16 Reasons to Plan a Food & Drink Pilgrimage to Buffalo, NY

Anyone worried about the authenticity of Allen St. Poutine can rest easy because there are two Canadians (Konstantine Kentros and Jake Fraser) behind the counter, hand-cutting those Idaho potatoes. While their traditional take—twice-fried starch sticks, blanketed with beef gravy and cheese curds—is a satisfying nod to Buffalo's Northern neighbor, the duo offers more than 20 other meal-sized variations on the classic. Welcome culture clashes include the Beef On Weck (beef dusted with caraway seeds and coarse salt), the Montreal Smoked Meat (smoked brisket pelted with pickles), and the Pierogi (Polish dumplings paired with bacon, sauerkraut and green onions). allenstreetpoutine.com

RJ Marvin toyed with pickling techniques at his last gig—piloting the fermentation program at Elm Street Bakery—but the F&B vet didn't show his experimental side until the launch of Barrel + Brine last year. The former corner store hosts the occasional class and pop-up lunch, but it mostly functions as a clearinghouse for Marvin's gut-friendly creations. Several kinds of sauerkraut and kimchi are available year round, along with crisp green beans, cukes and peanuts cut with everything from Chinese black vinegar to a hop-heavy IPA. To further bask in the glow of friendly bacteria, look for limited products like a Bloody Mary mix and collaborations with Leonard Oakes Winery, including a robust cider vinegar and restorative fire tonic. barrelnbrine.com

Anyone who misses Blue Monk—the first Buffalo restaurant to fully embrace the craft beer movement—should head straight for Allen Street's new Billy Club restaurant. Co-owner Jake Strawser was one of Blue Monk's last bartenders, and his experience shows in a serious drink list that includes clean, well-balanced cocktails and superlative canned suds from the likes of Grimm Artisanal Ales, Stillwater and Avery. As for the food itself, chef Scott Crombie isn't afraid to push everyone's palates, with grand statements like Creole gator combined with Georgia polenta, mezcal aioli, purslane, pickled jalapeno and charred corn. billyclubbuffalo.com

Steven and Ellen Gedra's second act is twice the size of their first space (Bistro Europa), but shares its level of sheer ambition. Steven's nose-to-tail skills are spread throughout a smoked pork chop, countless forms of charcuterie, and a dynamite pig head dinner that requires two weeks advance notice to order. Meanwhile, Ellen bakes up a storm with elegant desserts (the sticky toffee pudding is terrific) and one hell of a bread basket that’s just begging for generous pats of whipped, herbed lardo. It’s no wonder that the couple was asked to cook for the James Beard Foundation this past fall. blacksheepbuffalo.com

Located right on the edge of Lake Ontario—smack dab in the middle of the Niagara Wine Trail—BlackBird Cider Works is the perfect day trip from downtown Buffalo. The New England-style orchard has already won a slew of medals since opening just five years ago. There's something for everyone here, from several barrel-aged bottles to a bone-dry, Champagne-esque brut. Make the most of what owner Scott Donovan has to offer by sampling 'em all straight from the source. blackbirdciders.com

Victoria Kuper, Emily Stewart and Allison Ewing founded their bakery as a worker-owned co-op, building a cult following on the back of a weekly bread share. The trio now has a small cafe with daily sourdough loaf deliveries and a sandwich menu that pays tribute to iconic female singers, offering up options like The Björk (tempeh bacon, Barrel + Brine kimchi, avocado, sprouts, greens, tomato and spicy mayo) and The Britney (lox, red onion, cucumber and dill cream cheese, piled onto a bagel or soft pretzel). breadhive.com

Buffalo Proper is the one new-school pioneer nearly everyone can agree on. Opened in 2014 by bar manager Jon Karel and chef Edward Forster, it channels Buffalo's golden age with Prohibition-era cocktails and sophisticated plates like braised escargot with black garlic butter and crispy absinthe candy; fried chicken with a kimchi pancake, farmer's corn, and tamarind-tinged Kewpie mayonnaise; and a half-pound burger topped with a fried egg, quince mustard and sharp manchego. buffaloproper.com

Toast is turned into an art form at Kevin and Melissa Gardner's West Side cafe, which expanded considerably a couple years ago and now features a mini-grocery full of sweet Jersey butter, frozen bread loaves, whole Ithaca milk, house-made granola and more. But, back to that toast. It is, hands down, the main event—a way of showcasing each special bread strain alongside complementary flavor combos like sauerkraut and raclette, farmhouse cheese and pickled peppers, or hard-boiled egg and Gruyere. The couple's whole grain cinnamon rolls are also popular with carb critics looking for less guilt than a covert Cinnabon run. fivepointsbakery.com

