Epic Restaurant and Lounge

We stopped by for a quick stopover on Christmas night and were pleasantly surprised. The lobster bisque was so-​so but we enjoyed the steak sandwich and shrimp po boy. Great beer selection although no draft.

Bad enough it took an hour and a half for two orders of wings, me and my friend got them home and they were undercooked. I don’t feel like getting salmonella poisoning, so we threw them away. Despite that, the server was extremely nice and the manager was apologetic and very kind. I’d place the blame on the chef.

Crab lobster bisque was great. Salmon and strip steak were both perfect. The cream brûlée was great and the chocolate lava cake was very rich. I would come again in a heartbeat!

Words can’t describe the anger, and disappointment after trying to enter and enjoy a wonderful night at Epic. When picking the destination, we thought we’d choose a place that was semi upscale and not the college binge drinking scene such as Goodbar down the street, where your feet stick to the floor. We had a large group of 10 people looking for an enjoyable night out instead we were greeted by the racist door security man you have chosen to employ. He singled out one person in our group due to «baggy pants.» However, in actuality everyone was well dressed and last time I checked we live in buffalo, ny. Not Los Angeles, or Manhattan so let’s cut the overly ridiculous dress code non sense. Obviously, this is to weed out the bloods and crip gangsters from patronizing establishments but again it’s buffalo it’s not that serious. And to top it all off, to say «I can’t loose my job for a stranger.» Dear door guy you let 2 people in with expired id’s so you failed at doing your job in the first place. Did you even check them? Then to get loud and threaten us just shows the unprofessional staff that works there. Sadly I will never be back. Very disappointed we still live in a world of racism and profiling.

I’m not sure why it took so long for me to write this review, having been here so many times. This is hands down the best place for happy hour in the city that I’ve come across. They have half off appetizers, 2 for 1 martinis, and specials on wine and beer. So if you’re looking for a place to eat AND drink for HH, this is the place. Most places I’ve been to just have drink specials.
I highly recommend the Asian tacos — large hard shell tortillas with pulled pork/​Asian sauce/​seasoning. I also love the stuffed peppers (they’re usually pretty mild/​not too spicey). As far as drinks, I usually get the martinis. I’ve tried most of them and they’ve all been consistently delicious.

My sister & I visited Epic for Happy Hour on a Monday night. The drinks were fantastic! Tim poured a heavy martini that still had great flavor. The half price appetizers were different, tasty and well worth the money! We concluded our visit with a dessert martini, which, again was perfectly blended yet not too rich, as some milk based martinis tend to be. We enjoyed our visit to Epic and will surely be back!

A friend had a small gathering for his graduation planned for 7 on a Thursday here. Received a call stating the private party taking place e prior to our extended until 8. So we all showed up at 820 ish, to be pushed out by the drunken party thrower stating private party until 9. Ok, we wait outside until 9, then told they have extended again until 1030. Horrible experience along with horrible customer service/​consideration. Will never step foot inside or recommend this place.

This is our 3^rd time here and we absolutely love it! The chef Todd is amazing and the service is impeccable. The brussel sprout salad is a must — very filling but it’s out of this world! I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice affordable night out.

Food was great, the atmosphere was good a little cold. Got the sirloin steak and it was mad to perfection. Great spot for a dinner date or happy hour

I love Mondays at Epic. My partner and I go, order a ton of half priced apps, wine, beer etc. and play some awesome Movie Trivia. ($ 35 bar tab prize) and leave with a tab under $ 50 for us both.
Yesterday we had–
calamari
asian tacos
steak and chicken flat bread pizza
Steak sliders with gouda dip (SO AMAZING)
two glasses of Riesling
two Coors Light
— I probably will spend every Monday here for the rest of my life.

Great drinks, great food, great service, great atmosphere, I recommend Epic to everyone, I’ll definitely be coming back, and the angus burger was delicious and the manhattan’s were perfect AND the art work is impressive

In dire need of a happy hour, I decided to try out Epic due to the good word I’ve been hearing. The reviews here are pretty spot on: small appetizer menu with better drink specials including $ 5 glasses of wine and martini’s as well as 2 for $ 6 bottles of beer.
I tried the apple martini first. It was nothing terribly special. But then I switched to the French Vanilla Martini which was very good. It contained Vanilla Vodka, pineapple juice and raspberry liqueur. I had another while I waited for a table to receive the sliders that I heard them order. After seeing that it came with four, I decided that was a better plate for sharing and ordered a bowl of the Crab & Lobster Bisque. The flavor was delicious, not overly rich, but the temperature was tepid.
The service was spectacular. Both bartenders were friendly and opened by introducing themselves by name. It’s just one of those little things I appreciate. Servers always do this but for some reason bartenders, not so much.
Their regular menu is way out of my price range but I’ll definitely be back for drinks at happy hour and maybe the flat-​bread pizza that seemed a popular choice.

