//
Neighborhood in New York, United States
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Do you remember when Madonna's album Ray of Light came out? It was a touchstone moment in late-'90s pop culture, yet another megahit for the Material Girl that begat a raft of monster hit songs and enjoyed a long reign on the upper reaches of the charts. But around that time, those who were paying close attention were beginning to come to certain realizations. While Madonna was a true groundbreaker in her prime, by 1998 she'd been a superstar for an eternity in pop-music terms. What's more, the world had meanwhile been introduced to a whole new crop of pop stars who were barely out of diapers when "Burnin' Up" and "Lucky Star" were all over MTV, and who were now pushing the formula she'd pioneered in a thousand different directions. On one level it was a vindication, but on another, it begged the questions: where does Madonna go from here? How does she stay fresh and relevant among the competition? Surely it's not just diminishing returns from here on?
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
The centerpiece of the Museum District, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery boasts one of the premier collections of modern and contemporary art in the nation, with the impressionist, cubist, surrealist, abstract expressionist, and pop art styles — and artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol — all well-represented among its permanent collection. Works of other styles and periods are also on display, and the Albright-Knox plays host to travelling exhibitions on a frequent basis. The Albright-Knox is housed in a magnificent Neoclassical structure that is a work of art in itself, emulating the Erechtheion in Athens, with caryatids designed by eminent sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and, at the time of its construction, more columns than any building in the United States other than the U.S. Capitol. If you can't make it to the museum itself, another option is to check their website and/or social media for the whereabouts of the Albright-Knox Art Truck, a "mobile center for hands-on artmaking" hosting fun activities and classes for all ages and skill levels.
The folks at Seven Seas Tattoo are not just artists of the body variety (though if you're looking to get inked up on your trip to Buffalo, you could hardly pick a better place): their Elmwood Avenue shop also doubles as the home of this similarly-named gallery, where the walls are adorned with drawings, paintings, and other original works by store staff.
The Benjaman Gallery has been operated since 1970 by Barry Johnson, a local artist, art expert, and a former instructor and advisor at Buffalo State College and the University at Buffalo. What began as part of the thesis Johnson completed to obtain his MFA from Buffalo State has grown into a family-owned and operated institution in Buffalo's booming arts community, situated in a gorgeous Victorian mansion on Elmwood Avenue whose exquisite architecture and decor make it a work of art in itself. The Benjaman Gallery's collection includes the works of Buffalo and Western New York artists such as Hal English, Milton Rogovin, Martha Visser't Hooft, and Barry Johnson himself, as well as nationally and internationally famous names such as Salvador Dalí, Peter Max, and Charles Burchfield, the renowned watercolorist who was a resident of the nearby suburb of Gardenville at the height of his career. The Benjaman Gallery also offers custom framing, restoration, appraisal, research, and design consultation services, and buys and sells antiques.
Opened in 1966 and greatly expanded in the early '90s through the charitable largesse of Dr. Charles Rand Penney, the Burchfield Penney Art Center finally moved into its new museum building in 2008 after over a decade of planning and construction. An important addition to the Elmwood Avenue Museum District operated by Buffalo State College, the mission of the Burchfield Penney Art Center is to showcase the unique culture of Buffalo and Western New York and the vibrancy of its creative community with displays of works by local artists. The backbone of the Burchfield Penney's offerings consists of the world's most extensive collection of paintings by Charles Burchfield, a renowned watercolorist who spent most of his career living in or near Buffalo. Temporary exhibitions, often with a local flavor, are also frequently presented.
Located at Upton Hall, on the Buffalo State College campus, the Czurles-Nelson Gallery was dedicated in 2009 in honor of Stanley Czurles, founder of Buffalo State's Art Education Department, and his daughter Barbara Czurles Nelson. Displayed here are works in a variety of media created by Buffalo State students, as well as regionally- and nationally-known professional artists. The Czurles-Nelson Gallery also hosts a slate of annual events, including student art shows and sales.
Describing itself as a "fusion of aesthetic elements in an inviting and contemporary atmosphere", Fuse Salon & Gallery is quite an unusual concept: this full-service upscale hair and beauty salon does double duty as an art gallery that displays a rotating selection of works by local artists, all for sale at fair prices, as well as occasional temporary exhibitions. Guests can admire some of the best work of Buffalo's talented creative community while at the same time getting a manicure or having their hair styled and colored! As befits a full-service salon, locally produced soaps, lotions, massage oils, and sugar scrubs are for sale alongside the artwork. A truly one-of-a-kind experience.
formerly the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Museum
Located just off Elmwood Avenue in the Museum District and adjacent to Delaware Park, the newly renamed Buffalo History Museum has by far the most extensive collection of artifacts relevant to the history of Buffalo and Western New York from pre-Columbian times to the present day. It was built for the Pan-American Exposition in 1901, and it is perhaps not surprising that the Exhibition is a particular focus of the exhibits at this wonderful museum. A Pierce-Arrow roadster built in Buffalo, the medal presented by George Washington to Chief Red Jacket, prototypes of the cardiac pacemaker invented by Clarence native Wilson Greatbatch, and artistic renderings of historical scenes and people flesh out the collection. Further historical records, manuscripts, photographs, and personal documents are housed at the Research Library. The Buffalo History Museum is also an invaluable resource for local residents interested in genealogy.
The original Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium was showing its nearly half-century of age when it was demolished in 2012 to make way for yet another round of new construction on the campus of Buffalo State College. The permanent replacement will be a state-of-the-art facility that will be a centerpiece of the new Science and Mathematics Complex whose opening is slated for 2019, but until then, programming continues on a temporary basis in a 24-foot (7-meter) inflatable planetarium in Buckham Hall. Though the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium gives you the opportunity to see pretty much any star, planet, constellation, galaxy, nebula, or other astronomical feature you could possibly imagine, it's not an observatory per se — it's actually a 70-seat indoor theater, with a 360°, dome-shaped overhead "screen" immersing visitors in a high-resolution digital image of the night sky that's displayed through a state-of-the-art projection system. General admission is available by reservation, but the majority of visitors to the planetarium come as part of special public programs and exhibits, where dazzling recorded programming educates the public in layman's terms on issues of astronomy.
With an area of 234 acres (93 ha), Delaware Park is the central node in Buffalo's park system, by far the largest park in Buffalo, and one of the largest and best-preserved examples of Frederick Law Olmsted's landscape architecture anywhere. All the classic Olmsted features are present here: a large, grassy Meadow that is now the site of the Delaware Park Golf Course, thick stands of trees, and Hoyt Lake, the 46-acre (18.5-ha) pond in the southwest corner of the park that Olmsted originally named "Gala Water". An essay by Charles Beveridge on the Olmsted park system in Buffalo describes how well Delaware Park continues to fulfill its intended role as a place for Buffalonians to experience nature and greenery without leaving the city limits; Delaware Park, as per his essay, is "the only public space designed by Olmsted in Buffalo that met his definition of the term 'park' — a setting of pastoral scenery extensive enough to provide complete escape from the artificiality and noise of the city." Delaware Park is popular year-round, but is most often enjoyed during the warm months, when walking, bicycling, jogging, tennis, golf, and basketball are popular activities, and the renowned Shakespeare in Delaware Park outdoor festival, which takes place here each summer and which is described more thoroughly in the Festivals and Events section below. Hoyt Lake is surrounded by a lovely walking/biking trail and features rowboats and paddleboats for rent at the Marcy Casino during the summer months.
Delaware Park's beautiful Rose Garden is directly off Lincoln Parkway behind the Marcy Casino, and blooms in season with thirty-three beds of beautiful red, purple, yellow and white roses, many varieties of which have been honored in the past as All-America Rose Selections. The rose garden was not part of Olmsted's original design for the park, but was instead added to the park in 1912. Although its formality contrasts incongruously with the quiet, curvilinear naturalism of the park's original features, the Rose Garden is nonetheless lovely and renowned, and was thoroughly restored by the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy in the early 2010s. The impeccably manicured garden also includes a working fountain and pyramidal trellises, and a grand pergola at its rear. The garden, and Delaware Park in general, is immensely popular with bridal parties during rose season; don't be surprised if you have to dodge gaggles of bridesmaids posing for endless pictures!
