Midtown Buffalo and the Near East Side

This is a Wikivoyage user page.

Midtown-Near East Side is in Buffalo.

Get in and around

By car

streets, expressways, parking - permit parking in Fruit Belt is in effect

Rental cars

• 1 Budget, 1477 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 12 or 13; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 882-7045. 
• 2 Enterprise, 1312 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 12 or 13; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 854-0283. 

Car sharing

Members of Zipcar have access to a Nissan Frontier crew-cab pickup truck stationed in the parking lot on the east side of Washington Street between High and Carlton Streets in the Medical Corridor, behind the 3 Kevin Guest House. The vehicle is available for a price of $10/hour or $80/day M-Th; $11/hour or $87/day F-Su. This price includes fuel, insurance, and 180 free miles (about 290 free kilometers) per day.

By public transportation

By bus

add sec

By Metro Rail

• 1 Utica Station — Main Street at East Utica Street (Cold Spring).
• 2 Summer-Best Station — Main Street at Best Street (Masten Park).
• 3 Allen-Medical Campus Station — Main Street at Allen Street (Medical Corridor).

By bike

Buffalo has been making great strides in recent years in accommodating bicycling as a mode of transportation, with recognition from the League of American Bicyclists as a Bronze-Level "Bicycle-Friendly Community" to show for its efforts. (blah blah blah)

• "sharrows" (pavement markings on roads too narrow to accommodate dedicated bike lanes, indicating that drivers should be aware of bicyclists on the road) along Ellicott Street between Goodell and Best Streets
• sharrows along High Street east from Main Street through the Medical Corridor and Fruit Belt, ending at Jefferson
• parallel bike lanes along Broadway from downtown outward
• straddling the Kensington, Cherry Street and BFNC Drive each have one dedicated bike lane going the same direction as automobile traffic: beginning at Jefferson Avenue, the latter side ends at Lemon Street while the former extends westward clear to Michigan Avenue. If you want to make a U-turn, there are two pedestrian bridges that cross over the expressway, one just east of Hickory Street and one between Peach and Grape Streets.
• parallel bike lanes on William Street between Michigan and Jefferson Avenues

Bike sharing and rental

You'll find Reddy Bikeshare racks at the following locations blah blah blah

• on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, on the north side of North Oak Street at the corner of Ellicott Street, across the street diagonally from Ulrich's Tavern
• on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, on the east side of Main Street at the corner of Allen Street, in front of the UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
• on the east side of Main Street at the corner of Best Street, in front of the Summer-Best Metro Rail Station

See

Art

The emerging East Side arts community is centered on the newly gentrifying neighborhoods just east of Main Street, now home to a growing population of creative types.

• 1 Amber M. Dixon Gallery, 1221 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 11, 13, 22, and 25; Metro Rail: Summer-Best), ☏ +1 716 803-2605. Opening hours vary by exhibition. Artspace Buffalo is a homegrown artists' colony comprised of sixty loft apartments-cum-art studios that are home to some of the foremost emerging names in the Buffalo art community, as well as this expansive gallery space that displays works by Artspace residents and other artists from Buffalo and around the region. With a full schedule of exhibitions all year long, you never know quite what's going to be on at the Amber M. Dixon Gallery: works displayed there span a wide variety of media, from traditional formats like painting, sculpture and photography to offbeat exhibitions of collage and jewel art. There are even musical performances from time to time.  
• 2 Eleven Twenty Projects, 1120 Main St. (Metro Bus 8 or 22; Metro Rail: Summer-Best), ☏ +1 716 882-8100. By appointment. Opened in October 2013 with "Electric Primitive", an exhibition by local painter LeRoi Johnson, this brand-new gallery is housed in a stunning 1926 Art Deco building that was built as the REO Motor Car Company's local dealership. This stretch of Main Street was Buffalo's "Auto Row" at that time, and owner John Fatta has done justice to the massive size of this cavernous old showroom by converting it into a sleek and minimalist exhibition space whose "sheer size", to quote the owner in a recent Buffalo Rising article, allows art fans to "stand back and really appreciate the works that are being displayed." The Eleven Twenty Projects will host changing exhibits of works by various artists, as well as Fatta's own collection of antiques and other curiosities. 
• 3 Locust Street Art, 138 Locust St. (Metro Bus 14, 16, 18 or 29), ☏ +1 716 852-4562. By most people's definition, what's housed in this repurposed Civil War-era convent on a residential street in the Fruit Belt is not an art gallery. Rather, Locust Street Art is best-known for offering free, professionally-taught art and photography lessons for children and adults; it's been doing so since 1959, when local art teacher Molly Bethel began giving informal painting lessons to neighborhood children in her living room. Locust Street Art has fostered the formative talents of many successful artists over the years, and has been recognized as a winner of the New York Governor's Award in 1985, as well as by the Harvard Graduate School of Education for excellence as an educational resource for economically disadvantaged communities. The best way to see the fruits of this effort are during the art shows and fundraisers Locust Street Art holds on an occasional basis, featuring the work of current students as well as other area artists. 