While the arguably most authentic tacos in town are seared and stuffed at La Divina Mexican Store, the brick-and-mortar location of Lloyd's food truck fleet is a better option for a sit-down dinner. Corn tortillas are handcrafted on site and the lengthy mezcal list offerings pop up in several cocktails — as an example, the Green Hornet features honey-infused simple syrup and a spicy tomatillo shrub. Specials include a bacon-wrapped Sonoran dog and a Dirty South taco of buttermilk fried chicken, baby kale, bacon aioli, waffles and maple syrup. whereslloyd.com

When Kate Hudson was in town filming the movie Marshall earlier this year, she made sure to swing by SATO Ramen before the shoot wrapped. (She is said to have been a fan of the sesame green salad, while her kids noshed on various ramen offerings.) SATO’s Buffalo chicken ramen could’ve easily been a half-baked gimmick, but is instead a head-on collision between Western New York's world renowned bar food, springy noodles and a rich tori paitan broth. Chef Satomi Smith is great at this sort of thing—easing newbies into traditional Japanese flavors by way of familiar dishes like the hand-cut fries she douses in okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie mayo, fresh bonito flakes, shredded nori, green onions and pickled ginger. sato-ramen.com

Star Philadelphia bartender Keith Raimondi headed back to his hometown to open The Dapper Goose in September. It's already generating a great deal of buzz for its progressive drink program, French cottage feel and cocktail-friendly "chef's food" like Korean fried chicken, short rib massaged with mole and a Cajun pork loin dressed up with ‘nduja vinaigrette and dirty rice. This is where you want to be—surrounded by friends and serious sustenance—when the first lake effect snowfall hits. thedappergoose.com

How popular is the Old Pink's steak sandwich? So popular that the cheap eats classic has its own Facebook page, boasting more than 1,200 likes despite the dive bar's low-key location at 223 Allen St. (There’s no sign, look out for the telltale flame-licked mural.) Everyone should gnaw on that nightcap sandwich at least once—just be sure to buy a drink or two to keep the place in business. Longtime manager Molly Brinkworth once told Buffalo Rising the each $10 sandwich only makes a measly 50 cents profit due to its costly quality ingredients. facebook.com/pages/The-Old-Pink/100671156669023

Like many cities its size these days, Buffalo has enjoyed an enviable rise in craft breweries, as recovering Bud addicts flood reputable taprooms like Resurgence, Big Ditch and 12 Gates. While Thin Man Brewery is one of the newest kids on the block, it's run by well-established and influential restaurateur Mike Shatzel (Allen Burger Venture, The Liberty Hound, Coles). That explains why Thin Man went the brewpub route, pairing funky pints like Myrna—a wild apricot sour named after silent film star Myrna Loy—with left-field plates including a marrow-streaked Tokyo Burger topped with glazed pork belly, gruyere, caramelized onions, spicy remoulade, pickles, au poivre sauce and a fried egg. thinmanbrewery.com

Public Espresso might’ve done the whole third-wave coffee thing first—and quite well, too—but Tipico takes things to another level with small BreadHive toast bites; rotating light roasts from Ontario (Detour), Brooklyn (Parlor) and Wisconsin (Ruby); pop-up Butter Block pastries; and a much more welcoming space. While Public’s home base at the historic Hotel Lafayette is cool and all, it simply can't compete with Instagram bait like vibrant floor tiles, ample natural light and North America's largest Kachelofen stove. Don’t just take our word for it though, go on a caffeine crawl and try both joints. tipicocoffee.com

The Sunday brunch menu at Toutant is so good that it almost makes Bills fans forget about games on Sunday afternoons. Almost. Chef/owner James Roberts is a Louisiana native, so you better believe his beignets, muffuletta and shrimp-laced grits are legit. The cocktail menu also highlights such up-and-coming distilleries as Tommyrotter, Lockhouse and Black Squirrell, so day-drinking is both a point of pride and a civic duty. toutantbuffalo.com

Few local spots capture Buffalo's diverse food culture quite like West Side Bazaar, a food court that doubles as an incubator for low-income individuals, immigrants and refugees. The generous sampler platter at Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine is a headliner, but there is equally compelling essential fare from Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, India and Pakistan. Bring a few friends and try it all if you can, you'll certainly want to. westsidebazaar.com