Why Buffalo Is New York’s Most Underrated Food Destination

When it comes to food, New York City has its hidden (and not-so-hidden) gems. But what if you’re traveling Upstate and want a new food scene to explore? Enter: Buffalo. Having not been to Buffalo in years, I recently made my way back at the invitation of Visit Buffalo Niagara and discovered that the “City of Good Neighbors” also happens to be the “City of a Really Good Food Scene.” Mid-sized cities across the U.S.—Cleveland, Traverse City, Spokane—have been flexing their culinary muscles for years and Buffalo belongs near the top of that list.

If you’re visiting Buffalo and want a good food itinerary, below are some of the best options for the four important meals of the day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails.

Good breakfasts can be hard to find, and true American diners are often places of convenience and not necessarily great meals. Swan Street Diner in the Buffalo neighborhood of Larkinville is different. The restaurant is in a classic fabricated diner car, which was built in 1937. The diner car was originally located in Newark, NY and then relocated to Buffalo after restoration in 2017. Everything in it screams vintage diner, but the menu has plenty of modern twists: A French omelet (muenster, fresh herbs) and pesto omelet (pesto, mozzarella, tomato) join ranks with smothered breakfast burritos and breakfast tacos. I was in the mood for a breakfast sandwich, but I wish I could have tried everything on the menu.

If you’re just looking for a good pastry and coffee, check out Raha Coffee House, which is Buffalo’s new, authentic Yemeni coffee shop in the Black Rock neighborhood. Opened in early 2024, Raha pulls you in with the scent of cardamom and cinnamon. Their signature lattes and Raha Mofawar are wonderful. I tried to duplicate it at home and couldn’t.

Pro Tip: Park across the street at the grocery store, I won’t tell.

Normally, it wouldn’t occur to me to mention a museum restaurant in a food guide, but life took me there anyway. When I arrived at The Terrace at Delaware Park, which has amazing views of the lake, and found they wouldn’t be open for another hour, I hopped over to Cornelia’s for Sunday brunch at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum across the street. Their Dutch baby pancakes and frittatas are the things of dreams and beautifully plated. While you are there, make time for the museum. It is the sixth-oldest public art museum in the United States and has a fantastic collection, including a self portrait of Frida Kahlo with a monkey from 1938 and a fantastic Marisol exhibit. Marisol left her estate to the museum.

Buffalo is known for its classic beef on weck sandwich. I’m not a fan of horseradish, but Café Bar Moriarty‘s Beef on Weck — a sandwich made with homemade roast beef, horseradish mayo, and a salty Kummelweck/Kimmelweck roll — won me over. Moriarty’s is also a European style whole animal butchery created by Caitlin and Tom Moriarty. Tom is a chef and butcher trained in Europe. They encourage customers to be present and put the cell phone down. I clearly ignored that rule for this story.

If you’ve been to a sports bar, you’ve heard of Buffalo wings, and Anchor Bar is said to be where they were invented. They were created by founder, Teressa Bellissimo, who, as the story goes, created them from the only ingredients she had (too many chicken wings, her own sauce, blue cheese, and celery). Today, you can order the wings with a number of sauce options, and their hottest sauce has some decent heat to it. If you’re in Buffalo, this is a must-visit local institution.

This year two restaurants in Buffalo were James Beard Finalists and Waxlight Bar à Vin in the Black Rock Neighborhood is one of them in the Outstanding Wine and other Beverages category. They have a creative seasonal menu, and are known for their roast chicken potato chips. Their summer menu had snacks and small plates, like bread and butter pickled mussels and barbecue shrimp ‘njuga with preserved corn, and large plates, like tomato leaf creste di gallo with braised duck leg and strawberry marinara or squid ink gnocchetti with calamari bolognese and rocket pesto. Ask their certified Sommelier, Jess Railey-Forster, to pair a bottle of wine with your meal.

And while I’m on the subject, I’ll briefly jump ahead to the next category of cocktails. Waxlight’s stylish bar, which blends gilded age touches with blue velvet couches and gaslamp-style lighting, has a range of refreshing cocktails, including the daisy (gin, shochu, salted lime), mezcal sour (mezcal amaro, citrus, sage, beet, blackberry), or improved tequila (reposado, spiced pear, fino, charred onion).

The other restaurant that ended up on the James Beard Finalist list, and this time for Best Emerging Chef, is Southern Junction. Southern Junction blends Texas style cooking with South Asian flavors. Get one of their foldies (South Asian street wrap with meat, slaw, and coconut curry on layered flatbread), which you combine with one of their meats like the Barbacurry Beef (barbacoa style beef shoulder with caramelized onions and house meat marsala). And don’t miss a chance to eat their amazing, you’ll-dream-about-it-later cardamom cornbread.

Pro Tip: When you arrive, you’ll see a line in the alley for getting in, and it can get long as soon as it opens. That line will take you to indoor seating or the patio, but you can also skip it and go in the front door for bar seating.

For the last meal of the day, visit Saint Neri. With its dimly lit Murano glass lighting, Art Deco aesthetic and European glamor, this moody spot is accented by shimmering gold-leaf walls, gold drapery, leopard print carpets, and staff in flapper-style dresses or black suits. (The bar is named after St. Philip Neri, the 16th century patron saint of joy.) To get your nightcap at Saint Neri, be sure to get reservations. The menu includes a selection of caviar and plates like testaroli carbonara, swordfish piccata, jumbo lump crab cake, or tortellini.

If a rustic bar among grain silos is more your speed, then Duende at Silo City is a good choice. The bar sits in a reclaimed building and showcases live music among the city’s grain silos. Their pulled pork sliders and Old Fashioned were exactly what I needed. And if you like to have a refreshing beer with nachos or a cheeseburger, this is the place to be.

Featured Photo Courtesy of Sharon Cantillon for Visit Buffalo Niagra