History and culture

• 4 Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum, 263 Michigan Ave. (Metro Bus 14, 15, 16 or 42; Metro Rail: Seneca), ☏ +1 716 853-0084. Th-Sa 11AM-4PM. Operated by James Sandoro, a former curator of exhibits at the Buffalo History Museum and a lifelong collector of historic artifacts, the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum draws 10,000 visitors per year to their museum complex in a historic neighborhood just east of downtown, despite minimal advertising. As one might expect, the exhibits at the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum run heavily towards antique cars and automotive memorabilia, especially Pierce-Arrows, the luxury sedans produced in Buffalo in the early 20th century to which the museum owes its name. The museum's pièce de résistance debuted in June 2014: Buffalo's seventh and newest Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building, a filling station constructed according to an original 1927 blueprint which Wright intended for the corner of Michigan Avenue and Cherry Street a short distance north of here. $10, seniors $8, children $5, guided tour $15. 
• 5 Michigan Street Baptist Church, 511 Michigan Ave. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4, 6, 14, 16, 24 or 42; Metro Rail: Lafayette Square), ☏ +1 716 854-7976. Though it no longer plays host to regularly scheduled services, the importance of the Michigan Street Baptist Church to the history of Buffalo's African-American community cannot be overstated: it's the oldest continuously black-owned property in Buffalo, in the years immediately prior to the Civil War it was notorious as a "station" on the Underground Railroad by which escaped black slaves from the South were spirited away to freedom in Canada, and it retains its prominence today as the centerpiece of the Michigan Street African-American Heritage Corridor. Historical tours are offered by appointment. $5. (updated Jul 2017)
• 6 Nash House Museum, 36 Nash St. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4, 6, 14, 16 or 42; Metro Rail: Lafayette Square), ☏ +1 716 856-4490. Th & Sa 11:30AM-4PM and by appointment. A Nationally Registered Historic Place that's part of the Michigan Street African-American Heritage Corridor, the Nash House Museum was once the home of Rev. Dr. J. Edward Nash, who — aside from being the pastor of the Michigan Street Baptist Church from 1892 until his retirement in 1953 — was a personal friend of such nationally-known luminaries of black history as Booker T. Washington and Adam Clayton Powell, and was instrumental in the founding of the local chapter of the NAACP and in advocacy on behalf of Buffalo's African-American citizenry in the years before the Civil Rights Movement. Today, his house is open as a museum that contains engaging exhibits and archival records chronicling the history of Buffalo's African-American community. Also, the house itself is architecturally significant as a particularly good example of the wood-frame, partially prefabricated "Buffalo doubles" that were built here by the thousands around the turn of the century. $10.  
• 7 WUFO 1080 AM/96.5 FM, 143 Broadway (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4, 6, 14, 16, 24 or 42; Metro Rail: Lafayette Square), ☏ +1 716 834-1080. Yet another component of the Michigan Street African-American Heritage Corridor, Western New York's only black-owned radio station has a history that dates back to 1948 and has served over the years as a launch pad for some of America's foremost African-American radio personalities — Frankie Crocker, Gary Byrd, and Jerry Bledsoe are only a few — not to mention the locally legendary George "Hound Dog" Lorenz, who was the first to play what was then known as "race music" on the Buffalo airwaves. Free studio tours, available by appointment, regale visitors with more of this history as well as taking them behind the scenes to see how a radio station operates.  

Parks

section lede: not a lot. Masten Park mostly for history as remnant of FLO system; also that park over by the JFK Rec Center. (Listingify or inline markers?)

Architecture

section lede - this section of the East Side has lost most of its magnificent churches (work in ref to HCOBES article), but there's plenty of secular history preserved in the form of locally listed historic districts

• 8 High Street Local Historic District. Located in the Fruit Belt — a neighborhood that's on the cusp of radical change thanks to the presence on its western flank of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Corridor, a huge engine of the region's emerging high-tech economy that will employ some 17,000 people when complete — Buffalo's smallest historic district comprises three properties on both sides of High Street between Maple and Mulberry Streets. The buildings that make up the district are the former High Street Baptist Church at 215 High Street, built in 1883 and now home to the Promiseland Missionary Baptist Church, a red brick church in a hybrid Romanesque and Gothic style whose stout, angled bell tower has long been a neighborhood landmark; the three-story Italianate at 195 High Street built in 1875 as home to Henry Schirmer's meat market and now the site of the High Street Deli, the oldest continuously operating food market in the city; and the 1871 Meidenbauer-Morgan House at 204 High Street, the long-vacant home of a succession of two local doctors whose planned demolition to make way for a new grocery store was the factor that spurred the historic district's creation. (updated Dec 2017)
• 9 Michigan-Sycamore Local Historic District. This is the smallest historic district in Buffalo, at only a quarter of an acre (1,050 square meters) in area, consisting in its entirety of three adjoining Near East Side properties at the corner of Sycamore Street and Michigan Avenue (hence its name) that represent some of the only remaining pre-Civil War architecture in the vicinity of downtown, yet were under serious threat of demolition at the time the district was created. The Eliza Quirk Boarding House at 72 Sycamore is the most famous of them, built in 1848 as a boardinghouse but named for a subsequent owner, a prominent Buffalo madam; it's now being redeveloped as apartments and office space. For their part, 82 Sycamore Street (c. 1847) was a grocery store and boardinghouse owned by Theodore and Louisa Stover, and 608 Michigan Avenue (c. 1900s or early '10s) was an auto glass shop for many years; they're both vacant today. (updated Mar 2020)

Do

Festivals and events

• Jefferson Avenue Arts Festival. By now, Buffalo has to be close to the #1 spot among American cities when it comes to neighborhood art festivals per capita — there's the Allentown festival in June, Elmwood Avenue in August, and now the Jefferson Avenue Arts Festival in the Cold Spring business district on the Saturday after Labor Day. The three blocks of Jefferson between East Ferry and East Utica become a fun-filled street fair with live music, dancers, yummy food, kids' activities, and — of course — a panoply of artists and artisans offering up their works for sale. (updated Mar 2020)
• Queen City Jazz Festival. The newest in a growing list of festivals celebrating Buffalo's long-neglected jazz history, the late-July Queen City Jazz Festival sees a slate of mainly local jazz artists take the stage for an evening at the historic Colored Musicians Club on Broadway. There are two stages — the main one indoors as well as a refreshing outdoor performance space — that host about fifteen acts combined, and the adjacent Colored Musicians Club Museum opens during the festival with reduced admission rates. (updated Feb 2015)

Roller skating

• 1 New Skateland Arena, 33 E. Ferry St. (Metro Bus 8 or 13; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 882-2104. Open skate Sa 1PM-4PM & 6PM-9PM, Su 2PM-5PM. $7, skate rental $1. (updated Mar 2015)

Theater

• Paul Robeson Theatre, 350 Masten Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13 or 18; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 884-2013. The Paul Robeson Theatre is the oldest African-American theatre in Buffalo, founded in 1968 and located at the 2 African-American Cultural Center. The 130-seat theater is located inside the cultural center's headquarters on Masten Avenue in Buffalo's East Side, and features a handful of productions each year with an especial focus on the African-American experience. Among the famous personalities that have performed on the Paul Robeson Theatre's stage include Ossie Davis, Phylicia Rashad, and Woodie King, Jr. 

