UPDATE: 5/20/16 – this restaurant has shut down

In my opinion, Downtown Mountain View is surprisingly one of the best places to meet friends for dinner and to start the night out, or stay local and to chill out, especially when the weather is wonderful. It also has two of the most amazing book stores in the area that Dad and I like to check out, but this is Calilicious, you can’t eat books (but you can cook recipes from them, but another time perhaps) We drove over to Downtown Mountain View one night to enjoy the summer weather and to take in the local community. We also decided to check out Buffalo, as dad had mentioned it was a pretty awesome place for burgers.

According to their website, Buffalo was inspired by a game played on a European road trip by the founder and head chef of the restaurant, Brandon Poon, and a few Australians they came across on the trip (the rules of which are on the website itself). Mr. Poon is no stranger to restaurants or food, as he has been trained as a chef in various restaurants across the bay area and the family owned Mr. Chau’s restaurant chain in addition to several other family owned ventures (but seriously, who doesn’t have a fond memory of Mr. Chau’s growing up in the South Bay?).

Going in, I noticed that the set up and decor of the place was made with groups in mind. Most of the food, aside from the burgers, were made to share with others. Large tables with bar seating, TV’s for watching the game and bright lighting made this place seem welcoming for me amidst some of the more slightly formal dining options available in the area. With this in mind, I figured that a trip to the city would be a good place to start here as a meet up spot, considering many that I know who I hang out with live in and around the city of Mountain View.

For this visit, I decided I was going to try the wings, the bao and the burgers. As my dad was there to help me, I did not feel the slightest bit overwhelmed by the task at hand.

The wings themselves were good; the first two flavors, classic BBQ and buffalo, were nothing different than any other wing place out there, but they did have a soy-ginger flavor that was incredible.

I admit that I have never tried Bao the way this place serves it, with the meat sandwiched between the bun like an open faced sandwich. For my first time, this was a great experience, the bun was soft and the pork meat was fatty, but not greasy or oily.

Lastly, it was on to my burger and fries. Now, I love french fries and in most places they tend to take their place as the backup dancers for the burgers and sammies they usually accompany, but the Furikake fries stood out on their own and complimented the 220 Burger I was eating very well. Speaking of which, the wagyu beef in the 220 burger I ordered was juicy and tender, and the runny fried egg and cheddar cheese it came with complimented it perfectly. I would say that the burger alone itself is definitely worth a visit to this place should you find yourself in Mountain View.

A great meet up spot that would work for everyone in the group is hard to find, but if you’re down for some damn good burgers, brews and buffalo wings, tell your friends to meet you at Buffalo in Mountain View to start a night out with the clique, wherever your adventures take you.

The Deets

Buffalo ($$)
(650) 282-5096
www.buffalomv.com