Lake-effect snowstorm turns New York business into 'Frozen' castle
Despite the newly added icy exterior, the Hamburg, New York, business was open to customers on Monday.
Lake-effect snow storm turns New York restaurant into 'Ice Castle'
Whipping winds and snow, combined with the water of Lake Erie to cover the Hoak's Lakeshore Restaurant with an "ice castle coating" that looked like a scene from the movie "Frozen." Video credit: @weather_buffalo via Storyful
HAMBURG, New York – A New York restaurant on the shores of Lake Erie reopened after a lake-effect snowstorm covered the business in an "ice castle coating."
Hoak's Lakeshore Restaurant in Hamburg, New York, a Buffalo suburb, closed on Sunday amid a travel ban during a major winter storm. Areas of western New York saw more than 2 feet of snow, including 41.3 inches in Hamburg.
Winds and snow covered the business on the northeastern shores of Lake Erie with massive icicles and a thick coating of ice accretion.
The restaurant wrote on Instagram it remained closed on Sunday after "getting a small dose of an ice castle coating." A photo showed ice covering the business's railings and foot-long icicles dropping from the roof.
On Monday, the full ice castle transformation was complete with icicles from nearly every building surface. In a video shared by Richard Hulburd on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said he felt like he "walked into the movie ‘Frozen.’"
However, despite the newly added icy exterior, the business was open to customers on Monday.
Ice coats Hoak's Lakeshore Restaurant in Hamburg, New York on Jan. 14, 2024. (Image: @weather_buffalo via Storyful)
(Storyful)
"Our ice castle today from our first storm of 2024," the restaurant wrote. "We are open!"
PITTSBURGH STEELERS, BUFFALO BILLS GAME RESCHEDULED FOR MONDAY DUE TO HEAVY SNOW, WIND
This isn't the local staple's first "ice castle" experience.
In December 2022, FOX Weather Correspondent Max Gorden was in Hamburg when massive waves coated Hoak's Restaurant in layers of ice and damaged nearby businesses.
The scenes below are from the 2022 Buffalo blizzard that claimed the lives of more than 30 people.
![Ice covers Hoaks restaurant along the Lake Erie shoreline on December 24, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. The Buffalo suburb and surrounding area was hit hard by the winter storm Elliott with wind gusts over 70 miles per hour battering homes and businesses through out the holiday weekend. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images)]()
Image 1 of 4Ice covers Hoak's restaurant along the Lake Erie shoreline on December 24, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. The Buffalo suburb and surrounding area was hit hard by the winter storm Elliott with wind gusts over 70 miles per hour battering homes and businesses through out the holiday weekend. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images) ( )
![Ice covers the Lake Erie shoreline on December 24, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. The Buffalo suburb and surrounding area was hit hard by the winter storm Elliott with wind gusts over 70 miles per hour battering homes and businesses through out the holiday weekend. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images)]()
Image 2 of 4Ice covers the Lake Erie shoreline on December 24, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. The Buffalo suburb and surrounding area was hit hard by the winter storm Elliott with wind gusts over 70 miles per hour battering homes and businesses through out the holiday weekend. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images) ( )
![Lake Erie waves]()
Image 3 of 4Lake Erie waters wash over the shoreline on Dec. 23, 2022 in Hamburg, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. (John Normile)
![Lake Erie waters wash over the shoreline on December 23, 2022 in Hamburg, New York.]()
Image 4 of 4Lake Erie waters wash over the shoreline on December 23, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. (John Normile)
The Buffalo area continues to dig out from the snowstorm before more lake-effect snow is set to begin on Tuesday. Fans are working to shovel over a foot of snow from Highmark Stadium before the Buffalo Bills play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday. The NFL playoff game was postponed due to the winter storm.