Buffalo Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor in Buffalo Grove was serving ice cream before ice cream was cool.
For more than a century, this Chicago dining icon has primarily been associated with towering and exotic ice cream fantasies with playful names like Hubba-Hubba (five scoops of ice cream, banana, whipped cream, nuts and butterscotch) and Tutti Fruitti (vanilla ice cream with strawberries, bananas and pineapple topping).
But since it opened in Buffalo Grove four decades ago, Buffalo has expanded its menu to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. While Buffalo no longer makes its own ice cream, its frozen desserts are still star attractions, popular with families, couples on dates and celebrating youth sports teams. Ice cream comprises roughly 40 percent of Buffalo’s business, according to manager George Gountanis.
About Buffalo: Buffalo Ice Cream Parlor opened in Chicago in 1902. It moved to its longtime location at the corner of Irving Park and Pulaski Roads in 1918. It closed in 1978 and was sold by its owners to an employee who opened the Buffalo Grove incarnation. A Shell gas station currently occupies the former property.
Anthony Donato of the Donato Company is the current owner. The Buffalo name has a primal nostalgic pull for Chicagoans of a certain age. Recently, Gountanis reports, a now 98-year-old former waiter stopped in.
But Buffalo is not living in the past. “We want to keep the name alive for the next generation,” Gountanis said.
Philosophy: Buffalo has one goal, according to Gountanis: “Make sure visitors are fully satisfied before they go out the door.” Personal service goes a long way toward achieving this. Serving the community means offering Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur meals over the High Holidays.
Much of the wait staff has worked at Buffalo for more than 10 years. Angela Charles worked at Buffalo for nine years, left and came back two years ago. “We get to know our patrons,” she says. “We know what they want to order and how the family is doing.” Blanca Estrada echoes this about Buffalo regulars. “We already know what they will order before they sit down. Some come far for the matzo ball soup.”
On the menu: Yes, soup. It has become a Buffalo staple and is one of the most popular offerings. It sets the stage for the entire meal, Gountanis explains. “If you don’t like the soup, what will you think of the entrée? All our soups are homemade and made the same way for almost 40 years.”
Breakfast offerings, served anytime, include skillets, benedicts and oven-baked omelets along with several varieties each of pancakes, French toast, waffles, breakfast sandwiches and crepes. Beyond breakfast, the menu includes Buffalo burgers, wraps, salads and sandwiches, including triple-deckers and gyros.
Dinner entrées include Athenian skirt steak or pork chops, sautéed tilapia and broiled salmon, broiled skirt steak and chicken kabob over rice pilaf. Buffalo has a full service bar.
And did we mention ice cream? The menu categories say it all: Hot Fudge Favorites, Fabulous Sundaes, Bill’s Masterpieces, Ice Cream Fantasies and the Road to Heaven (specialty sundaes including Belgium Road, which is ice cream atop a Belgian waffle), plus banana splits, sodas and shakes and malts.
Décor: Buffalo no longer has the look of an old-time ice cream parlor. It has the welcoming ambiance of a family restaurant. The dining room seats almost 300.
Pricing: Buttermilk pancakes are $7.49, the apple pancake is $14.99. The Belgian waffle is $7.49, as are two eggs any style, which also come with a choice of protein. Two crepes start at $6.49. Skillets range from $9.99-$11.99 and omelets start at $10.49. A cup of soup is $3.99.
The Buffalo hamburger is $9.49; wraps start at $10.49. The bacon, lettuce & tomato club triple-decker is $12.99. The Buffalo Duet, with two scoops of chicken and albacore tuna salads, is $12.99. The Nova lox sandwich on a bagel is $11.95. The Athenian skirt steak is $23.99, the sautéed tilapia $13.95. The kids menu ranges from $3.99 (pancakes) to $5.99 (chicken tenders). The hot fudge sundae is $4.99; the Hubba-Hubba is $9.99. An old-fashioned banana split is $6.49. Specialty sundaes generally start around $6.
Logistics: Buffalo Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor is at 1180 W. Lake Cook Road, Buffalo Grove. Hours are 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays, 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays and 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays. Call 847-808-1120. You can check out the menu online at grubhub.com.
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