Where to Take Out-of-State Guests to Eat in Buffalo

A balanced taste of the local culinary scene involves more flavors than hot sauce and blue cheese, or juice and caraway seeds (essential ingredients in Buffalo’s other famous dish, beef on weck).

If you’re looking to feed out-of-town guests and have already booked your spots for wings and wecks, try dining at one of the following suggestions. On this list, you’ll find diverse foods, locally sourced ingredients, and unbeatable views.

There are few better feelings while traveling than sitting in a restaurant booth, turning to look out the window, and finding yourself faced with a picturesque view (especially one specific to the region).

For a bird’s eye view of Buffalo, including the Art Deco wonder of City Hall and the Lake Erie shoreline, grab a bite and a cocktail at Panorama on Seven (95 Main St.).

Delve into Buffalo’s industrial past at Duende at Silo City (85 Silo City Row), where hollow grain silos overlook an American-themed bar serving craft beer, wine, cocktails and light bites.

Delaware Park Terrace (199 Lincoln Parkway) offers views of the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park from its outdoor tables. Enjoy seafood, like a shrimp po’boy or charred octopus, while watching the crowds strolling around Hoyt Lake.

South of town, Hoak’s Restaurant (4100 Lake Shore Road, Hamburg) is a favorite for seafood, pub grub, and sunset views, as it sits right on Lake Erie. Continue along the lake to SunCliff on the Lake (6892 Lake Shore Road, Derby) for a more secluded lakeside dinner in a historic mansion.

You can also head north, perhaps to book a stop at Niagara Falls, and stop at Griffon Gastropub (115 S. Water St., Lewiston) for hearty American fare, or its faster-casual neighbor, The Silo (115 N. Water St., Lewiston). Both restaurants offer stunning views of the Niagara River. Then, stroll through the quaint village of Lewiston while you digest.

You can travel to many countries thanks to Buffalo food.

You’ll find authentic Burmese dishes at restaurants such as Chin Hills (2756 Elmwood Ave.) and Family Thai (two locations: 863 Tonawanda St. and 150 Babcock St.).

Stop by Kuni’s (226 Lexington Ave.) for high-quality Japanese sushi in a chic, intimate space. For Yemeni cuisine, head to Almandi Restaurant (797 Broadway) or Yemen Cafe (1505 Broadway).

A trip to 27 Chandler St., a former industrial area turned hip dining hub, offers opportunities to sample Southern Cajun and Asian cuisine—think Creole seafood egg rolls and Cajun maple shrimp and grits—at Far East Bayou and Eastern European and Jewish deli dishes at Bloom & Rose.

Visit one of the city’s two international food halls, the Downtown Bazaar (617 Main St.) and the West Side Bazaar (1432 Niagara St.), to sample Filipino, Ethiopian, Malaysian, Egyptian, Congolese and more. (And if you’re still craving wings, try the jerk chicken wings at Chef Big Wayne’s Jamaican Cuisine stand in the West Side Bazaar.)

A handful of restaurants and chefs have propelled Buffalo onto the national stage by earning nominations for the James Beard Awards (the world’s version of the Oscars).

James Beard Award-nominated chef Ryan Fernandez is credited with inventing a new type of cuisine, an authentic blend of Texas barbecue and Southern Indian cuisine, offered only at his West Side restaurant, Southern Junction (365 Connecticut St.). At Waxlight Bar à Vin (27 Chandler St.), the two-time James Beard Award-nominated wine and beverage list appeals to wine connoisseurs, lovers of unusual flavor combinations and those seeking uncompromising mocktails.

James Beard-nominated chef Steven Gedra currently helms the kitchen at Saint Neri, a cocktail and small-plates bar with gilded décor reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties (220 Lexington Ave.). Chef Victor Parra Gonzalez was also nominated for a James Beard Award for his artful Mexican cuisine at Las Puertas (385 Rhode Island St.), where he changes the menu every five weeks.

Restaurants that live off the local terroir

For a true taste of Western New York, savor local dishes at a farm-to-table restaurant.

At the newly opened Beacon Grille (185 Allen St.), chef Bruce Wieszala prefers to let local vegetables and fruits from nearby farms like Flat 12 Mushroom and Plato Dale, as well as meats from Always Something and Erba Verde, speak for themselves, with a little help from the wood-fired grill.

At Café Bar Moriarty (1650 Elmwood Ave.), local meats are processed on-site and used in a rotating menu of Spanish-inspired sandwiches, salads and appetizers, then served in a bright dining room adjacent to the restaurant.

Craving Restaurant (1472 Hertel Ave.) uses local produce, including radishes and cabbage from Oles and greens from Groundworks, in its ever-changing menu.

This Little Pig (10651 Main Road, Clarence) also serves locally sourced dishes, including its burgers made with ground beef from Corfu’s Belleview Farm.

Don’t underestimate the food at Winfield’s Pub (1213 Ridge Road, Lackawanna) because of the bar’s comfortable and simple interior. Winfield’s Pub changes its daily specials each week to use seasonal, local produce.