We’ve been all over town searching for the finest souvlaki Buffalo has to offer. Most recently, we visited Pano’s on Elmwood. I ordered the chicken souvlaki and Ben went for the beef souvlaki—both dishes in the lunch portions.

Right off the bat, I was happy with a few discoveries: the meats had a nice char to them, there were pitted Kalamata olives, Ben’s beef was served on a skewer and my chicken came with a dill dip on the side. Over the course of our souvlaki adventures, these are the types of details I’ve come to appreciate. I was immediately biased before I tasted anything on the plate, I admit that.

We admired our plates for a moment, then we stuffed our faces. The chicken had a nice, flavorful marinade. It was served in strips—actually, tenders—over a salad with all the ingredients we’ve come to expect, plus the extras mentioned above. Ben and I also noticed that the tomato wasn’t sliced or cubed; instead, Pano’s serves whole cherry tomatoes. We liked that.

Owner Alex Georgiadis explained that Pano’s prides itself in fresh ingredients, which is why the cherry tomatoes are served whole. The olives, he said, are imported. And the chicken—which is flame-broiled—is a tender cut, which allows for lower fat of a lower fat content than your average chicken breast strip.

The souvlaki is a staple at Pano’s. Served in lunch portions, as a dinner entree or in a wrap, souvlaki orders make up for more than 5 percent of the restaurant’s total sales, Georgiadis said. Last year, Pano’s sold more than 28,000 souvlaki dishes, he added. After finishing our tasty lunches, we understood why Pano’s sells so much souvlaki.

Catch up on our souvlaki search:

Souvlaki Wars: part 1 - Acropolis

Souvlaki Wars: part 2 - Towne

Souvlaki Wars: part 3 - Mythos

Souvlaki Wars: part 4 - Ambrosia