. I get it's a mistake. We are human . It happens. But can I get I'm sorry let me fix this for you? We received none of this. Attitude and not one smile throughout our whole evening by not even one of the staff. I'm Sure you will continue to receive business because of your location and the food. But be nicer to your employees . Something! Because they are NOT happy. read more

Stopped here for one drink wanting to try a new place and stayed for only one drink The place is huge! Confusingly huge actually they have draft taps but nothing on draft, small selection of canned beers decently priced. The location is nice right in the water. They are again the 100th new place to do an industrial theme so nothing creative here. Their darts board and pool table is crammed oddly against dining tables. All of their staff walking around look miserable!! read more

Had a holiday party at this venue, so really just judging their space and catering facilities. Overall, really nice place. It's a huge space and I was told that the roller derby plays there sometimes. The openness might lend to echoes and too noisy, but it actually remains relatively quiet. There's always chatter and the sound of the televisions, but never overbearing. Catering was nice with a good selection of good tasting vegetarian options. Bartender was friendly. Everyone in our party seemed to enjoy the food. And service in cleaning up was super quick - you would barely look away from your empty plate and it would be gone. I will say, I'm just not a fan of spaces with too many televisions. This space has a huge one - like the size of a small room, in the center of the venue. Yes, I get that people would want to watch sporting events and such there, but it's distracting and disturbing. But, I'm not taking any stars off for that - it's a taste thing. Great to schedule your party. A little difficult to park so you should carpool at the very least. And if you don't know the area, it can be a little tricky to get to - so just pay attention to your GPS. read more

Outstanding venue but the service is terrible. They have one bartender working at their main bar and it's not uncommon to wait 10-15 minutes for a drink. Same situation each of 3-4 times I've been there. They really could have the total package with the venue, but the terrible service really leaves a bad taste in your mouth. read more

Buffalo Riverworks is similar to the food at both Pearl Street and Hotel Lafayette. Similar so it's not really unique but it's still very delicious. However, it's the space that's really cool and considering how many people were there, it didn't feel crowded. The service was very quick! The only downfall was that the outdoor dining was kicked to the curb because the smell from the Buffalo River was less than desirable. Overall though - I really like the place! read more

Buffalo River Works - Shrimp po boy! Delicious! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I was here a couple times - although they have nothing on tap yet, they have an ideal beer selection, especially for summer - some 21st amendment watermelon, labatt lime, etc. if you're looking to park a boat here, there's plenty of space. They also have a nice kayak launch. There are 3 floors so lots of room to walk around, chill with a drink by the water, or eat dinner at the new restaurant. The set up & style is pretty similar to Pearl Street, with lots of space on the out door patios. When I had dinner here, I ordered the pot roast sandwich - a huge sandwich with pot roast, potatoes, cheese, and some sort of delicious sauce. It was so good, I actually ate the entire thing. You would think something like this would be messy and fall apart, but surprisingly, it didn't. I gave river works 5 starts because it had the whole package - great food, drinks, and scenery/location read more

Fun atmosphere . The river and lots to watch or do. Food is bar food and serves the purpose but the fun and views make up for it.

Went there with a party of 14 on June 8th for my nephews bday. The service was absolutely horrible. We had to get our drinks from the bar cause are server Tia was lost in the wind. When the apps arrived the chips for the one dip were stale(and I did complain to Tia and she just didn'tseem to care). Then our meals came out and everyone that got cheeseburgers(there were 4 of us) they were burned and dried out, some missing ingredients. Again server nowhere to be found. I wanted to complain but as it was a party for my nephew, I didn't wanna cause a scene. The servers name was Tia and she knew people at our table and I believe because of a bad situation with a friend of hers and someone at my table she gave us poor service to be an a$$. Can't say she was busy because she went to the table behind us with 6 gentlemen (I believe 6) at least 5 more times then us, kept checking in on them. So I know I won't be back due to poor service and just bad quality food. We spent far to much money for sh!t service and sh!tty food and I rarely ever complain. If a manager wants to respond to help resolve this then fine, if not like I said I'm not going back, can't speak for all of the guests with us. read more

