I live in Buffalo. I like Buffalo. If you're coming, ask me questions, I'll answer. Food, drink, etc.

[starpka]

OK, here's my advice:

1. Realize, Buffalo has a subway system. If you're staying in downtown or uptown hotels, there's a high probability that you will be within easy walking distance of the subway. This is the ideal way to go to the arena since the last stop is the arena, right at the harbor's edge. The subway rises above ground for the last 6 stops of downtown (about 2 miles) and you can get on for free when it's above ground.

Downtown bars near the arena:

1. Southern Tier Brewery restaurant, has a massive TV, 2 tiered viewing seating, will likely be jampacked. It's connected to Harbourside which is connected to the arena, so if you can get a seat, it's a good sports bar brewery. I would avoid because of the unlikelihood of finding a seat.

2. Union Pub, a classic sports bar, probably the most popular one for those who attend Sabres games or Bisons games (AAA baseball).

3. Pearl Street Brewery is the oldest of the "new" Buffalo breweries, and not quite up to snuff like the others. Place is 20+ years old. But the food is decent, and again, feels like a sports bar.

4. SATO Brewpub, Asian food and beers.

5. There are nearby places like the Draft Room and Cobblestone and Ballyhoo, but I've never been to any of them for drinking. Ballyhoo has reasonably priced food, but you can do better.




Midtown bars & restaurants I'd recommend:

1. Lafayette Brewpub: they get most of their beer from Pearl Street, but it's a much better atmosphere than Pearl Street Brewery.

2. Misuta Chow's: it's a barcade type place that looks like a Japanese fast food open air alley food stall, but indoors.

3. Hatchets & Hops: yes, throwing hatchets.

4. Mohawk Place & Electric Avenue: dive bars. Both are good dive bars.

5. Tappo Restaurant: it's a bar really, lots of people drinking, but they also do dinner. Food is mediocre but good, if that makes any sense. Reasonably priced big portions, the kind of place where spaghetti and meatballs is on the menu, and it is, well, spaghetti and meatballs. But not bad spaghetti and meatballs.

6. Dinosaur BBQ: very good!

AVOID: Deep South Taco. They done messed up the concept of tacos.

AVOID: Chippewa Street and nightclubs, unless you're under 25 years old and are comfortable with sleaze.



Theatre District & Allentown favorite spots (these places are further away from the subway, with only Founding Fathers on the verge of walkable).

1. Founding Fathers: maybe Buffalo's best bar; if you don't know any better, you might be put off by the politics theme, but it's a big hangout.

2. Gabriel's Gate: best buffalo wings in the city, good bar.

3. Old Pink: kind of a punk hipster institution, usually doesn't get rolling until 11 pm. Remember, Buffalo has New York City hours, closing time is 4 am.

4. Hardware: good place for a drink and food, reasonable.

5. Allen Burger Ventures: best burgers in town, restaurant pricing, $17.



Breweries:

1. Big Ditch is right downtown, so for those looking to get some good beer and then hop right onto the subway trolley, this is a good choice. They are the 3rd best brewery in town.

2. Community Beer Works: for my money, they make the best beers and if they were a little bigger, might be better known on the east coast. They are very good. Need a car to get there as they are on the west side very near the Peace Bridge to Canada.

3. Thin Man Brewery: highly recommended, they are a close #2 to Community. Make prize winning beers, and unlike Community they do have recognition. Located in Elmwood Village so a short car drive, 10 minutes from the arena, maybe less.

AVOID: Resurgence Brewing, some of the daffiest beer concepts around.

* Places to get good American and international beers on tap, almost all of these owned by the same guy, all serve food.

Colter Bay, Moor Room, Thin Man, Coles, Allen Burger Venture



Upscale restaurants (these are just my recommendations, you may want to avoid Buffalo Italian restaurants as they are, well, local Italian cuisine, but there are some very good ones):

1. Black Sheep, by far the best Buffalo restaurant, if you ask me. Limited hours, make reservations. The chef takes meat seriously. Eastern European ideas.

2. Dobutsu, Asian but it's changing over.

3. Las Puertas, fusion type Mexican food, really good Chef, not typical Mexican

4. Toutant: southern American cuisine, New Orleans, etc.

5. Waxlight Bar a Vin, never know what you'll get, it's a shared concept of rotating chefs from other restaurants trying experimental cooking

6. Hutch's restaurant: straight ahead American fare

More affordable than the above:

1. Roost: American and experimental cuisine

2. Mother's: American

3. Left Bank: American

4. Casa Azul: Mexican



A new place has opened up called Moriarty's Meats, and it has a lot of great reviews in a short time, haven't been. It's a butcher shop, with a cafe bar with limited hours, but apparently, you can't get a better sandwich anywhere in this world.

