16 Western New York Restaurants That Closed For Good In 2023

It's never good news when you hear about the closing of a restaurant in the area.  Sadly we've had a bunch of closures this year.

Restaurants can be a comfort for some people.  When you know what they do well and you go there often enough, they almost feel like home.  So it's sad when you hear that one of your favorites has closed.  This year we lost a bunch of well-known, long-standing local and national chain restaurants in the Western New York area.  Here are just a couple that made the news.

1. Bravo Italian Kitchen - This was the restaurant in the Walden Galleria that kind of had the patio area that overlooked the walkway in the new wing.  It was right across from the Cheesecake Factory.  We often spent time here during the Walden Galleria's trick or treating event, "The Galleria of Treats."
2. Apollo Family Restaurant - The location at 423 Hopkins Street in South Buffalo closed citing the pandemic and how hard it is to find help these days.  Their announcement hit facebook in March of 2023.
3. Hook & Reel - This Cajun seafood restaurant was short lived in the WNY area.  It opened up in 2022 and by March of 2023 had closed its doors for good here.
4. Chef’s On The Go - This was meant to be a quicker version of the Chef's that we've loved for 100 years in Buffalo.  It opened just before the pandemic but closed by March of 2023.
5. Pilot Light Pub - This small pub in the town of Eden was previously known as O'Brien's Pub and the Eden Pub.  It closed up in May of 2023.
6. Ziggy’s Tacos - They were around for 40 years and also shocked many people when they suddenly closed.  There was no official announcement on their website or facebook.  However, the status on Google went from "temporarily closed" to "permanently closed."  This all happened in June of 2023.
7. Compass Run - They described it as a southern seafood juggernaut.  It was formerly known as Dobutsu but then changed to Compass Run.  Located on Seneca Street in Buffalo.  They closed in June of 2023.
8. Boston Market - This is a chain restaurant but they closed their last location (which was on Delaware Avenue) in August of 2023.
9. The Lennox Grill - The Lennox Grill in Allentown was a favorite place for many to get their wings in Buffalo.  They closed at the end of August in 2023.
10. Towne Restaurant - This one was a shocker to many in Western New York.  The Towne Restaurant in Allentown was very popular.  They were open for 51 years and there was little to no warning.  The closing was sudden in August of 2023.
11. Parivaar - This was an Indian fusion restaurant.  The owner ended up having surgery and was struggling as it seemed to take so long to recover.  They closed up shop around the same time as the Lennox Grill in August of 2023.
12. Peg’s Place - Peg's was a popular breakfast place right between route 5 and route 75 near St. Francis high school in Blasdell.  They cited the cost to repair the restaurant after 30 years in business as one of the reasons for closing.  They called it quits at the end of September 2023.
13. Louie’s Footlongs - After 72 years in business, they finally served their final footlong this past summer.  Louie's decided to close their doors in October of 2023.
14. Mooney’s West Seneca - After 8 years, the location on Union Road in West Seneca decided to close their doors this year.  They closed up shop in October of 2023.  The other locations remain open.
15. The Como Restaurant - One of the most recent announcements was this one.  They announced that the owner was "getting up there in age" and that now was a good time to sell the business.  He had no one to take it over so he decided to get out when he could.  They closed their doors at the end of October 2023.

It's pretty crazy to think about all the restaurants that have been here for decades and to wonder who will take them over from here.