The 11 best restaurants in Niagara Falls, NY

Located on Goat Island, inside the Niagara Falls State Park, the restaurant serves classic American dishes, including homemade burgers. Top of the Falls Restaurant has partnered with Taste NY to promote local flavors—so you’ll be sure to taste the best the region offers. Overlooking the famous waterfalls, the restaurant affords diners a front-row view of the impressive natural wonder. 

This classy downtown bar doesn’t serve traditional Spanish-style tapas. Here, the small plates are contemporary American and accompanied by live music played during weekends. Tapas and wine… Need we say more? Share the truffle fries, crispy artichoke, and mussels with friends, and pair everything with local wines. This will be a memorable meal. 

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Savor is the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute eatery that offers fine dining in a learning environment as trainee chefs hone their skills on-premise, so watch culinary students whip up dinner in the open kitchen. The changing menu uses locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, bringing the best of the Niagara region to your plate. There is a full children's menu, so you can bring your little junior gastronomes too.

Forget tasteless burger chain restaurants and instead visit Flip Burger, whose first location opened right here and whose second eatery is in Williamsville. You must try one of the 100-percent-beef burgers, made fresh without fillers or preservatives. If you fancy something different, opt for the chicken sandwich, grilled cheese, veggie patty, or hot dog. Sit outside, where you can hear the nearby falls as you finish your meal with a hand-dipped ice cream cone.

Open since 1923, the Red Coach Inn is a hotel and restaurant close to Upper Rapids. The Inn offers all-season dining on the outdoor patio in the summer and by a roaring fire in the grill room during colder months. Step back in time for a taste of history just yards from the Falls and eat breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner at this AAA Three Diamond-rated restaurant—a perfect destination for a date night or special occasion.

This authentic Polish restaurant, operated by three generations of the same family, first opened in 1964. Apart from a brief closing following the family patriarch’s passing, the Polish Nook has been steadily welcoming diners for the last 54 years. Located in a house on a back street about ten minutes from the Maid of the Mist boat tour, this unassuming family-run restaurant is a hidden treasure. Expect as many Polish sausages, perogies, and sauerkraut as you can handle. The pierogies are so good that they are available for purchase by the dozen to take home: now that’s a tasty souvenir.

This modern North Indian delight welcomes vegans with open arms. The decor adds to the charm: the stylish dining room is energized by a large Bollywood-style mural that takes up the entire back wall. A daily buffet offers a vast variety of dishes, so you can taste-test new flavors without committing to an entire meal. Expect a lot of vegetarian and vegan options sharing space with the usual tandoori favorites like a chicken tikka masala.

Part of a chain of four gastro pubs across New York state, this Niagara Falls venue serves all the usual suspects, like chicken wings, fish and chips, and onion rings. The addition of quality ingredients and toppings elevate the ordinary, like the maple bourbon bacon jam on the burger, and make this gastropub stand out from the crowd.

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This teeny restaurant has only eight tables, and since it doesn’t take reservations, you’ll need to get in early or be prepared to wait. Don’t worry: it’s totally worth it. Come for the best breakfast in downtown Niagara (think omelets, French toast, and breakfast burritos). After you eat, head upstairs to the cozy loft and challenge your friends to a game of pool or darts.

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Get a taste of traditional Italian dishes in this stylish restaurant located within the Sheraton Four Points hotel. Sample the hand-rolled fettuccine and sauteed jumbo shrimp or the pan-seared snapper. Be sure to leave room for dessert, especially the warm chocolate lava cake with pistachio ice cream.

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It sounds like an Irish pub (and even looks like one inside), but Shamos is actually a high-end eatery in the nearby town of Lockport. It may be 30 minutes from Niagara Falls, NY, but Shamus is worth the drive. Seafood and steak are the main order of things here, with certified Angus beef available and delicious dishes like shrimp, scallops, and king crab risotto. Make sure you book ahead, as Shamus's is a popular hangout.