I was at Epic for a Disney movie trivia night. I have been to many locations for Trivia but this location does not work as well as others. For one, it is extremely loud (sound echos) and too much going on with people playing and others not. They has Disney music playing while the announcer was reading questions. The questions were only on one TV which made it hard for participants seated around the restaurant. The waitress basically ignored my friends and told them they had to order from the bar. Having worked in restaurants, If you are going to host trivia and have food specials, you should be staffed properly.
The drink specials were great and strong. The special flat bread pizzas were tasty. I haven’t had any other food here but it looked appealing. I hope to give a more positive review with future visits. I was there once in the past for drinks only and it was a very enjoyable evening so eating there will probably change my review.

I was so excited to come here because I have been recommended by my customers .
I heard from outside good music. I just happened to have a bad customer service experience. I came with a crowd of 5 and the security gave me an attitude right away. I handed him my id and he said he couldn’t let me in because I have to renew my id because the owner doesn’t take id’s even if you are older than than 21 and it says UNDER 21. idk how it works for this club but I’m from NYC and they never complain as well as other clubs and bars in buffalo that I’ve been so far except this one. The excuse was just ridiculous. I began to think if he was not letting me in for discrimination. He also said that if the «ESL» comes they get in trouble. I told him I don’t think so because I am older than 21 and my state id card does not expire till 2019.
He wanted to get more nasty with me, but I didn’t let it get to me. I just said ok it fine .
I just took my business elsewhere to TORO along with my five companions. & no I will not be coming back because I will not renew my id because they still accept it in places and it’s not expired.

My Order: Tarragon Salmon (t’was delicious)
Pros:
— Salsa nights! They’re def interesting and fun. It seems to attract an older crowd but if you come in with an open mind; I think it’ll be a blast
— Best. Happy. Hour. Ever. I love the variety of cocktail/​fruity drinks that are available.
Cons:
— A little pricey if you come here for dinner: I came with a groupon ($ 20 for $ 40) and still came out paying $ 30 – 40 for my meal
— Off street parking can be annoying on weekends; but on weekdays, they’re everywhere !
Sean, my waiter, was very friendly and personal. He started casual conversation and really made me and my date feel at ease. It was a fun experience. Usually waiters are up and running but we came on a nice and quiet evening. It really depends on what nights/​times you come. I would def. come back for happy hour/​salsa night ;)

I heard about Epic’s Salsa Night on Fridays and finally went for food and dancing for a friend’s birthday celebration. Salsa as in Latin dance and not the condiment for tortilla chips although chips and salsa do sound pretty good about now…
We ordered a bunch of appetizers and the only stand outs were the calamari, caprese salad, and flat bread. Everything else was unremarkable.
Dance lesson and subsequent Latin dance party was a lot of fun. They played a good mix of bachata, merengue, and salsa. If you don’t know how to, there’s lessons and the instructors are very patient. The lesson is free and there’s no cover charge. I would come back for the dancing but probably not for a meal with the exception of small plates.
Saturday nights also have the potential to be fun but the last time I was there, the music was good (mix of Latin, Caribbean, pop, hip hop, etc.) but the crowd was definitely iffy. It was a little sparse and then there was Officer Twerk-​A-​Lot. He served as bouncer and hype man but the night I was there, he was doing a lot of twerking and it was NOT cute. I know I stayed off the dance floor for fear of being twerked on and/​or hip checked out of the way.
Street parking right in front and on side streets. I haven’t had any problems finding parking around the area.

