Buffalo D's Wings and Things

by Irena N.

The S.O. and I may not share a love of football (I just don't do sports. Sorry.) But we do share a love of cold beer and hot wings (and get enough of both in me and I won't even realize the TV's on!)Since the S.O. lives just blocks away, we'd been thinking about checking out Buffalo D's for a while - but were hesitant due to the lukewarm-to-awful reviews. Finally, last Sunday after realizing that there was just no way we were getting seats at Bailey's, we decided to give the place a shot.Verdict? The other Yelpers are dead on. The service is spotty at best - especially for a bar that was not very crowded when we got there. I was very excited when I saw they had my beloved Stella on tap. Unfortunately it took us quite a while to get the bartender's attention (and we were two of maybe 6-7 people sitting at the bar), and another long while before we managed to grab him long enough to order some wings.We got 10 each of the Hot and the Extra Hot - and managed to get through a round of Stellas and then start on another round before our order arrived. The wings were a good size and tasted decent, though not particularly spicy - however, they arrived COLD. Yuck. We didn't want to send them back because we knew it could be another 40-45 minutes before we got a new batch. So we ate them anyway. Meh.Overall - a decent neighborhood spot, homey and welcoming. Decent selection of beers and good prices. But they need to step it up with the service - in terms of speed, efficiency, and friendliness. And seriously, what kind of a wing joint/sports bar serves COLD buffalo wings? Shameful.We'll probably give it another chance, due to proximity alone. Otherwise - I'd skip it.

by chris s.

7/28/2008  OK UPDATE..UPDATE  they literally just changed the menu and prices and for the worse.  Kabobs are now 30% more expensive. With all the other problems I was willing to overlook, this change has dropped my review down.  You should still give it a try, I still believe it is worth it .  With all the other good places in the area, its just OK. Also a side note I've noticed, there are almost never single girls in there, it's 85% guys, 4% girls that came with their boyfriend, 10% girls that work there and 1% single girls.Old review-This little place is pretty good.  OK the kabobs are great the wings are great the beer selection is pretty good.  Now today I went there and got some food to go, they forgot to give us our wings with our order which we didn't notice until we got home.  Even with that I still really like this place.  I will probably go here once a week......

by Chris K.

This place is brand new, in the front (N. Fairfax) part of the building which also houses the Food Factory.  As such, it immediately became the closest bar to me, so I had to try it.  They have a nice little bar with not many more than half a dozen stools, and a few tables with chairs.  There's one large and two medium plasma TVs.  The "kitchen" is mainly a couple of large deep fryers to the right of the bar...there must also be a griddle top behind it, but I didn't see it.  The draft beer selection was decent...seems every place has Blue Moon these days which is good because I like it.  So the bar is acceptable.  But my girlfriend and I were seriously disappointed with the wings.  First, we probably made a critical mistake in ordering the boneless wings.  They had a really grainy yucky texture.  I would be tempted to try bone-in wings, which I like better anyway, but the seasoning / sauces were totally lame.  We got one order (10 wings) each of Cajun and the Hot Barbeque flavor.  There was no spice heat to either one.  They were worse than generic and expensive, and we were overcharged for them to boot!  We discovered that you can get food from Food Factory in the back and eat it in the bar though.  This would be the way to go.  I could definitely see eating a nice Chapli Kebab or some curry and naan bread while drinking a Blue Moon and watching a game there.  But those wings...no thanks.  Two stars for the bar, and could go to 5 if you just eat Food Factory and drink there.

by Brian K.

I cannot understand what more people want from a small neighborhood bar and grille.   Buffalo D's is kind of place is something that Ballston has lacked for some time.  It's clean, the TV's are huge and sports are always playing on them (usually NFL network, which I love), the food is reasonable and you get a good amount for the price.  The food selection is pretty typical of a small bar like this one, with wings and daily special dominating the selections.  I would like to see a little more imagination in the menu offerings instead of the quickest and easiest items available.  However, what the food lacks in creativity, it makes up for overall quality and consistency. And while the food is decent, it's the service that has kept me coming back. In the several times I've gone to Buffalo D's I've found the drink specials to be a good deal and the wait staff who serves those drinks to be friend and attentive.  I've never had to wait more than ten minutes for food and I've never had a dry glass sitting in front of me.  This level of service impressed me more than anything at Buffalo D's.Can you find better bar food? Probably.  Are there places that are bigger and with more lively decor and character? Sure.  There are half a dozen places in Cleveland Park and in Chinatown that immediately come to mind.   But if you're looking in your own backyard for a no nonsense neighborhood bar and grill with cheap drinks, honest food and a clean and friend atmosphere you'd be hard pressed to find a better spot.

by Matt R.