Inaugurated in 1974 as a gesture of friendship between Buffalo and its sister city of Kanazawa, Japan, Delaware Park's Japanese Garden is located on six acres (2.4ha) on Hoyt Lake, behind the Buffalo History Museum. This beautifully manicured oasis of greenery slopes gently down from Nottingham Terrace to the shore of the lake, also encompassing three small islands in the lake connected to the mainland by a lovely ornamental footbridge. Over the past years, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy has been hard at work restoring and maintaining the more than 1,000 plantings of ornamental trees, shrubs and plants in the garden, including a large stand of Japanese cherry trees, and also have added or will soon add a stone garden and an authentic karesansui waterfall. Amid it all there are many benches and other sitting areas perfect for serene contemplation of one's peaceful natural surroundings.
There are a number of installations of public art peppered around the grounds of Delaware Park and in the adjacent parkways. These include:
Cast in 1981, this was the second commission of public sculpture in Buffalo for locally renowned artist Larry Griffis (his first, Spirit of Womanhood, is described below). Unlike the subsequent works listed here, it stands not in Delaware Park itself, but a short distance away. 20 feet (6 m) in height, Birds Excited Into Flight is sculpted in cold-rolled steel on a concrete pedestal and depicts seven human figures standing in a circle with upstretched arms, their hands metamorphosing into a pyramid of birds.
This bronze replica of Michaelangelo's iconic sculpture David is the work of the firm of Sabatino de Angelis and Sons, based in Naples, Italy. In 1903, three years after seeing it on display at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, Buffalo businessman Andrew Langdon purchased the statue from the firm, with the stipulation that no casts of the sculpture would be sold to any other American clients. Langdon donated the statue to the Buffalo Historical Society, and it has been on display near Hoyt Lake ever since.
A former fashion designer, artist Judith Shea has made a name for herself sculpting images of empty articles of clothing that hang as if suspended in air, and so it is with this 1987 work of hers that was donated to Buffalo by AT&T after spending nearly thirty years as part of their corporate art collection. One of three identical sculptures cast from the same mold (you'll find the others at the John Hancock Tower in Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego), Eden is a two-piece work depicting a man's cloak side by side with a long sleeveless ladies' dress, signifying what the artist describes as an "encounter of opposites".
Another Larry Griffis sculpture, this 15-foot-tall (4.5-m-tall) bronze statue is a modernist, stylized rendering of a nude woman holding over her head a metal hoop six feet (1.8m) in diameter. The vertical orientation of the sculpture, and the upward gaze of the figure's head, are symbolic of optimism and hope, and the hoop represents the world, eternity, and the cycle of life. Griffis cast this sculpture in December 1962 in honor of Marian de Forest, the founder of Zonta International, a service organization dedicated to the advancement of women that traces its roots to Buffalo.
Located (appropriately enough) adjacent to Lincoln Parkway, this bronze statue depicts Abraham Lincoln seated on an oak log with an axe at his feet and a book on his right knee, symbolizing his transition in life from humble farm labor to the highest achievement of American statesmanship. The work of sculptor Bryant Baker, Young Lincoln was cast in bronze in 1935; on its pink granite base is inscribed a quote from poet James Russell Lowell: "For him her old world moulds aside she threw, and choosing sweet clay from the breast of the unexhausted west, with stuff untainted shaped a hero new."
Founded in 1962 — a time when the spread of Dutch elm disease was leading to the deforestation of much of Buffalo, including the grounds of Buffalo State College — the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum consists of every tree, shrub, and planting on campus (over 1,500 in all), representing species native to Western New York as well as those from elsewhere and serving the dual roles of campus beautification and as objects of study for the school's biology department. The portion of the most interest to visitors is the grouping of trees that straddles the pathway running westward from Perry Hall past the Classroom Building and Sports Arena toward Rees Street (see the Friends of the Arboretum's map tour here). There's also a cluster of pawpaw trees (an endangered species in New York State) on the opposite side of the Bulger Communication Center from the Student Union Quad.
Modeled after similar events in Ithaca, Cleveland, and Somerville, Massachusetts, Buffalo's first annual Porchfest took place in 2013, and now occurs twice yearly in May and October. This festival sees local residents in and around the Elmwood Village convert their front porches into impromptu stages where a range of local musical acts put on free shows for festival attendees. Best of all, Buffalo Porchfest serves as a community-builder, providing an occasion for neighbors to meet up, socialize, and enjoy city life.
Delaware Park's Shakespeare Hill has since 1976 been the setting of Shakespeare in Delaware Park. With a goal of enriching, inspiring and entertaining diverse audiences through performance and educational programming with a focus on the works of William Shakespeare, this not-for-profit professional theatre company performs two selected Shakespeare plays annually from June until August at their striking Tudor-style outdoor stage adjacent to Hoyt Lake, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and the Delaware Park Rose Garden. Performances are free of charge at this longstanding summertime tradition, though donations are greatly appreciated.
On Tuesday evenings from early July through to the middle of August, the Elmwood Village Association presents performances on Bidwell Parkway that feature a wide range of Buffalo's most talented local musicians and groups, representing all genres. Best of all, enjoying these casual, family-friendly events is completely free of charge!
Held for the past thirteen years on the final weekend in August, this two-day event is to the Elmwood Village at the end of summer what the larger, longer-standing Allentown Art Festival is to Allentown at the beginning of summer. The Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts distinguishes itself from its counterpart with a broader focus, including not only over 170 artists and artisans but also performances of live music by local bands, a dance tent, displays on such topics as environmental conservation and cultural awareness, and Kidsfest, where young people can participate in hands-on activities and march in the Kidsfest parade.
The brainchild of Robby Takac, longtime bass guitarist for Buffalo-based rock band The Goo Goo Dolls, the Music Is Art Festival was founded in 2004 and held in Allentown in June to coincide with the Allentown Art Festival. It moved to Delaware Park in 2008, where it now takes place in mid-September. The Music Is Art Festival "celebrates all that is weird and wonderful about [the] arts scene in Western New York" (in the words of a feature article in the Buffalo News) by presenting a constant stream of creative performances of live music of all genres by artists of local provenance, on several stages.
The Buffalo State Bengals are part of the NCAA's Division III State University of New York Athletic Conference. Outdoor sports, including Buffalo State's football and soccer teams, are held at Coyer Field, while the Buffalo State Sports Arena hosts the home games of the basketball and hockey squads. Tickets to Bengals football, basketball and hockey games cost $5 (free for Buffalo State students); admission to all other sporting events is free.
Described in the UB Spectrum as an "unpretentious diamond in the rough", the American Repertory Theatre expanded in 2018 to its current location, the former TheaterLoft on Elmwood Avenue. The production schedule of this grassroots-based community theatre alliance regularly includes not only a mix of classic and contemporary theatrical works, but also live music, film screenings, poetry readings, and a variety of community events.
A wide range of theatrical performances are put on by Buffalo State College. Each year, the performing arts center at Rockwell Hall plays host to Artsploration, a live performance series whose intent is to educate and entertain area students and other youngsters. In addition, Buffalo State's Theater Department presents a range of plays, musicals, dance performances, stand-up comedy acts, improvisational workshops, and other shows at various locations on campus. Tickets are reasonably priced and can be purchased through the Rockwell Hall box office.
Designed by the internationally-famous father-and-son team of Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Kleinhans Music Hall is among the most architecturally distinguished buildings in Buffalo (it has served as a model for Festival Hall in London, among other venues), and boasts world-renowned acoustics. Aside from the several-times-weekly performances of the Buffalo Philharmonic itself, Kleinhans also features performances by other orchestras, small theatrical shows, and popular music acts — which have included Natalie Merchant, Johnny Mathis, and the Indigo Girls — performing either on their own or backed by the Philharmonic as part of the BPO Rocks! concert series.
At this old-school dive bar, you can catch live performances in some form or fashion at least five nights a week, and sometimes more: open-mic nights on Tuesday and Wednesday for musicians and stand-up comics respectively, karaoke on Thursdays, and concerts by pretty much every local band in Buffalo on the weekends.