Live music

section lede

• 3 Colored Musicians' Club, 145 Broadway (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4, 6, 14, 16, 24 or 42; Metro Rail: Lafayette Square), ☏ +1 716 855-9383. Located on Broadway just outside downtown, this former home of American Federation of Musicians Local 533 (and, before that, the Charlie Zifle Shoe Store) has done double-duty as a renowned jazz club since not much later than the union chapter's foundation in 1918, made necessary when Local 43 voted to bar local African-American musicians from membership. With jazz music all the rage among the black community at the time, the union's second-floor performance space became the place to see informal jam sessions by members of local ragtime and jazz bands after their workday was finished, or on Sundays, to see them rehearse in the practice space the union provided free to its members. Soon enough, it was a venue in its own right, playing host to world-famous luminaries like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Lionel Hampton, and more. The tradition continues today: the Colored Musicians' Club hosts big-band concerts on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights, as well as Sunday afternoons followed by a legendary open jam session in the evening. And if you're interested in the club's storied history, there's also an attached museum where you can learn all you've ever wanted to know about Buffalo's jazz scene of yesterday and today. 
• 4 The Foundry, 298 Northampton St. (Metro Bus 18 or 22), ☏ +1 716 220-8842. The Foundry is a former industrial workshop in Masten Park that now serves as an incubator for a wide range of grassroots small businesses, as well as a venue for various community-centered events and happenings. One of those events is Roc da Mic, a monthly showcase for Buffalo's underground hip-hop community. On the last Thursday of each month, local MCs, DJs, breakdancers, poets, and other artists converge to strut their stuff in a freeform open-mic extravaganza. (updated Mar 2015)

Buy

For now, the East Side's western flank is the least amenable area of the district for those in search of a neighborhood shopping experience. But with new investment breathing life back into Main Street and the old Cold Spring business district along Jefferson Avenue, look for this scenario to be turned on its head over the next few years.

Clothing and accessories

• 1 Big Basha Central, 844 Jefferson Ave. (Metro Bus 18, 22, 24 or 29), ☏ +1 716 856-4926. Daily 9AM-10PM. Located just off the Jefferson Avenue exit of the Kensington Expressway at the edge of the Fruit Belt, Big Basha Central has been "your one-stop shop" since 1995 for clothing and gear in a wide variety of urban styles: T-shirts, hoodies and jeans from brands like Rocawear, Black Label, and Coogi, designer sneakers and Timberland boots, jackets, and ladieswear too. There's also a bodega-cum-beauty supply shop, Big Basha Market, across the street. (updated Apr 2015)
• 2 Buffalo Scrubs, 1031 Main St. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus), ☏ +1 716 886-5787. M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-2PM. Located (appropriately enough) in the Buffalo Niagara Medical Corridor within easy walking distance of Buffalo General Hospital, Buffalo Scrubs is Western New York's #1 dealer of high-quality professional medical apparel. Scrubs, lab coats, shoes, and accessories are available in a wide range of styles and brands, with free office consultations, on-site fittings and delivery services provided. 
• 3 44 Fashion and Footwear, 1233 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 11, 13, 22, or 25; Metro Rail: Summer-Best), ☏ +1 716 895-2000. Su-Th 9AM-9PM, F-Sa 9AM-10PM. Buffalo Rising compares this place to "Canal Street in NYC, back in the days when Canal Street was actually cool", but don't take that too literally: 44 Fashion represents the "über-trendy hipster duds with a side of streetwise flair" side of Chinatown, not "second-rate designer-knockoff schlock". Jeans, graphic tees, and button-down collar shirts straight out of a hip-hop video line the racks, high-quality products all, but the real draw is a mind-bendingly diverse range of designer sneakers in styles and colors that are utterly whimsical. (updated Feb 2019)
• 4 Miss Betty's Dirt Cheap Thrift Store, 974 Jefferson Ave. (Metro Bus 18, 22 or 29), ☏ +1 716 887-8333. Th-Sa 10AM-5:30PM. If you're in the market for gently used women's clothing and accessories, hit up Ruth Kennedy's humble but handsome secondhand sop on the edge of the Fruit Belt where all that and more comes — wait for it — dirt cheap. And if you take an extra long look through the racks and bins, you might chance upon some brand-new items in the mix, or some mens- and kidswear. (updated Mar 2020)
• 5 Park Avenue Coat Company, 144 William St. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4, 6, 14, 16, 24 or 42; Metro Rail: Lafayette Square), ☏ +1 716 856-4209. M-Sa 10AM-6PM. Besides being a wholesale distributor of brand-name and designer leather jackets, winter wear, caps, and t-shirts, Park Avenue Coat Company also has several retail locations, including this one, where the same merchandise at the same prices are sold in a no-frills warehouse environment — along with "slightly irregular" merchandise direct from the manufacturers at an even steeper discount. Prices tend to be especially good around February and March when they're clearing out their winter gear. Sadly, a weak spot is the service: chronic understaffing leaves customers fending for themselves more often than not. (updated Feb 2019)

