Buffalo Seasonal Food: What to Eat by Season 2026

What is in season in Buffalo. and what to order when the market changes.

Spring

Friday fish fry (Lent): Mid-February through Easter is peak Friday fish fry season across Buffalo. Wiechec's, Romanello's and nearly every tavern run the haddock dinner.
Paczki (Fat Tuesday): Chrusciki and White Eagle bakeries at Broadway Market run thousands of paczki for the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Lines start at 06:00.
Dyngus Day pierogi (Easter Monday): Easter Monday brings Polish-American Dyngus Day to the East Side, with pierogi, kielbasa, polka and the downtown parade.

Sweet corn (Western New York): Sweet corn from Clinton-Bailey Farmers Market peaks August through September. Local roadside stands carry it from late July.
Lake Erie walleye and perch: Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch are caught April through November, peaking in summer at Buffalo waterfront restaurants and bait-and-tackle counters.
Larkin Square food truck Tuesdays: Larkin Square hosts Buffalo's full food-truck rotation every Tuesday evening from May through October, with live music and lawn seating.

National Buffalo Wing Festival (Labor Day): Labor Day weekend brings the National Buffalo Wing Festival to Sahlen Field, with 60+ vendors and over thirty tons of wings served annually.
Niagara Wine Trail (Cabernet Franc): The Niagara Wine Trail harvest runs September through November, with Cabernet Franc the regional red and Riesling the regional white at vineyards along Lake Ontario.
New York apples and cider: New York apples and cider hit Western New York farm stands from late September through October, peaking with Honeycrisp and Mutsu varieties.

Polish kielbasa and paczki (Easter prep): Broadway Market sells thousands of pounds of kielbasa and paczki in the weeks before Easter, with Holy Saturday the peak.
Sponge candy season: Buffalo sponge candy from Watson's, Fowler's and Parkside Candy peaks in the fall and winter holiday shopping window.
Beef on weck and hot soup: Schwabl's, Charlie the Butcher and the corner taverns sell their best beef-on-weck volume in the deep-winter months, often with hot German potato salad.