Upscale in Buffalo

Marble + Rye (Cocktail Bar)

• ★ 4.8
• $$$

Drink Seasonal cocktail program

Marble + Rye on Genesee Street downtown is the Dimmer-Willmott cocktail program, with seasonal mixed drinks and Buffalo's most considered bar work.

Ristorante Lombardo

• ★ 4.7
• Italian
• $$$
• North Buffalo

Ristorante Lombardo on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo is the Tuscan-influenced anchor of the city's Italian food row, family-owned since 1975.

Big Ditch Brewing Taproom

• ★ 4.7
• $$$

Drink Hayburner IPA

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.

Lucky Day

• ★ 4.7
• $$$

Drink Whiskey cocktails

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.

Mr. Goodbar

• ★ 4.6
• $$$

Drink Local craft beer flight

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.

Ristorante Lombardo (Wine Cellar)

• ★ 4.6
• Wine bar
• $$$

Lombardo on Hertel keeps Buffalo's deepest Italian wine cellar, with Tuscan and Piedmont reds, Brunello pours and the city's longest single-region wine list.

Marble + Rye

• ★ 4.5
• New American
• $$$
• Downtown / Theater District

Marble + Rye on Genesee Street downtown is the Mike Dimmer and Christian Willmott cocktail-and-dining room with a dry-aged burger and small plates.

Cole's Restaurant

• ★ 4.5
• $$$

Drink Local draft beer

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.

Marble + Rye (Wine and Cocktail Program)

• ★ 4.5
• Wine bar
• $$$

Marble + Rye on Genesee Street downtown is the Dimmer-Willmott cocktail-and-dining room, with a wine program built on Old World and natural-leaning labels.

Tappo Italian

• ★ 4.4
• Italian-american
• $$$
• Downtown / Theater District

Tappo Italian on Ellicott Street downtown is the Pegula family's Italian-American room, with handmade pastas, veal saltimbocca and free Ferguson parking.

The Left Bank

• ★ 4.4
• New American
• $$$
• Elmwood Village

The Left Bank on Rhode Island Street near Elmwood Village is a long-running American room with seasonal meat and seafood plates and a romantic dining room.

The Place

• ★ 4.4
• $$$

Drink Old Fashioned

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.

Buffalo Iron Works

• ★ 4.4
• $$$

Drink Local craft beer

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.

Bacchus Wine Bar and Restaurant

• ★ 4.4
• Wine bar
• $$$

Bacchus on West Chippewa Street downtown is the wine bar inside the historic Calumet building, with a deep by-the-glass list and a full New American menu.

Patina 250

• ★ 4.3
• New American
• $$$
• Downtown / Theater District

Patina 250 inside the Westin on Delaware Avenue downtown runs a contemporary American menu built on Western New York producers, plus a strong bar.

Founding Fathers Pub

• ★ 4.3
• $$$

Drink Local craft beer

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.

Tappo Italian (Wine Program)

• ★ 4.3
• Wine bar
• $$$

Tappo Italian on Ellicott Street keeps a deep Italian regional wine list ($30 to $300+) and pours Brunello, Barolo and Tuscan reds by the glass downtown.

The Left Bank (Wine Bar)

• ★ 4.3
• Wine bar
• $$$

The Left Bank near Elmwood Village keeps a European-leaning by-the-glass program paired with seasonal small plates in a romantic-bistro West Side dining room.

Allen Street Hardware Cafe

• ★ 4.2
• $$$

Drink House cocktails, craft beer

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.

Patina 250 (Wine Program)

• ★ 4.2
• Wine bar
• $$$

Patina 250 inside the Westin pours Finger Lakes whites and Niagara Wine Trail reds alongside a national list, anchoring a downtown hotel wine bar.

Resurgence at the Cooperage

• ★ 4.1
• $$$

Drink Buffalo lager

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.

Thin Man Brewery (Chandler)

• ★ 4.1
• $$$

Drink Bliss IPA

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.

Pearl Street Grill (Brewery Bar)

• ★ 4.0
• $$$

Drink Lake Effect IPA

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.