Specialty foods

• 6 Buffalo Brewing Company, 314 Myrtle Ave. (Metro Bus 2, 15 or 18), ☏ +1 716 868-2218. F 4PM-8PM, Sa 2PM-8PM. Contrary to popular misconception, the Buffalo Brewing Company is not Buffalo's first nanobrewery (that title technically goes to Community Beer Works) — but with a capacity of two barrels a day, their pint-sized facility is certainly more in line with what most folks think of when they hear that term. The core of Buffalo Brewing's repertoire consists of four permanent beers, all produced 100% by hand and named for years significant to Buffalo's history, along with a slate of seasonal brews. Opening hours are brief, but if you're in town on a Friday or Saturday, they'll fill your growler for the unbelievable price of $15. (updated Feb 2019)
• 7 Michigan Riley Farm, 108 Riley St. (Metro Bus 8, 12, 13 or 18; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 262-8183. Farm stand open seasonally. Located on 12 vacant lots in Cold Spring sold at a city foreclosure auction in 2011, Michigan Riley is a bit different than most area urban farms in that it's cooperatively owned: individual participants sign up each year for one of two levels of membership, with both work and harvests shared among the members proportionally. For short-term visitors and those who aren't interested in volunteering, the best way to get your hands on some of these delicious vegetables and herbs is at the seasonally-open farm stand on Riley Street — as well as a few blocks away at The Foundry on Northampton Street, on the second Saturday of each month. (updated Feb 2019)

Chocolate, candies and sweets

• 8 Choco-Logo Confectionery, 141 Broadway (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4, 6, 14, 16, 24 or 42; Metro Rail: Lafayette Square), ☏ +1 716 855-3500. M-F 10AM-5PM. Buffalo's oldest artisanal chocolatier (and the official chocolate provider for Bloomingdale's department stores) maintains a small factory store whose selection most of the time is fairly modest: dark and milk chocolate truffles, chocolate-covered nuts, the famous "Nutcorn" (caramel corn stuffed with roasted nuts and coated in chocolate), and a variety of sea-salted caramels. But it's in the seasonal selections available around the holidays where Choco-Logo's creativity really comes out to shine, with unique truffle options such as Eggnog, Black & Tan, and Ice Wine. (updated Feb 2019)

Antiques

• The Peddler, 298 Northampton St. (At The Foundry; Metro Bus 18 or 22). Sa 8:30AM-4PM, late Oct through mid-Apr. During winter, Newell Nussbaumer's upscale flea market — which spends the milder months at Parish Commons in the Elmwood Village — moves indoors to The Foundry on Northampton Street. As always, the Peddler features a dizzying variety of antique knickknacks and upscale vintage clothes sold by a growing roster of vendors. 

Miscellaneous

• 9 Bikeshop Buffalo, 145 Swan St. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 20, 24, 25, 40, or 42; Metro Rail: Seneca), ☏ +1 716 259-9463. M-F 10AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-4PM. The original Bikeshop has been at the service of East Aurora cyclists since 2006, and at their branch location at The Hub you can expect the same expert service and friendly mom-and-pop atmosphere as at the original, but an inventory that trends more toward high-performance road bikes for urban use. Bianchi, Redline, and Scott are some of the popular brands carried here, and available exclusively at the Buffalo location is the Retül line of performance-enhancing fittings. A full range of parts and accessories completes the picture. Prices are a splurge, but they're justified by the quality of what you get. (updated Feb 2019)

Eat

section lede

Budget

• Dnipro Café, 562 Genesee St. (Metro Bus 6, 18, 24 or 29), ☏ +1 716 856-4476. F 4PM-9PM. Every Friday evening at the Dnipro Center — an ethnic club and gathering place for Buffalo's Ukrainian community for over eighty years — the spacious rathskeller is converted to a restaurant serving a mix of Ukrainian and American specialties. While they're decently executed, the American foods on the menu are mostly simple, uninspired fare that you could find in any roadside diner. But you're at the Dnipro Center, so it'd be a crime anyway not to go ethnic: start off with an appetizer of borscht, then choose from a slate of options that includes holubtsi (cabbage rolls), varenyky (Ukrainian-style pierogi), and more. Or, if you're really hungry, opt for the "UKE Combo" which combines both of the above plus savory kovbasa sausage, tangy sauerkraut, and dark rye bread. $10-25. (updated Mar 2019)
• 1 Myracle's Soul Food and More, 200 William St. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4 or 6), ☏ +1 716 248-1228. M-Th noon-7PM, F-Sa noon-9PM, Su noon-5PM. With a menu jam-packed with Southern-fried deliciousness, the hearty homestyle soul food served up at Myracle's is truly worthy of such a moniker. Shrimp 'n grits never disappoint, downhome sides include candied yams liberally seasoned with cinnamon, and you can even choose among a slate of harder-to-find options such as savory oxtail stew. But as the "And More" in the name implies, the story doesn't end there: if your tastes lie elsewhere, choose from a selection of 8- and 12-inch grilled hoagies, loaded fries, chicken wings in a variety of sauces, and heartier mains such as pork chops and ribeye steak. Prices trend high, but the ampleness of the portions goes a long way toward justifying them, and service is of the kind that turns lookie-loos into loyal repeat customers. $10-25. (updated Mar 2019)
• 2 Solo Eats, 261 E. Ferry St. (Metro Bus 13 or 18), ☏ +1 716 886-7656. M-W 6AM-11PM, Th-Sa 6AM-2:30AM, Su 9AM-8PM. The claim that the Buffalo chicken wing was invented not at the Anchor Bar but here, by John Young in the late '50s when the place was called Wings & Things, is spurious but oft-repeated among East Siders. Despite that, wings still make up a cornerstone of the menu at Solo Eats — either classic Buffalo-style with varying levels of spice or a small but tantalizing range of specialty sauces — and you'll also find a wide selection of other simple, affordable lunch fare such as sandwiches, burgers, fries, tacos, and pizza, as well as a full breakfast menu. Best of all, every meal eaten here is a good deed done: Solo Eats is staffed entirely by members of the Re-Entry Mentoring Program, whereby formerly incarcerated folks are offered jobs as a way to transition back into law-abiding society. $10-25. (updated Mar 2019)
• 3 The Soul Place, 479 Genesee St. (Metro Bus 6, 18 or 24), ☏ +1 716 248-2644. Tu-Su 10AM-8PM. Despite the name of this place — and despite the lofty reputation its downhome favorites have earned among locals — The Soul Place's menu does not hew strictly to the soul food template. Alongside classics like barbecue ribs, cornbread, fried chicken, collard greens, and mac & cheese you'll find on the menu familiar but well-done fast food-style fare like chicken fingers (served wrapped in newspaper, fish and chips-style), burgers, wings, steak hoagies, even tacos on Tuesday. Your food comes served in Styrofoam containers with plastic silverware — fine dining this isn't, but if anything, that speaks to the authenticity of the food — or else take your food to go. $10-20. (updated Mar 2019)
• 4 Twisted Pickle, 173 High St. (Metro Bus 7, 8, 14, 16, 22 or 29; Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus), ☏ +1 716 531-8085. M-F 10:30AM-7:30PM. Jammed into an unassuming little building that used to be a doctor's office, the unmissable Twisted Pickle (look for the neon-green plaster cow sculpture along Michigan Avenue; the effect is like nothing so much as a Chick-fil-A ad) mostly does takeout and delivery, though there are a few small, not-particularly-comfortable indoor tables. The place is so named for the selection of homemade "specialty pickles" served as appetizers — classic dill, garlic, hot and spicy, and Southern-style deep-fried. Other than that, the menu is about what you'd expect: sandwiches and burgers, salads, tacos, and pizza are passable but no great shakes, but quick service and fair prices make up for that. And while you're waiting, you can play at one of Buffalo's last remaining original Pac-Man arcade consoles. $5-20. (updated Mar 2019)

