Part seafood market selling shrimp and crab legs by the pound to cook at home, part take-out spot specializing in tasty treats from the briny deep: there's a good reason why East Siders brave ubiquitous crowds and endless lines to enjoy what Bailey Seafood has to offer. Simply put, the food here is really, really good, with shipments of high-quality product arriving daily. The marquee item is the "Haddock Super Sandwich", a feast that truly lives up to its superlative name, but frankly it would be useless to try to summarize the gargantuan menu in any succinct way: just know that pretty much anything you can think of that's aquatic and edible is on the menu, along with plenty of non-seafood items, and if you like Southern cuisine, you'll especially want to give Bailey Seafood a try.
Mon-Thu Sat 11AM-8PM, Fri 9AM-9PM·$10-25
"Ethnically influenced comfort food" (their words, and perhaps the best possible description of said food) is the name of the game at this tiny, spartan Greek diner: gyro, souvlaki, and other favorites served the traditional way — with pita bread and a Greek salad on the side — or on sub rolls. Either way, expect huge portions and second-to-none quality that both belie the low prices you pay. If that doesn't tickle your fancy, there's a range of other pita-pocket sandwiches and "pita tacos" to choose from, shish kebabs and a truly delicious rice pudding, and American diner staples as well.
Mon-Fri 9AM-6PM·$10-20
If you're looking to nurse a hangover after a night of bar-hopping in nearby University Heights, Mike's menu is frequently described as a tastier and cheaper version of Jim's Steakout. As you might have inferred from the full name of the place, steak is the marquee ingredient: Mike's claim to have invented the steak taco is dubious at best, but that doesn't make it any less delicious, and the "Steak in the Hood" hoagie comes with pork sausage in addition to the titular filling. Aside from steak, Mike's serves a full range of hot and cold subs, burgers, sausage sandwiches, chicken wings and fingers, and tacos. They deliver, too.
Mon-Sat 11AM-1AM, Sun 11AM-10PM·$10-20
99 Fast Food Restaurant
Though Buffalo's first Vietnamese restaurant can no longer claim the title of Buffalo's best Vietnamese restaurant — consensus says the experience here has suffered since new management took over, and that's not to mention all the competitors that have sprung up since the place opened in 1999 (hence its name) — this place still gets crowded at lunchtime, especially with students and faculty of the nearby South Campus of the University at Buffalo. The Vietnamese soup that gives the restaurant its name is joined on the menu by a wide range of vermicelli bowls, fried rice plates, and meat-based entrees, all passable in quality if not quite as spectacular as what you can find at Pho Dollar on the West Side. Service is friendly if sometimes slow.
Mon-Fri 10:30AM-10PM, Sat 10AM-10PM, Sun 10AM-8:30PM·$10-20