Buffalo Food Guide

Buffalo's food story rests on two dishes the city actually invented and a network of immigrant neighborhoods that built everything around them. The chicken wing came first, in 1964, when Teressa Bellissimo of Anchor Bar on Main Street fried a batch late one night for her son Dominic and his friends. Frank's RedHot, butter, celery, blue cheese, and the rest of the world followed. Beef on weck predates wings by 127 years: Schwabl's in West Seneca has been slicing rare roast beef onto kummelweck rolls (caraway seed and pretzel salt on top) since 1837.

The immigrant layers run deep. The East Side is the historic Polish district, where Broadway Market (1888) still anchors the paczki rush each Fat Tuesday with Chrusciki, White Eagle and Camellia Meats holding the vendor row. North Buffalo's Hertel Avenue is the Italian-American food row, with Ristorante Lombardo (1975) at the top and a long stretch of red-sauce kitchens and gelaterias below. Downtown holds Chef's Restaurant (1923) for spaghetti parm, Marble + Rye on Genesee for chef-driven cocktail dining, and Tappo for Italian-American by the Pegula family.

The brewery scene is one of the densest in upstate New York for a city this size. Pearl Street Grill and Brewery (1997) is the oldest active brewpub, Big Ditch holds the downtown crown, Resurgence runs out of the Old First Ward on Chicago Street, and Community Beer Works has consolidated onto Chandler Street with the Thin Man taproom in the fold. Sponge candy, Buffalo's signature confection, comes from Watson's, Fowler's and the 1927 Parkside Candy temple on Main Street. The Friday fish fry, a Catholic Western New York tradition through Lent, is everywhere from corner taverns to white-tablecloth rooms.

Where Buffalo eats: neighborhoods to know

Allentown: the dining-and-bar district along Allen Street, with Gabriel's Gate wings, Cole's bar (now on Elmwood), the Allen Street Hardware and the city's largest summer art festival. Elmwood Village: a walkable Elmwood Avenue strip from Forest down to Bidwell, with Mr. Goodbar (since 1968), Tipico Coffee and a long bar row. North Buffalo: Hertel Avenue is the Italian-American food row, anchored by Ristorante Lombardo, with Lloyd Taco Factory and Sophia's Greek on Military Road nearby. Broadway-Fillmore: the historic Polish East Side, where Broadway Market (1888) still moves paczki on Fat Tuesday and kielbasa year-round. Downtown / Theater District: Chef's Restaurant since 1923, Tappo Italian on Ellicott, Pearl Street Grill and Brewery and Patina 250 in the Westin. West Side: the emerging Niagara Street and Connecticut Street corridor with BreadHive worker co-op bakery. Larkinville: the revitalized Larkin District around Seneca Street, with Food Truck Tuesdays at Larkin Square in summer.

Buffalo signature dishes worth crossing town for

The original Buffalo wing: Anchor Bar at 1047 Main Street invented the dish in 1964 (Teressa Bellissimo). Duff's Famous Wings on Sheridan Drive in Amherst is the hotter, leaner rival. Gabriel's Gate (Allen Street) and Bar Bill Tavern in East Aurora are the local-favorite alternates. Beef on weck: Schwabl's in West Seneca (since 1837), Charlie the Butcher's Kitchen in Williamsville and Eckl's in Orchard Park serve the canonical version, rare roast beef on a kummelweck roll dipped in jus. Sponge candy: Watson's Chocolates, Fowler's and Parkside Candy (1927) on Main Street. Paczki: the Broadway Market vendors (Chrusciki and White Eagle) and Paula's Donuts during Fat Tuesday week. Friday fish fry: nearly every Buffalo tavern through Lent. Ted's Hot Dogs: charcoal-grilled Sahlen's franks since 1927, with the Sheridan Drive flagship. Buffalo-style pizza: cup-and-char pepperoni, square or round, at Bocce Club Pizza and La Nova.

Wings and weck: the canonical pilgrimage

Anchor Bar (1047 Main Street) is the birthplace of the chicken wing, October 1964. Teressa Bellissimo deep-fried a batch late one night for her son Dominic and his friends, tossed them in butter and Frank's RedHot, and served them with celery and blue cheese. The original room still stands, now part of a small national chain, but the Main Street location is the one that matters. Duff's Famous Wings opened on Sheridan Drive in 1946 as a gin mill and started serving wings in 1969, with a hotter sauce and leaner meat the locals have defended for decades. Gabriel's Gate (145 Allen Street) and Bar Bill Tavern (185 Main Street, East Aurora) are the local-favorite alternates. For beef on weck, Schwabl's at 789 Center Road in West Seneca has been serving it since 1837 (then under a different name, but the family and recipe carry through). Charlie the Butcher's Kitchen at 1065 Wehrle Drive in Williamsville is the airport-area institution. Eckl's in Orchard Park is a day-trip on the same theme.

Polish, Italian, Friday fish fry: the immigrant layer

Polish Buffalo lives on the East Side. Broadway Market at 999 Broadway has been the anchor since 1888, with Chrusciki Bakery, White Eagle Bakery, Camellia Meats and pierogi stalls. Fat Tuesday paczki sell out before noon and Easter butter lambs (a Polish-Catholic tradition) move thousands. Dyngus Day on Easter Monday is the city's signature Polish-American celebration with a downtown parade. Italian Buffalo lives on Hertel Avenue, the North Buffalo strip running from Delaware Avenue eastward. Ristorante Lombardo (1975) anchors the high end with Tuscan-influenced cooking; Tappo Italian downtown and the long row of Hertel red-sauce kitchens round out the modern scene. Friday fish fry is a Catholic Western New York institution that peaks in Lent (Ash Wednesday through Easter). Every tavern from Wiechec's Lounge in South Buffalo to Romanello's serves it; the canonical version is haddock, hand-breaded, with German potato salad and rye bread.