A snapshot of The Silo’s history in Lewiston, NY
Open seasonally May through September during the hours of 10 am through 10 pm, The Silo first opened its doors as a restaurant in April 1998. For 70 years prior to becoming a restaurant, The Silo served Lewiston, NY as a coal silo for steamers before eventually sitting abandoned for years. The old silo was bought by Richard Hastings with the intention of restoring it into a refreshment stand. He then gave his son, Alan the responsibility and the business. Alan ran with it, instilling his environmentalist nature into various aspects of the restaurant. This included the use of ” Greenware”, a plant-based set of items including straws, lids, cups, and more.
Alan also thought of repurposing the fryer grease as fuel for “veggie cars” (gas-free vehicles). Finally, Alan wanted to promote his food as made with local produce, and organic meats. Later, Alan added The Caboose, an old train car, to the Silo’s unique location. He restored it and gave it a new life as an ice cream stand. They offer over 40 flavors of ice cream!
The Silo and The Caboose have since been widely reviewed, highly raved about and has even been featured on the Travel Channel’s hit T.V. Show, Man v. Food.
The Atmosphere at The Silo
A waterfront property is appealing to almost every living person there is, ever was and ever will be. So, with The Silo being on the river with it’s “dining room” open and facing the water and with Canada as the backdrop it is simply, perfectly picturesque.
The Caboose sits in front of The Silo, patiently awaiting ice cream lovers. Both The Silo and The Caboose are popular venues for the locals as well as the many visitors we get here in Western New York so be prepared to wait in line. I wouldn’t call this a negative though. As you wait in line for your ice cream or to place an order for lunch you will surely be mesmerized by the view of the river and Canada. Or, you may see all of the historic charm in the surrounding businesses and homes.
No matter where you look, there is something beautiful to see here at The Silo.
The Food at The Silo
Now, on to the food itself! The Silo offers far more menu items than I am willing to list here. However, I will speak about the few items that I have tried. The first item is the Original Haystack. This is also the primary item featured on the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food. The Haystack is made with steak, melted mozzarella cheese and topped with toasted hash browns. All of this is put onto a baked hoagie roll with mayo. Essentially, it’s a fancy steak and cheese sub. The Haystack comes in two sizes, the regular (6 inch) sub or the Footlong Haystack. I do recommend the Haystack but be forewarned that it is difficult to eat, especially if you get the Footlong Haystack. The wind which is inevitable in a location like this doesn’t help either. If you don’t like eating a messy meal then I would suggest a different restaurant or a large bib.
The second item I tried (and loved!) is the Veggie Haystack. I am a meat-lover. However, I would order the Veggie Haystack over the Original Haystack hands down any day of the week! This item, to me, makes the Haystack revolutionary. It is made with their garden burger as a replacement for the steak. Everything else about this sandwich including the toasted hash browns on top are identical to the original. I found that the flavors in their garden burger are far more appealing and complementary to the Haystack than the typical steak and cheese option. I could not recommend this item enough (meat-lover or not).
The fries at the Silo are incredible. They are straight cut, perfectly hot and crispy with the proper amount of salt. I have yet to try their other side options but if they are half as good as their fries then I would recommend them as well.
My Final Recommendation
If you come to visit Western New York between the months of May and September then you have to stop by The Silo in Lewiston, NY. Order your meal, enjoy some ice cream and enjoy the relaxing, photo-worthy scenery that surrounds you. This is truly a jewel worth discovering.
115 North Water Street, Lewiston, New York 14092, United States