As part of its Great Performers Series, Buffalo State College's Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall stages frequent concerts by nationally-known musicians and bands ranging in genre from rock, to folk, to jazz, to R&B, and everything in between. As well, Rockwell Hall is the place to go to see performances by student musicians including the Buffalo State choir and jazz, wind, and percussion ensembles.
Now moved to its own freestanding location after a three-year stint at the EXPO Market in downtown (the latter is now permanently closed), the Breezy Burrito experience is closer to Americanized fast food à la Mighty Taco than the Fresh-Mex cuisine it aspires to, despite the presence of pickled onion as an optional topping which now seems to be de rigueur for taco places in Buffalo. The menu has expanded along with the physical space, but at its core is the same slate of build-your-own burritos, burrito bowls (with Mexican rice and black beans), tacos (two to an order on hard-shell, soft flour, or soft corn tortillas), and taco salads, along with nachos, chicken tortilla soup, and other simple Tex-Mex favorites. Portion sizes are nothing to write home about, but prices are fair considering.
Since 1978, Elmwood Taco & Subs has served tasty and cheap fast food that's popular with Buffalo State College students and other on-the-go Elmwood Villagers. In addition to the items that gave the place its name — tacos, burritos, chimichangas, nachos and other simple yet hearty Mexican fare, and an assortment of hot and cold subs — ETS also serves chicken fingers and wings slathered in its own homemade "Diavolo" hot sauce, and a few other items as well. Drive-thru service is available, too.
Not just juices and smoothies (although they do those to a T), Squeeze Juicery is the place to go in Buffalo if you're in the market for an açaí bowl — they have three different iterations, each with its own healthy and delicious lineup of ingredients and toppings. Also check out a selection of salads, wrap sandwiches, and housemade hummus bowls made with all-organic ingredients. The bright colors and whimsical decor in the dining room are inviting indeed, but sadly, if you're looking for a relaxing experience, forget it — the classic rock standards that the owner loves enough to name his menu items after are played at an eardrum-rattling volume.
Vasilis Panagopoulos, the ambitious owner of the restaurant of the same name on Kenmore Avenue, once also owned four Vasilis Express takeout outlets scattered around the Buffalo area; sadly, the Elmwood Village location is the only one that remains. Here, serviceable versions of all the Greek diner staples are available: souvlaki and gyro wraps, avgolemono, moussaka, Texas hots, and Greek salad, as well as burgers, fish fry, and a respectable selection of poutine. Most of the business here is take-out, though there are also a few tables for sit-down business as well — and they're open much later than other restaurants on the strip, making for an interesting alternative to Jim's Steakout and other all-night dives.
One of a growing number of Japanese restaurants in Buffalo, Wasabi operates two suburban locations in addition to this small one on Elmwood Avenue. Wasabi's menu is about evenly divided between teriyaki and tempura selections and a sizable collection of sushi and sashimi that is among Buffalo's best. A limited range of other entrees are available too.
This location of a growing Upstate New York chain serves a range of Tex-Mex standards that's slightly wider than what you could get at Agave, its predecessor in this location — fajitas, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and various combo platters thereof — plus a modest range of simple non-Mexican main courses such as burgers and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches but minus the pozole, menudo, and other more authentically Mexican fare favored by the former owner. The decor is largely unchanged too, with its bright, warm colors and Mexican knickknacks adding a nice bit of flavor without going over the top.
One of the old guard of Elmwood Avenue restaurants, Cole's has been a favorite haunt of hungry Buffalo State kids since decades before the current crop of students were even born. It's still best known as a bar, but if you're looking for some classic pub grub to go with your fancypants craft beer, you've picked the right place: chicken wings and beef on weck for a true taste of the local cuisine, a sandwich board featuring some of Buffalo's favorite burgers (try the "Jiffy Burger", topped with applewood-smoked bacon and peanut butter), and brunch on Sunday mornings.
When it comes to pizza in Buffalo, the recent diversification of local offerings has been good news for visitors who don't care for the ubiquitous local style — and another benchmark was reached with the 2019 opening of Daniela, where the specialty of the house is pinsa, a variant native to Rome with a thicker but airier crust and only a light spread of cheese on top. The most popular of the five signature selections seems to be the pinsa capricciosa topped with artichokes, olives, shiitake mushrooms and ham. If that's not to your liking, the menu is chock full of other upscale Italian specialties too (how about linguine carbonara or a dessert of house-made gelato?) Downsides include steep prices and thunderous piped-in music, which combined with the chatter of ample-sized mealtime crowds makes quite a din.
While it can't hold a candle to Blue Monk, Forty Thieves still delivers when it comes to reasonably priced, down-to-earth pub grub. On the menu is a decent selection of appetizers and salads including mountainous nacho platters and a not-half-bad chicken bacon avocado Cobb salad, but almost inarguably the dominant feature is sandwiches, sandwiches and more sandwiches: classics like turkey club, fried bologna, and grilled chicken come with just a hint of upscale foodie pretension. Dim lighting, dark tones, and framed historic photos of old New York on the walls (an homage, like the restaurant's name, to Manhattan's first street gang which terrorized the Five Points slum in the early to mid-1800s) bring character to the dining room.
The Elmwood Village's longest-standing purveyor of Indian cuisine, India Gate prides itself on serving upscale yet reasonably priced food with an accent on healthy ingredients and cooking methods. They offer a wide range of vegetarian selections as well.
"Inizio" in Italian means "beginning": a brand new start for the building once home to the Elmwood branch of Joe's Deli, and a brand new experience for Buffalo pasta lovers. The Northern Italian dishes on the menu here, featuring noodles scratch-made in house daily, are really bursting with creativity: the house specialty cacio e pepe is beauty in simplicity, finished off with a drizzle of black truffle oil, and the potato gnocchi with braised short rib is just the thing (along with the dimly lit, cozy ambience) to warm you up on a cold Buffalo night. A persistent complaint is middling portion sizes, though, so don't come to Inizio ravenously hungry; on the other hand, in the words of one reviewer, "for first dates and people on diets, this is the place".
After several decades, word is that Kuniyuki Sato is imminently preparing to hang up his chef's hat and apron and is busily training a team of apprentices to take over for him at his semi-eponymous sushi restaurant, Buffalo's first and still best-loved. Will the next generation be able to maintain the high standard Kuni's has set over the years? That remains to be seen. But for now, enjoy not only an innovative slate of sushi and sashimi, but also a full menu of authentic Japanese cuisine in an ambience that is trendy and upscale, yet comfortable. Beer, wine and sake are served too.
As is the rule among the numerous Greek restaurants of the Elmwood Village, Mythos' ambience (and its prices) are several notches above the average Buffalo-area greasy spoon. Even compared with similar destinations, though, Mythos distinguishes itself with artfully presented cuisine served in an upscale setting. But in spite of all the elegance, the cuisine here is perhaps a more faithful representation of the usual Buffalo Greek diner fare than any of its aforementioned competitors. In addition to the standards such as souvlaki, gyro, and spanakopita, Mythos offers a range of other Mediterranean options including pasta and chicken bruschetta, as well as a wide selection of wraps and local specialties such as fish fry. Breakfast is also popular here.
The banalization of the Elmwood dining scene continues apace: what was once an old-school ice cream parlor brimming with character (The Soda Bar and Pastry Co.) and later a moderately interesting Middle Eastern eatery with attached hookah bar (Mezza) has become just another "upscale" pub-grub outfit catering to a bridge-and-tunnel clientele. If that sounds harsh, take heart: despite the fact that Nine29 won't take you out of your culinary comfort zone, it does what it does well. These folks grill a great burger and Philly cheesesteak, somehow manage to turn out a brick-oven pizza with a Buffalo-style chewy crust, and keep the bar open late on weekends.
Though it's been remodeled and reopened under new management — a brand-new open floor plan provides some breathing room while retaining familiar elements like the kitschy green plaid wallpaper and creaky hardwood floor — The Place still boasts a "where everybody knows your name" ambience that contrasts with the snobby pretentiousness of the rest of the Elmwood Village. To go along with the snazzy new copper-topped bar, The Place's menu includes unpretentious but reliably good pub grub such as sandwiches, burgers, wings, and simple entrees.
