I'll be going on a business trip the middle of January with stops in Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany. Where should I be drinking/eating and what local beers should I be trying? I'm in So Cal so no idea of the East Coast scene.
Drinking upstate NY
- Thread starter dozer217
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
ingchr1
Well-Known Member
Middle Ages Brewery is in Syracuse, so I would try some of thier beers while there.
January to Upstate New York? You're doing it wrong....
Anyways - some great local beer up this way. Flying Bison is based out of Buffalo - always fun to stop in for tastes and a tour, but they are not a brew pub. http://www.flyingbisonbrewing.com/
Ellicottville Brewing is a bit of a drive south (about an hour) from Buffalo, but is in a nice little ski town, with a great brew pub located right downtown. http://www.ellicottvillebrewing.com/
Sterling Place Tavern in North Buffalo is awesome - the best burger I have ever had and they carry a great beer selection. It's a little neighborhood tavern type place, and the burgers take an hour regardless of how you order it, but it is completely worth the wait.
Gabriel's Gate, closer to downtown, does incredible wings and sandwiches. The beer selection is ok, they do a decent house brown ale.
Also worth a visit is Shango in the University district. Cajun/Creole - AMAZING food - 6 taps with at least one local and a huge selection of bottles. If you are looking for a nice dinner out - this is the place. http://www.shangobistro.com/
Papa Jake's also does some great wings and a wonderful Beef on Weck (A local specialty - hot roast beef served on a kimmelweck roll with horseradish) - also has a very nice beer selection.
Out towards Rochester and Syracuse is Dinosaur BBQ. The original is in downtown Syracuse, and a larger location is in Downtown Rochester. Both are great and have a very nice beer selection. http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
A professor at the local university has put together a huge restaurant guide all based on individual reviews - http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/restaurant.guide/
Send me a PM if you are looking for more targeted suggestions.
-Weston
Anyways - some great local beer up this way. Flying Bison is based out of Buffalo - always fun to stop in for tastes and a tour, but they are not a brew pub. http://www.flyingbisonbrewing.com/
Ellicottville Brewing is a bit of a drive south (about an hour) from Buffalo, but is in a nice little ski town, with a great brew pub located right downtown. http://www.ellicottvillebrewing.com/
Sterling Place Tavern in North Buffalo is awesome - the best burger I have ever had and they carry a great beer selection. It's a little neighborhood tavern type place, and the burgers take an hour regardless of how you order it, but it is completely worth the wait.
Gabriel's Gate, closer to downtown, does incredible wings and sandwiches. The beer selection is ok, they do a decent house brown ale.
Also worth a visit is Shango in the University district. Cajun/Creole - AMAZING food - 6 taps with at least one local and a huge selection of bottles. If you are looking for a nice dinner out - this is the place. http://www.shangobistro.com/
Papa Jake's also does some great wings and a wonderful Beef on Weck (A local specialty - hot roast beef served on a kimmelweck roll with horseradish) - also has a very nice beer selection.
Out towards Rochester and Syracuse is Dinosaur BBQ. The original is in downtown Syracuse, and a larger location is in Downtown Rochester. Both are great and have a very nice beer selection. http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
A professor at the local university has put together a huge restaurant guide all based on individual reviews - http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/restaurant.guide/
Send me a PM if you are looking for more targeted suggestions.
-Weston
+1
If you're going to be in the city of Buffalo, The Blue Monk on Elmwood Ave. has an amazing draft list that's always changing and the food is pretty good at that. Try the duck fat fries.
If you're in the burbs, Buffalo Brew Pub on Main St., in Williamsville, has 30 taps, including 5 house beers. My favorite place in the area, the food is pretty good there too. They have some really good wings. You gotta have wings if you're going to be in Buffalo. Also in the Williamsville is Pizza Plant Corner of Transit Rd. and Sheridan Dr., they have about 20 taps that are always rotating with some pretty interesting brews. If you happen to be near East Aurora, Aurora Brew Works is a cool little place to stop in. Only 6 taps, but always rotating and always good. The owners are both homebrewers and like talking shop.
