Anchor Bar (Lunch) ★ 4.0
Anchor Bar on Main Street serves the original Buffalo wings at lunch (invented 1964), with sampler portions, blue cheese and celery under twenty dollars.
Try: Original Buffalo wings
Eat well in Buffalo for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Cheap eats worth seeking out
Charlie the Butcher's Kitchen ★ 4.4
Charlie the Butcher's at Wehrle and Cayuga is the counter-service beef-on-weck institution, a Buffalo signature sandwich at airport-area prices.
Try: Beef on weck sandwich
Ted's Hot Dogs (Sheridan) ★ 4.5
Ted's Hot Dogs at the Sheridan Drive flagship has been charcoal-broiling Sahlen's franks since 1948, with hand-cut onion rings and the hot chili sauce.
Try: Charcoal-broiled hot dog with rings
Mighty Taco (Delaware Avenue) ★ 4.0
Mighty Taco on Delaware Avenue has been Buffalo's Tex-Mex chain since 1973, with the beef taco at under $4 and the El Nino burrito as a late-night signature.
Try: Beef taco and El Nino burrito
Lloyd Taco Factory ★ 4.4
Lloyd Taco Factory on Hertel Avenue is Buffalo's food-truck-turned-counter favorite, with carne asada tacos at $4 and loaded loco fries under $12.
Try: Carne asada taco and loco fries
Broadway Market Pierogi Vendors ★ 4.3
Broadway Market's pierogi vendors and kielbasa counters on the East Side serve Buffalo's most affordable Polish-American plate, under $14 per person.
Try: Polish pierogi and kielbasa plate
Duff's Famous Wings (Lunch) ★ 4.5
Duff's Famous Wings at the Sheridan flagship serves the hotter Buffalo wings at lunch, with portion sizes that feed two for under thirty dollars.
Try: Buffalo wings (medium-hot)
La Nova Pizzeria ★ 4.2
La Nova on West Ferry has slung Buffalo-style cup-and-char pizza since 1957, with slices and pies that anchor the West Side budget Italian-American counter.
Try: Buffalo-style pizza slice
Gabriel's Gate (Bar Menu) ★ 4.4
Gabriel's Gate on Allen Street in Allentown serves jumbo wings, a house burger and tavern plates that anchor Buffalo's neighborhood budget bar menu.
Try: Wings and house burger
Bocce Club Pizza ★ 4.3
Bocce Club Pizza on Bailey Avenue serves the canonical Buffalo cup-and-char pepperoni pizza since founder Dino moved in next to UB South in 1959.
Try: Buffalo-style pepperoni pizza