I'm really surprised that this place is getting killed in the reviews.  I love me some wings and was excited that this place opened.  First time I went with some co-workers for lunch, I was about to already call them the best wings I've had in Arlington.  But I thought maybe I just got lucky and would try them a few more times before proclaiming my man-love. However, I've been there several times since and they've been just as good.  I just drooled on my desk a little.Maybe because I always order my wings extra crispy, but I've never had soggy wings here.  They've come out delicious and crispy every time.  And the 30 or so different flavors is nice.Yes, they could use another server or two because it does get packed  at lunch time and happy hour these days, but I'm guessing that means I'm not the only one who likes their wings.The half-price wing and $2 drink happy hour is nice.  From what I remember between the 8 gin and tonics (not much), I had a good time the last time I went there after work.I've taken about 5-6 different people here since it opened, and almost all really enjoyed their wings, even if a few complained that it took too long to get them.  They do have a sign that says prepare to wait as all wings are made to order, if that makes anything better.

by Derek H.

Two Stars for 'Restaurant', 3 stars for Happy Hour Bar.  This place has an identity crisis.  It's like half sports bar half Indian/Kabob hut.  I think there's even a retrofit Hooka Lounge in the back. It just doesn't mesh well together.  Sort of like when Billy Bob Thorton was hanging with Angelina Jolie.  The back room has a low ceiling, bad lighting, and general dinginess.  They need to streamline their location and do a little bit of renovation-- they could have a winner if they stuck to one theme or the other.  But if you are here for the bar in the FRONT (I think that is the official Buffalo D's, while the back is called the Food Shack or something...?  Someone help me out here) you've got a nice, small bar with some decent bar food.  Great Happy Hour deals ($2 beers last time I checked) and some TV-coverage so you know what you're dealing with.  But the good part of this place is too small for any group of people -- so come with a buddy or two, otherwise you're all going be fighting for space or sitting in the back at a table.To kind of go along with the Identity Crisis here, I was here on a Thursday at around 8 PM to watch college football.  All the TV's are showing it, which is A+, but then there was like some guy they hired trying to rouse up people to do karaoke.  Since he had no volunteers (everyone who was there wanted to watch football), he's sitting there blasting techno tunes between trying to get people at his microphone.

by Peter R.

I want to like you, really.  Your wings are the biggest, juiciest around, but other than the normal flavors, your other sauces are just butter with stuff in em.  Which can be good, but they're not.  I once ordered Naan and the edges were still uncooked and doughy.  But I still ate it so what does that say of me?Honestly, I'm not there for bread, and only because your wings are the size of my head will i keep coming back.  And your beer is cheap.

by Adam G.

If you're name touts your wings, they are hopefully good, but Buffalo D's just doesn't manage it.  I really want a great wing place in Arlington, guess I'll still have to wait.Asked for "extra crispy" wings on the recommendation of a review here, and still got undercooked, too-much-skin soggy wings with average hot sauce.If you have a serious wing craving, these will tide you over, but I can't see craving this place, just hit up Hooters or somewhere else.  If you're really into flavored wing sauces, they've got plenty, but with hot wings this mediocre, I'm gonna skip.2 for the wings, -1 for the deafening music, +1 for the helpful staff when we visited.

by Jessica M.

Stopped in one Sunday night to get take-out buffalo wings when most restaurants were already closed... the wings were ok, but the few people there were clustered around the door, the music was deafening, and the whole place reeked of cigarette smoke. The wings were ok. The medium were reasonable, and the hot were hotter than I expected (...too hot, really). During the 15 minutes I sat at the bar and waited for my wings, I saw no reason to come back. The bartender lady was nice, but the atmosphere in general was a little seedy.

by Clara L.

Buffalo D's has quite a bit going for it... lots of big screen tvs, some pretty good food [wings were meaty! not just bone and skin], decent assortment of beers on tap, lots of room - a good place for a group to hang out and eat...BUT service was AWFUL!  We were sitting at a table for awhile till we finally asked a guy wearing a Buffalo D's tshirt if we had a waiter or waitress.  The guy said he'll let the girl who's covering our section know.  She eventually came over and took our first drink orders.  She then heads back to talk to her friend (another waitress) for some time, before bringing out  our drinks.  This was pretty much the pattern the rest of the night.  It took FOREVER to get our food or drinks.  Also, when the food did come out, she did not bring napkins or silverware!  And figuring it would take another 20 minutes till she checks up on us again, I walked over to the waitress stand and just picked up a roll of paper towels and some silverware for our table.  ridiculous!  Sooooo service was bad.  Just don't leave her a huge tip right? Well somehow... when the check came... we were overcharged for beer!  Except we didn't exactly keep a tally at the table, so we didn't know exactly how many we were overcharged for.  I'm guessing a good 4 beers were added to the bill and never brought out to us.  At $3 a glass, there is no way each of us spent $25 on just beer there.  No possible way.  We would have been much more drunk if we had.Overall, the food is quite good.  The waitress we had last night was not.  And she pretty much deters me from wanting to dine-in there again.  So maybe I'll just stick to carry out from this place, if I have a craving for their wings.