An excellent takeaway has opened up in Harold’s Cross, and it’s great value too.
Buffalo’s is an “All American” takeout, serving up burgers, chips, hot dogs, wraps, onion rings, and damn fine chicken wings. Think Eddie Rocket’s at home, and like Eddie’s, you won’t find fillet of cod or battered sausage on this menu. Unusually for a takeaway, everything at Buffalo’s is made fresh to order, with the burgers shaped, seasoned and cooked on the premises. No frozen patties here.
As a result, you’ll have to wait two or three minutes longer than in most takeaways, but it’s worth every second. On my first trip there, I had the Texas Chilli Burger (€4.45), a big, fresh, juicy patty smothered in a kicking mince meat chilli sauce. This was gorgeous, and it gives the lie to the whole idea of the €10 “gourmet” burger, which I’ve always been a little suspicious about. My Buffalo burger both felt and looked home-made, and tasted all the better for it. The chips (€2.30) were really tasty, lying somewhere between thick and shoestring.
I was back there just two days later, and I sampled the Chicken Fillet burger (€5.35). This was great: a big long roll full of chicken, salad, and sauce. It was somewhat like the BK Chicken Royale, only much sloppier and a hell of a lot more enjoyable. They also do a triple decker BLT for just €3.50. When you think of the soggy, cold, overpriced BLTs you get in garages and awful cafes, this is a great deal.
Not to nitpick (me? never), but in this climate, their takeout bags let too much air in and out, which could make the food a little cold by the time you get it home. Ask, as I did, for some extra wrapping, and you’ll be met with a very friendly and obliging response by the lovely Irish owners.
This is the most interesting takeaway I’ve come across in Ireland and I can’t recommend it highly enough. There’s parking out the back so you don’t have to pay on the street, and they’ve started doing deliveries. Great value, delicious and freshly prepared food, and something very different. I can see Buffalo’s getting wings and emerging from this recession a very successful franchise.
- Buffalo 19, 288 Harold’s Cross Road, Dublin 8 (just opposite the Maxol garage). For deliveries or collection orders phone 014926570