The Stinger
A Western New York original: a steak and cheese sub and chicken fingers on the same roll, usually tossed in wing sauce.
🏆 Where to get the best the stinger
- 1 Mr. Ventry's Pizza on the Boulevard A local, family Italian restaurant on Niagara Falls Blvd, known for fresh specialty pizzas, calzones, homemade pastas and soups, subs and jumbo wings.
- 2 Judi's Lounge A Town of Niagara favorite since 1980, famous for its chicken wings. Cozy, relaxed and great for watching the game.
- 3 Mister M's House of Food & Drink One of the best restaurants in Niagara Falls. A Hyde Park Blvd favorite for pizza, wings, subs, fish fry, big burgers and famous chicken parm dinners, plus the #1 beef on weck around.
📜 A little history
The stinger is Buffalo sub culture at its most extreme: steak and chicken fingers on the same roll, usually with hot sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion. The name blends "steak" and "finger." It's a fairly recent invention.
Jim's SteakOut usually gets the credit. The chain has said it added the stinger to its menu in 2008, and it did the most to make the sandwich famous. But the name appears earlier. Word researcher Barry Popik found a 2005 Buffalo News item describing a "stinger" sub of steak and chicken fingers. Some locals say the sandwich started at Colosso Taco in Tonawanda. Wherever it began, the idea caught on quickly and led to stinger pizzas, stinger fries and more.
Did you know? Popik's earliest print citation, from 2005, described the stinger as the most expensive item on that restaurant's menu, at $7.95.