Opened in 2017, this Johnny-come-lately to the Elmwood restaurant scene is already racking up rave reviews from local aficionados of Asian cuisine, but upon looking at the menu you might wonder why. While it's true that Rin's oeuvre doesn't stray very far from usual Thai restaurant standards such as pad thai, satay, and red, green and panang curries, you'll understand what sets this place apart as soon as you tuck into your meal. These are classics done right: while other Asian restaurants up and down the strip are busy dumbing down their flavors for the American palate, Rin seems to have grasped that authenticity trumps familiarity in the mind of today's foodie. You sure do pay for the privilege, though, with small portion sizes that only serve to accentuate the sticker shock at the end of your meal.
The menu at this "plant-based café and market" is not what you'd call extensive, but it covers a lot of ground with its creative vegan takes on classic American stick-to-your-ribs comfort food: the "Edna" is a platter of macaroni and cultured cashew cheese topped with barbecue tofu, while the "Shirley" (a stack of snickerdoodle pancakes dusted with cinnamon coconut sugar) is a hit with the brunch crowd, and yes, all the menu options are named this way. The best thing about Root + Bloom, though, is the ambience: though the indoor dining room is obviously de rigueur when it's cold or rainy, the place to be on beautiful sunny days is the breezy patio out back. If you like what you taste, you can even take home your choice of the artisanal vegan products they use in their recipes.
Displaced for a few months by the Elmwood Avenue location of Louie's Texas Red Hots, Saigon Café reopened under new management in October 2014, at the long-vacant former location of Mode Urban Bistro at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and West Utica Street. But despite these changes, the fare here remains the same as ever: reliably good Thai and Vietnamese specialties (including some of the best tom yum goong Buffalo has to offer), served in an upscale setting enhanced by the airy ambience of its new home. There's a good reason Artvoice readers awarded Saigon Café the prize of "Best Thai/Vietnamese Restaurant" in multiple annual "Best of Buffalo" polls.
The range of "modern Japanese cuisine" served here is eclectic indeed, comprising myriad varieties of sushi and sashimi, Japanese curry bowls, and a range of hot and cold appetizers to mix and match (ahi tuna tataki served over mixed greens, daikon, and seaweed salad with soy wasabi dressing is a popular starter). But if Sato is known for anything, it's ramen: while the selection isn't quite as expansive as at its University Heights location, the fare is a relatively authentic if incongruously upscale version of what's served late into the night at inexpensive noodle shops in Japan's endless concrete jungles. Sleek and stylish decor, low lighting, and soft music make for a relaxing experience, but inattentive service is a common complaint.
Thanks to Street Asian Food, fans of the authentic flavors of Southeast Asia no longer have to venture into the fascinating but out-of-the-way West Side to get their fix. But you sure do pay for the privilege of a convenient location. On the menu is pretty much the same roster of Burmese and Thai specialties you'll find elsewhere — tea leaf salad, spicy yum nua beef salad, tom yum and Burmese chicken coconut soups, and the usual curries and noodle dishes — executed in a way that, while making no concessions on authenticity, is noticeably more refined and upscale than you'll find elsewhere in Buffalo. On the downside, portions are quite stingy, and be prepared for a case of sticker shock at the end of your meal.
Between the dashed-off service, the spartan ambience, and a menu of heavily Americanized Chinese, Japanese, and Thai specialties that's no better than what you'd find at your average takeout joint, pretty much every aspect of the Taste of Asia experience could be generously described as "mediocre". Every aspect, that is, except one: the coconut mushroom soup on the "Thai Specials" section of the menu. It's not available at any other restaurant in Buffalo (Sun Express downtown serves a soup that's identically named, but the recipe is completely different), but it is one of the best things you will ever taste. The best comparison would be tom kha, but the broth is less creamy and more savory, with different spices.
What Bobby Sysomboune offers diners here is a small yet innovative range of Thai food served in a great ambience. Taste of Siam's menu is second on the local stage only to the West Side Bazaar's Nine & Night Bistro in terms of authenticity, and it includes specialties served nowhere else in Buffalo: ka nome bang moo (an appetizer of toast stuffed with fried seasoned pork, with dipping sauce on the side), pud prig sod (a spicy stir fry with onions, tomatoes, celery, chili peppers, and your choice of meat), and an impressive range of salads. Best of all, the setting for all this deliciousness is a large, airy two-story dining room bathed in natural light and bedecked with ornate woodwork. Service can be slow, but the food is worth the wait.
Named for the original automobile crash test dummy, invented in Buffalo in 1949, Thin Man went from zero to arguably Elmwood's most popular eatery within a few weeks of opening day. Owner Mike Shatzel is best known for sparking the craft beer craze in Buffalo, and what he offers here is not only a range of house-brewed beers but a food menu that's a carnivore's wet dream. Options range widely, but pork is the star of the show: between pork belly banh mi, locally sourced T-Meadow Farm pork chops, and even whole suckling pig (call a few days ahead), it's omnipresent among the offerings. Health food this is not. The interior ambience is an odd mix of hipster-friendly industrial chic and chain-restaurant banality; if that's not your bag, try the second-floor patio decked over the sidewalk.
Exactly what constitutes "urban" Italian? The definition, it seems, comes down to a rowdy, "bro"-oriented ambience, upscale but unadventurous cuisine served in middling portions, and — above all — inflated prices that the foregoing doesn't really justify. The menu balances a decent selection of pastas, brick-oven pizzas, and main-course salads with a surprisingly ample slate of non-Italian options; if you're looking for something meat-centric, the latter is probably your best bet. One thing that can't be emphasized enough is that JT's is always crowded (reservations are accepted, not that they do much good; these folks have a bad habit of not having your table ready on time), and if you've come for a quiet romantic dinner, the din coming from the bar will put the kibosh on that immediately.
Delaware Park's Marcy Casino has played host to a restaurant throughout most of its history — records date all the way back to 1875 — and nowadays it serves an upscale menu described as "contemporary global cuisine", an understatement if there ever was one. Aficionados of cuisines the world over will probably find something to their liking, whether it be the Cantonese baozi on the small-plate menu, Argentinian skirt steak with chimichurri sauce and fried patatas bravas on the side, or Belgian-style duck frites. All this is served in a swanky supper-club ambience that really brings the rich history of the building into focus, but on summer days you can also enjoy one of the loveliest settings in the city on the namesake terrace overlooking Hoyt Lake.
Trattoria Aroma serves authentic, rustic Italian cuisine in an upscale trattoria setting. Homemade bread, sausage, pasta, and delectable Italian pastries and desserts are complemented by some of Buffalo's best espresso. Trattoria Aroma also operates a location in the suburb of Williamsville that features a full wine bar.
Opened in 2008, the Elmwood Market is a small store that boasts a surprisingly large selection of groceries including fresh produce and cold cuts, as well as general merchandise. The Elmwood Market's on-site café sells mouth-watering sandwiches that are lauded by its customers. Delivery service, money orders, and an ATM are also offered.
The Globe Market is a delightful combination café and specialty food shop that is committed to offering a wide range of fresh, locally sourced products. An eclectic variety of gourmet salads, soups and sandwiches are made from scratch daily. Personalized gift baskets are also sold at the Globe Market.
Founded in 1971, the Lexington Co-op sells a dizzying array of natural and organic grocery items that are often locally sourced. Handmade, chemical- and cruelty-free soaps and beauty products are also offered, as well as other merchandise, and "Lexi's Kitchen" serves a range of gourmet prepared foods and bread baked freshly on the premises. Moreover, the Lexington Co-op seeks to educate local citizens about nutrition, consumer and environmental issues, and the principles of the cooperative philosophy. The co-op's 8,000 "member-owners" pay an annual fee to receive special discounts, but the store is open to everyone.
The selection at this discount supermarket is decidedly hit-or-miss, with one exception: if your self-catering plans involve tropical fruits, roots and tubers, check out the produce section for everything you can imagine and a lot of things you probably can't.
