Where to Eat in Buffalo: The Best Restaurants and Bars

April 14, 2018 Misti Hsu

Buffalo is being reborn as a mecca for art, architecture, history, culture, dining and entertainment. Experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s stunning Darwin Martin House Complex and world-class modern art at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Relive part of the city’s incredible history at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. Explore the emerging Canalside waterfront district, hip Elmwood Village, more than 400 independently owned restaurants (serving our famous chicken wings and more) and nearby Niagara Falls.
Things to do in Buffalo

1. Bacchus Wine Bar & Restaurant

54 W Chippewa St, Buffalo, NY 14202-2206 Takeout, Parking Available, Valet Parking, Serves Alcohol, Free Wifi, Reservations, Private Dining, Seating, Waitstaff, Street Parking, Television, Wheelchair Accessible, Full Bar, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Discover, Accepts Credit Cards American, Wine Bar, International, Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options Dinner, Late Night SGD 10 - SGD 50 +1 716-854-9463
Excellent
66%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 263 reviews

Bacchus Wine Bar & Restaurant

Bacchus wine bar and restaurant is located in the historic Calumet building in the heart of Buffalo's entertainment district. A seasonal menu highlights the best available ingredients from local and regional farms. Together with our Wine Spectator award winning wine list, this elegant yet casual restaurant has continually been ranked as one of Buffalo's best

Reviewed By ppijacki - Buffalo, New York

Decided to try this before our evening at Shea's to see Manheim Steamroller. Great choice. Convenient to the theater. It's a 5 minute walk at most. Sean our server was outstanding! Cocktails were excellent. My wife had the Halibut special. She loved it. Tasty and fresh. I had the Roast Duck. It was excellent. The food was tasty. We each had a glass of wine with our dinners. Nice selection and reasonable prices. The only Downer was we decided to share a Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee. Although the flavor was good the crust was Cold and the Brulee was more like pudding. We mentioned this to Sean and he immediately removed it from our bill. We enjoyed our evening here and anytime we go back to Shea's we will definitely dine here again.

2. Hutch's

1375 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14209-1108 Reservations, Seating, Waitstaff, Parking Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar American, Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options Dinner, Late Night SGD 41 - SGD 59 +1 716-885-0074
Excellent
71%
Good
20%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
2%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 307 reviews

Hutch's

Reviewed By TartanEcosse - Ecosse

The bar is buzzing. The waiting staff were pleasant but service very slow, food lukewarm (although changed when highlighted) and food wasn't as nice as I had hoped - salty and I chose monkfish thinking it was a healthier choice but it was drowned in butter. Garlic mash was nice.

3. Mulberry Italian Ristorante

64 Jackson Ave, Buffalo, NY 14218-3317 Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Waitstaff, Parking Available, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar Italian, Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options Lunch, Dinner, Late Night SGD 26 - SGD 33 +1 716-822-4292
Excellent
69%
Good
20%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
2%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 818 reviews

Mulberry Italian Ristorante

Reviewed By ppijacki - Buffalo, New York

What great Food and awesome service. Stefanie our server gave us the time to have a relaxing evening. It was our 1st time there and her recommendations were very helpful. She was awesome. The cocktails are not skimpy. A double is a double. The salads are great. My Wife had The Salmon special! She loved it. I had the Veal Parmesan! Awesome! The portions are huge! They also have a great selection of wines by the glass! A great evening. We loved it and we'll be back.

4. Seabar Restaurant

475 Ellicott St, Buffalo, NY 14203-1531 Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Waitstaff, Television, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar Japanese, Seafood, Sushi, Asian, Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options Lunch, Dinner, Late Night +1 716-332-2928
Excellent
73%
Good
20%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 180 reviews

Seabar Restaurant

Reviewed By Kerry R

Seabar is still a wonderful place to dine when you are downtown. The sushi is great and there are other, creative dishes on the menu that are not raw fish oriented. We always get the crudo on the fabulous lemon gel, and we miss a marvelous selection of bites--was it Vatel's choice? It was named for some French chef, I think. Love going here before or after a show or just because.