Mid-range

The Near East Side is the only part of the district that has anything approaching an upscale dining scene.

• 5 Anchor Bar, 1046 Main St. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus), ☏ +1 716 883-1134. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F 11AM-midnight, Sa noon-midnight, Su noon-10PM. Easily Buffalo's most famous restaurant, and maybe the only true "tourist trap" in town. Whether the Anchor Bar is recommendable for you depends on why you've come: if you're a hardcore wing fan who wants to make a pilgrimage to the place where it all began and maybe pick up some chicken wing-themed merch too, you'll leave happy. But if you care about a quality dining experience, look elsewhere: service is utterly indifferent and almost blatantly designed to turn over tables as fast as possible, and the food quality and prices are about what you'd expect from a place that serves mostly tourists with few repeat visitors. Besides wings, offerings include salads, sandwiches (including that other local innovation, beef on weck), and homestyle Italian specialties. $20-40. (updated Jun 2018)
• 6 Chef's, 291 Seneca St. (Metro Bus 15 or 16), ☏ +1 716 856-9187. M-Sa 11AM-9PM. Since 1923, Chef's has been serving hearty Italian cuisine that is comparatively adventurous for neighborhood family-style establishments of its kind. Entrees range from familiar fare such as veal and chicken parmigiana, chicken cacciatore, lasagna, and spaghetti to more elegant selections such as dandelion salad. Reasonable prices and generous portions. Buffalonians love this place. $15-40. (updated Mar 2019)
• 7 Eggsperience Vasilis, 1526 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 12 or 13; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 436-3533. Sa-Th 8AM-3PM, F 8AM-9PM. Described succinctly in the Buffalo News as a "Greek family restaurant posing as a friendly neighborhood bistro", the second location of Eggsperience Vasilis serves up an extensive menu of food in a spacious dining room imbued with character by exposed brick walls and abundant natural lighting. Offerings begin with, but go far beyond, the classic Greek diner staples: the Buffalo chicken finger pita is a Hellenified nod to local cuisine, they get in on the poutine craze with a version topped with chicken souvlaki, and seafood takes center stage among the full-size mains. But breakfast (not surprisingly given the name) is where Eggsperience really shines, with a similarly encyclopedic selection of omelettes, specialty pancakes and crêpes, and other goodies. $15-30. (updated Aug 2018)
• 8 Oakk Room, 1435 Main St (Metro Bus 8, 11, 12, 13 or 25; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 771-2773. W-Th 4PM-midnight, F-Sa 4PM-1AM. The Oakk Room presents an upscale and Jamaican-influenced take on classic soul food, or, as one reviewer put it, "comfort food jazzed with exotic spices". The small menu places a definite emphasis on seafood — crab cakes, fish and grits, and a Friday-night beer-battered fish fry are popular — but if you'd prefer to indulge in some of those island flavors, opt instead for jerk chicken and curry fish. Martinis at the bar hit the spot, too. $15-35. (updated Mar 2019)
• 9 Ulrich's 1868 Tavern, 674 Ellicott St. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus), ☏ +1 716 989-1868. M-F 11AM-10PM, Sa noon-10PM. Buffalo's oldest continuously operating restaurant dates back to the era when the Medical Corridor was a thriving German enclave, and its decor certainly pays tribute to its history — the ambience is fittingly dim and dated, with old photos and memorabilia on the barroom walls. Sadly, those in search of authentic Teutonic cuisine will be disappointed: specialties like schnitzel, knockwurst (served either in a sandwich or as part of the "Oktoberfest" sausage platter), and house-recipe potato pancakes are scattered widely among a menu that's otherwise characterized by hearty, old-school American fare. Food and service are both inconsistent in quality, but portions are generous. $15-40. (updated Jul 2018)

