Chef’s feels like a Buffalo museum. It displays photos of local news anchors and politicians as well as headshots from touring musicians who have stopped by for dinner. It could be just a well-worn Italian-American diner house, but the little eccentric touches that the restaurant has picked up over the last century make it memorable.
Chef’s has been around since 1923. The current iteration is Lou Billittier’s. He started as a dishwasher in 1941, worked his way up to manage the place, and eventually bought it. Under Lou’s direction the menu and dinning room expanded greatly. Now Lou Jr. is in charge.
The most notable thing about Chef’s is its signature dish, Spaghetti Parmesan. It’s a local peculiarity that would make Italian nationals and probably even some folks in New Jersey roll their eyes. It’s a heap of pasta tossed in about equal parts butter and red sauce, and then completely blanketed with mozzarella cheese, and finally broiled. The result is very buttery, very cheesy pasta that sticks to the plate and to your ribs. Because many find the sauce lacking, a side of marinara comes standard for dunking. Meatballs can also be added as well, and they’re well worth adding.
The genius of the dish is that the insulation of cheese helps the pasta quickly absorb sauce as it broils without burning on top. It comes in three sizes, all of them too big for us. The largest size is named for Buffalo Bills hero, Bruce Smith, who ate it weekly during the football season. We wonder if Buffalo’s Super Bowl fortunes might have changed in the 90s if the games were played here.
If you don’t want a giant plate of pasta and cheese, Chef’s other Italian classics all have local fans. Boneless chicken cacciatora has a sauce that is a tad sweet, sure, but that only makes it more old-timey and charming. The meat is fork-tender and infused with vegetable aromatics.
Little details are done right in this place; even the bread and pesto served with the meals is fantastic, the fluffy white bread so good that many spoil their appetites with it. So be careful. We recommend getting a salad or something green if you’re going in for that Spaghetti Parm. A salad of fresh zucchini is just the right break from butter mountain.
Chef’s is worth a long slow dinner, and the food is best eaten hot from the kitchen. However, if you can’t even stand walking from the parking lot in the bitter Buffalo cold, they have a drive-thru, a rarity for an Italian joint.
Other Nearby Restaurants
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Bar-Bill Tavern
East Aurora, New YorkGorgeous (and delicious) Buffalo wings and masterfully built beef on weck sandwiches put Bar-Bill Tavern on the must-eat list of western New York.
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Kelly’s Korner
Buffalo, New YorkPub grub means wings n’ weck at this late-night drinking hole. It’s a locals’ place that has been serving Buffalo classics and pouring beer since 1967.
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Mike’s Candy Shop
Cheektowaga, New YorkOf Buffalo’s many great candy shops, Mike’s is among the best. Sponge candy is superb, as are the city’s unique Charlie Chaplins, made with fresh marshmallow.
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Parkside Candy
Buffalo, New YorkBuilt in 1927, Buffalo’s Parkside Candy is a beautiful temple of sweets. Sundaes, sodas, egg creams are all fine; and the candy selection is staggering.
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Five Points Bakery & Toast Cafe
New York,The open kitchen at Five Points Bakery produces artisan breads that are toasted and served with all the right companions in a temple of enlightened eating.
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R&L Lounge
Buffalo, New YorkAn enduring relic of Buffalo’s Polish community, R&L is a mom and pop bar serving home food and cheap beer to regulars that they know by name.