Northeast Buffalo

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The agglomeration of neighborhoods in the northeast corner of the City of Buffalo include Kensington-Bailey, Delavan-Bailey, Highland Park, and Schiller Park.

Understand

History

info goes here

Get in and around

By car

streets - Bailey Avenue is the main thoroughfare that threads all these neighborhoods together; it's also the busiest shopping street not only in the district but on the entire East Side.

Other north-south routes include Fillmore Avenue, a thoroughfare of some import in Highland Park; Suffolk Street, a residential side street a block east of Bailey that's nonetheless important enough to have its own exit off the Kensington and that's popular as an alternative with fewer lights and less traffic; and Eggert Road, which runs on the outer edge of the district near the city line.

Main Street runs diagonally southwest-to-northeast & makes up western edge of the district

Cross streets: Amherst, Kensington, East Delavan, Genesee, Doat, Walden

Kensington Expressway bisects the district west to east. Salient exits include Eggert, Suffolk, Bailey, Olympic, Grider

parking - probably won't be a problem; here's some text to incorporate: On Bailey Avenue, parking is limited to two hours Mondays through Fridays from 7AM to 7PM between Millicent and Highgate Avenues in the Kensington-Bailey business district. In Delavan-Bailey, Lovejoy, and Kaisertown, parking is one hour everyday from East Delavan Avenue south to Lang Avenue between 10AM and 4PM; parking is more easily available on cross streets such as Kensington and Delavan

By public transportation

Public transit in Buffalo and the surrounding area is provided by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA). The NFTA Metro system encompasses a single-line light-rail rapid transit (LRRT) system and an extensive network of buses. The fare for a single trip on a bus or train is $2.00 regardless of length. No transfers are provided between buses or trains; travelers who will need to make multiple trips per day on public transit should consider purchasing an all-day pass for $5.00.

By bus

The district is traversed by a number of NFTA Metro bus routes:

To and from downtown

NFTA Metro Bus #6 — Sycamore. Beginning at the Walden Galleria in Cheektowaga, Bus #6 serves the south edge of Schiller Park via Walden Avenue. It ends its run at the Waterfront Village Apartments downtown.

NFTA Metro Bus #8 — Main. Beginning at the University Metro Rail Station, Bus #8 proceeds down Main Street through Highland Park, Hamlin Park, Cold Spring, and Masten Park, with service to the Amherst Street Metro Rail Station. It ends downtown.

NFTA Metro Bus #24 — Genesee. Beginning at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga, Bus #24 proceeds through the Schiller Park via Genesee Street. The route ends at the Buffalo-Exchange Street Amtrak Station downtown.

Crosstown routes

NFTA Metro Bus #12 — Utica. Beginning on the West Side, Bus #12 serves Delavan-Bailey and Kensington-Bailey via Bailey Avenue, Langfield Drive, Eggert Road, and Winspear Avenue on its way to its terminus at the University Metro Rail Station.

NFTA Metro Bus #13 — Kensington. Beginning at the University Metro Rail Station, Bus #13 serves Kensington-Bailey via Bailey and Kensington Avenues. Its terminus is the Utica Metro Rail Station.

NFTA Metro Bus #19 — Bailey. Beginning at the University Metro Rail Station, Bus #19 passes down Bailey Avenue through Kensington-Bailey and Delavan-Bailey before ending in South Buffalo.

NFTA Metro Bus #22 — Porter-Best. Beginning on the West Side, Bus #22 takes the same route through Schiller Park as the #6. It ends its run at the Thruway Mall Transit Center in Cheektowaga.

NFTA Metro Bus #23 — Fillmore-Hertel. Beginning at the Black Rock-Riverside Transit Hub, Bus #23 proceeds through North Buffalo via Hertel Avenue, emerging on Main Street at the East Side's inner boundary and serving the Amherst Street Metro Rail Station before turning onto Fillmore Avenue Proceeding southward on Fillmore, the bus passes through Highland Park before pasisng out of the district and ending in South Buffalo.

NFTA Metro Bus #26 — Delavan. Beginning on the West Side, Bus #26 proceeds along East Delavan Avenue through Delavan-Bailey, ending at the Thruway Mall Transit Center in Cheektowaga.

NFTA Metro Bus #32 — Amherst. Beginning at the Black Rock-Riverside Transit Hub, Bus #32 proceeds along Amherst Street through Highland Park, with service to the Amherst Street Metro Rail Station. From there, Kensington-Bailey is served via Berkshire (on westbound trips only), Bailey, and Kensington Avenues. The bus ends its run at the Thruway Mall Transit Center in Cheektowaga.

By Metro Rail

The Metro Rail is an LRRT line that extends along Main Street from the University at Buffalo's South Campus southward to downtown, along the western border of the East Side. The Metro Rail serves as the backbone of Buffalo's public transit system, accessed directly by many bus routes. Like the buses, the fare for the Metro Rail is $2.00 ($4.00 round-trip); the $5.00 all-day passes available on Metro buses are also valid for the Metro Rail.

salient stations include

• 1 Amherst Street Station — Main Street at East Amherst Street (Highland Park).
• 2 LaSalle Station — not technically in the diastrict, but a short distance over the border in University Heights & provides easy access to the Kensington Heights and Kensington-Bailey areas.