If you need more suggestions pm me, or if you just want to meet up with another HBT'er, I'm usually game to go out.
kblankenship11
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2012
- Messages
- 244
- Reaction score
- 22
If you happen to stop in Rochester on your way from Buffalo to Syracuse here are a few of my favorite beer destinations:
1. Victoire - Great food and awesome Belgian beers on tap. Focus on Belgian brews.
2. Trata - Amazing draft list. Food is great but just the beer they have on tap is worth going to the bar.
3. Genesee Brew House - Newly built museum and brew pub. Pretty standard brews but a lot of history there.
4. Beers of the world (East Henrietta) - My LHBS and mecca for buying beer. Everything is here--local and global.
1. Victoire - Great food and awesome Belgian beers on tap. Focus on Belgian brews.
2. Trata - Amazing draft list. Food is great but just the beer they have on tap is worth going to the bar.
3. Genesee Brew House - Newly built museum and brew pub. Pretty standard brews but a lot of history there.
4. Beers of the world (East Henrietta) - My LHBS and mecca for buying beer. Everything is here--local and global.
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2011
- Messages
- 3,032
- Reaction score
- 283
Don't miss Brown's in Troy, just north of Albany. It's my favorite brewpub of all time!
I second (or third) Middle Ages. That place seriously surprised me. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting much and ended up floored!
Empire is awesome, but Suds around the block can be skipped. It was downright bad, seriously.
I second (or third) Middle Ages. That place seriously surprised me. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting much and ended up floored!
Empire is awesome, but Suds around the block can be skipped. It was downright bad, seriously.
Thanks for the replies everyone. As it works out we'll be spending a day seeing agents and then the night in each town, we'll have a car but probably need to stay within a few miles of our hotel which at this time I'm assuming will be in the downtown area of each city. Is the original wing place in Buffalo worth a stop?
Anchor bar isn't really worth it - the wings aren't all that great compared to what can be found elsewhere in the city. Gabriel's Gate is a half mile away, has far better wings and food.
gcdowd
Well-Known Member
+1, Middle Ages FTW!
kblankenship11
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2012
- Messages
- 244
- Reaction score
- 22
True story. I went to Anchor bar this summer and was not impressed.
Pearl Street Brew Pub is downtown. It's a decent place. Food's pretty good, and they have a few good beers. I like the Trainwreck Amber and Lake Effect Pale Ale.
If you're within a hundred mile of Dinosaur BBQ - make the trip. The one in Syracuse is the best, but be prepared to wait a few hours to eat.
For wings, I'd do Duff's. If you're in the northtowns, there is a little place called Elmo's on Millersport Hwy in Getzville that has the best wings I've ever eaten.
Go to Duff's for the best wings. They have several locations. Even President Obama picked Duff's over the Anchor Bar.
+1 Nor was I. Another shout out for the Dinosaur Bar in Syracuse, the food is very good, the beer selection is great and some member of the staff were very easy on the eyes. Get there early if there is a basketball game, while not a sports bar it gets pretty busy during a Orangemen game.
BryanJ
Well-Known Member
The best beer bar in Buffalo is Blue Monk at: 727 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222 which is very close to downtown buffalo maybe a 5 minute drive. Their website is down but check out their facebook page. Its a Belgian beer bar with 30 Taps not all belgian beers though. Whenever im in Buffalo i have to go here, its by far the best beer bar I've ever been to. The decor is awesome, the owner bought everything off of one european collector mostly all belgian beer tins. This is most definitely worth the trip. But seriously go. You will be drinking beer from breweries all over europe that you've never even heard about. I can't stress enough at how much this bar just shames the rest of the beer scene in Buffalo the only other bar that even comes close is Cole's which is a mile north of the Blue monk on elmwood ave.
Some guy above me recommended pearl street grill and buffalo brew pub, don't waste your time they are both pretty bland little brew pubs with no quality beer since they make everything themselves. There are no good brewpubs in Buffalo so don't waste your time looking for one. Although Elmo's is awesome, great garlic wings and Duff's is good too.
Some guy above me recommended pearl street grill and buffalo brew pub, don't waste your time they are both pretty bland little brew pubs with no quality beer since they make everything themselves. There are no good brewpubs in Buffalo so don't waste your time looking for one. Although Elmo's is awesome, great garlic wings and Duff's is good too.
+HopSpunge+
Well-Known Member
I could probably recomend some cool buffalo places. But it depends on if your just flying in and staying in the city, or if you will have your own transportation and what not. The best chicken wings are at a little obscure dive bar called "911" it is at the corner of south park ave. And bloomfield st. A little south of the city. It's were I take visitors when they want to try the wings. Blow away duffs..... you will have to pick up snow shoes. And rent a dog sled as soon as you arive. And always carry lots of beer with you while your here incase you get snowed in for a week or two. Good luck on your buisness trip.
Similar threads
