Another great meal here! BEC and iced coffee with coffee ice cubes! 5 stars. Risa is terrific.

Risa's had the BEST corned beef I've ever had! The meat melts in your mouth. I've never had a better corned beef sandwich. The matzo ball soup had the lightest matzo balls. They were on par with my mom's and my wife's best. I HIGHLY recommend this jewel! read more

Fantastic deli sandwiches. Really sweet employees. Risa was very kind and chatty. The sandwich was a 10/10 deli sandwich. Perfectly sliced meet and very generous portions. Will return! read more

This is the only surviving Jewish deli in the city of Buffalo, and it does more than simply fill a niche, it does so spectacularly. Chopped liver, corned beef, pastrami, matzoh ball soup, and much more, this is one of my favorite places on the planet. Enjoy! read more

See all

Drove 35 minutes, paid for parking, after seeing hours posted on Google. Walked up to door only to see a handwritten sign indicating they were on vacation!! I guess they care so little about their customers that they can't even update their hours. Never again!! read more

Great food, nice person. Good Quality meat, great combination of sandwiches, wraps. The food is made with care. read more

See all

Risa's is nestled in the M&T bank building on Delaware. A short distance from my job, I walk there often! Risa is so warm and welcoming. She always takes good care of her guests. I found this spot a few weeks ago and have been trying to frequent as much as possible. The matzo ball soup is home made and tastes like love. So dope. There are also a lot of other items on the menu that are home made. The sandwiches are well assembled with a good ratio of meat to bread. Serving size is ok for the price, but, you have to remember that the M&T building (where they likely used to have a lot of customers during lunch) is virtually empty with employees working from home. I feel good supporting a small business. I know Risa appreciates it too. Definitely a must try spot if you're downtown!! read more

Just had lunch at this hidden gem. Delicious Cabbage soup and Brisket Sandwich. Risa is a sweet lady too. Definitely worth finding.

This is my go-too lunch spot in downtown Buffalo. My favorites at the BLT and Risa's chicken noodle soup. Risa and her staff are welcoming and friendly every single time. The deli is hidden in the back of an office building and a nice respite from the hustle of the downtown area. read more

This place came highly recommended and I see why now! It's super cute and clean and Risa is very sweet. I came in not sure what I wanted to get but decided on a wrap and it was delicious! The ambiance is great and it's just a nice quiet spot to enjoy lunch. I'll be back!! read more

The 50 year deindustrialization of the Buffalo-Niagara area took a hit on the population of the region...including a huge drop in the Jewish population (apparently was once about 26,000 now about 10,000). Not surprisingly the lack of delis and that Gotham soul food are hard to find around here. Out here for work..I found Risa's. It's more of a sandwich shoppe than a full blown deli (no display case with the smoked nova, sturgeon, etc etc), but she has some authentic love in these sammiches. Turkey on Al Cohen rye bread (a local bakery) w swiss and spicy brown moutard (don't EVER put French's on it). Great potato salad and pickle spear for your enjoyment. Doc Brown black cherry... she even has knishes. This is a downtown spot so if you are working here or at the Aloft where I'm staying this is an easy find (inside an office tower...). She's a sweet lady too.. read more

Just love this place!! The prices are great however, I must say the sandwiches are the best that Buffalo has to offer!! Just walking into this quaint place makes you feel welcome it has a home away from home feel to it , it must be the aroma of the homemade chicken soup! Never the less this is a must stop for lunch! Most sandwich are are under 10.00 stacked high with deli meat,, the Al Pacino is yummy and don't forget rhe corn beef on pastrami on rye! And did I mention the bread is like a cloud so fresh and homemade!!! Owners are very personable it's like visiting grandmas house ,,, lol Five star and then some!! read more

A quaint Jewish deli that makes a great lunch. Prices are a little high, but you can get a nice soup and sandwich for around $6.50. Lunch for 3 of us was close to $30, which is a little steep but you can keep prices down by asking for tap water instead of getting bottled water (and not buying any cookies, like we did!). The environment is nice, it's inside a larger office building and it may be a little hard to find, but the seating is comfortable. You order at the register and they will bring out your food. I ordered the corn chowder soup and the liver sandwich, while my friends ordered a turkey wrap with mayo. Let me say, the liver sandwich was not what I expected but delightfully delicious. Rather than being cooked liver meat, it was a version of pâté with blended liver made particularly well since it didn't have any usual liver-odor to it, which may be displeasing to some. Served on rye bread with some red onions (and I asked for horseradish), it was delightfully tangy with a melt in your mouth texture. Yum! The soup was perfect, the corn chowder being absolutely perfect in every way (except for the tiny cup it was served in!) My dining companions thought the turkey sandwich was ordinary and after trying it I have to agree. If you come here, I recommend being a little adventurous and experimenting with things you don't usually try. Getting out of your comfort zone with food will lead to great things! read more

