The Food of Buffalo! It’s more than just wings
Discover the food of Buffalo beyond the chicken wing.
If you ask someone what Buffalo is known for most likely they will say Buffalo wings, Niagara Falls, or the Bills. As this blog is on the food of Buffalo, we’ll go with the first answer. There is debate over where Buffalo wings originated, Anchor Bar or Duffs. Regardless of which side you’re on, people love them. However delicious they are, there are many more regional Buffalo foods that people should know about. And I’m going to share my favorites with you.
New York City isn’t the only place in the state with good pizza. I love this pizza place so much that I bring a cooler so I can take one home. This, after already eating it while in town. Bocce Club Pizza (go to the one on Hopkins Rd.) has one size. You can get less, but it’s either half the size of the pizza or a quarter. Friends and family also enjoy their wings. As I am in the small group of people who do not like Buffalo wings, you’ll have to take their word for it. My favorite toppings at Bocce Club are artichokes, spinach, and garlic.
Named after a park down the street, this restaurant has another Buffalo specialty - Beef on Weck. This sandwich is thinly sliced, juicy roast beef on a kummelweck roll served with jus. Kummelweck is a hard roll with caraway seeds and coarse salt on top. At Glen Park Tavern you should also order the sweet potato fries. They come with honey butter and are the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had.
Sweet Jenny’s is my favorite ice cream place, ever. I’ve been getting ice cream there for decades. The shop has moved around Williamsville a few times but is now in the neatest location - the old water mill.
Sweet Jenny’s
Constructed in 1811, this building was converted to house Sweet Jenny’s production, shop, and a comic book store upstairs. Besides delicious ice cream (double dark chocolate is my favorite), Sweet Jenny’s has chocolates and confections including another Buffalo specialty, Sponge Candy. This confection is an airy toffee that looks a bit like a sponge, hence the name, covered in chocolate.
Travel Tip - Buy extra sponge candy
Get some ice cream to eat and while you’re there buy some sponge candy for a snack later or, if there is any left, a gift for someone back home.
Chef’s has been operating in Buffalo for over 100 years. The walls are covered in photos of people, quite a few you might recognize, who have made a stop to sample Chef’s Italian cuisine. They are known for their spaghetti parm. Spaghetti Parm is a plate of spaghetti topped with butter and cheese and broiled. It is then served with a side of their sauce. That is what I get every time because it is that good. You can get a smaller side of spaghetti parm to go with a different entree if you like. Their eggplant parm is also very good. And don’t worry about getting sauce on your clothes, they provide a cloth bib to spare you having to do laundry.
There are new food experiences popping up all the time. And while I have my favorites I like to revisit, I also try to find new ones. This trip I came across Five Points Bakery. When my mom saw the menu she wasn’t so sure, as besides the pastries at the counter, it is mostly different toasts. She soon changed her mind and was convinced that Five Points Bakery knows what they’re doing.
They have unique combinations of different toasts and toppings. I got Chocolate Cherry Toast with mascarpone cheese and cherry jam. The French Toast is different from anything you’ve had before. It has the custard soft inside, but the outside is crisp and you are able to pick it up and eat it like toast. It came with mascarpone and fig maple jam.
A butter block is what is used in patisserie to get flaky layers like in a croissant. It is the perfect name for this bakery and their patisserie. Right down the block from Five Points Bakery, we picked up a selection to have for dessert that night and for breakfast the next day. You will have a hard time deciding what to get, as you will want to try everything. Our box had 2 chocolate hazelnut croissants, an apple white cheddar danish and a chocolate bouchon. I would eat them all again, but the hazelnut croissant just edges the others out.
I hope this has inspired you to seek out the variety of foods that Buffalo has to offer. The wings are delicious, but there is so much more to discover.
“The Queen City” Buffalo, NY
I love Buffalo, NY! I might be a bit biased as my grandparents lived there and we would visit about once a year. However, its a special place with great food, wonderful sights and fun activities that I still enjoy going back to, even though my loved ones are no longer there.
Growing up, when someone would ask where we were going on vacation and I said New York, they always thought NYC. When I said, no Buffalo, often the next question was will you also go to NYC. I have gone to Buffalo for decades, but until recently had never been to New York City because there are 400 miles between them. So unless you really like driving I wouldn’t plan on combining a trip to Buffalo and NYC. You could make a vacation out of visiting Buffalo and Toronto, but Buffalo is capable of standing on its own for a vacation destination.
The City of Buffalo is located in Western NY. It was the terminus of the Erie Canal, is 30 minutes from Niagara Falls, and 2 1/2 hours from Toronto. Her most well known nickname is “The Queen City” so called because Buffalo is the second largest city in New York state. She is also the second largest city located on the Great Lakes.
Travel Tip - It’s okay to stay near the airport here
Buffalo is one of the few places that I will say its okay to stay near the airport. This is because the airport is on the smaller size and located in one of the towns close to downtown. Buffalo has quite a few neighborhoods and villages surrounding that would be nice to stay in. They have their own spots to visit and are close to other things you’ll want to do or eat at.
Elmwood Village is very popular. It has lots of local shops and artisans. Along with coffeeshops ,pubs and restaurants. It has been names of of the 10 best neighborhoods in the US by the American Planning Association.
Downtown itself has many historical buildings, as well as being close to Canalside, if history is more your thing than shopping. Canalside has some museums, a beautiful waterfront and the terminus of the Erie Canal.
I’m partial to the Village of Williamsville, northeast of downtown. Williamsville has its own Main St with shops, restaurants, 2 different parks and its where my grandparents lived. There are several hotels right on Main St. and others nearby.
On my most recent trip to Buffalo I was joined by my mom and aunt. We thought that an Airbnb would be better for the 3 of us. I found the cutest little house 5 minutes south of Williamsville in Cheektowaga.
“No Place Like Home” was in a nice neighborhood with plenty of sidewalks. It’s close to main roads and highways to get places easily, but was very peaceful. The hosts were very responsive and left us some snacks to welcome us to this very cozy Airbnb!
It was so nice to come back at the end of the day and have a space to relax, eat diner if we hadn’t gone out. And sit and talk in the living room with the fireplace on. There were some games in the cabinets if you wanted something else to do besides the tv. This was such a good base for visiting in Buffalo, the space and the location. It didn’t hurt that my favorite ice cream place was 6 min away. If you would like to see if it is available for your stay I’ve put the link here.
Don’t miss The Food of Buffalo! It’s more than just wings.