A neighborhood institution where the products of dozens of farmers, vintners, florists, and artisans from all over Western New York are purveyed in a family-friendly and smoke-free environment, the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers' Market prides itself as being a "producer-only" market — no resellers are permitted. The market also features special events each week such as musical performances, cooking demonstrations, special Wellness Weekends, and presentations by a variety of community groups. In winter, the market moves indoors to St. John's-Grace Episcopal Church on Colonial Circle.
The bar at this lively Mexican restaurant serves the usual selection of south-of-the-border beers like Corona and Tecate, plus a slate of specialty margaritas and classic mixed drinks and a respectable range of tequila shooters.
This place was once a Pierce-Arrow automobile showroom, and the interior still brims with historic character: black and white subway tile on the floor, scruffy old school pennants that have been tacked on to the wooden beams of the ceiling since God knows when. Quite an environment in which to quaff one of an encyclopedic selection (this is a Mike Shatzel operation, after all!) of beers trending heavily toward regional microbrews and imports. Pub trivia every Wednesday at 8PM.
It would have been almost impossible to fill the shoes of Blue Monk, the storied gastropub previously at this address that almost singlehandedly kickstarted Buffalo's craft beer scene in the late aughts, and Forty Thieves wisely doesn't even try. The selection at the bar de-emphasizes the esoteric microbrews and imports favored by previous owner Mike Shatzel in favor of a selection of $10 specialty cocktails.
"Urban Italian" is in this place's name, but the bourgie droves who stream in every Friday and Saturday night are as bridge-and-tunnel as it gets (an expression that admittedly doesn't make much sense in bridge-less and tunnel-less Buffalo, but for lack of a better one, it'll have to do). JT's actually contains two bars, one on each floor: downstairs it's all about loud TVs, louder music, and lively revelry, while those in search of the quiet, laid-back experience that's typical elsewhere on Elmwood can find a semblance of it upstairs. The beer list is nothing to write home about and service is wildly hit-or-miss, but if you like your drinks strong, you'll be pleased with the specialty cocktails.
In a neighborhood — a city, for that matter — where bars and restaurants feel more and more compelled to come up with contrived gimmicks to outdo each other for the attention of prospective customers, it's almost refreshing when you come across a place like McGarrett's that offers a bare-bones, no-nonsense experience. Here you'll find a decent but not overwhelming selection of beers and mixed drinks, a laid-back, unpretentious ambience, a couple pool tables and a dartboard, and not much else. Cash only.
Even on the few odd nights when there's nothing happening onstage, the dive-bar half of the Milkie's operation is open seven days a week serving a limited range of beer, cocktails, and pub grub to a real Who's Who of Elmwood Village denizens (as one reviewer put it, "you're as likely to have a conversation with a random college kid as an octogenarian who has been warming the same bar stool for a few decades"). The operative phrase here is "no frills" — Milkie's is definitely a throwback, seemingly stuck in a time warp before anyone had ever heard the words "artisanal", "locally sourced", and so forth — but if you're on a budget or pretension turns you off, you can scarcely do better.
Take McGarrett's (see above), add a food menu centered around deep-fried appetizers and chicken wings in various varieties, change the clientele from hippies to jocks, and voilà: you have Mister Goodbar, another stalwart on the Elmwood scene. Occasional live music performances are a tradition that hearkens back to the '80s, when Goodbar was one of the premier venues for local punk and new wave bands.
Around the holidays, a specialty at this friendly neighborhood bar and grill is the "Tom & Jerry", a warm winter beverage of hot water and brandy topped with fresh meringue.
Sato's hip bar is quickly becoming a destination for Buffalo sake lovers. If you're a beginner or just keen to sample as wide a slice of the selection as possible, flights of three are the way to go, while the budget-conscious can opt for the discounted Sake of the Day. They also pour an interesting range of specialty cocktails, and the house-special "Yuz' Not That IPA" is brewed in conjunction with Buffalo's own Community Beer Works.
In a November 2019 Gusto review, we're cautioned not to take the word "saloon" too literally — and while it's true that Stone City isn't the place to go for country & western fans looking to get their boot scootin' boogie on, the rock 'n' roll crowd will find the place right up their alley. Think along the lines of DIY concert flyers from local punk bands repurposed as wall hangings, live music every "Boogie Down Thursday" — even the name of the place pays homage to local hero Rick James' '70s- and '80s-era backing band. As for the drink list, you've got the usual lineup of local craft beers on tap and some not-half-bad house cocktails, but overall nothing nearly as pretentious as what you used to see at Vera, the craft cocktail emporium that preceded it in this space.
If you're familiar with the name Mike Shatzel, you likely have a good idea of what to expect — a selection of beers that's uncommonly creative and well-curated. True to form, the bar at The Terrace features sixteen brews on tap at any given time, the selection hewing closely to Shatzel's trademark combination of American microbrews and sometimes hard-to-find European imports, plus well-prepared classic craft cocktails that befit the bar's 1920s speakeasy getup.
More than Allen Burger Venture, Moor Pat, or any of the other places he owns nowadays, Thin Man is the rightful heir to the storied legacy of Blue Monk, the craft-beer mecca on which owner Mike Shatzel built his legendary name. The selections brewed in house by brewmaster Rudy Watkins are augmented by a range of several dozen other craft beers that strikes a near-perfect balance between local beers, craft brews hailing from elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada, and hard-to-find European imports of the type Blue Monk used to be famous for.
Head to this friendly, down-to-earth sports bar on game days to enjoy one of 30 beers available on tap (everything from big-name domestics to local craft brews to imports) and tasty bar food (the chicken wings are renowned, and the selection of sandwiches and wraps is impressive) while watching the Bills or Sabres duke it out with their opponents on one of numerous TVs. Yes, it'll be crowded, but service is always attentive and fast, and the price is right. Pub trivia every Tuesday night at 7PM.
Serving some of Buffalo's best fresh-brewed coffee, in such unusual flavors as Banana Nut Crème and German Chocolate Cake, along with biscotti and other light accoutrements — and if you like what you taste, you can take a bag of house-roasted beans home!
It's not that the coffee is anything out of the ordinary. Nor is it the length of the beverage list, the food menu (which is pretty lackluster, actually) or the service. No, the reason why Aroma is perennially the most popular cafe on Elmwood is atmosphere. The cozy seating area is done up in warm tones, and the scent of fresh-brewed coffee hits you the instant you enter. More remarkably still, it manages to pull off a relaxed vibe even at peak hours — and if you want a respite from the crowds, head to the breezy patio facing Bidwell Parkway, the perfect spot for people-watching. Open-mic poetry readings happen every other Wednesday at 8PM.
For a description of this local coffeeshop chain, see the main Buffalo article.
For a description of this local chain of juice bars, see the main Buffalo article.
Squeeze Juicery offers a more upscale if less distinctive alternative to the friendly but gritty, bargain-priced Ashker's up the street. Offered is a huge selection of fresh-squeezed, house-bottled fruit and vegetable juices as well as homemade smoothies, each whimsically named after the owners' favorite 1960s, '70s and '80s rock songs. (The "Green Eyed Lady" — a smoothie of spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, flaxseed, hemp seeds, and maca — is especially popular.) Healthy lunches are available too.
Architecture buffs take note: the Hotel Henry is located right inside the magnificent Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane, whose grand restoration has imbued each of the 88 rooms and suites with historic character. But this place is no time warp: surprisingly modern amenities include a 46-inch wall-mounted flat-screen TV, free WiFi, platform beds with wedge pillows, recessed LED lighting, and multiple electric outlets with USB connections in each of the uniquely laid out standard rooms, with suites boasting further amenities and also further historic details. There's also a 24-hour business center, an indoor fitness room plus 40 acres (16 ha) of grounds for other outdoor exercise, and gourmet dining at the onsite restaurant, 100 Acres. Parking is free, but valet service is available for $10/day.
Honu House
Located in an unmissable orange house in the heart of the Elmwood Village with a dizzying range of art galleries, boutiques, cafés, and restaurants within easy walking distance, the Elmwood Village Inn boasts four individualized guest rooms — the Middle West Room, the Middle East Room, the Skylight Suite, and the Master Suite — and works of art by local artists on the walls. Guests are provided with such complimentary amenities as central AC, wireless Internet, newspapers, and white noise generators. A common kitchenette is available, and light but lovely breakfasts are served in the Salon. On-street parking.
