Mr. Goodbar ★ 4.4
Mr. Goodbar on Elmwood Avenue has anchored the Elmwood Village bar strip since 1968, with a deep craft beer tap list and upstairs live music and comedy.
Signature drink: Local craft beer flight
Food: Bar food, late-night menu
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Buffalo for grown-ups.
Where to drink
Marble + Rye (Cocktail Bar) ★ 4.6
Marble + Rye on Genesee Street downtown is the Dimmer-Willmott cocktail program, with seasonal mixed drinks and Buffalo's most considered bar work.
Signature drink: Seasonal cocktail program
Food: Dry-aged burger, small plates
Founding Fathers Pub ★ 4.3
Founding Fathers Pub on Edward Street near Allentown is the trivia-and-bar-food institution with a presidential-history theme and a long local beer list.
Signature drink: Local craft beer
Food: Wings, burgers, bar food
Allen Street Hardware Cafe ★ 4.3
Allen Street Hardware on Allen Street in Allentown is the long-running neighborhood bar in a former hardware store, with patio and weekend live music.
Signature drink: House cocktails, craft beer
Food: Bar food, sandwiches
Cole's Restaurant ★ 4.4
Cole's on Elmwood Avenue has anchored the Elmwood Village since 1934, with a deep beer list, classic burger and a weekend brunch the locals defend.
Signature drink: Local draft beer
Food: Burgers, weekend brunch
The Place ★ 4.4
The Place on Lexington Avenue near Cathedral Park is the dim, jukebox-driven Elmwood-area bar with cocktails, draft beer and a tight neighborhood following.
Signature drink: Old Fashioned
Food: Bar food, late-night menu
Big Ditch Brewing Taproom ★ 4.5
Big Ditch Brewing on East Huron Street downtown is the two-level Buffalo brewery taproom, with up to fifteen beers on tap and a full small-plates menu.
Signature drink: Hayburner IPA
Food: Pub plates, sandwiches, small plates
Buffalo Iron Works ★ 4.4
Buffalo Iron Works on Illinois Street in the Cobblestone District is the downtown live-music bar in a 19th-century iron foundry, with regular national acts.
Signature drink: Local craft beer
Food: Wings, burgers, BBQ plates
Lucky Day ★ 4.5
Lucky Day on Pearl Street downtown is the dim-lit Buffalo cocktail bar with a deep whiskey program, leather banquettes and a Prohibition-era room feel.
Signature drink: Whiskey cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Resurgence at the Cooperage ★ 4.3
Resurgence Brewing at the Cooperage on Chicago Street in the Old First Ward is the brewery's main Buffalo taproom, with patio and wood-fired pizza.
Signature drink: Buffalo lager
Food: Wood-fired pizza, brewery menu
Pearl Street Grill (Brewery Bar) ★ 4.2
Pearl Street Grill on Pearl Street has nine bars across four floors since 1997, with house-brewed beer and a long Buffalo brewpub history downtown.
Signature drink: Lake Effect IPA
Food: Brewpub full menu
Thin Man Brewery (Chandler) ★ 4.3
Thin Man Brewery on Chandler Street is the surviving taproom after Community Beer Works acquired the brand in 2024, with patio and a Black Rocks feel.
Signature drink: Bliss IPA
Food: Brewery food, salads, sandwiches