There are restaurants you enjoy, and then there are restaurants that quietly become part of your life. Santasiero’s has always been one of those places for me. For nearly twenty years I worked just a few minutes away, and it wasn’t unusual to stop in for lunch a couple of times a month or swing by after work for takeout. Like many Buffalonians, I found my favorites early and never really felt the need to branch out. When Santasiero’s closed after the passing of fourth-generation owner John Brands Jr., it honestly felt like Buffalo had lost a little piece of itself.
When I learned that Jennifer Hurley, Mark Longo, and David Capretto had stepped in to purchase the restaurant, I was genuinely excited. Saving a restaurant with more than a century of history isn’t something you do because it’s easy. You do it because you understand what that place means to a city. Jennifer happens to be a friend, so I was thrilled for her, but I was also curious. Could they really preserve what generations of Buffalonians had come to love?
About a month ago, a friend and I decided we’d find out. We arrived for what we thought was early for dinner, only to discover we weren’t nearly early enough. The place was packed. Rather than wait, we decided we’d come back another day, but honestly, I left smiling. Seeing that many people waiting to get back into Santasiero’s was a pretty good sign. Buffalo clearly hadn’t forgotten about this place.
This past Sunday I wasn’t making the same mistake twice. I pulled into the parking lot about thirty minutes before the doors opened at 4:00 p.m., figuring I’d relax for a few minutes before heading inside. I’m glad I did. It didn’t take long for people to start arriving, and by five o’clock the dining room was buzzing. Every table appeared to be filled, servers were moving effortlessly from table to table, conversations filled the room, and there was simply a great energy in the building. It didn’t feel like people were just out for dinner. It felt like people were genuinely happy to have Santasiero’s back.
Walking through the front door brought back a lot of memories. One of the first things that caught my attention was the hallway lined with old family photographs. It immediately reminded me that this isn’t just another neighborhood restaurant. It’s part of Buffalo’s history. The familiar red and white checkered tablecloths are still there, the original Santasiero’s sign has been preserved, and the renovations somehow manage to make everything feel brighter without taking away the character that people have loved for generations. The new outdoor patio is a wonderful addition too. It feels like the restaurant has been carefully refreshed instead of reinvented, and I think that’s exactly what longtime customers were hoping for…