Ask anyone what they should eat while visiting Buffalo and chances are they will answer “wings”. Chicken wings, I mean Buffalo wings, are famous. Restaurants and bars at home in Toronto often try to mimic, or advertise Buffalo-style wings.
So, on a recent trip to Buffalo I fully expected to indulge in the most famous food from Buffalo, but quickly found myself discovering that there are a few other local meats and treats that Buffalonians consider to be famous.
What are these other famous foods from Buffalo? Check it out below, and give them a try next time you head to New York State’s second largest city!
#5 – Ted’s Charcoal Broiled Hot Dogs
As the story goes, Ted came to the US in the early 1900’s and first ran a horse-drawn hot dog cart in Buffalo. He started his first actual shop in the ’20s and it’s become a locally famous tradition to hit Ted’s whenever you need a good hot dog.
Ok, so can a hot dog really be anything special? Skeptical at first, I was pleasantly surprised as soon as I rolled into the parking lot and saw the old style signage and simple decor. This is a place that doesn’t care about style, all they care about is serving up great hot dogs at their numerous locations in and around Buffalo.
Once you open the doors, the unmistakable smell of charcoal grilled meats wafts through the air and you know that if somewhere can elevate the hot dog to a higher level, this is the place. Make no mistake though, this isn’t some hipster-happy “gourmet” hot dog experiment place, this is good old-fashioned as-good-as-it gets hot dogs.
You can grab a regular, jumbo, foot long or a skinless hot dog. Sure, they have burgers and fries and such too, but the hot dogs are their specialty. You see your dog cooked right before you, and select from a range of a dozen different toppings. People in Toronto love their street vendor hot dogs, and Ted’s beats them hands down. It’s the same smell, and vibe as an Ontario institution for cottage-goers who hit Weber’s up in Orillia during their weekend escapes up north.
To finish off your meal here, be sure to order a Johnnie Ryan loganberry juice drink with it.
#4 – Peanut Sticks from Paula’s Donuts
What the heck is a peanut stick, you ask? Well, the short answer is that it is a donut covered in peanut pieces.
That may not be super appealing, so you need to delve a little further into this locally famous Buffalo food to appreciate it more. First, it’s not a classic style of donut, but more of a cake donut.
This cake-y style of donut makes it denser, but not too heavy. If you’re the kind of person that loves combining biscuits, cookies, scones, or other types of treats with your coffee and tea drinking, then this denser type of donut will also do the trick. The donuts have a nicely crisp coating, which allows for the peanut pieces to stick, to this donut stick.
The donut is elongated, not a round donut. It’s a bit of a meal to be honest. I only ate half a peanut stick and was content. Now there are other donut shops around Buffalo that serve up similar treats. Paula’s also serves up peanut jelly donuts (it’s raspberry jelly), chocolate peanut donuts and peanut round donuts. If you’re up for it, give more than one a try! The classic peanut stick from Paula’s is what I suggest though, and it’s famous enough that the popular Buffalo coffee shop called SPoT Coffee caries them, so they’re easy to find!
#3 – Beef on Weck
Another meat treat that was made famous in Buffalo.
What makes beef on weck special, is the weck. Short for a kummelweck roll, it is a special bread created in Buffalo many years ago. The secret is that the traditional kummelweck roll has a sprinkling of kosher salt and caraway seeds atop it. This unique soft, but slightly chewy roll, with it’s salty surface creates the perfect complement to a shaved, smoked beef meat sandwich.
As with anywhere that serves up piles of meat sandwiches, quality counts, so you need to find a proper place with the right rolls and good meat. If you’re wandering around downtown Buffalo at lunch time, then head over to the Historic Ellicott Square building. It’s am impressive piece of architecture and home to a couple of “quick” lunch pots inside the central atrium, including an express Charlie the Butcher.
Don’t forget to grab some horseradish too, to complete the experience. As with Ted’s hot dogs, your experience here is something that goes back decades, reminding you how big of a blue-collar city Buffalo was, and in many ways still is today. Charlie the Butcher actually goes back for more than a century, dating back to 1914. My only small knock on the beef and weck here was that the kummelweck roll only had salt on it, no caraway seeds. For people who don’t like caraway, that could be a good thing!