Next time you’re out and about on a Saturday night and you’re unsure of your next late night destination, head to Epic. This is my absolute favorite place to stumble into with a handful of my girlfriends. It’s clean, the atmosphere is nice, and the drinks aren’t unreasonably expensive. Street parking usually isn’t too difficult either.
On Saturday nights, they clear out all the tables and bring in a DJ. They also have a hype man of sorts who busts moves all over the «dance floor». He is amazing. You must see him for yourself. Also, maybe it’s just me (it’s not), but I feel very comfortable dancing like an idiot here. This alone is worth four stars in my book.
While I love visiting Epic for the nightlife, I was not sure how my first experience would be dining there. It wasn’t high on my list of places to check out due to mixed reviews. However, when Groupon sent me an additional $ 10 off any deal, I decided to use the discount on a certificate for Epic.
And I am so glad I did!
My fiancé and I had dinner here this past Saturday night. When we arrived around 7, we were the only people there aside from a couple of people hanging out at the bar. A little strange, I thought.
We were seated immediately and our server provided some useful advice with their wine list. We settled on a dry riesling, which proved to be perfect for a warm summer evening. We then ordered the airline chicken and Atlantic salmon. Our server assured us that these were great choices and informed us that the chef at Epic used to cook for the band, Phish. This was an extra fun fact because my fiancé is mildly obsessed with them. Me, on the other hand, not so much…
Regardless, our meals came out quickly. We were impressed with the presentation of both dishes. Everything was plated beautifully and we couldn’t wait to dig in. The chicken was cooked perfectly and was served on top of a mountain of pesto mashed potatoes. Holy crap, those potatoes were good. I could have eaten an entire plate of them alone. The dish also featured organic carrots which were crisp while still being tender. Yum. The drizzle of balsamic over everything really perfected the dish. I love, love, loved this and would come back and order it again in a heartbeat.
My fiancé devoured the salmon. Normally I am not a salmon fan, but I loved the way that this was prepared. It was almost charred but didn’t taste burnt. The basmati rice and purple cabbage were perfect accompaniments to the dish.
Over all, the meal was very, very good. Because we both enjoyed our experience so much, we were a little puzzled as to why this place was so empty. The prices are high (expect to drop between $ 25– 40 on an entrée) but this wasn’t surprising given the quality of the food.
Epic is a great spot whether you’re looking for a quick drink (I’ve heard the happy hour specials are excellent), a date spot or a place to boogie down on a Saturday night… and we’ll be back for all of the above!

We love coming to Epic. The waiters REALLY know what they are talking about (not just some kid who knows nothing and ask to ask the chef or the bartender every time you have a question), and they are extremely attentive (just the right amount!) and courteous. The atmosphere/​ambience is nice, although I would much prefer a Saturday evening dinner than a Friday. They run happy hour specials on Friday nights (and other weekday nights as well) so there are a lot of college or post-​college students in the bar area and they are typically rowdy and loud.
We have been to Epic 3 – 4 times and have always liked everything we ordered (some dishes more than others). We usually do the whole appetizers+main dishes+desserts+bottles of wine ordeal, so we have sampled quite a bit of the menu over the past 2 years. Everything is always excellent and we are always stuffed.
The ONLY reason I gave it 4 stars is because in my opinion, it is slightly overpriced. If I remember correctly, main dishes are anywhere between $ 25 – 45 with most of them sitting in the mid-​30s range, and they are usually pork or chicken or some kind of fish and beef (but never filet mignon). Maybe it’s just me but I just don’t think a chicken or pork or fish dish justifies a $ 30 – 35 price tag, with steaks in the mid-​high 30s. I personally would rather go to the Chop House or Russell’s or any other top steak houses and pay a little extra to get a filet. Appetizers were all in the $ 8 – 15 range, which in my opinion, also a little overpriced for what they are and the portion sizes.
But of course, this is just my opinion. We still love it and will go back, but maybe just once a year on special occasions.
PS. i think Friday nights at 10pm they have free salsa lessons? not sure if that’s still going on. It sounds like a lot of fun but unfortunately we just have never dined there that late to witness it.

This review will probably help no one but I’m okay with that!
Can’t speak about the food, customer service, or drinks. What I can speak about it the amazing atmosphere!
Landed here on Saturday with a group of friends. The plan was to go to Epic for a drink and then go to Cantina Loco. We never ended up going to Cantina. We were having too much fun dancing at Epic.
There was a great DJ playing a whole mix of songs… Not like downtown where I only recognize about 5% of the songs. Epic was playing great hits like Billy Jean, and Miami (Will Smith).
There was also a great crowd there.
The next day I was talking with a friend and we kept saying how much fun it was and how unexpected it was.
I would definitely come back!

Salsa? Meringue? Bachata fan? Get your butt over to Epic!
Admittedly, I haven’t sampled much of their food or drinks, but I do know that if you’re a fan of Salsa dancing… Epic is the place to be on Friday nights. The drinks are reasonably priced.
Every Friday, Calvin and Fanny host a free salsa lesson (around 10pm?) followed by many hours of music (not live unfortunately), up until 4am or so. There is no cover.
It can get crowded and it might be tough to make your moves on the crowded dance floor, but the crowd is friendly and it fills up by midnight.
I love getting out of my comfort zone and doing a little salsa dancing. If you’re more of a beginner, it may be helpful to learn in a more comfortable setting. The Baila Salsa Dance Company also offer Salsa lessons every Wednesday at the The Pucho Olivencia Center on 261 Swan St. starting at 7pm (it’s only $ 5 or so). Enjoy!