In the words of the owners, the Herbert Hewitt House, built in 1898 for the founder of the Buffalo Brass Company, is a "preservation in progress" that your room rates help fund — but the nine suites are ready to accommodate guests in the lap of luxury. They each boast individualized decor and amenities: hardwood floors, private baths with heated marble floors, flat-screen TVs, Keurig coffeemakers, individual climate control, and free WiFi. The Sarah Dutro Suite is worthy of special mention as the most luxurious of the guest rooms (though not the largest), with its own ornamental fireplace and an elegant sitting area next to a huge bay window that looks out onto pleasant Lafayette Avenue. Limited off-street parking is available in back.
This small shop in the heart of the Elmwood Village is where owner Joanne Dina sells contemporary women's clothing, jewelry, handbags and accessories at good prices. The style at Anna Grace is casual yet sophisticated — fashionable without pretension — and the gamut of brands that is represented ranges from the work of upstart independent designers to such nationally known names as Alternative Apparel and Tag Jeans.
A love of fashion flows through the veins of Atelier's Italian-born owner, Sebastiana Piras, who arrived in Buffalo after many years spent honing her craft all over Europe, working in all areas of fashion and design. Despite admittedly finding her shop's name "a bit pretentious", it's certainly well-chosen: this French word that signifies a workshop or studio used by an artist or designer is a perfect description for a place that sells not only an exquisite line of upscale, high-fashion clothing and accessories imported from Italy but also one-of-a-kind pieces designed and handmade by Piras herself using imported fabrics of the utmost quality.
Blush's founder and co-owner, Lexie Furlong, took inspiration from the already vibrant array of small clothing stores on Elmwood, but synthesized a distinct style all her own — "bringing the glam back to Elmwood" is how a write-up in the early 2010s in Buffalo Spree worded it — regaling Buffalonians with chic yet affordable clothing, shoes, accessories and beauty products that are tasteful yet whimsical and really make a bold statement. A special point of distinction at Blush is the interior, where ornate mirrors, chandeliers, silver mannequins, a fireplace, and a huge flat-screen TV playing chick flicks all come together in a truly one-of-a-kind shopping space.
For over 10 years, Buffalo Fleece & Outerwear has been seeing Western New Yorkers through the harsh winter months with a bevy of fashionable, durable, and high-quality outdoor apparel, activewear, shoes and accessories. Buffalo Fleece & Outerwear has been repeatedly honored in the annual "Best of Buffalo" competition in Artvoice as the Best Outdoor Apparel Store, and proudly sells such well-known brands as UGG boots, SmartWool socks, and Patagonia jackets and fleeces. Also, a wide range of gear is available for adventurous youngsters, as well as a modest selection of other clothing items.
More boutique than emporium, the inventory at Bureau is modest in range but certainly well-curated. The name of the game is made-to-measure suits in a variety of fabrics, patterns and styles, plus fitted dress shirts and sundry men's accessories. In an interview in Buffalo Rising, co-owner Joseph Stocker cites the timeless style of French singer Serge Gainsbourg as an influence, and it's one that certainly shines through among a range of up-to-the-minute styles sourced from clothiers in places like London and New York. And if all that sounds expensive, you're in for a pleasant surprise — two-piece suits start at the reasonable price of $650.
The Cellar continues the focus on ultra-limited-edition designer sneakers established by its predecessor in this space, Soul High, but with a more reasonable price point (Yeezy 350s are a hot seller in the $400-500 range, and most other items are less than $100), and also adds to the mix a selection of urban skatewear such as t-shirts, cargo pants, caps, and hoodies, as well as the status of Buffalo's hometown outlet for Supreme Gear, an emerging label of artwise street gear out of New York City that's in keeping both with Sole High's old stock in trade and the still-vital Elmwood skate culture.
Established in 1973, the stock in trade at Get Dressed is the same fine menswear from such world-famous designers offered at discounts of up to 50% off the national retail price. Customers in search of suit jackets, shirts, ties and accessories flock to Get Dressed not only because of their emphasis on style at affordable prices but also because they are the only menswear shop in the city to offer free alterations — Get Dressed even keeps its customers' measurements on file so alterations can be made sight unseen!
In business since 1973, Half & Half is a dignified old commercial block at the north end of the Elmwood Village that's chock full of unique women's clothing, hats, outerwear, jewelry, and other accessories. At Half & Half, the range of items on offer is diverse enough to cover any need its customers may have, from the boardroom to formal events to everyday attire — yet it's united by a quirky style-consciousness that's a testament to the unique identity of the business. Best of all, the prices here are far more reasonable than similar Elmwood Village boutiques, and the laid-back yet chic ambience is complemented by the helpful service provided by its friendly staff.
Pasteurized Tees' Facebook page implores you to "imagine a tattoo shop for a t-shirt", and that's essentially the idea here: owner Michael Bowen will take unique designs conceived by his customers, draw them, and print them on a personalized, custom-made t-shirt or sweatshirt — all on the same day! The printing process, which utilizes a custom ink gel, is professional-looking and durable; Bowen was quoted in Buffalo Rising as saying that the print was so permanent that it would outlast the shirt itself. Pasteurized Tees is the place to go for visitors who want to remember their trip to Buffalo with a one-of-a-kind souvenir.
A children's consignment shop, Rumpelstiltskins is a great place to buy and sell gently used clothes, shoes, toys and other goods for girls, boys and babies from newborn to age 12 — as well as new items, many of which are locally sourced. Incredible bargains are available on designer clothes and brand-name items from such names as Gap, Ralph Lauren, Old Navy, and Gymboree. Clean and stain-free items in reasonable condition can be consigned by appointment; the consignment period is 90 days; 40% of the proceeds from all items sold within that period (50% for non-clothing items) will be returned to the consignor.
Located just off Elmwood Avenue behind TreeHouse Toys, the Scoop Shop is a consignment store that features stylish and chic vintage clothing, shoes and jewelry for women, at prices that can't be beat (look for the $5 rack outside on the sidewalk most days!) The vivacious and interesting owners always take good care of their customers, which has earned the Scoop Shop a growing and loyal fanbase in Buffalo.
Second Chic opened on Elmwood Avenue in 2010, and owner Annie Adams' peerless eye for stylish, contemporary secondhand and consignment clothes immediately made a splash with locals. In addition, Second Chic is the only store of its kind in the city that sells contemporary menswear. Though prices aren't the best in the city, customers can count on finding really unique and high-quality items here. Every week from Tuesday through Friday, consigners are on hand at Second Chic to accept gently used ready-to-wear clothing from high-quality brands with good resale value.
One of the most popular shoe stores in Buffalo, ShoeFly presents visitors with the total package: a combination of great merchandise, great customer service and great prices. In addition to the wide selection of men's and women's shoes, including unique styles not found anywhere else in the city (brands such as Frye, Poetic License, Toms, and Matisse are well-represented), a variety of handbags and other accessories can also be found here.
The Sole Man in question is Brian Gavigan, who gave up a career in advertising for the unlikely title of the youngest cobbler in Buffalo, but his shop is also the place to come if you want to buy a new pair of stylish men's dress shoes "recreated and reborn" for a brand new owner. The "everything old is new again" vibe fits like a glove into the new-Buffalo regime of vinyl-only record shops, hipster bars styled as 1920s speakeasies, and artisanal everything — the antique shelves and racks and cozy wood-paneled interior are the perfect setting for not only shoes but also a decidedly L.L. Bean-esque range of menswear and accessories.
Located at the corner of Lexington and Ashland Avenues a block from Elmwood, Turnstyle Designs is the brand-new boutique where Stephanie Robb, also a founder of the local jewelry store Wild Things that's located around the corner, sells the unique clothes, hats, jewelry, handbags and accessories she designs herself, both solo and in collaboration with other local designers and artisans. Also on staff is aromatherapist Frann LaRocca, offering incense, custom blends of essential oils, and other such goods for sale.