Groceries

• 10 Family Dollar, 1307 Jefferson Ave. (At the Jefferson-Utica Plaza; Metro Bus 12, 13, 18 or 29), ☏ +1 716 882-5133. Daily 8AM-10PM. (updated Apr 2015)
• 11 Family Dollar, 1384 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 12 or 13; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 881-2045. M-Sa 8AM-9PM, Su 9AM-9PM. 
• 12 Family Dollar, 459 William St. (At Towne Gardens Plaza; Metro Bus 1, 2, 4 or 18), ☏ +1 716 852-0730. M-Sa 8AM-9PM, Su 9AM-9PM. (updated Apr 2015)
• 13 Tops, 1275 Jefferson Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 18 or 29), ☏ +1 716 816-0038. Daily 7AM-10PM. (updated Apr 2015)
• 14 Towne Gardens Supermarket (IGA), 449 William St. (At Towne Gardens Plaza; Metro Bus 1, 2, 4 or 18), ☏ +1 716 845-0711. M-F 8AM-8PM, Sa-Su 8AM-6PM. (updated Apr 2015)

Farmers' markets

• 15 Roswell Park Farmers' Market, Kaminski Park, corner of Elm and Carlton Sts. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus). W 11AM-2PM, Jun-Sep. Named for and sponsored by Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the Roswell Park Farmers' Market is held in Kaminski Park, a lovely green oasis amid the gleaming new high-rises of the Medical Corridor. Each Wednesday afternoon in season you can pick up the usual assortment of locally-sourced fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, jams and jellies, and other specialty foods and gifts, including an especially good variety of cut flowers and ornamental plants. 

Drink

• 1 The Bird Cage, 475 Northampton St. (Metro Bus 12, 18, 22 or 29), ☏ +1 716 886-8701. (updated Apr 2015)
• Buffalo Brewing Company, 314 Myrtle Ave. (Metro Bus 2, 15 or 18), ☏ +1 716 868-2218. Come to this artisanal nanobrewery in the Ellicott District to enjoy any of their four flagship beers on draft (easily the favorite among which is "1842", a toasty Vienna lager made with imported hops whose name commemorates the invention of the grain elevator by Buffalo milling magnate Joseph Dart) plus a changing selection of seasonal offerings; stay for a pretty impressive collection of artifacts from Buffalo's long and storied brewing history. (updated Oct 2016)
• 2 Dinny's Place, 372 William St. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4 or 18), ☏ +1 716 842-6413. (updated Apr 2015)
• 3 Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Center, 562 Genesee St. (Metro Bus 6, 18, 24 or 29), ☏ +1 716 856-4476. (updated Apr 2015)
• 4 Famous Corner, 16 S. Cedar St. (Metro Bus 15, 16 or 18), ☏ +1 716 868-8004. (updated Feb 2016)
• 5 The Four One Six, 416 William St. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4 or 18), ☏ +1 716 436-2570. (updated Jan 2018)
• 6 Mike's Lounge, 1343 Jefferson Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 18 or 29), ☏ +1 716 883-1344. (updated Apr 2015)
• Oakk Room, 1435 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 11, 12, 13 or 25; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 771-2773. The bartenders at this Midtown spot will pour you one of about two dozen specialty martinis to go with your island-spiced soul food; enjoy it in a vibe that might best be described as that of a classic old pub, relaxed and "lived-in" yet sophisticated, with a diverse clientele. (updated Mar 2019)
• Ulrich's 1868 Tavern, 674 Ellicott St. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus), ☏ +1 716 989-1868. Buffalo's oldest continuously operating bar was once appended to the back of the Phoenix Brewery, slaking the thirst of the German-American community that had settled in the neighborhood then called Hospital Hill. Appropriately enough, the bar half of the operation does a better job nowadays than the restaurant half at carrying forward that Teutonic heritage, with a halfway decent selection of German imports on tap along with some local craft brews. (updated May 2019)

Coffee shops and miscellaneous

• 7 Café Molon Lave, 1526 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 12 or 13; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 436-3533. Sa-Th 8AM-3PM, F 8AM-9PM. The Greek phrase "molon lave" (μολών λαβέ) translates to "come and take them", and while nowadays it's mainly used as a slogan for gun-rights activists (a fact that raised quite a few eyebrows among locals of a certain political bent when this place opened in 2018), what you're supposed to "come and take" from this place is a modest but delicious selection of smoothies, Greek-style coffee, and desserts cooked up by the folks at Eggsperience Vasilis next door. And despite the name, this isn't a takeout-only place: the interior features comfy seating and a minimalist decor that's a stark contrast from its neighbor. (updated Aug 2018)
• 8 Golden Cup, 1323 Jefferson Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 18 or 29), ☏ +1 716 883-7770. M-F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-3PM. First and foremost, this anonymous-looking storefront on Jefferson Avenue is a roastery, distributing its own fresh-roasted coffee and high-grade tea to restaurants, offices, and other sites around the region — which is probably why it's not on the radar of most Buffalo caffeine aficionados. That's a shame, because the flipside of that is that you know the coffee served at their cozy, homey onsite café is fresh as can be: a myriad of varieties each bursting with flavor, with the common thread being that they all go down smooth and easy (even the decaf varieties!) Plus they'll also sell you beans by the pound, sourced from a variety of countries worldwide. They've got quite the extensive food menu too, with both breakfast and lunch options. (updated Sep 2019)
• 9 SPoT Express — Roswell Park Cancer Institute, 665 Elm St. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus), ☏ +1 716 845-2300. Daily 6AM-11:30PM. 

