Buffalo: Israeli restaurant strictly for meat lovers - review

Buffalo is a small chain of fast food restaurants – there are four branches – where meat reigns supreme. We visited the Kfar Saba branch recently and tasted a large variety of different meats.

Hosting us was Osher, one of the owners of the chain, who is very knowledgeable about his product and the endless number of ways it can be presented.

It was a warm, early summer evening, and we sat at a pavement table outside. This was as much out of necessity as desire, because there is only outside seating at Buffalo. In the small premises, two workers cook the orders on a hot plate. The service is quick, and many of the orders are for takeaway, but we enjoyed being there and feeling the young vibe all around us.

Eating from a menu where meat reigns supreme

There is an English menu, but we left the choice of food to Osher, and the first item to arrive were tortillas filled with pieces of grilled entrecote and salad. The tortillas, which are originally Mexican flat bread, are baked in situ and resemble a large thin pancake.

Added to the meat are mashed avocado, purple onion, lettuce and tomato.

There is so much filling in the rolled up tortilla that taking a bite is quite challenging, but we managed it. It was a delectable combination of flavors – cheers for tortillas! (NIS 42).

The next dish that reached our table was frena, which is North African bread, very crispy outside and fluffy within. This one had the same additions as the tortilla, but with chicken instead of steak. It was equally tasty and far too much to finish (NIS 45).

There is no alcohol served at Buffalo, so we had to make do with ice-cold diet Sprites. A glass of red wine would have improved this meal a great deal – perhaps they should reconsider their no-booze policy in the future.

There are 15 homemade sauces at Buffalo, and we got to taste three – the chipotle, garlic sauce and curry, which is the most popular according to Osher. He was worried we would find the chipotle too peppery for our English palates, but we found it quite mild.

A large quantity of thin fries also appeared at our table, and these were nicely hot and crispy, though clearly not homemade (NIS 15).

Although by this time we had eaten more than enough, Osher insisted we try two more dishes, the chicken wings and the kebab. The wings were very tender and came in a sweet and sour sauce, and the kebab were small squares of grilled minced meat topped with a blob of mayonnaise and some chimichurri on top. It looked like haute cuisine, which is really saying something for a fast-food joint, and they also tasted very good.

No desserts are served, so we called it a day. We had enjoyed the food and also the chance to sit in the town we lived in for 40 years and watch the world go by.

Buffalo43 Weizmann StreetKfar Saba.Tel: (09) 740-6711Open: Sun.-Wed, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Thurs., 11 a.m.-2/3 a.m.; Sat. night after Shabbat – 2/3 a.m.

Kashrut: Kfar Saba Rabbinate.