#2 – Sponge Candy
As I was sitting at Resurgence Brewing in Buffalo, talking about their sponge candy stout beer, I realized I didn’t exactly know what sponge candy was.
Turns out, it is another locally famous food in Buffalo! Armed with that knowledge, it was added to the must-eat list while I was in town.
I expected something to be soft, spongy, sweet. Maybe like cotton candy? Well, I was wrong. Sponge candy is a light, airy sweet and sugary treat that is a bit crumbly. It’s most commonly served in bite-size pieces, covered in chocolate.
My first sample was a milk chocolate sponge candy at Watson’s Chocolates. Arguably the home to the best sponge candy in Buffalo. People buy it here in hoards and ship it across the US and to friends and family abroad because it’s a pretty addictive, tasty sweet treat.
After learning a bit about sponge candy, I sampled some more, this time with dark chocolate. I think I personally preferred the milk chocolate version, but both were great. if you’re an expert sponge candy eater, the proper way to (apparently) eat it is to bite off the chocolate coating first, leaving only the sponge interior to savour at the end.
The sponge candy tastes like granular brown sugar, and quickly, easily melts down in your mouth to a sticky, chewy piece of candy. Experiencing the different types of sponge candy was fun. I didn’t tell all the locals that I had tried something similar before – anyone who has tried a Coffee Crisp Crunchie chocolate bar in Canada, that is pretty much exactly what sponge candy is! I’d say the stuff at Watson’s is better quality though!
#1 – Buffalo Wings
Not a surprise here. But no famous food list of Buffalo could have any other item at #1. Pretty much anywhere you end up in Buffalo there are wings nearby. Dirty dive bars, historic restaurants and new breweries all serve them up. I had some at a local sports bar, and they were tossed in a perfectly slightly sticky, semi-hot sauce.
Now, before any astute chicken wing connoisseurs complain, the above photo is NOT the chicken wings I had in Buffalo. For obvious reasons, Buffalo wings are something you need to take a picture of before you dig and and start making a mess. I forgot to take a picture of my Buffalo wings, so the picture above is of some wings I had at home in Toronto.
What are the difference? Well, classic Buffalo wings are unbreaded (unlike those seen above), and the traditional sauce is a vinegar/hot sauce/butter mix, giving them a tangy and hot kick. It’s generally a fairly liquidy sauce, as compared to thick, sticky and dense BBQ sauces or other sauce options that are prevalent everywhere today. So, next time you are at a restaurant ordering wings and they ask if you want them breaded or not breaded, know that the Buffalo wing style is unbreaded.
I’ve never had bad wings in Buffalo, even at chain restaurants. But for authenticity, visiting the ‘birthplace” of Buffalo wings is something everyone needs to experience at least once. head over to Anchor Bar for your wings and learn from the pro’s. This is where the classic Buffalo wing recipe was created and perfected.
There you go, five famous foods from Buffalo. A nice combination of sweet treats and meaty eats. Are there any other Buffalo specialities you’d add to this list of must-try foods?
I have to give a shout out to Visit Buffalo Niagara Tourism who helped me get around Buffalo and uncover some of these hidden gems of the city!
Chicken. Finger. Subs.
Ahhh, yes! I saw the chicken finger subs Beth, but did not manage to sample one. Next time!
You need to have the Grilled chicken sandwich at The Old Pink on Allen St.
Patrick
Ohhh, sounds tasty…on the list for next time. Thanks Patrick!
You had me until your title for number 1. They’re just chicken wings!!!!!!! Not Buffalo wings, not hot wings, not whatever. Please just call them chicken wings!
Haha. I admire your passion Mark. Of course you are right. I guess because we have many “types” of wings here in Toronto, that Buffalo should feel proud to have a namesake type of wing! They, of course, just chicken wings…and not wings from magical flying buffalos.
You made my mouth water. I really miss Ted’s and really good wings. You left our Might Taco too.
