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Try to make a comprehensive list of local breweries, and there’s a solid chance it’ll be outdated before you finish, as hopped-up alcoholic beverage ventures pop up like stainless steel dandelions thanks to Buffalo’s fertile brewing culture.
Pretty much everybody with food has gotten past bags of chips to the warm pretzels with cheese dip, hummus plate and charcuterie board level. Fries, covered and smothered, wings, and other deep-fat-fried tavern favorites abound as well.
Here’s my highly personal list of places that go above and beyond in their culinary endeavors, making them addresses you might head to just for the eats.
A double order of the Sheffield wings, which are made with a house dry rub at Gene McCarthy’s.
Gene McCarthy’s Old First Ward Brewing Co.
73 Hamburg St.; 716-855-8948; genemccarthys.com.
The venerable tavern was known for its fish fry ($14.25), hang-off-the-plate huge, before it started brewing its own beer. More notable noshes next to the railroad tracks include the Reuben salad, an enjoyable collision of virtue and excess, and the intriguingly dry-rubbed Sheffield-style wings. Its convivial confines seem to beat the pants off the echoey new postindustrial spaces as a gemutlichkeit-generating site.
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Big Ditch Brewing Co.’s Breuben is corned beef brined in Excavator Rye Brown Ale, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and housemade Thousand Island dressing.
55 E. Huron St.; 716-854-5050; bigditchbrewing.com.
The estimable Breuben ($15), ale-brined corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut, with Thousand Island dressing, has become one of the most reliable beer accompaniments in Buffalo. With other sandwiches like the cheddar bacon burger ($16) and pork schnitzel sandwich with pickled red onion and garlic mayonnaise, they’re the core of a menu that’s a favorite for pregamers.
Big Ditch Brewing Co.’s cheddar bacon burger is topped with spicy mayonnaise and served with hand-cut fries.
The cheesy brunch breakfast pizza at Britesmith Brewing is inspired by Ross Warhol’s childhood appreciation for the version popularized in the region by Tops in the ’90s.
5611 Main St., Williamsville; 716-650-4080; britesmithbrewing.com.
Fine dining veteran Ross Warhol flirts with luxury (lobster pizza with garlic cream, fontina, chives, $30) but the brunch breakfast pizza (egg, potato, Swiss cheese, housemade sausage, $21), a fully upscale homage to the Tops original, is down-home satisfying.
The Korean cheesesteak ($19), crisped-up galbi-braised short ribs with melted cheese, scallions and sesame seeds, earns the splurge.
Chef Ross Warhol’s fried chicken sandwich is brined and double battered before hitting the fryer. Served on a freshly toasted bun with a slathering of deviled egg spread and a bright tomato gastrique, accompanied by slivers of crunchy red onion and green lettuce, it’s a thing to behold.
Brickyard Brewing Company
436 Center St., Lewiston; 716-754-7227; brickyardbrewingcompany.com.
Barbecue has been a mainstay since Brickyard opened, and this Lewiston gathering place has fully bounced back after being closed by fire in 2020. Smoked chicken wings (10 for $16), crisped up in a fryer, go especially well in pepperoncini dip ($13). I go for the full rack of spare ribs ($29.50), mac and cheese, sweet potato fries and cornbread, and make friends.
Outdoor space at Community Beer Works.
520 7th St.; 716-388-2664; communitybeerworks.com.
One super bowl champion in Buffalo is made from half a Dopest Dough sourdough rye loaf ($15), excavated and turned into croutons. The bread bowl’s crust overflow with creamy dill beef, chicken wing, or several vegetarian dips, including spinach and artichoke.
Barbecued vegan seitan “ribs” ($14) and a definitive smashburger ($15) of grass-fed Plato Dale beef and Moriarty Meats bacon are worthwhile endeavors.
The atmosphere at Tappo Pizza.
Tappo Pizza at Thin Man Chandler
166 Chandler St.; 716-393-4353; tappopizza.com.
In a former industrial building next to Thin Man Brewing’s production facility, partners Tappo Pizza are putting out a steady stream of gathering-worthy pizza. Live music, fresh beer and pies that swiftly appear on tables, like the Little Anthony spin on white pizza (asiago crema, chicken sausage, fried hot peppers, greens, garlic, $18) and my favorite, El Padrino (housemade meatballs, San Marzano tomato sauce, cherry pepper, whipped ricotta, basil, $19).
700 Military Road; 716-783-8060; frothbrewing.com.
Chef A.J. Giordano has added a sharp casual dining lineup to the 3-year-old brewery’s drinkable options. Pickle brined buttermilk fried chicken in Nashville sauce on toasted brioche ($16) comes with kettle chips. Last Dragon Tacos ($18) are braised beef short ribs, housemade kimchi, chopped peanuts and the Japanese rice topping called furikake.
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