The Silo opens for summer season No. 26

Left of Center with Joshua Maloni

Following a season-long anniversary celebration, The Silo Restaurant is ready to start its next chapter.

In 2023, staffers marked a quarter-century since original owner Richard Hastings converted a former coal silo into a super-popular Village of Lewiston waterfront eatery.

In recent years, the patio has expanded and an ice cream train caboose was added. The Silo was featured in both an episode of “Man v. Food” on the Cooking Channel, and as part of the “Road Bros” tour in the Rand McNally/USA Today "Best of the Road" "Best for Food" competition.

“We had a great season last year; a lot of fun,” General Manager Lexi Alfiere-David said. “You know, every year we really nail things down even more than we thought we could’ve the season before. So, last year, and this year, we're really able to focus on just being that exciting, family-friendly summer spot that everyone knows and loves.

The Silo Restaurant serves Perry’s Ice Cream flavors in cones and dishes – as well as milkshakes, sundaes and specials – inside of a former train caboose.

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“It was amazing to be open for 25 years; and I really think a lot of customers knew it, because so many people came in and were like, ‘Oh, this is your 25th year of business.’ And obviously, we have the banners up showing that. That was exciting.

“And now we're 26, so even more exciting. We're happy to be open.”

Alfiere-David and owner Alan Hastings have positioned The Silo into a place where it’s now one of the River Region’s most popular culinary destinations.

Though successful, she said there’s always room for improvement.

“We always start with the staff,” Alfiere-David said. “That's our No. 1 focus; because we know if we have happy people internally, we'll have happy people externally. And it's just tenfold. If our people are happy, they will make our customers happy. So, we always start asking our employees, ‘How did we do? What can we improve on? Does anyone have new ideas?’

“And then, we actually ask the customers. So, over winter, on the Silo Facebook, I ask, ‘What do you guys want to see? What do you guys want us to feature? Any new specials or menu items?’ And we got a lot of great feedback.

“Some were funny – you know, like a bologna sandwich – but some were great, and ideas that we wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

“We ask; we're honest; we love feedback: constructive criticism, positive reviews – that's everything to us. That's how we base the business – and from the employees and the customers, we want to know that we have happy people here. So, anything we can do to make our employees happy, we're willing to do.”

“The Haystack” is The Silo Restaurant’s signature sandwich. Pair it with fries for a super summer sampler.

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Of course, The Silo is famous for its “Haystack.” The signature sandwich piles seasoned and shaved ribeye steak high on to a hoagie roll, paired with cheese, mayo and crispy potato straws.

The menu also boasts an assortment of hot dog choices, ample chicken dishes, fish and veggie-centric options.

“We're going to have some fun specials” in 2024, Alfiere-David said. “Last year, we upgraded our buffalo bison patty, so it's bigger and it's all-natural, and that was a huge hit.”

This summer, the burger lineup will rotate.

“We're actually letting our cooks have a creative concept, in the back of house, to kind of come up with their own ideas, and then we're going to let them, if they have a passion for it, we're going to let them try it out and see how it sells,” Alfiere-David said.

Down the walkway, “In the caboose, Perry's has new flavors,” Alfiere-David said.

Those new choices include:

•Fruit Scoops, a fruity, cereal-inspired ice cream;

•Bee Sting, which is vanilla pudding ice cream with graham cracker and hot honey swirls; and

•Cookie Jar, pairing sea salt caramel ice cream with chocolate chip cookie chunks.

“We'll have those all summer long,” Alfiere-David said. In addition, “We got a lot of great feedback on having the dairy-free and the low-sugar ice cream. … We will definitely do that again.”

The Silo is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is located at 115 N. Water St., Lewiston. For more information, call 716-754-9680 or check out https://www.lewistonsilo.com. Visit on social media at Facebook // X/Twitter // Instagram.

In addition to great food, The Silo Restaurant offers a picture-perfect view of the Niagara River.