I saw the Mighty Tacos…is that really a Buffalo thing? Interesting! I thought it was a big chain…
Mighty Taco 🙂
In Buffalo we just call them wings. It’s the way to tell who is a tourist by the way they order wings, another way is a tourist will order wings with ranch and not blue cheese.
I don’t like blue cheese or ranch…but ya, I don’t think you’ll ever see something called “Buffalo wings” in Buffalo, but we do name them that in other cities if they are to your “style”.
You also forgot Louie’s Texas Red Hots
Thanks Pat & Kim…a couple of people have mentioned Louie’s now….it is on my hitlist” for next time.
That and the best wings are served at Duff’s (2 locations–Amherst and Orchard Park) or the Bar Bill in East Aurora. They outdo Anchor Bar wings, hands-down.
We actually have a Duff’s location here in Toronto! They are very, very good wings. I also know Anchor opened a location in Hamilton…I might have to do a double wing day to compare the two! As for how legit and “on recipe” these Canadian locations are…well, maybe someone from Buffalo can come rate them!
Sahlens hot dogs, good fish fries, Weber’s mustard….the list goes on.
Yes, I had heard of Weber’s mustard!
I grew up in the Buffalo area and we love getting our favorites whenever we visit.
-Bocce Pizza or any local Buffalo pizzeria (Santora’s, Jacobi’s) that serves that style of pizza- thick pepperoni that’s crispy and curls up with Sorrento cheese.
– Royal subs like those from John & Mary’s
– Mighty Taco
-Perry’s Ice cream
– Troyer Farms chips (but I heard they sold the co.) They were the most amazing potato chips!
-Bison chip dip
– Wegmans- not a specific food but an amazing good experience:)
Watson’s is great for all chocolates. However “”Yaya’s” on Transit road, Cheektowaga, has the freshest and best, from peanut butter sponge candy – orange chocolate sponge to Easter mint sponge candy; from Grandma’s to her Grandson himself! How lucky we are!
Your list is right on but I also miss Texas Hots, which are not the chile dogs you can get elsewhere and real Fish Fries maybe from Hoaks on the lake shore, which are not just fish & chips. Wardynski polish sausage both smoked and fresh could qualify in my book.
Fish fries huh? Hmm….that sounds intriguing!
Fish Frys started as a Lenten Meal but it is something Western NY serves all year in many locations. Normally a Beer Battered Haddock but baked offered too with either French Fries/Baked Potato,Rye Bread/Butter, with sides of German Potato Salad,Macaroni Salad, and Cole Slaw. Lemon Wedge and Tartar for the Fish.
Mikes Subs, the best around and thats where to get your chicken finger sub. Mighty Taco is a Buffalo place although there are a few around the area most anyone from this area has grown up with them. Paulas and excellent choice use to work there coating them peanut sticks and filling her overfilled wide selection of deliciousness. Teds best hot dogs around but Louies is also a great hot dog place. Charlie does make a great roast beef on wick but many of your smaller joints are comparable.Not a fan of sponge candy but some would argue Fowlers has the best around. Last but not least wings and yes i call them wings (true buffalonian here, Blue Cheese all the way and Franks Red Hot) Duffs and Anchor Bar both awesome wings but I do prefer Duffs..
You know…If I had stayed 1 more day in Buffalo (was only there for 3 days this time), I would have grabbed a chicken finger sub for sure. Maybe at Mike’s maybe at Jim’s?
Mikes all the way Jims doesn’t hold a candle to Mikes chicken finger sub.
Great article from a neighbor to the north! You nailed it but if you get a chance this fall, travel down for the experience of your life at a Bill’s tailgate event before a game. Get to the area at least 3 hours before the game and just wander around (DO NOT wear a Leafs jersey!!!). You will make a hundred friends and witness incredible feats of “wining and dining”. When people learn that you are a first time visitor you will be welcomed like a brother and after a few hours you will not need to eat or drink for a week!! It is truly a unique experience. I have been to NFL stadiums all over the country and nothing else compares!
