Some friends of mine heard that the best burgers in Buffalo, NY were at Grover’s Bar & Grill in East Amherst. They went there and loved the burgers so much that as soon as they had the chance, my friends took me to Grover’s.

Grover’s Bar & Grill traces its roots to Sally’s Tavern, a bar started by Stella Duderwick in South Buffalo in 1943. Eventually, her daughter Joan took over the business, changing the name to Joanie’s Place. In 1988 Joan and her daughter Georgina Hartman moved it to its current location on Transit road, with the new name Grover’s Bar & Grill.

The name Grover’s refers to President Grover Cleveland, who was from Buffalo. Georgina owned the place for 33 years, until 2022 when she sold it to 3 local businessmen: Michael Vaccaro, Michael Rogowski and Mike Ryan. Reputedly, they did not change a thing.

The Menu

The centerpiece of the menu is The “Grover Burger”, but other items are: Specialty Grilled Cheese, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches (clubs, melts, chicken, etc), Salads, and a fish fry on Fridays (Grover’s Friday Fish). This is Buffalo, after all.

I am going to focus on the burgers. They have a basic burger and cheeseburger with American cheese. There are also 11 specialty burgers, including a Burger-of-the-Week”, and a prime strip steak sandwich called “Grover’s Best Hang Over.” Additional toppings are available, for an extra charge.

The Burger of-the-Week that day was a Poutine Burger, which contains fries and gravy, but mozzarella in lieu of cheese curds. The burgers come with no sides, but fries and onion rings can be purchased. Both can be portioned as a side or in a basket. There is also a 1/2 and 1/2 basket with both.

Our meal

I started my meal with one of the weekly specials, a cup of Broccoli Cheddar Soup. The soup was rich and creamy. The broccoli was cooked al dente, a pleasant surprise. Another surprise was that the soup was not salty. Shredded cheese was sprinkled on top, making the soup extra cheesy. A great way to start the meal.

I also wanted some vegetables so I ordered a Chef Salad, which is small enough to serve as a side. It consists of mixed greens (including some iceburg), grape tomatoes, and red onions. Given a choice of dressings, I chose balsamic. It turned out to be Ken’s. I neglected to ask if there was a house. Still, it was a decent salad and a good way to add vegetables to the meal.

For my burger, I chose The Bruiser, which is a black & bleu burger (blue cheese with Cajun spices), while my companions ordered the Southwest Burger. It consists of onion straws, jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, and Cajun mayonnaise.

The burgers are very big and contain 13 ounces of prime Angus beef. So big that my companions ordered theirs without the bun and ate it with a fork an knife. I can see why. I had trouble fitting the burger into my mouth. I had ordered the burger medium and it came out medium well. But that didn’t matter. It was big, juicy, and delicious. My one complaint is that the bun was too cold. Next time, I will get it toasted.

We ordered a basket of onion rings as a side. They were big, juicy rings. So fresh, they were still warm. The rings were also very crispy and a bit greasy, but only slightly. Overall, they were great onion rings.

Atmosphere

Grover’s Bar & Grill is a bar and feels like it. They have a decent amount of space, but it is not large. Seating is packed close together, making it cozy. Grover’s gets crowded at lunch time. We were able to get a table right away, but the people who came in right behind us had to wait.

The service is fantastic. Our drink order was taken right away and it came out immediately. Drinks were promptly refilled without asking and the waitress frequently stopped by, asking if we needed anything. Grover’s is also accommodating to people in wheelchairs. They even help wheel one person out.

I have added Grover’s to my “my visit” list of places in Buffalo.