Risa's Restaurant - Mm! Delicious downtown lunch option. - Delis Near Me - Buffalo, New York

*****Update 4/20/18***** I've been going to Risa's regularly, so I thought I would post an update. My usual is a knish and matzo ball soup. However, I have tried a few of their sandwiches. My fav. is the pastrami. Either a combo or a regular. I tried the liver sandwich today. I haven't had liver many times, and always find it too strong in taste, but this liver pâté was delicious. It was seasoned beautifully without masking the assertiveness of the liver. Sometimes she makes spinach knishes, those are just as good as the potato ones. I also tried the broccoli cheddar soup today, it was a tad salty but still scrumptious. Bottom line. If you haven't tried Risa's restaurant...just go. Try something different. You wont be disappointed. read more

See all

I've been working downtown for 19 years, and never knew about this place. I went today for lunch. It was a little difficult to find at first. It's inside the M&T building near Channel 2. I had the lunch special with a bowl of chicken noodle and a half Stumpy's Special (corned beef on rye with russian dressing) Everything was amazing. From the food to the service. I will definitely be going again and trying more items on the menu. read more

Located inside a business building, Risa's is worth seeking out (it's located in the first floor lobby, on the left!). Excellent, authentic Jewish deli with the freshest rye, the most delicious homemade corned beef, pastrami and matzo ball soup! Risa is the daughter of Stumpy - of Stumpy's restaurant on Hertel and she has carried on the family tradition of exceptional food. When you know, you know. Seek this place out! read more

I had the Egg Sandwich with bacon which only cost $6.50. It was made fresh, tasted great, with very friendly service.

Dear lord! Is this what Heaven is like? Can we just talk about their chopped liver for a second?!? What do they do to it?!? Growing up Jewish, I've had chopped liver all my life, and make a pretty damn good one at that. But this THIS chopped liver is THE BEST I've ever had!! Sorry mom and nanny. The Rueben was perfect! It was an experience eating that baby! I wanted to make love to that sandwich! All the sandwiches we ordered were perfect! Perfect balance of each ingredient, which is hard to find these days. Most other places tend to over do it with condiments. So filling and delicious. Felt like home! The only complaint I have is the weird hours, however, the exclusivity makes it that much more desirable! read more

First time in Buffalo, owner is the sweetest little lady. Makes everything from scratch. Truly a great place to dine. Music playing as well. Early 2000s and pop. read more

Funny thing is, I worked in this building for 3 years and never stepped foot in the place but I was feeling lazy and cheap, didn't have the ambition to make my own matzo ball soup so Risas came back to me and I figured I'd just grab some of hers to make my life east. I should let it be known, I'm not a broth soup fan typically, I prefer a creamy soup. But matzo is obviously not creamy. Well consider my opinion changed! The broth of this chicken soup was absolutely PHENOMENAL! My friend and I could not stop rambling on about it even hours later. I assume she also uses this same soup as her chicken noodle, since it had noodles, but just adds matzo balls as needed. The balls were also filling and delicious. I'm just mad at myself that I wasn't coming here sooner! read more

Thank god, a Jewish deli in Buffalo! Coming from DC and before that Toronto, where it ain't too hard to find good matzo ball soup, I was kind of horrified to find there are no Jewish delis here. Until now! I'm so glad I know about Risa's now. The matzo ball soup was on point (and matzo balls packed separately for carry-out which was excellent) and the Reuben was delicious. It can't be easy surviving in an office building during COVID so I sure hope this place makes it through. read more

We ordered lunch for the office today from Risa's. I had the Matzo Ball soup. It was so good. I've been craving it for so long and I'm glad I got it. I had their ham sandwich. It was good but a little too salty for me. Two of the guys had Caeser salad and added chicken. They said they loved it and would order it again. Two people had the Reuben and truly enjoyed it. We are going to order from them again. read more

