Famed Buffalo Chain Anchor Bar Literally Didn’t Have Wings at Lunchtime Today

Hungry diners were left bereft of wings on day two of the New York City debut of Anchor Bar, the iconic Buffalo bar widely credited with inventing the spicy, sauce-laden wings. The new franchise location at 327 West 57th St. near Eighth Avenue opened at 11:30 a.m. today, but turned wing-seeking customers away. The first plate did not appear until after 1:30 p.m.

Customers took to Twitter to express frustration that the one item the restaurant is known for was not available. Beef on weck, another Buffalo specialty of sliced roast beef on a kimmelweck roll, was also unavailable. Eater critic Robert Sietsema was on hand and settled for what the restaurant calls boneless chicken wings, but are in fact simply white meat chicken tenders.

Anchor Bar opened just yesterday in Hell’s Kitchen with 150 seats and 20 big flat screen TVs alongside memorabilia from the original restaurant. It opened in Buffalo in 1935 and now has 11 locations across the U.S. and Canada. Other menu items include typical bar fare such as loaded fries and mozzarella sticks, plus entrees like burgers, sandwiches, and pizza.