Dennis! The tailgate party has been on my must-do list for ages. Oen day for sure! I’m also a big baseball fan, and need to get to a Bisons game too, I hear they serve much better beer at the ballpark there than at a Jays game in Toronto.
If it doesn’t have caraway seeds, it’s not a kummelwick roll. Kummel, with an umlaut (those two dots) over the “u”, is the German word for caraway. Also, the beef has to be juicy enough to saturate the roll. That thing in the picture looks like a Play-doh sandwich.
Haha, thankfully it did not taste like play-doh Mike! As I mentioned though, ya…I expected caraway seeds. I will happily have another beef on weck one day, let me know where to go!
For Beef on Weck – Bar Bill’s in East Aurora!! ABSOLUTELY the BEST!! And HUGE!
For wings try Cole’s on Elmwood.
Pizza – La Nova’s on West Ferry.
Oh yeah – for Sponge candy – KoEd Candy on Abbott Road!
Sorry but I have to disagree with you on the coffee crisp and sponge candy comparison. They are nothing alike. There is no wafer in sponge candy. It is much lighter than a coffee crisp. Like them both but sponge is unique and better.
YES. You are 100% correct Mike! Coffee Crisp is nothing like sponge candy, ooops. I was thinking of “Crunchie” chocolate bars, not coffee crisp! I don’t think crunchie is sold in the US? Look it up…you will definitely see it is a very, very similar product. Cheers, and thanks for pointing out my mistake.
Chiavettas chicken.
Please allow an old grandmother who has been here in Buffalo since before wings were invented to weigh in. Wings are served with BLUE CHEESE, celery and carrots! Period! No blue cheese, not wings. If you don’t like it don’t eat it , but it’s still gotta be there! In fact, good wings are often identified by the quality of the blue cheese and one of the very best, wings from Rooties Pump Room only exists as blue cheese now, sold in grocery stores. But most importantly, ranch dressing NEVER is served with real wings! That’s just how it is.
Alright Melissa, Rooties Pump House huh? Great to hear that the quality of blue cheese is a big factor in the authenticity of the chicken wing experience.
You definitely need to add Chicken Finger Subs from Jim’s Steakout on the list!
Hmmm. Some people say Jim’s Steakout, some people say Mike’s Subs….which to choose??
Jim’s steakout, mighty taco, chavella’s chicken, sahlems hot dogs, and pizza! Those are all things I want when I get a chance to go home to buffalo!
Don’t forget THE CHEF’S restaurant on Seneca St. They are noted for “spaghetti parmigiana ” and a garlic and cheese bread. Travel to Buffalo for their treats often. something else, Ted’s fried onion rings are outstanding. Buffalo is a great place to eat.
Ha, yes….I was trying to think if I would enjoy spaghetti parm. I’m not a big fan of spaghetti but the more I think about it, the more curious I am of this unique creation.
All I can say is that the food of western New York is certainly unique. I grew up in Niagara Falls, and now I live further south. You have to try Mighty Taco, and to us from that area, we just call them wings. Also, if you are in town on a Friday night, stop by somewhere that is advertising the Friday fish fry. You will not be disappointed. AND lastly, stop by in the Falls and try out a steak and cheese sub…definitely not disappointed. I definitely miss the food, and wife can replicate most of it here in the south. MOST of it. Not all of it.
Mighty Taco and Louie’s Red Hots (steamed buns, onions, mustard and texas sauce)- Both Buffalo main stays- especially from the hours of 1-4am.
When you’re at Ted’s next make sure you try the onion rings (hand battered)- the best in my opinion.
Anderson’s Custard for a twist cone is another perfect dessert after Ted’s or Charlie’s or Mighty Taco or Anchor Bar.
Sounds tasty Debbie!
I don’t think peanut sticks were served first at Paula’s. In my childhood (years and years ago) there was a place called Freddie’s Donuts on Main Street between W. Ferry and W. Delavan that had peanut sticks. We stopped there every Sunday after Mass and bought a dozen to take home. Their donuts were the best!
Hey Rose! Thanks for that info! Great to know there were peanut sticks pre-Paula…the longer the history the better 😉 I’ve adjusted my post!
