Ding! That’ll be all for the Buffalo Grille — or its 26-year location at Bissonnet and Buffalo Speedway, at least. The restaurant closed at 2 o’clock today, minutes after serving its last meal (an order of chicken enchiladas, if you have to ask). Next assignment for the building: to go away, and leave behind a few more concrete parking spaces for the H-E-B Buffalo Market.
Sometime next week, a slightly larger Buffalo Grille will reopen a mile to the west at 4080 Bissonnet, on the Academy St. end of the Randall’s shopping center, Weslayan Plaza. Inside will be an even-more-enclosed version of the restaurant’s enclosed patio, plus space for an eventual actual outdoor patio next door:
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- Goodbye, Hello to the Buffalo Grille [West University Examiner]
- Previously on Swamplot: Where the Buffalo Grille Will Roam, H-E-B Announces That the Buffalo Grille Is Moving — Somewhere, The Coming Migration of the Buffalo Grille?, Buffalo Pharmacy Is Toast
Photos: Aaron Carpenter
Damn, I meant to try it before they moved. Oh well.
Eaten there once, not impressed at all, in fact it kinda sucked.
Over-rated, over-priced, worst hashed browns in the history of big fat breffesizz.
End of an era. Oh, that’s right I never ate there.
Now, the demise of the Cortez Deli on West Alabama was truly the end of an era. Good stuff.
Average place with friendly, hands on, local owner, great for early breakfast meetings, perhaps missed by those posting negative comments on a blog while still in their PJs.
Cross, you are so right, I was too busy already being at work, having meetings over a cup of coffe, then doing my job.
I eat there a couple of times a week. There is no better place for a leisurely lunch and time to read. The food is quite good, despite what some haters think. I’m sure if it were in a poorer zip code and dingier building it would be the darling of the Houston online community.
I’ve always enjoyed it (both at that location and the one out in Memorial). De gustibus non est disputandum.
Back in the summer of ’87, I had my first job there, helping open the joint and serving people drinks. That was a pretty sucky summer, as the good fathers at Strake Jesuit had deemed my knowledge of physics unworthy of a passing grade, so I had summer school at eight AM five days a week, and Buffalo Grille at six AM on weekends. We would whip up some pretty awesome off-menu omelets, though.
No buddy goes there anymore, the line is too long. Isn’t it fun to be a hater. The McAleer’s, and Tommy Schillaci in particular have served excellent food and been an integral part of that community for going on 3 decades. Here is to 3 more decades, and continued lines to the door!
I’m just thankful that Saint HEB has managed to move the building to provide us with more mixed use parking spaces. What would we do without their vision?
Best hash-brown potatoes ever. Extra crispy!
Pancake for dessert.
Try their huevos rellenos and you’ll be a believer.
I spent many happy late-morning breakfasts there. I’ve always particularly admired their throttling mechanism (?) where the ratio between the line / counter ordering / open tables was optimized. While you stood in line for 15 minutes, you’d look at only one or two empty tables and think “how are we going to get a table?” but then when it was your turn, one would always be available. Magic. The whole thing would be thrown off by people grabbing a table while still in line – thus the signs prohibiting doing so. You could tell the newbies by their lack of compliance with the signs.
The other great (non-intuitive) sign was Keep Door Closed While Standing in Line. It always amazed me how people would look at the sign and then ignore it while they held the door open for 3 minutes and let all the A/C out.
I hope the new location keeps the same good food and friendly vibe.
MariaO,
Oh yes, I still think there was some sort of third dimensional seating area that I couldn’t see that allowed there to never be people standing around waiting for a table. I just don’t understand how everyone fit in.
And how people would get pissed off, really pissed off, when I pointed out the “Keep Door Closed…” sign and politely asked them to shut the door. I just guess jackasses get angry when they are called out.
#7 with Red Sauce was my standby and wheat fruit pancakes…yum. They used to serve mean cinnamon rolls until a few years ago, but then went with a cheaper version and spoiled it.
Let’s be honest though the food was average. Hash browns were soggy sometimes, coffee was weak and sometimes my bacon looked like it had been lathred in way too much pepper, but with many things location drives some success. They were golden in that area. Families didn’t have to worry about kids/messes. Quickly delivered food. And a very homogenous WASPy clientele.
What’s wrong with WASPs?
Did you know that, around homes, wasps primary food is spiders? Good deal, right?
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WASPS primary food is whatever is cool at the moment.
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I never thought Buffalo Grille was especially hip. In fact the opposite: I take visitors to the I-10 location to get the ole Texican vibe.
As to breakfast there: Pecan pie a la mode is the bomb.
My wasp comment was that bad?
#18 markd: Did you get deleted? Or, er, do you have multiple personalities here on the swamp?
Either way, out in the country, we don’t bother the wasps unless they get to building a home too close to ours (as on the porch). Cuz everyone knows how they sting. Two weeks ago, we demolished 4 or 5 little waspy homes they’d just begun to build.
Josh your order is ready! Josh your order is ready!
I’m actually tickled pink that they are moving. I can now walk just a couple of blocks there rather than drive the mile I had to before.
The blueberry pancakes are to die for!
#19 PYEWACKET2: Deleted, indeed.
I only have one personality everywhere, and it’s not very PC.