The stock in trade at Vania & David falls into two categories: leather goods such as handbags, wallets, clutches, and even iPad cases come in brightly colored yet understated designs and are sourced from traditional artisans in Paraguay, the home country of co-owner Vania Escauriza Gagliardone, while the unique and beautiful locally-crafted jewelry that makes up the other half of the equation tends toward the bold and chunky. Vania & David's designs have been featured in GQ magazine and the British versions of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, so you know you're getting nothing but the best here in terms of fashion (with prices to match).
The main order of business at Jacob's Stained Glass is repair and restoration work, but you can also stop by their shop to check out a small selection of antique windows, lamps, and other pieces. If you don't like what you see, you can commission a custom order — and if you're a crafter or a DIY type, get your scrap glass here. A word of advice, though, is to call before you stop by to make sure there's someone in store to serve you — these folks have been known to close up shop when they're on a house call.
Out of a former apartment flat on Elmwood Avenue in April 2016 emerged Parables Gallery & Gifts: a small but versatile three-room space that functions as a combination gallery, gift shop, and event space where the work of local artists and artisans of diverse media (including owner Glenn Kroetsch, who specializes in abstract paintings of nature scenes) are displayed, sold (prices rarely exceed $75), or transferred to one-of-a-kind gifts such as t-shirts and throw pillows.
Likened in Buffalo Rising to a "parallel universe... right out of some underground science-fiction novel", the art glass workshop owned by the energetic, passionate, and endlessly interesting Jim Sawyer is appropriately named: he crafts stained glass geodes in "six-dimensional" geometric designs based on crystal formations and atomic structures. The place is filled to overflowing with pyramids, tetrahedrons, and geodesic-dome shapes produced using the finest stained and leaded glass and other artistic elements. Aside from selling arguably the most unique gifts in Buffalo, Six Dimension Design also repairs stained glass and, interestingly, sells flowers.
Opened in 1964, Aurum Jewelers is the longest-established jeweler on Elmwood. At Aurum, owner Paul Michaels matches the quality of his jewelry — rings, bracelets, pendants, cufflinks, timepieces and even tableware in sterling silver, gold and platinum, inlaid with a wide variety of precious and semiprecious stones — with personalized service that takes into account his customers' individual personality, needs, and budget. Aurum Jewelers is also happy to appraise, clean or repair your jewelry. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are also welcome.
Tucked back behind Ró furniture shop, centrally located in the Elmwood Village yet secluded and easily missable, is this purveyor of "fine jewelry, hand-formed through the ancient art of goldsmithing" that "emanat[es] the basic elements that exist all around us, within us, and beyond us". Translation: earrings, pendants, engagement rings, and other unique custom-designed pieces manufactured sustainably by Ms. Mars herself with recycled precious metals and conflict-free gemstones. The house style is deceptively simple yet subtly creative, in a hard-to-describe way: check out the website to see some examples.
If you're in the market for fine jewelry that's a little more special or out of the ordinary than the kind of stuff you find at Jared or other chain stores, head to Spears & Co., where the specialty of the house is custom-designed pieces but you'll also find stuff sourced from estate sales and the like. And the best part is, you don't have to pay through the nose for it, nor will you have to contend with high-pressure upselling or other unpleasantness.
The newest of what is now a local chainlet of fashion and gift boutiques with additional locations in Orchard Park and Cheektowaga, Sunshine + Bluebirds is at the service not only of tourists in search of unique locally-themed souvenirs, but also anyone looking for men's and ladies' T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies, coffee mugs, throw pillows and the like. And — perhaps in a nod to Abraham's Jewelers, which preceded it in this storefront — the Elmwood location in particular boasts a selection of reasonably-priced jewelry whose designs (much like the other categories of merchandise they sell) trend toward the whimsical.
Opened by four Buffalo State College art students in a humble Lexington Avenue storefront with a cigar box as a cash register, Wild Things has grown into one of Buffalo's best-known and best-loved purveyors of handmade original jewelry by local artisans, as well as fine linens, ceramics, and other crafts. Wild Things' stable of designers includes six jewelers working with a variety of materials including silver, gold, enamel, and pearls and gemstones, but the specialty here is custom-designed bridal jewelry.
If you must, you can get your fix of big-name superhero comics here, but the real specialty at Gutter Pop is gritty graphic novels and harder-to-find indie titles. The selection is not what you would call vast, but it's impeccably curated, and works by local authors abound. Speaking of which, owner Stephen Floyd is an area fixture with one foot in the burgeoning Buffalo music scene and one in the equally burgeoning world of local small-press publishing — so if you're the kind of person who's into comics but also keen to look into some of the latest releases from Buffalo-area rock bands, you can kill two birds with one stone.
Inspiration Point is a modest but charming bookshop that stocks literature on such esoteric subjects as Eastern spirituality, yoga, metaphysics, meditation, natural healing, astral travel, and psychic phenomena. In addition, a wide range of music, greeting cards, and gift items such as candles, crystals, totems, and incense is on offer, and classes and workshops are held frequently.
The Mezzanine Book Shop is located on the second floor of the Crane Branch Library, and sells donated books in good condition, including an especially large selection of children's books. All hardcover books are $1.00 and all paperbacks are 25¢, with proceeds going to support the Buffalo and Erie County Public Libraries. The Mezzanine Book Shop is a great place to donate your used books.
The last survivor of what was once a thriving independent bookstore scene on Elmwood, with a name derived "from a recurrent conceptualization of books by peoples who were unfamiliar with print; book pages were seen as 'leaves' that 'talked,' imparting wisdom and knowledge and spirit... an intriguing way of keeping track of the treasures of the people: their minds and their ways of being in, and understanding, the world." True to that philosophy, offered here is a vast selection of the sort of books that expand people's consciousness, with a special emphasis on unusual and oft-neglected topics that reflect the unique identity of Elmwood Villagers.
Among the delightful locally-made confections available at Fowler's seven retail stores (among the most popular of which is their Elmwood Avenue location) are pecan caramel clusters, chocolate-covered pretzels, and a range of European-style truffles — but the specialty is sponge candy, a perennial favorite among Buffalonians. Fowler's employees can assemble a wide variety of custom-made gift boxes and other assortments, including a "bouquet" of a dozen long-stemmed solid chocolate roses. Fowler's also boasts an ice-cream counter in the summer, and serves fresh hot chocolate in colder weather.
In business since 1946, Watson's Chocolates is often regarded by locals as the yin to Fowler's yang. However, it distinguishes itself from its longtime rival with its status as a larger operation with more locations, and a correspondingly wider range of products sold at its stores. In addition to fine chocolates — including a line of sponge candy that Buffalo Spree has honored as the best in Western New York — Watson's Chocolates also sells other sweet treats such as hot fudge sauce, English toffee, and a selection of praline and fudge, as well as a larger and more exquisite range of gift baskets.
A one-stop shop in the Elmwood Village for all things caffeinated: not only is Blue Mountain a place to drink coffee, but you can also buy a dizzying variety of whole coffee beans: from ordinary varieties (including a killer dark roast) to oddities like Blueberry Muffin and Tanzanian Peaberry. A variety of other items are available, including teas, fine tobacco, a huge selection of greeting cards, scented candles, and various other gifts. Visitors can also chat with Blue Mountain's interesting and personable owner, Jim Greer, or simply bask in the intoxicating aroma of the different coffee beans.
Aside from the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmer's Market, this is the sole retail outlet for Cattaraugus County's family-owned White Cow Dairy. What the Farm Shop's inventory lacks in range is made up for by its quality: the cows are fed on 100% wild grass, making for old-fashioned flavors you can't find at the supermarket, and the constantly-changing selection is crowned by some of the best yogurt you'll ever taste. Aside from dairy products, there's also a modest range of other locally-sourced goodies, such as fresh produce from Buffalo's own WestSide Tilth Farm, artisan chocolate from Dark Forest Chocolates out of Lancaster, and real New York maple syrup.
Grant Street has become known as a place where Elmwood Avenue businesses move to escape high rents, but here's the opposite: a Grant Street-style ethnic grocery store on Elmwood. Operated by Ghana-born entrepreneur Gloria Ofori, Glory Market is a small place with a modest but well-curated selection of African foodstuffs — everything from staples like yam flour, powdered fufu, and dried peanuts to canned and frozen goods, ready-to-eat snacks, and even a selection of shea butter toiletries and imported handicrafts — and it's also where you'll find Buffalo's annual "Taste of Africa" celebration.