If you ever get to the inner boat harbor, you must visit the Hatch for a Fried Bologny Loaded. It’s a good sized slice of bologny fried topped with melted cheese and fried onions and green peppers. Oh my, missing all these Buffalo Greats!
Sounds ‘healthy’ Haha….cheers Mary!
I would say do jims first. Mikes has a great sub but when I moved away Jims was a must stop. Along with a large loganberry! Andersons ice cream is a must. I would do the original Louies on Sheridan drive. They still do the had cranked curly q fries there.
Schawbls for roast beef hands down. http://www.schwabls.com/
Bison Chip dip as someone mentioned. This can be had for sure at a tailgate.
Love the loganberry drink….so tasty!
Paula’s didn’t invent the peanut stick.Paula’s has only been in business since 1996. When I was a kid, Jet Doughnuts, which was located in the exact storefront Paula’s recently opened on Sheridan, had peanut sticks. As a kid my father worked at Freddie’s Doughnuts and they had peanut sticks. So they go way back!
Very, very cool Jean!
Mighty Taco. Mighty Taco. Mighty Taco.
I think it should be duffs instead of anchor bar…. anchor bars wings are frozen and service is mediocre. Duffs has fresh wings everyday and service is great!
When it comes to tacos – Elmwood Taco’s hands down !!!!
Leonardi’s pizza is better than Bocce’s. (Debates commence), Jim’ steak and cheese hoagie, Gramma Mora’s for mexican, Marco’s on Niagara St. (better than Chef’s in my opinion). Buffalo is a town for yummies for your tummy.
Having been born and raised in Buffalo, I have personally tried each and every food item listed! Mike’s homemade candy on Clinton St has the most awesome sponge candy ever! I try to get there whenever I can. So many flavors of sponge candy. White chocolate being my absolute favorite is the best I have found in the Buffalo area. When my family comes in from Texas, sponge candy, wings, and pizza are the first things they get! Sponge candy, Webers mustard and Sorrento mozzarella always go home with them!
Maybe I will do a sponge candy taste test next time I visit….that would be good ‘research’, right?
I have lived in the Buffalo/Niagara region all my life. I have tried all 5. They are all the best. I do however prefer the jelly stick at Paula’s. I’ll be there tomorrow morning enjoying one!!!
Lived in Rochester growing up, moved to Alaska for 25 years and always brought Webers horseradish mustard back w me when I visited. Nothing like it. Back in Rochester and pleased to see it still available.
I’ll have to pick some up next time I am in town Zirrus!
You’re really not missing anything by skipping Mighty Taco. They use processed cheese (NASTY!!!!)
I would have to agree that Duff’s has the better wings. Not only a personal preferance, but they’ve won numerous taste battles on tv shows (3 on foodtv, and at least 1 on travel channel)
You also should stop in to T.C. Wheelers for a slice of their reuben pizza. They’ve won several awards…
And there’s a place in Niagara Falls (yeah, I know… not Buffalo) called Dee-Dee’s Dairy that features Perry’s ice cream and frozen custard.
Duffs Wings down near bathurst on College I think. Good enough to keep me coming back when in the area!
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Chefs restaurant, webers mustard, Ted’s hot dogs, general mills, mighty taco, the beef onvweck, chicken wings….the list does go on.
I lived in Buffalo, actually born and raised there. Besides all the wonderful foods mentioned I really miss the Polish restaurants, German,and Italian restaurants that serve their own specialties.
Parkside candies really has the sponge and the historical decor on Main Street near UB is the most quaint little shop and lunch place !
Spellcheck is killing me
Best sponge candy is at Parkside Candy
Main Street Buffalo
Here’s an analogy you will understand: the importance of Bison Chip Dip to Buffalonians living here or living somewhere else is the same as Canadians feel for Swiss Chalet Sauce. It’s so delicious and it does not last long in the household. If you live away from a location the next time you are in town you both overindulge and stock up for home.
Haha, that is awesome Paul!
I’ll not skip the Bison Dip on my next visit.