Great writeup. Very helpful. Me and the wife are taking the trip. Looking for reasonably prices places to stay. Can you recommend any areas further away from the arena that have subway connectivity to the arena and downtown. Assuming they will be cheaper as all the hotels near Keybank arena right now are ridiculously high priced. Thank you!

 

[HooperScooper]

By the way, not really related to this post but what's with many people in the media saying UConn has a home court advantage playing "close to home" in Buffalo? Last night Seth Davis and either Clark Kellogg or Greg Gumbel said it also. Buffalo is 60 miles further from Storrs than DC is. If the Huskies were playing in DC, or say Richmond, VA (60 miles further than Buffalo) would they say UConn had a home court advantage? I guess it's closer than New Mexico is from home but it isn't that close.

 

[upstater]

Great writeup. Very helpful. Me and the wife are taking the trip. Looking for reasonably prices places to stay. Can you recommend any areas further away from the arena that have subway connectivity to the arena and downtown. Assuming they will be cheaper as all the hotels near Keybank arena right now are ridiculously high priced. Thank you!

Very sorry to see that all the hotels are full downtown. I saw that the Mansion has rooms for Thursday and Friday at $350; it's a luxury hotel.

Also try this place, they only take call in reservations but they only have 4 or 5 rooms: Elmwood Village Inn Bed and Breakfast | Accommodations

But otherwise, if you want to walk to dinner and drinks without driving, I can only recommend the village of Williamsville, which is very nice:

https://www.expedia.com/Buffalo-Hotels-The-Mosey-Buffalo-Williamsville.h6290133.Hotel-Information?chkin=2022-03-17&chkout=2022-03-19&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1647305406831&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&useRewards=true&rm1=a2&regionId=6338357&destination=North+Buffalo%2C+Buffalo%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&destType=MARKET&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=195&top_cur=USD&semdtl=&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=227744261&selectedRatePlan=258362972

https://www.expedia.com/Buffalo-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Buffalo-Williamsville.h908633.Hotel-Information?chkin=2022-03-17&chkout=2022-03-19&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1647305406832&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&useRewards=true&rm1=a2&regionId=6338357&destination=North+Buffalo%2C+Buffalo%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&destType=MARKET&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=180&top_cur=USD&semdtl=&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=40723&selectedRatePlan=240107347

 

[BPT2Storrs]

It's crazy to think back to doing that drive solo in a broken down Saab with 130k on the odometer, no cell phone, and nothing but a log of dip and a pile of books on tape for company. I can remember checking in to some terrible motel in North Platte and hoping someone would break in the room and blow my brains out.

I just died laughing at this. might have been the funniest thing I’ve ever read on here.

 

[Mr. French]

Very sorry to see that all the hotels are full downtown. I saw that the Mansion has rooms for Thursday and Friday at $350; it's a luxury hotel.

Also try this place, they only take call in reservations but they only have 4 or 5 rooms: Elmwood Village Inn Bed and Breakfast | Accommodations

But otherwise, if you want to walk to dinner and drinks without driving, I can only recommend the village of Williamsville, which is very nice:

https://www.expedia.com/Buffalo-Hotels-The-Mosey-Buffalo-Williamsville.h6290133.Hotel-Information?chkin=2022-03-17&chkout=2022-03-19&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1647305406831&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&useRewards=true&rm1=a2&regionId=6338357&destination=North+Buffalo%2C+Buffalo%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&destType=MARKET&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=195&top_cur=USD&semdtl=&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=227744261&selectedRatePlan=258362972

https://www.expedia.com/Buffalo-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Buffalo-Williamsville.h908633.Hotel-Information?chkin=2022-03-17&chkout=2022-03-19&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1647305406832&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&useRewards=true&rm1=a2&regionId=6338357&destination=North+Buffalo%2C+Buffalo%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&destType=MARKET&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=180&top_cur=USD&semdtl=&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=40723&selectedRatePlan=240107347

Also I'm in the Village of Williamsville so say hi! There's a few hotels out this way, plus some right down the road near the airport. It's about a 10-15 minute drive from there to downtown so it's not a bad uber. I'm guessing there's some decent hotel prices out this way.

 

[Mr. French]

Great writeup. Very helpful. Me and the wife are taking the trip. Looking for reasonably prices places to stay. Can you recommend any areas further away from the arena that have subway connectivity to the arena and downtown. Assuming they will be cheaper as all the hotels near Keybank arena right now are ridiculously high priced. Thank you!

