Michael Rodenhaus

The best Italian restaurant in Buffalo hands down. Great prices and huge portions.

Ryoga Kazehino (ryoga316)

Was invited here today by a friend who was a regular for half a century. Since the place prides itself with their spaghetti, I ordered a full size and two meatballs (the latter is sold separately). It was served less than 5 minutes later. At first taste, you won't really notice anything special and would be just average. Same goes for the meatballs. But as you continue to eat the spaghetti and the sauce and later mix it with the meatballs, the Umami sensation starts to kick in and you want more of it. I don't consider it as THE best out there, but it is a unique experience and satisfying overall.

R C

We live out of town and have been wanting to come here for years due to all the recommendations. Sadly, we were disappointed. The meatballs for the bomber were bland. It was served on wax paper that melted and was stuck to the food. The ravioli and sauce were just ok/basic. The eggplant parm was good but did not come with spaghetti, which was disappointing. Especially since the price of a half portion of eggplant parm was more expensive than a full of ravioli. The only sort of good thing was the cheesy garlic bread. The phone number listed online is not the number to call for reservations. It says they open at 11:00 but the earliest they were giving reservations for was 1:00. We were the only table in the restaurant. None of the dishes came out at the same time. The women's bathroom was not clean. The toilet looked like someone had thrown up in. We were the first people there, so we didn't understand why it was so dirty. The waitress was very nice though and tried hard.

Sean Grohman

I was going to give them five stars initially. The service was great and the food was really good. It’s a cool little restaurant! I brought my chicken parmesan leftovers home to have the next day. Unfortunately, when I cut into it and looked a little closer, I noticed that they use processed chicken which is very sub-par and not good for you. Hopefully they’ll return to actual chicken one day.

Grace Perczynski

Had reservations for 12:30, arrived at 12:10, seated us. No one in the room, just us 4 The server did not work there, just helping out Ordered 4 beers, received them in about 10 minutes or so We each ordered chicken parmigiana, took 30 minutes Covered with a lot of cheese, spaghetti was barely warm, not too much sauce, breading on chicken was soggy While waiting for our food, we ordered 4 more beers, waited again, went up to bar to check on them, sitting on the bar already opened Understandable help is hard to find, but not a pleasant experience at all

Jaime Cordon

Ordered the full chicken parm. It was cold.but The food did taste descent. The sauce is classic Italian. Delicious. The pasta fagioli is uniquely done.. The shells taste like frozen shells. The cheese they use is my favorite so they got that. But the service… they didn’t even know I called in and put an order. Overall will I eat there again….? Maybe… i guess it depends on the mood I’m in. But for the price is the most impressive. Dinner that could feed 3 only cost 50$ . So decent food on a budget.

Robert Shewmake

Was really looking forward to this place all day but what a huge disappointment. The meatballs were overdone and the sausage seemed underdone. The Chicken and Rice soup was really thick and bland. The service was good but this place really wasn’t anything special as the reviews lead you to believe. I wouldn’t return again.

+3

This once-iconic Italian restaurant is a shadow of its former self. From the moment we arrived, the experience felt awkward—there was no sign indicating whether we should seat ourselves, and we were left unsure if we should order at the counter or at our table. The homemade bread that used to be a highlight is gone, and the sauce, meatballs, and noodles had an unappealing taste. The staff situation was also concerning. There were only two employees: an older gentleman who appeared to be both cooking and waiting tables, and a younger woman who seemed disinterested in her work. She spent most of her time refilling her large Tim Hortons cup with fountain soda while our glasses remained empty—perhaps she was the owner? I genuinely felt for the older gentleman, who was clearly doing the work of four people. To top it off, the restaurant was uncomfortably hot, with a digital thermostat reading 82 degrees. Eating while sweating is never a pleasant experience! R.I.P to the Santasiero’s that we once knew!

Marlene Wong

Our first clue to what awaited us was that it was a Saturday night, and there was one car with an out-of-state license plate in the parking lot. Inside, one table had two occupants in the reserved dining room, and as we walked through to the main room where the bar was, it was empty. We visited this establishment in 2016 when the place was packed, and we didn't know if we could even get a seat. Everyone who looked like regulars turned to look at the newcomers. That made us uncomfortable, like "how dare you come to my place?". It was momentary as they quickly went back to their food and drink. We were fine after that. But what happened to Santasiero's?!? I tried to look it up online to see if there was a story. This place had been an institution for over 100 years, and many people cited great memories of the food, atmosphere, and community. Reading through the Google reviews and experiencing it many years ago, I speculate that the pandemic and the passing of the restaurant's matron in 2021 had taken their toll. We noticed that the street had changed a lot - a lot of redevelopment occurred since we last visited. I don't know if that had an impact, perhaps from all the construction during the redevelopment. I'd be interested to hear from others. I wish I could report that our food was amazing, but it was not. Interestingly, the food reviews were inconsistent - some dated recent or at least within a year ago said great food, but then, within the same period, others had a terrible experience. Was it a particular dish that was good/bad? Did it depend on the chef/cook? Was there a chef/cook? What I had looked like it was prepared days ago, taken out of the fridge and heated up like a tv dinner. Rolls were wrapped in plastic. Meatballs were really dense like golf balls. The service was decent. The server was accommodating. There was no atmosphere to speak of because very few tables were set up, and the music was pop radio. The front door was sealed off. The bar was no longer in service. There was a couple of people picking up take-out but not many others while we were there. All in all, save Santasiero's legacy, close, and cut your losses. I don't wish any business to close, but it was just too sad in its current form, knowing what was there before. (I did not take photos because it was too disheartening.)

Michael Nemeth

I hate to write this review. The soul of this place is gone like the crowds that used to pack the house. Along with the best restaurant meatballs I ever had. It’s bad now; The food, service and atmosphere are all sub-par. It’s no longer a destination restaurant. The meatballs flavor is off tasting more like store-bought than fresh made. The veggie lasagna was less impressive. The chicken parm was good but the noodles they were served on tasted like a cleaner of some kind. Another review wished this place dead, he needn’t worry; From my experience, this place is well under way.

Steven Dominguez

Had to try it after getting loads of recommendations since it's close to the house. Inedible. Meatballs were burnt, and the chicken Parmesan was literally a microwaved food service patty. 2 5oz processed cutlets, and cheese with a micro portion of pasta for $20 isn't acceptable.

Metal Toph

Ordered 2 chicken parms, the chicken was so over cooked it was inedible. We could not cut through the chicken with a metal serrated knife. On top of that virtually zero noodles. This place was my childhood, now the next generation has zero love. They have ran this place into the ground. The 3 generations before would be ashamed. Close this place before you ruin the great name anymore.