BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Osteria 166, a staple of the Downtown Buffalo restaurant scene for more than a decade, is scaling back its operations.
The restaurant, which sits across from the Buffalo Convention Center at Franklin and West Mohawk, will be open for dinner service on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only throughout the summer. Come fall, it will end regular hours and open for private events and walk-in dining as business dictates.
"The dining and hospitality landscape has shifted dramatically, especially in downtown Buffalo," owners Nick and Kendra Pitillo and Ed and Tina Gurbacki announced on Facebook. "We have to shift with that moving tide or get completely washed away."
The annual Meatball Street Brawl will also go on this fall as planned.
Gift cards will be honored at Osteria, Villaggio in Ellicottville, and Occassions catering service.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, city officials say Downtown Buffalo has lost upwards of 30,000 workers. That has hit the dining scene especially hard, and was one of the topics discussed recently in our special 7 Voices: Renaissance Rusting?
Toutant, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and TGI Fridays are among the restaurants that have recently closed their doors downtown.
Last year, Osteria served as the backdrop for another 7 News-led discussion, Restaurant Rountable. This special explored the state of the restaurant business in Western New York post-pandemic and the struggles owners face with everything from staffing to operational costs.
Osteria 166 began serving Italian dishes to the downtown crowd in 2013, when the central business district was a much different place.
"Osteria will still be a part of your lives, just in a different way," the ownership team said.