5. Left Bank

511 Rhode Island St, Buffalo, NY 14213-2317 Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Waitstaff, Parking Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar American, International, Contemporary, Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night SGD 41 - SGD 52 +1 716-882-3509
Excellent
69%
Good
21%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
3%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 612 reviews

Left Bank

Reviewed By Beth O - Buffalo, New York

Had another wonderful dinner at Left Bank. Brought was friend and it was his first visit. Fondue appetizer was delish and our entrees were top notch. Parking is super easy. I would suggeat making your reservation early as they book up quickly. Great reataurant for a special event!

6. Big Ditch Brewing Company

55 E Huron St, Buffalo, NY 14203-1632 Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Waitstaff, Television, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Parking Available, Free Wifi American, Bar, Pub, Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Drinks +1 716-854-5050
Excellent
60%
Good
31%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
1%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 198 reviews

Big Ditch Brewing Company

Big Ditch Brewing Company is a craft beer brewery located in downtown Buffalo, NY. We are dedicated to providing quality, delicious, innovative and drinkable craft beers to Western New York and beyond.

Reviewed By product-of-canada - Toronto, Canada

We were looking forward to trying this place out on a trip to Buffalo.

The place was packed on an early Saturday evening, with a 30-minute wait. And the noise meant no comfortable conversation.

Instead we decided to purchase beer from their gift shop....I cannot believe how expensive it is....like Canadian prices!!!! You would expect a better deal when purchasing the beer directly from the brewery.

7. Sun Restaurant

1989 Niagara St, Buffalo, NY 14207-2510 Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Waitstaff, Serves Alcohol, Wheelchair Accessible Sushi, Asian, Thai, Burmese, Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options Lunch, Dinner +1 716-447-0202
Excellent
69%
Good
21%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 165 reviews

Sun Restaurant

Reviewed By Cross-Culture-Maven - Buffalo, New York

WNY and Southern Ontario’s Pan Asian restaurant market is crowded. In fact, there are several pan-Asian restaurants up and down the street.

I suggest that Sun focus on what makes them unique: *Burmese* food.

I was with an out-of-town Asian companion (Japanese/Chinese/Korean) who was surprised and delighted with Buffalo’s unique Burmese community---something new, even for her. But then it became hard separating the establishment’s special cuisine, from Asian food we could get anywhere. Put another way, which dishes were “Burmese” . . .the food we came for? (I know “black rice” is a clue, but most of the black rice is in sushi.)

Start by eliminating some “usual suspect” non-Burmese dishes from the menu, adding Burmese dishes, and making the distinctions simple and clear on the menu.

My two cents!

8. Lombardo Ristorante

1198 Hertel Ave, Buffalo, NY 14216-2747 Takeout, Seating, Waitstaff, Parking Available, Street Parking, Valet Parking, Free Off-Street Parking, Television, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Discover, Reservations, Validated Parking, Full Bar, Private Dining, Accepts Credit Cards Italian, Vegetarian Friendly Dinner, Lunch SGD 14 - SGD 58 +1 716-873-4291
Excellent
80%
Good
11%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
2%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 181 reviews

Lombardo Ristorante

Established in 1975, 40 years and 3 generations later Ristorante Lombardo has evolved into one of the regions best and most authentic Italian restaurants. Our seasonally changing menu features original creations inspired by regional Italian preparations, including fresh handmade pastas, house cured meats, hand pulled mozzarella, wood-fired thin crust pizzas, house made decadent desserts and more. In the summer months be sure to join us for dining al fresco on the city's best patio. And while the menu and the decor of the restaurant has surely changed over the years the hospitality that we've become known for surely has not. We'd genuinely love to have you in our restaurant and hope you can make it soon!- The Lombardo's

Reviewed By Don V - East Aurora, New York

Limited menu, but wonderful. What they do, they do extremely well! Try the grilled octopus appetizer -- outstanding. Ambience and service excellent -- and a lovely bar to have a cocktail before being seated for your dinner. Came with our daughter who lives/works in Manhattan, and who has been to many "fine" Italian restaurants in NYC -- she said Lombardo's is right up there with the best of them.