Sleep

Mid-range

• 1 Wyndham Garden Buffalo Downtown (formerly DoubleTree Club by Hilton Hotel Buffalo Downtown), 125 High St. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus), ☏ +1 716 262-8892. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Located in the heart of the Medical Corridor and also convenient to Allentown. Business center, fitness center, valet parking, restaurant ("Carlton's Grill"). Connected to Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo General Hospital, and Oishei Children's Hospital via covered walkways. Airport shuttle available. $149-189/night in high season. (updated May 2019)

Connect

nearest post offices are downtown on Ellicott St; Broadway-Fillmore

Internet access courtesy of 4 Frank E. Merriweather, Jr. Library, by far the largest library on the East Side, with 47 public computers as well as free WiFi

Another Internet option is the JEFFREE WI-FI network. Since 2018, the City of Buffalo has partnered with Blue Wireless to provide free public WiFi to a stretch of Jefferson Avenue beginning at Northampton Street and stretching about a mile (1.6 km) north, hopefully only the first of many such corridors in the city. It's similar to downtown's BuffaloConnect wireless network in that signal strength drops off rapidly the further you get from Jefferson — basically, stray more than a block in either direction and connectivity is lost — and in that the WiFi works outdoors only, rather than inside the buildings along the street. However, connection speeds are quite a bit faster than the paltry 2 Mb/s you get downtown.

Cope

Hospitals

Established in 2001 by the University at Buffalo Medical School, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and others, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is the epicenter of Buffalo's growing medical technology and bioinformatics industry, and also where you'll find two of the largest hospitals in the region.

• 5 Buffalo General Hospital, 100 High St. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus), ☏ +1 716 859-5600. Founded in 1855, Buffalo General is one of the oldest hospitals in the city. This 501-bed facility is especially well-known for its expertise in cardiovascular treatment, stroke care, and neurology, and is well-equipped to handle any medical emergency that might befall a visitor to downtown Buffalo. 
• 6 Oishei Children's Hospital, 818 Ellicott St. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Allen-Medical Campus), ☏ +1 716 323-2000. After 125 years in the Elmwood Village, the newly renamed John R. Oishei Children's Hospital moved to the Medical Corridor in November 2017. One of the oldest facilities of its kind in the world, Oishei Children's traces its roots to 1892 — a time when the idea that the treatment of children should be different than that of adults was still on the fringes of medical theory. Today this 185-bed facility serves as a teaching hospital for UB Medical School and offers comprehensive care in the field of pediatrics, maternity and neonatal care.  

Laundry and dry cleaning

• 7 Jim Bell Cleaners, 1379 Jefferson Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 18 or 29), ☏ +1 716 886-1888. M-Sa 7AM-6PM. Dry cleaning and shirt laundering. (updated Apr 2015)
• 8 Towne Gardens Laundromat, 465 William St. (At Towne Gardens Plaza; Metro Bus 1, 2, 4 or 18), ☏ +1 716 245-5996. Daily 8AM-8PM. (updated Apr 2015)