The Village Beer Merchant is, to put it succinctly, heaven for Buffalo beer snobs. As is perhaps obvious, the specialty here is a dizzying gamut of imports, local and regional microbrews, and seasonal selections that gives the perennial favorite local beer store, Premier Gourmet, a run for its money, curated by a knowledgeable and friendly staff. More than that, though, Village Beer Merchant is a destination for those in search of a wide variety of gourmet specialty foods, with a range of artisanal cheeses, fine olive oils, chocolates, teas, Boar's Head deli meats and other charcuterie, and other upscale edibles.
The Peddler is more than just a flea market — it's a neighborhood institution, a social gathering place, and a real slice of Elmwood Village life, where an underused parking lot becomes an emporium of vintage and antique furniture, home decor, and clothing that's inspired by the Chelsea Market in New York City. Vendors — some steadfast regulars, some more itinerant — offer an interesting and diverse selection of upscale goods to a customer base ranging from hipsters to families with kids to old folks to a growing legion of folks who come from out of town in search of bargains. In the winter, The Peddler moves indoors to The Foundry on the East Side.
The name means "tranquil" in Danish, and was chosen to emphasize the store's expansion from its previous oeuvre of Midcentury Modern furniture and housewares into sleek, stylish Scandinavian designs, many of which aren't available anywhere else in Western New York, and to encapsulate its new identity as "a concept of calm living through functional design". As a continuation of its commitment to ecological sustainability, Ró also deals in reclaimed items sourced from abandoned industrial sites and other places around Buffalo. Art shows are also held on a bi-monthly basis, where the work of local artists is exhibited.
In this charming boutique's name, the word "everything" is no exaggeration: a mind-boggling variety of upscale and unique gifts are sold here. The constantly changing gamut of merchandise at Everything Elmwood comprises greeting cards, housewares, pottery, toys, decorative items, jewelry, handbags and other accessories, and many other trinkets and baubles that are not available anywhere else in the area. Visitors to Buffalo who are on the lookout for that one-of-a-kind gift will be in heaven here — and the spectacular gift wrapping that Everything Elmwood's loyal customers rave about is the icing on the cake!
A longtime Elmwood Avenue fixture now reopened in brand-new digs at the corner of West Delavan Avenue, NEO Gift Studio is the place for you if you're looking for that perfect, one-of-a-kind gift for someone who may be hard to buy for. This immense store has gifts of all descriptions, both whimsical and practical, for all ages, women as well as men — candles and candleholders, home decor, office items, fine tableware, lamps, gag gifts, a wide selection of flowers and picture frames. As well, NEO's friendly employees live out the cliché of "service with a smile", and provide one of the highest-quality gift-wrapping services in Buffalo.
The Elmwood Village's neighborhood toy store, on offer at the TreeHouse is a huge, handpicked selection of toys, games, dolls, stuffed animals, and children's books and gifts that comprise classic favorites as well as the hottest new items, and which emphasizes educational toys and games that inspire the creativity and imagination of young people.
This fascinating store features "Designs by Dovi & Girls", referring to its owner Dovi Tsofamo, a Togolese refugee who arrived in Buffalo with her daughters in 1999. At the African Market can be bought a dizzying array of items — everything from distinctive and brightly colored clothing, jewelry, and accessories in authentic African styles, to mudcloths and tapestries, to all natural shea butter, oils and other beauty products, to unique gift items such as djembe drums and fair-trade baskets made in Uganda, Rwanda and South Africa, and even a modest selection of West African grocery items.
The retail outlet for this "Simple-Ingredient Skin Care Apothecary" moved out of the Market Arcade in 2019 and now offers their line of soap, shampoos, shaving creams, lotions, and other toiletry items in a much more "affluent hipster"-imbued environ across from the Elmwood Crossing complex, which is under construction. Prices are predictably steep, but you're paying for locally-sourced and 100% organic ingredients, sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing, and above all, a gentle product (perfect for those with sensitive skin!) that gets the job done effectively without harsh chemicals being introduced into the proceedings.
Taking over the space in the back of Thin Ice gift shop where ShopCraft used to be is this purveyor of a delightfully quirky line of handcrafted felt goods: embroidered pins and patches, decorative pieces to hang on your wall, plush toys, even finger puppets. The house aesthetic trends heavily toward cute cartoon animals — the black cat logo emblazoned on the sign in front of the shop (and also visible on their website) gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Once co-located with their Allentown tattoo studio (located at 125 Elmwood, hence the name), the non-body art portion of the Hawkins brothers' oeuvre is now found at the heart of the Elmwood Village. At 125 Curiosity Shop, you'll find a jumbled but fascinating menagerie of locally-made clothing, accessories, housewares, and objets d'art is all united by the weird, slightly macabre, Tim Burton-esque style that is the owners' specialty (and, in many cases, actual handiwork).
The selection at Renew emphasizes quality over quantity: the range of skin care and toiletry products on the shelves here is not the largest, but it's uniformly upscale and high-quality, marrying time-honored traditional knowledge and the latest developments in skin-care science into a natural, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, and often vegan-friendly ethos, sold in a pleasant (and aromatic!) shop with a decidedly laid-back and low-pressure ambience. And if you're a fan of the Japanese konjac sponge, you're in luck: this is the only place in Western New York that stocks it.
It was remarkable enough when, in 2015, Paul Machemer bucked the nationwide trend and actually managed to open a successful record shop on Hertel Avenue; more remarkable still when he inaugurated its second location on Elmwood three years later. As usual, vinyl is the name of the game: on offer is a carefully-curated yet kaleidoscopic inventory of over 15,000 titles representing all genres and time periods from the 1950s to the present, and everything from popular favorites to hard-to-find imports to offerings from Buffalo's local music scene, all accurately graded. There's a limited selection of music on CD and other formats too.
ShopCraft is less a gift shop per se than an alliance of locally-based artists and artisans who sell their handcrafted art and photographic prints, cards and stationery, organic toiletries, clothes, kitchenwares, and so on directly to the public. If you're looking for the kinds of souvenirs you could never hope to find anywhere else, head here. And if you can't make it during the above-listed hours, check their Facebook page — the artisans of ShopCraft keep a busy schedule of appearances at area craft fairs, farmers markets, and other events all year round.
A not-for-profit chain of volunteer-staffed boutiques with about 100 locations across the U.S. and Canada where the specialty is clothing, handicrafts, decorative knickknacks, and gifts manufactured by artisans in 38 disadvantaged countries throughout the world. Ten Thousand Villages is the place for those who prefer to shop small for fair-trade goods rather than with a for-profit corporate entity like Pier 1 Imports, but whose tastes in fashion, home decor, and the like are a bit less quote-unquote "ethnic" than the stuff you find at the West Side Bazaar. Prices are a bit high, but the money you spend really makes a difference in the lives of these artisans.
A steadfast supporter of Buffalo's arts community, Thin Ice is a charming boutique that sells handcrafted pottery, glassware, jewelry, textiles, and creations in metal and wood, all of which are made in the USA and the vast majority of which are the work of local artists and artisans. Thin Ice is centrally located at the heart of the action on Elmwood and is the perfect place for those in search of one-of-a-kind gifts, as well as visitors who would like to give back to the Buffalo art scene. Some very cute cats live in the store too!
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Buffalo · International · BUF
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Elmwood Village and United States.
Travel tipsFind the cheapest countries to fly to from the US and UK in 2026. Compare realistic round-trip flight deals, budget airlines, and prime booking windows.
8 min read
Travel tipsFind the best time to visit Hawaii in 2026. Compare whale seasons, big-wave surf, dry shoulder months, hotel rates, and island microclimates.
9 min read
InspirationDiscover the best places to visit in April. Compare Dutch tulip fields, Thailand's Songkran water festival, Roman spring gardens, and cherry blossoms.
6 min read
Travel tipsA practical guide to travelling with medication and refrigerated drugs like insulin and GLP-1s. Learn airline rules, customs papers, and cooling tips.
7 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.