Buffalo’s Culinary Transformation

Buffalo’s food legacy is still largely centered around the eponymous Buffalo wing and unpretentious local delicacies like “beef on a wreck” (pastrami on a caraway seed roll). However, in recent years, a thriving restaurant culture has emerged, embracing the city’s newfound reputation as an innovation hotspot.

After decades of hard times, New York state’s second-largest city has been experiencing a significant economic upward swing. This change is due in part to an influx of startups and tech companies attracted by the city’s lower cost of living. While Buffalo revels in its success (gentrification and skyrocketing housing costs are also part of the narrative), its restaurateurs have embraced this transformation, changing the city’s dining landscape into a quintessentially 21st-century experience.

You’ll still find numerous spots serving the old classics, alongside a plethora of farm-to-table New American bistros. Moreover, many of Buffalo’s most exciting restaurants are merging the city’s classic sensibilities with new influences. Here’s a guide to Buffalo’s restaurant revolution.

Trucks, Chains, and Courts

In 2013, Buffalo joined an already popular trend by hosting the first-ever Food Truck Tuesday at Larkin Square. This event saw numerous mobile food vendors converge on one of the city’s newly developed parks, previously the site of industrial warehouses. Since that initial gathering, food trucks have convened every Tuesday from spring to early fall, defining the entrepreneurial spirit of the city’s new era.

Following the success of Food Truck Tuesday, Buffalo welcomed the renowned chain Dinosaur BBQ. This establishment began as a mobile eatery, traveling to motorcycle gatherings throughout upstate New York, serving meat cooked in a steel drum. After establishing itself as a traditional restaurant, its reputation skyrocketed when it expanded to notable food destinations like Harlem and Brooklyn. In 2016, EXPO Market opened in the theater district, featuring a food court full of local restaurants serving unique offerings, departing from monotonous national chains. These additions to the restaurant scene act as a barometer for the city’s evolving tastes, emphasizing high-quality food that pays homage to its roots while still introducing new flavors.

Fresh Takes on Regional Favorites

Cuisine inspired by Buffalo’s rich immigrant communities has been woven into the fabric of the city’s restaurants for generations. At Las Puertas in Buffalo’s West Side, chef Victor Parra Gonzalez builds on these traditions while offering diners a delightful twist. His dishes are inspired by traditional Mexican fare, enhanced with modern techniques and nods to his training in Japanese and Italian cooking. Dishes like roasted cauliflower with salsa verde or pumpkin stuffed with crab are reminiscent of the culture while offering something refreshingly new.

Closer to home, the Allen Street Poutine Company provides an excellent example of local culinary innovation. This Quebecois dish comprising French fries, gravy, and cheese curds is popular in northern New York state. The Canadian duo behind this venture has ingeniously introduced various wild yet delicious poutine variations. If you’ve ever pondered how General Tso’s chicken or a Philly cheese steak would taste on fries, you can now indulge in those creations right at Allen Street Poutine.

Buffalo’s Black Restaurateurs

Buffalo’s influential African American community has made significant strides in representation within the city’s restaurant landscape. In February 2019, eleven black-owned restaurants participated in the city’s inaugural Black Restaurant Week, which delighted visitors with an array of options ranging from cakes to BBQ to soul food. A similar event in the previous year featured just five restaurants and lasted only three days, indicating the increasing influence that black-owned restaurants will have on Buffalo’s dining trends.

Among the participants in the 2019 Black Restaurant Week were new ventures like Je Ne Sais Quoi. Despite being in business for a little over two years, proprietor Gwen Ingram’s soul food spot gained immense popularity, prompting her to relocate from a 22-seat dining room to a spacious 120-seat venue on Hertel Ave, where acclaim for dishes like fried catfish and mac ‘n’ cheese continues to grow.

Back to the Bakery Basics

Two of the city’s most buzzworthy eateries are bakeries that celebrate the art of bread-making. The menu at Five Point Bakery, located in an industrial-chic space, focuses primarily on toast. In an age dominated by elaborate food items, this simplicity continues to captivate. People eagerly line up to experience unique offerings like apple cider bread paired with whipped brie or a delicious multigrain topped with cheese and pickled peppers, evidencing the bakery’s ahead-of-the-curve approach.

Buffalo’s other treasured bread-centric cafe is aptly named BreadHive. Specializing in hearty sandwiches crafted with house-made bread, distinctively named after popular female musicians, has become their signature. Their famous Fiona sandwich, featuring brie and figs, is a must-try. The ‘Bread’ signifies their baked goods, while ‘Hive’ denotes their worker collective model, where bakers and employees jointly manage the bakery. Since its opening in 2014, BreadHive has grown in popularity and has contributed to Buffalo’s vibrant culinary narrative.