By Barbara Arnstein
The best place to be on a humid summer day is the beach, the one voted Buffalo’s best is Sunset Bay, and the best spoton Sunset Bay is Cabana Sam’s. Cabana Sam’s is a restaurant, bar and performance venue right by the beach that is a hub for socializing and summer fun in WNY. I was there the first Sunday after the official start of summer
and the place was packed. People ate on the upper level under table umbrellas and at tables below, close to the music and the bar. Before the spectacular sunset, the sky overhead was filled with beautiful clouds, and a rainbow even made an appearance. When sky shows and sunsets like that happen, the outside areas at Cabana Sam’s are like a front row seat to see them. The musical entertainment that evening featured classic rock sung and played on an acoustic guitar by the talented Rich Maoli.
On any summer day there, the beauty of the beach and the carefree vibes of summer are perfectly relaxing. How can you not love a place that has an item on its menu called the Mambo Combo? (It’s chicken and pizza fingers, tater tots and mozzarella sticks.) And an ice cream window called Beaches and Cream? Grouper is a welcome novelty on their menu, and you can get a Grouper Platter, Smothered Grouper, a Grouper Reuben, Blackened Grouper, Island Grouper & Mango Grouper Salad. Of course, everyone’s favorites — burgers, wings, steak sandwiches, Fish Fry Fridays (and Saturdays) and so on, are always available. If you need a parrot shirt, flip-flops or sunglasses to get in the right mood, you can get them at their Shirt Shack.
Every Monday, there’s a Seafood Feast, Tuesdays are Kids’ Days, Wednesdays bring wings, Thursdays have Pasta Nights while, Saturdays offer the Two-For-One Prime Rib Specials. The sand is always nice and clean. If you want to take a swim, lifeguards are on duty from 10am-6pm.
Cabana Sam’s is open in the summer from 11:30am-10pm every day. It is located at 1028 South Shore Drive in Irving, NY. For more information, go to sunsetbayusa.com/cabana-sams, or call (716) 934-9953.