9. Raclettes

537 Main St, Roosevelt Plaza, Buffalo, NY 14203-1712 Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Waitstaff, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Discover, Accepts Credit Cards French, European, Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks SGD 13 - SGD 33 +1 716-436-3244
Excellent
76%
Good
13%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
1%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 159 reviews

Raclettes

Parisian Style Bistro serving causal French Food, Raclettes and Fondues. Full bar and extensive wine list. Outdoor Patio, Mon - Friday Lunch & Dinner, Saturday Brunch & Dinner & Sunday Brunch

Reviewed By Laurie S - Williamsville, New York, United States

My husband and I had just concluded a downtown art of the subway tour and decided to have lunch at Raclettes. I have been there twice before for breakfast and really enjoyed the place. We both had sandwiches on the most delicious baguettes that I’ve...MoreWe are glad you enjoyed your lunch and the tour! We hope to see you again soon! Our next wine dinner is March 21st. I'll be posting details on our website this week. :)

10. Osteria 166

166 Franklin St, Buffalo, NY 14202-2407 Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Waitstaff, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar Italian, Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options Lunch, Dinner, Late Night 716-858-3118
Excellent
61%
Good
30%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
2%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 268 reviews

Osteria 166

Reviewed By trever08 - Buffalo, New York

On this past snowy Saturday my wife and I visited Osteria to celebrate our anniversary. So I'll offer my five takes on our dinning experience. One, Atmosphere; We were immediately seated in the smallish middle dining room at a very small rectangle two top with a bad wobble. No room on the table for salt and pepper or anything else. My instant comment to the hostess was how loud it was in the room. Booming track music sounding like mundane and endless 80's disco mixed in with jazzy hip hop was annoying. Our visit was nine days before Christmas. Our neighbors, a party of four were extremely loud. Probably because the music was so loud they had to shout to talk. Not a good first impression. Second, Service; The hostess was prompt but she tried to initially seat us at a two top almost in the aisle way before I asked for the table we landed up at. You would think having reservations more than a week in advance we could've been offered better seating. After we viewed the menu and wine list we put them down on the table next to us. The hostess returned and demanded to know "who put these menus on this table!". Spare me. However, our server arrived with a nice smile a pleasant personality and her service throughout was excellent. Our water glasses were kept full. Third, Menu and Price; Osteria has an excellent menu with a broad selection of salads, appetizers, small and pub style plates to Italian classic and daily specials covering all price points. Their wine list is not extensive, but they offer brands you'll recognize at prices that are good. We settled on a bottle of Murphy Goode Pinot Noir at $38. Fourth, Food; My wife ordered a dish with fresh home made pasta with scallops with a wine sauce for $35. I ordered Osso Bucco, braised short ribs over polenta at $34. Shortly after ordering a bag of bread was delivered to the table warm with crisp crust and a plate of dipping oil. Very good and we finished it all waiting for our meal. We were not asked if we would like more. My wife's dish was served in a large pasta bowl with a good amount of wide ribbon type noodles. However, her pasta was very under cooked displaying just a hint of cooked softness. She's a very accomplished Italian cook and she estimated to just get the pasta to al dente they needed another three minutes in boiling water. My short ribs came atop a generous mound of polenta. The meat melted off of the bone offering a nice contrast to the polenta. Very good. We both felt the price points on both meals ($34 & $35) were a bit high since nothing came with the them, no salad or soup or anything. Fifth, Conclusion; Osteria has an excellent menu. However, my wife and I would not entertain the idea of dining here again because of the loud and type of music. We are also not big fans of tiny two top tables with barely room between that the restaurant staff have to contort themselves to serve them. Though we are nearer to retirement than perhaps their target market, we feel we are pretty much in tune with today's times. We've always said the food at a restaurant is only just over half of your dining experience. Because of our seating, patron noise, wobbly small table and loud intrusive music I wouldn't recommend Osteria for date night.

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