I'd agree with upstater that Williamsville / Airport area is probably your next best bet. You wouldn't have subway connectivity but an uber would get you there in 15 minutes, straight zip down the thruway into the city.

 

[UConn_Top_Dog]

I have no chance of getting to the Thursday game. I am humoring myself about tentative Saturday plans. My wife went to college in Buffalo and I hated that drive; I ultimately settled on taking the train from Albany most times. So that's around two and a half hours to Albany for me, and I see a 10 am train from Albany that gets into Buffalo at 3:14, with an early morning return the next day.

Aaaand, just in the time that I have been typing this post the Amtrak ticket prices have doubled. I won't know if I can go until Friday, and I'm guessing it will be sold out by then.

All of which is to say, if you are thinking of taking the train, book now!

What if you book now and end up losing god forbid on Thursday?

 

[starpka]

Very sorry to see that all the hotels are full downtown. I saw that the Mansion has rooms for Thursday and Friday at $350; it's a luxury hotel.

Also try this place, they only take call in reservations but they only have 4 or 5 rooms: Elmwood Village Inn Bed and Breakfast | Accommodations

But otherwise, if you want to walk to dinner and drinks without driving, I can only recommend the village of Williamsville, which is very nice:

https://www.expedia.com/Buffalo-Hotels-The-Mosey-Buffalo-Williamsville.h6290133.Hotel-Information?chkin=2022-03-17&chkout=2022-03-19&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1647305406831&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&useRewards=true&rm1=a2&regionId=6338357&destination=North+Buffalo%2C+Buffalo%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&destType=MARKET&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=195&top_cur=USD&semdtl=&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=227744261&selectedRatePlan=258362972

https://www.expedia.com/Buffalo-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Buffalo-Williamsville.h908633.Hotel-Information?chkin=2022-03-17&chkout=2022-03-19&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1647305406832&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&useRewards=true&rm1=a2&regionId=6338357&destination=North+Buffalo%2C+Buffalo%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&destType=MARKET&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=180&top_cur=USD&semdtl=&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=40723&selectedRatePlan=240107347

Thanks!!

 

[Northbound]

Very sorry to see that all the hotels are full downtown. I saw that the Mansion has rooms for Thursday and Friday at $350; it's a luxury hotel.

Also try this place, they only take call in reservations but they only have 4 or 5 rooms: Elmwood Village Inn Bed and Breakfast | Accommodations

But otherwise, if you want to walk to dinner and drinks without driving, I can only recommend the village of Williamsville, which is very nice:

https://www.expedia.com/Buffalo-Hotels-The-Mosey-Buffalo-Williamsville.h6290133.Hotel-Information?chkin=2022-03-17&chkout=2022-03-19&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1647305406831&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&useRewards=true&rm1=a2&regionId=6338357&destination=North+Buffalo%2C+Buffalo%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&destType=MARKET&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=195&top_cur=USD&semdtl=&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=227744261&selectedRatePlan=258362972

https://www.expedia.com/Buffalo-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Buffalo-Williamsville.h908633.Hotel-Information?chkin=2022-03-17&chkout=2022-03-19&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1647305406832&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&useRewards=true&rm1=a2&regionId=6338357&destination=North+Buffalo%2C+Buffalo%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&destType=MARKET&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=180&top_cur=USD&semdtl=&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=40723&selectedRatePlan=240107347

Mansion is nice.

I-80 in Wyoming is even worse, except fewer speed traps. The speed traps are what make PA so bad for me. When I crossed Wyoming we rarely dipped under 100. I-70 between Topeka and Denver is pretty awful. Eastern Colorado is ugly as sin.

Was just going to chime in with KC to Denver is a brutal drive - Salina KS to Limon CO - straight pain. Used to do it in an 84 diesel suburban on the way to Aspen 6-8 times a year.

 

[superjohn]

Mansion is nice.


Was just going to chime in with KC to Denver is a brutal drive - Salina KS to Limon CO - straight pain. Used to do it in an 84 diesel suburban on the way to Aspen 6-8 times a year.

Salina, Kansas. Cozy Inn burgers.

 

[uconngb]

I have driven that stretch from Buffalo - East, and that stretch around Rochester and over, but most specifically after Syracuse, is the worst stretch of drive anywhere.

FIFY

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I was at the Patriots playoff game against Jacksonville in 2008. Maybe not the concourse but some guy was peeing in the corner in the bathroom instead of waiting for the urinal.

Post/handle