The restaurant is nice and their customer service is ok. The food is good, but the food is a little pricey. It is good for a sports bar, and they have about 15 TVs around the restaurant and a bar area. They also have restrooms in the restaurant. read more

REALLY HUGE place. It's not just a restaurant/bar. It's has a rink, sports area and a patio as well. Apparently this is also the place where people rent kayaks and sail down the canalside. The food was good, not the best bar food I've had but still good. They have nothing on tap yet. You can get beers on cans; the selection is ideal for the summer. Great place with lots of open space for large groups of people by the canalside and the silo views! read more

Venue is very nice but they can do even better. Should have greater variety of restaurants and they need more parking. Poutine tater tots were tasty. read more

Went here for dinner with the family. This place is definitely a place to "play and maybe grab something to eat" and not a place to go for a meal. The food was terrible. Everything tasted like it came straight out from the freezer. The tables are set up weird(appealing to the eye but not practical when it comes to eating). My kids really liked the gaming area and it was fun to watch the people roller skating. we will not be going again unless we are going to roller skate. read more

Waited 50 minutes for a table. There were plenty of tables open but I guess they did not have enough servers to take care of all the available tables. Food was ok if you like bar food. Our waiter was friendly enough but not very attentive. It was a huge place with many bars. I can just imagine how busy this place can and will be in the summer once they work all the bugs out. read more

I went to Riverworks for the first time today. As a native Buffalonian who lives out of town, I have been hearing and reading good things about this establishment and have been eager to try it out. Overall, it's a unique space and it was fun to eat outside and watch the boaters go by. It seems like a great place to have drinks - especially during the day out by the water. The staff was well-intentioned, but the communication was unclear at points - especially regarding whether or not they accepted reservations. I called 2 hours ahead and inquired about reservations and they said that "yes" they accept them, but no i couldn't "call ahead" and said I would have to walk in. I was a bit baffled and called 20 minutes before we wanted to come and explained that I was at canalside with a small child and wanted to come by if there was no wait and inquired whether I could put my name down. They said we couldn't, but that we should come by and there was no wait. We headed over and arrived to discover a "15 minute wait" (which became 25) which was only a big deal because we had a small child who was really hungry and as Riverworks is removed it seemed like it was faster to just wait it out then to come up with a plan B. We ordered as quickly as we could, but waited 40 minutes for food. My watermelon salad was quite tasty, but my daughter's chicken fingers were raw (or at least one of them was) which we didn't discover until she ate one. (Fingers crossed hers was one of the cooked ones!) The manager was sincere, apologetic, and compensated us for the meal, but if I end up with a 2 year old with food poisoning while I'm away from home/her pediatrician, being reimbursed $6.95 will be the least of my worries. It seems like they rushed the food because they knew they were falling behind and in the end we paid the price for their struggle to manage their large facility and kitchen. In sum, it's an interesting space with staff who seem to care, but there is some work to do around managing the large space and timing of the kitchen. In addition, it's unclear whether or not it's really a family friendly place as they had high chairs and crayons, but I couldn't find a changing table in the bathroom. read more

If you are going here for dinner, you should probably get something to eat first. We arrived for dinner and was told it would take 30 mins for a table for 2. There were empty tables everywhere so we figured it wouldn't be long. After 50 minutes we asked why we haven't been seated yet at which time they said their kitchen was backed up. We left after 1 hour and went to another restaurant. read more

The service here sucks balls!! I stood at the bar waiting to order food and the bartender just kept looking at me and waited on other people. Guess i had to order a drink first in order for her to ask me what she could get me. And there was hardly any people in there!!! read more

The bar service here is beyond terrible. I really wanted to give them more chances because the location and space is amazing. This is the thrid time in a row I've gone here and the bartenders (despite having 5-6 people behind the bar) all stand around and look lost, and go out of their way to not make eye contact with you. Takes wayyy too long to get a beer, even when they are not busy. I really hope they fix this issue soon because it is such a great space with great potential. read more

Had lunch here with my family - outstanding in every way. Every dish we ordered was top notch - Fish Tacos, Fish Platter, Caesar Salad, Calamari and a kid's chicken strip - all were great. Waitress we efficient and very helpful. read more