For those who are familiar with the classic New York style deli, I'm sure while living in Buffalo you've been missing the mile high sandwiches, soups, and Kosher staples. I got a job across the street and within 2 days Risa and crew knew me by name and treated me like I'd been going there forever. Breakfast is fabulous - warm egg and cheese (plus great bacon/ham/sausage) sandwiches in tinfoil and refillable coffee. Bagels/lox/cream cheese. I believe I've seen big muffins as well. Lunch - Chopped liver, pastrami, smoked whitefish, corned beef. Fabulous rye bread. And for the more standard fair there is always tunafish, chicken, turkey and roast beef. You can get half a sandwich and a cup or bowl of their wonderful chicken noodle soup. Needless to say they have matzo ball soup as well - heavenly. I'd be shocked if they weren't using schmaltz. Be a little adventurous - I can't recommend the chopped liver enough! . read more

Ok, so I wanted something "homemade" for lunch and I found Risa's on Yelp. I ordered the egg salad sandwich and a knish. The sandwich was fresh and delicious, hitting the homemade spot. Growing up in the South and residing in the Midwest, I have never had a knish before. This is the best thing I have ever eaten in a long time. Whenever I am in Buffalo, I am eating here for lunch! read more

Why is Risa's on my "Personal Upkeep" special Yelp list you might ask...? It's the chicken soup with matzo balls. A quart of this is the antidote to colds, flus, aches, pains and most importantly, the blues. Get it to go. Eat in front of television. Feel better. Perfect fluffy matzo balls. Lite broth. Absolute delight. read more

Ordered half a sandwich, and the sour cabbage soup. The sandwich was alright, but the soup was overcooked, and had a burnt flavor. I only managed to taste it and spit it out. When soup is one of your mainstays and given my love of sour cabbage soup, this was a down right tragedy. Price was great, but given how bad the soup was I won't be making a return here. read more

Ordered half a whitefish sandwich and matzah ball soup bowl to go, I was very impressed! The whitefish was delicious, very fresh and very full. The soup was amazing as well, and I thought the noodles were a nice touch. This place is very reasonably priced as well. I will definitely be coming back often! read more

This is a relatively little-known Jewish deli in downtown Buffalo. It is just far enough from Main Street that it's a little far to walk to, but if you work on Delaware, it's probably ideal. If you have a car, there's parking out back. First problem: It's hard to find. There's a small sign in front of the building, but it has no street storefront. You actually have to walk to the back of the lobby of an office building to find it. Obviously, I prefer a restaurant with a street presence, but given the dearth of meal options in downtown Buffalo, one can't be picky. When you enter the lobby, there is no sign of a restaurant, but trust me, it's back there. The space is very modern, contemporary, and spare. Not at all what you would expect from a traditional deli, but it's a nice space washed by light from frosted glass windows in the rear. The space provides an odd contrast to the employees, who give off more of the older gruff to-the-point vibe I would stereotypically expect. All those words above were just fluff. What we care about is the food, amiright? Alright, so the options are what you would expect from a Jewish deli, but there are tons of them. Pastrami, liver and onions, the whole bit. They have Dr. Brown's sodas as well, which is nice touch. The prices, however, are pretty high for what you get. $8 bought me a small pastrami sandwich on rye and then another $1.75 got me a can of Dr, Brown's Black Cherry. It's hard for me to justify spending that much (definitely the price of a pop) so I will come here only sparingly. That said, the food was quite good, though I was still hungry after. 3 stars + 1 extra star for providing yumminess in the lunch food desert that is downtown Buffalo. read more

I agree with Jane S, The girl at the counter is terrible and rude. At first i thought she had a disability and Risa was helping her out by giving her employment. I now realize that "Sara" is just incompetent, slow and rude. The food is mediocre but will do in a pinch though the prices are outrageous! read more

This location has not moved...still inside the M&T building on delaware. Cute deli with simple menu. ..but all fresh, made to order ingredients. I had a veggie wrap on spinach torti read more

Great corn beef sandwich! The best in Buffalo! Matzo ball soup is awesome! I've been following the family for twenty years! All there meats are home made and of a high quality! Must try! read more

LOVE! Matzo ball soup, knish, rice pudding- it's like I'm back on LI.

I have been a customer of risas for years. Completely disappointed with my delivery...ordered through grub hub. Almost $20 for two small cups of soup and an uneventful grilled cheese. Soup awful...no flavor. Won't be ordering again. Outrageous price for a disappointing lunch. Makes me sad to write this review as I have enjoyed risas food for many years. read more

go as soon as you can & get some of risa's faboo chopped chicken liver & potato blintzes!! yu-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-ummmm!