Places of worship

Black churches

• 9 Bethel AME Church, 1525 Michigan Ave. (Metro Bus 8, 11, 12, 13 or 25; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 886-1650. Services Su 9:30AM. Founded in 1831, Bethel AME Church is the oldest black religious congregation in Buffalo, predating Michigan Street Baptist Church by six years. Like its counterpart, Bethel's original home on Vine Alley once served as a station on the Underground Railroad. Since 1953, they've worshiped in the former Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Cold Spring, a Gothic-style building erected in 1903. Bethel's pastor, the Rev. Richard Stenhouse, not only leads electrifying services but is also a powerful force in the improvement of the lives of his flock and the community at large — through the church, Bethel Head Start provides quality preschool education to disadvantaged Buffalo children, Bethel Community Development Corporation has built several dozen new single-family homes around Cold Spring for struggling families, and there's even a community credit union. (updated Apr 2015)
• 10 Bethesda World Harvest International Church, 1365 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 11, 12, 13 or 25; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 884-3607. Services Su 9:30AM. An unmistakable beacon in Midtown with its metallic modernist facade and huge animated LED sign flashing onto Main Street, Bethesda World Harvest International Church's history is anything but recent: its roots stretch back to the 1930s, when Elva and Richard White, a husband-and-wife team of traveling revivalist preachers, settled down in Buffalo and founded what was at first known as the Bethesda Revival Center. These days, it's not only a church in its own right where Bishop Michael Badger leads services every Sunday morning, but also the headquarters of the Bethesda Fellowship of Churches, a nationwide network of religious communities specializing in humanitarian and missionary work in Africa. (updated Apr 2015)
• 11 Durham Memorial AME Zion Church, 174 E. Eagle St. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4, 14, 15, 16 or 42; Metro Rail: Church), ☏ +1 716 856-4943. Services Su 9AM. The dispute facing Bethel AME Church at the turn of the century — whether they should continue meeting in the traditional heart of Buffalo's black community, or move away from what had since become a seedy red-light district — was so controversial that it ended up splitting the congregation in half, giving birth in 1901 to what was first called St. Luke's AME Zion Church and later renamed in honor of their longtime Pastor, Rev. Henry Durham, after his death. Their current church building, a charming little brick Gothic church in the Ellicott District, was erected in 1920 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places — and it still packs them in every Sunday morning to hear Pastor George Woodruff preach. (updated Apr 2015)
• 12 Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 402 Clinton St. (Metro Bus 1, 2 or 18), ☏ +1 716 847-1020. Services Su 9:45AM. Friendship Missionary Baptist Church is a neighborhood institution that's been going strong for over a century: it has been housed in three separate buildings since its establishment in 1913, but true to the neighborhood that nurtured it, all of those buildings have been located on or near Clinton Street in the Ellicott District. Almost as storied as the history of the church itself is the history of the welfare institutions it's sponsored for the local area: from the community grocery store it ran in the Depression years to its status as the first black church in Buffalo to evangelize over the radio airwaves beginning in the 1940s, and right through today with the community educational initiatives, food banks, and other programs maintained by Reverend Edward Jackson. But of course, the Sunday morning services, where longtime members as well as visitors are welcome to a seat at the table, remain the heart and soul of Friendship Baptist — they take place in a brick building dating from 1954 that, like the congregation itself, blends tradition with modernity. (updated May 2015)
• 13 Macedonia Baptist Church, 237 E. North St. (Metro Bus 18, 22 or 29), ☏ +1 716 886-3489. Services Su 11AM. Macedonia Baptist Church's twin emphases are inclusivity and evangelism. Here, visitors and new members are not so much welcomed with open arms as infused with a sensation of suddenly finding one's long-lost family, which dovetails nicely with their goal of spreading the good news of their faith by engaging with the community in myriad different ways, at services as well as with scholarship programs, food drives, and other community betterment efforts. Pastor Herman Alston is the one who carries on the church's long tradition: founded in 1921, it bounced around various locations around the area (including most notably a spell in the 1970s, '80s and '90s at the historic Michigan Street Baptist Church) before landing in the old Masten Park Baptist Church on East North Street in the Fruit Belt: a simple yet striking English Gothic building erected in 1932 using local limestone. (updated May 2015)
• 14 Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, 400 Northampton St. (Metro Bus 12, 18, 22 or 29), ☏ +1 716 885-8778. Services Su 11AM. Mount Moriah's new pastor, Jeffrey Chambers, may have only been at the pulpit since 2015, but already he's making his mark — a true man of the people, he's the living embodiment of its identity as a "Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, Bible-preaching Baptist church where all are welcomed and embraced in Godly love" — engaged, outgoing, and on friendly terms with the regulars in his congregation. The place to be on Sunday mornings is the former Concordia Lutheran Church on Northampton Street in Cold Spring, an ample-sized, red-brick Gothic church built in 1903 to a design by local architect Jacob Oberkircher. (updated May 2015)
• 15 Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 226 Cedar St. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 4 or 6), ☏ +1 716 856-6321. Services Su 11AM. Pastor Joe Fisher is the man of the hour ever Sunday morning at this pleasant, homey church in the Ellicott District. Pleasant Grove Baptist Church's history can be traced back to 1918, but its present building is relatively newer: erected in 1977 from a design by Wallace Moll, one of the biggest names in the unsung late-20th Century Buffalo architectural community, Pleasant Grove's interior is brightly lit and centered on a modern-style, cross-shaped stained glass window above the altar. (updated May 2015)
• 16 St. John Baptist Church, 184 Goodell St. (Metro Bus 6, 8, 14, 16 or 24), ☏ +1 716 852-4504. Services Su 10AM. Affiliated with the American Baptist Convention, St. John's is a congregation whose humble roots — the first service was helmed by Rev. Burnie McCarley in a tiny storefront in Broadway-Fillmore and attended by a congregation that numbered four — belie its modern-day status as a true mover and shaker among Buffalo's African-American faith community. As much a community service organization as a religious community, St. John's 45-acre (18 ha) campus on the west edge of the Fruit Belt comprises not only the church itself — a colorful, brightly-lit, modern structure that's a well-known landmark in the blocks east of downtown — but also McCarley Gardens, a development of 150 affordable townhouses that's about as well-kept and safe as public housing in Buffalo gets, St. John Tower, a nine-story senior citizens' apartment complex, and the Rev. Dr. Bennett W. Smith Family Life Center, a large facility that hosts recreational and educational events open to the community. (updated May 2015)

Mainline Protestant

• 17 New Covenant United Church of Christ, 459 Clinton St. (Metro Bus 1, 2 or 18), ☏ +1 716 856-3392. Services Su 11:30AM. Like Durham Memorial AME Zion Church, New Covenant UCC's history can be traced back to the controversy among members of Bethel AME Church over the undesirable location of their place of worship in what was then Buffalo's red-light district. Desiring to go one step beyond Durham's solution and dispense with Methodism entirely, this church was founded in 1904 and met in a converted house on Potter Street (now Nash Street) donated by one Mr. William Lloyd, hence its original name Lloyd's Memorial Congregational Church. The congregation moved to its present building in the Ellicott District in 1964 and took on its current name ten years later after merging with St. Peter's Evangelical Church. New Covenant remains a very active congregation both at Sunday services and in the community at large, with a neighborhood food pantry, an active music ministry, and frequent guest speakers and other events. The congregation is very welcoming to visitors and new members, too. (updated May 2015)

Catholic

section lede - some rich Buffalo Catholic history took place here - not much of it left

• 18 SS. Columba & Brigid RC Church, 75 Hickory St. (Metro Bus 1, 2, 15 or 18), ☏ +1 716 852-3331. Mass Su 9AM (Spanish) & 11AM (English), last Su of each month 10AM (bilingual), Sa 4PM (English). The story of this proud congregation is the story of the historic linchpin churches of two adjacent but very different neighborhoods: St. Brigid's, founded in 1853 as the "mother church" of the Irish immigrant community of South Buffalo and located for years on Louisiana Street in the Old First Ward, and St. Columba, which served the Italians of the Ellicott District beginning in 1888 and was famous for years as the site of the Printers' Mass, an extra-late service at 1:30AM on Sunday nights held especially for the newspaper printers whose shifts ended just before that hour. The two churches merged in 1968 after St. Brigid's was destroyed by fire, and today SS. Columba and Brigid is a friendly and welcoming Near East Side church with a congregation that draws heavily from the newly minted Hispanic quarter of the Ellicott District, and which strives to use its "contagious Christianity" as a positive force in the lives of all who enter. (updated Feb 2016)

LDS

• 19 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 780 Michigan Ave. (METRO BUS????, Metro Rail: Fountain Plaza), ☏ +1 716 842-0816. Services Su 10AM. Built in 1992, this meetinghouse serves the LDS Church's Buffalo Ward with services in English, Spanish, French, and Swahili. 

Go next

figure it out