Not sure where to begin soooooo let's start with the good news about Buffalo Riverworks! The location, on the banks of the Buffalo River, is a great atmosphere with a variety of activities. Countless bars (mostly closed), hockey rinks (used for lacrosse) and great seating along the river. The bars offered limited beer selections and mostly well selections for mixed drinks. The menu is somewhat diverse but in need of work as our entrees read better than they looked and tasted. The Pot Roast Melt sounded interesting and didn't disappoint. Tasty beef with a slim spread of mashed potatoes and a horseradish cheddar covering was quite satisfying. The other guests ordered Schnitzel, which was a fiasco and was promptly returned when our server finally got around to check on us. Very slow service! Schnitzel was dreadfully over cooked, difficult to cut with a knife and chewing was a serious risk to the molars. Server promptly removed the two dishes and ordered the new selections. The visuals of the Schnitzel was very unappetizing. Surprised it left the kitchen. The replacement entrees took longer than our initial order. We asked multiple times about the status of our replacement meals and we were told the Manager was giving it her full attention. Really! 25 minutes to make a Pot Roast Melt. While I understand this establishment is a sister location of Pearl Street Bar & Grill, a successful eatery, much work needs to be done on the food and service side at Buffalo Riverworks. Understaffed servers, poor response to problem food has led me to this conclusion. Buffalo Riverworks is a fun place to drink and socialize. Enjoy the summer breeze and growing traffic on the Buffalo River but choose one of the many other great eateries in the city for your meal! read more

Just went to Riverworks at 4pm. They had to have close to 10 tables that were y occupied. They claim they were reserved . Nobody there‍ Ridiculous!!! Do not show up durning a dead time without reservations !!!! read more

I was really excited to try RiverWorks and was a little disappointed. The drink selection is limited and the several drinks I tried weren't well made. Some bartenders were more distant while others were very friendly and accommodating. The only food I tried was the pizza, which was pretty good! I think there are a lot of kinks to be worked out and I'm sure the reviews will turn upwards in the future once everyone gets a stronger handle on operations and bartenders are better trained. read more

This is my girlfriend and I's second time attending riverworks, and our second time being in "peter's section." Idk if Peter is over worked or simply forgets about tables in his section, but his lack of attention speaks for itself. The first time my girlfriend and I attended, we were left alone after receiving our appetizers until we had to actually physically track down our bill. The second time we came, of course we are in the same exact spot, table, server and all. Peter has done his best to be as attentive as possible however his best needs a lot of work, and again our food is good but we can't help but feel neglected, and ignored. Peter walks by our table and NEVER asks us how we are doing, what we could potentially require, and certainly never helps us out. I think coming back was a mistake. The bar treated us great per usual, but the dining service leaves little to the imagination. When the customer needs to track down their own check, and obtain to-go boxes it's gone a little too far. 2 stars for the drink service and food quality, otherwise AVOID at all costs. read more

I've read some of the reviews and feel that this is a project in the works. We are an eclectic community very diversed. We had a great experience, I had the whitefish Reuben. Excellent, but I do think carrying food from the kitchen about 100 yards needs to be worked on. But all in all we had an attentive waitress Jessica and great seating. Hello summer check it out!! read more

Buffalo River Works - Just one of many great vantage points - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

The food was horrible, the service was horrible and the restaurant was dirty. We were told we could only sit at our table 1 hour 20 minutes because of another reservation. The food was over priced and it was cold. read more

It's fun to grab drinks here and sit outside on their patio, but drinks are kind of limited here. I haven't eaten here yet, but the food doesn't look appealing. Only two stars because even though it didn't seem super busy, we waited about 15 minutes at the bar until someone waited on us. I completely understand that sometimes people might get busy, but I think it's important to at least acknowledge customers and say that you'll be right with them. On top of that, when I was there in February for about an hour, I came out to leave and my car had been hit in their parking lot. When I asked for a manager to explain, they made me wait 20 minutes, didn't apologize for the inconvenience, and said they have no cameras and are not liable. A little compassion would have been nice. read more

They lost our reservation. The food took 45 minutes (all sandwiches). Even then, one person in our party did not get their food (steak and tot sandwich) for at least 50 minutes. My wife ordered a ham and apple sandwich. Only one thing was missing: the ham. They've been open over a year. These types of mistakes are not acceptable. read more

This place has so much potential but the food and service were both very subpar. Riverworks needs Jon Taffer.

