BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — There is a new vibrant and fun restaurant in Downtown Buffalo that proves that there is never a bad day for tacos.
Hombre y Lobo Tacos and Tequila opened at 149 Swan Street in November of 2021 and offers customers "street food, inspired by Mexico, made in Buffalo".
The restaurant is a passion project for Ryan DiFranco and Isaac Domingue who are bringing a modern take on traditional Mexican cuisine to the heart of the Queen City.
"I love traveling to Mexico," says DiFranco. "The menu was created like you are walking down the streets of Mexico. Street tacos are the order of the day."
"We wanted to be the next best thing to taking a vacation," says Domingue. "Getting some delicious food with a Buffalo twist."
Hombre y Lobo delivers on it's vision. The menu boasts a variety of creative tacos, sides and snacks made from locally sourced products, along with a laundry list of specialty cocktails elevated by freshly squeezed juices.
"We don't know what margarita mix is, it's just not an option," says Domingue. "Our stuff is handmade here every day, and it's good. We stand by our food, and we stand by our drinks because, we like to eat it too," Domingue added with a laugh.
Hombre y Lobo is a homecoming for DiFranco, who also has a successful restaurant in Colorado. The Niagara Falls native met Domingue in Denver four years ago, before moving back to Western New York.
"I told him I really wanted to move back to Buffalo, back to my roots. He agreed" says DiFranco. "I moved back for the same reason my parents moved away 25 years ago. Opportunity. There city has something really special going on."
And DiFranco and Domingue are now proud to embrace that opportunity by sharing a combined 35 years of culinary and entertainment experience with Buffalo.
"Out of all the places I have lived, it's the place I have been the happiest," says Domingue. "It's been the community here that we have not had elsewhere."
"Our hope is to build this into a strong brand making sure we are delivering what we promised", says DiFranco. "When you come into our restaurant, you get really good food, really good service, and a really cool atmosphere."
Perhaps the only thing better than the food and atmosphere at Hombre y Lobo is the approach by Ryan and Isaac, and the importance they put on giving back to the community.
In that vein, Hombre y Lobo hosts monthly "Giveback Thursdays", with a portion of the proceeds going to local non-profits.
"The expectation as a business owner is that you should be giving back to the community you do business in," says DiFranco. "We try and do that in many facets throughout the month."
Great tacos, handcrafted margaritas and a team that loves to give back. Hombre y Lobo is a no-brainer for all of our hungry viewers.
