Beard finalists, wing stops, Burmese classics, Parisian-level patisserie, toast bar, racy Thai, and more Buffalo gems

By ANDREW GALARNEAU
June 4, ,2024

Wander among the crowds under the Town Square at the heart of Buffalo AKG Art Museum, and you might be surprised how little English you hear. The new AKG is drawing from around the globe, as well as places closer by.

After they’ve filled their eyes and souls, their stomachs will need a little something. Cornelia offers soups, salads, sandwiches, and dinner two nights a week. 

Outside the museum is a world of wonder, within a 10-minute drive. By alphabetical order:

Barrel + Brine, 155 Chandler St. Suite 3. Fat Sangwich, offering gloriously over-the-top Italian hoagies, is the latest food offering from the fertile minds at Buffalo’s fermentation station.

BreadHive Bakery & Cafe, 402 Connecticut St. Worker-owned bakery’s sandwich lineup, named after pop stars, are made on a bagel, roll, or pretzel baked that morning. Pick up a loaf of West Side Sourdough ($6.25) or big baked pretzels ($3).

Butter Block, 426 Rhode Island St. Parisian-level patisserie goes beyond pastry to the pretzel croissant stuffed with ham and gruyere, quiche of the week, and savory caramelized onion danish. 

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Cafe Bar Moriarty, 1650 Elmwood Ave. French-style butcher shop paired with cafe offering tapas, more European cooking, and the “boeuf on weck,” my favorite beef-on-a-bun in Buffalo. Bring a cooler for the one shop in Western New York cutting picanha from New York State animals.

La Casa de Sabores, 1 Letchworth St. Dominican steam-table place where counterpeople load to-go containers to your liking. Pernil, stew chicken, plantains, yuca, beans and rice are grab-and-go, while more elaborate offerings like patacon pisao, plantain sandwiches, are made to order.

Five Points Bakery, 44 Brayton St. Whole-grain baker offers well-appointed toast plates starring their Extra-Sharp Cheddar Bread and others, plus breakfast sandwiches, French toast, and more. 

Fresh Arabic Sweets, 560 Amherst St. Chicken shawarma sandwiches and myriad types of baklava and cakes baked that morning. Syrian style, the baklava is made with sheep’s milk butter for a buttery finish. For $10 a pound, fill a container with your favorite baklava or some of everything.

Kelly’s Korner, 2526 Delaware Ave. For wings and beef on weck, eaten on a formica table in a genuine neighborhood tavern. Get a pitcher of beer, and enjoy the ambiance of a room properly seasoned with decades of Buffalo fan screams.

Kosta’s Family Restaurant, 1561 Hertel Ave. Patriarch of Buffalo Greek restaurants still offers horta (dandelions) and a definitive grilled lamb salad. Chicken souvlaki breakfast with extra tzatziki, griddled pita is a lowkey Buffalo classic.

La Nova Pizza, 371 W. Ferry St. My suggestion for Buffalo-style pizza and wigs – especially pit BBQ – close to the AKG. Usually I add two slices of cheese and pep.

Nick’s Place, 504 Amherst St. One of the last truly old-school Greek diners. Bakes its own bread, plus slinging Texas hots, chicken souvlaki breakfasts, gyro omelets, blueberry pancakes, patty melts, and such at diner speed.

Parkside Meadow, 2 Russell St. Buffalo memorabilia museum also happens to hold genuine neighborhood tavern menu and full bar, right across the street from the Buffalo Zoo.

Southern Junction, 365 Connecticut St. Kerala meets Dallas in Buffalo’s nationally known barbecue joint, which offers the best of both carnivorous and vegetarian worlds: the best beef brisket in town, and smoked cauliflower manchurian for the animal avoidant. One of two 2024 Beard finalists, first in city history.

Street Asian Food, 516 Elmwood Ave. Burmese and Thai classics presented in abundance, with vigorous spicing. Tea leaf salad and other Burmese classics are a part of life in a city now more than 5 percent Burmese.

Tiny Thai, 27 Chandler St. Contender for Buffalo’s best Thai offers swoonful curries, gai yang grilled marinated chicken, crab rangoon rolls, hat yai fried chicken, and purple flower-shaped chor muang dumplings. 

Waxlight Bar a Vin, 27 Chandler St. Inspired menu anchored in time-honored technique and bounty of local producers, with eight dishes under $10 before share plates and entrees. Wine curation and service, plus bespoke cocktails from housemade elixirs and non-alcoholic drinks that are anything but weak. One of two 2024 Beard finalists, first in city history.

West Side Bazaar, 1432 Niagara St. Community center with Egyptian, Korean, Malaysian, Congolese, Vietnamese, bakery, and bubble tea in first-floor restaurant hall. 

(Editor’s note: This story was sparked by a reader’s question, like many others. Here’s your reminder to please send me your foodish inquiries, large and small. At Four Bites, an uneducated consumer is our best customer.)

(* Drive time was estimated using repeated Google Maps queries at peak traffic times to each destination. Only routes estimated at nine minutes or less made this list.)

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