The size of this place gets your attention right away. Huge screens. Bars, food, and fun. If you have a large group or just want to be in a friendly place with lots of room, this is for you. read more

This is a cool place to go in the summer to have a meal or drink by the water. I only tried their chicken cob salad, which was great, but everything else at my table of five looked very tasty too. Of particular interest to me was their fish Reuben- it looked really good, and the person who ordered it loved it. I ate outside under their covered patio overlooking the canal. Not a bad way to eat lunch with a breeze on a hot day. Inside, the space was not like what I expected- It looked like an old warehouse-turned- roller rink. I guess that might be grounded in truth, as someone told me they do roller derby there...? All in all, I would go elsewhere for a romantic date, but this is a good pick for a big group or a quick bite near the canal. It is a bit tricky finding the place, and I'm terrible with directions so just know you're looking for an unusual spot as your GPS guides you. :-) read more

This was my second time here and I really like this space. It's perfect for holding bigger group events and get-togethers. The first time I went was for a UB alumni skate night. I had so much fun! We got to ice skate for two hours. They have the walkers for people like me who are still learning to ice skate. They have another rink for curling and hockey. This time I held my fiancé' birthday party there and the staff was wonderful. I was so thrilled with my experience that I gave them a 5. Friendly, helpful staff people go a long way. We had about 15 people attend and they all had a good time. We had two tables for ourselves. We got everything we needed, including a knife to cut the birthday cake which we were allowed to bring in from somewhere else. The inside is clearly designed to have a lot of things going on at once. They have typical bar games like darts and pool, plus some other games. They have at least two different bar areas and a sit down restaurant area. The food is typical bar food. Nothing too fancy, but since this is not the type of place you really go to for dinner per se, I don't mind the food selection. Neither did anyone else at the party. This is really the type of place you go to to have a good time and enjoy whatever is going on there. I look forward to going back soon. read more

RiverWorks is that restaurant and bar right next to the big Labatt Blue Silos. It's located right on the water which makes it a great summer spot. My family and friends took our boat here this summer, they're one of the few restaurants in the area that has docks available for boaters. I just had a burger and it was pretty good. I wanted to try the fish fry but they were all out of it which was a bummer. Everyone at our table enjoyed their food including a mango salsa fish taco and lobster roll. The downside to RiverWorks was that they didn't have their beer taps ready when I was there. I like to try local beers and new IPAs so it was a disappointment to see a small selection of canned or bottled beer. The bar area was very nice though and had many TVs so it would be a great place to catch a Bills or Sabres game once the taps are installed. RiverWorks also has hockey rinks outside which double as pickleball courts in the summer and they provide the paddles and balls. They have a roller derby rink as well if you're into that kind of thing. I have a friend that works there and says that even more activities will be available soon which makes it a really interesting place to check out. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures when I was there but I would recommend it as a cool local spot to check out! read more

The place is cool as hell but the food is below average and service just sucks. Not so much the staff (they're overworked) but the place is just poorly managed. Sandwiches have had a soggy bottom each time I've gotten one. Probably has something to do with the kitchen being a roller hockey rink away. Each time I've went to the bar I've literally had to flag somebody down to get a drink. Most recently 3 different bartenders just ignored me before a very kind waitress recognized the situation and asked if I was being helped. 15 minutes later I finally had a drink on an average Wednesday night. Only 2 stars for the cool location but if you're looking for good food and service look elsewhere. read more

Buffalo River Works - Took 15 minutes on a Wednesday to get this beer. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I have only been here for drinks but today was our food venture there. We were seated promptly and courteously. Our waitress came over apologizing that we had to wait for her as she states she didn't know she got a table. We ordered a couple beers from a decent selection and food. We ordered the Philly Steak Pizza and Poutine Tater Tots to share. Both were so good! I was pleasantly surprised! I had heard many things about this place and had witnessed really bad bartending first hand BUT today changed my mind. The prices are fair. The food was good. The service was a great improvement. The only question - for being Pearl Street affliated, why no Pearl Street beers! read more