By bike

no bike infrastructure in the area at all, probably the least bikeable area of the city; bike with extreme caution & especially stay away from Bailey; it's one of the city's major hotspots for car/bike collisions

On foot

The Bailey Avenue business district is fairly walkable and to a lesser extent so is East Delavan. Be careful though bc this is a high crime area

See

do your best to find things to fill this section with, but it's probably still going to be scant

• 1 Tri-Main Center, 2495 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 23 or 32; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 835-3366. The massive old factory building in Highland Park that was once Trico Plant #2, built in 1915 by the pioneering windshield wiper manufacturer and later used by Ford Motors to build airplanes during World War II, was reborn in 1991 as the Tri-Main Center. Intended as a mixed-use facility for offices and light industrial concerns, the building instead became an epicenter for the nascent East Side arts community, with studios, galleries, and cultural institutions snapping up a disproportionate share of the space. The prominent presence of the arts here is celebrated with Trimania, a huge biannual festival featuring live music, performances and art shows on all five floors of the building, as well as Fourth Fridays, a smaller monthly open house where studios and galleries display artists' works. The Tri-Main Center contains: 

• Buffalo Arts Studio (Suite 500), ☏ +1 716 833-4450. Tu-F 11AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-2PM (Sep-May only). With about two dozen artists-in-residence working in a diversity of different media and representative of a broad cross-section of the local arts community, the Buffalo Arts Studio provides artists from Buffalo and beyond a venue to exhibit their works — either as part of the permanent collection or through the temporary exhibitions they hold frequently — as well as affordable studio space in one of the area's premier up-and-coming arts facilities. As well, the Buffalo Arts Studio's mission to advance awareness and enjoyment of art among the community at large manifests itself in the form of art classes, mural paintings and other public art projects offered to local citizens. Donation. 
• Mundo Images (Suite 255), ☏ +1 716 598-8850. Tu-F 11AM-4:30PM, Sa by appointment. Moved to the Tri-Main Center in 2014 from its former home in Allentown, Mundo Images is run by Ann Peterson, a professional photographer, language instructor, and world traveler whose mission is to enrich the world through photography, educate young people, and raise awareness of environmental issues. In addition to the small gallery where works by Ann as well as other artists are displayed, Mundo Images also produces, and sells at local stores, greeting cards printed locally on chlorine-free FSC Certified paper, which promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of forests. Free. 

parks - 2 McCarthy Park and 3 Walden Park bustle with romping children and amateur sports teams in the warm months, while 4 Schiller Park is little more than an overgrown lawn with an abandoned park shelter and derelict duck pond. listingify

Do

Festivals and events

• Trimania. Presented every three years in mid-April, Trimania is a raucous evening of "art, music and mischief" at the Tri-Main Center on Main Street. Not only do artists and other businesses open their studios and display their latest masterwork to the public, but all six floors of this old WWI-era factory building are transformed for an evening into a giant freeform performance space, where live bands, DJs, comedians, dancers, poets, and performance artists vie for your attention in a lively multimedia art party that doesn't wind down until well after midnight. Drinks flow freely, the hungry can choose from a multitude of food trucks and other vendors, and all proceeds go to benefit the Buffalo Arts Studio. $20 in advance, $25 at the door. (updated Mar 2015)

Sports

• FC Buffalo, 2885 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 18, 26 or 29; Metro Rail: Delavan-Canisius College). Founded in 2009, FC Buffalo is a member of the National Premier Soccer League. After spending the previous two years at Canisius College's Demske Athletic Complex, as of the 2015 season the team has moved back to its original home at 1 All-High Stadium in Highland Park. Nicknamed "the Blitzers" (in honor of the locally born CNN anchor and FC Buffalo fan, Wolf Blitzer), FC Buffalo's dedication to the well-being of the Buffalo community is exemplified in their motto, "For Our City". Tickets are reasonably priced.  

also All-High Stadium as venue for Buffalo HS sports?

Bowling

• 2 Kerns Avenue Bowling Center, 163 Kerns Ave. (Metro Bus 24), ☏ +1 716 892-3331. M & Th 4PM-10PM, Tu-W noon-10PM, F-Sa 4PM-close, Su noon-close. (updated Oct 2016)

Live music

• Central Park Grill, 2519 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 23 or 32; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 836-9466. Most of the time, "CPG's" is a cozy, sedate Main Street bar & grill situated about midway between Canisius College and University Heights, serving well-prepared comfort food and cocktails to the over-25 crowd. What it's best known for, though, are the sizzling blues shows that happen every Friday and Saturday night, where local combos like Dive House Union, the Jony James Band, and the Heavenly Chillbillies strut their stuff at the center of the Buffalo blues universe. Other genres like soul, funk, jazz and reggae crop up from time to time too, and if there's no band onstage when you visit you can still get your fix with the Internet jukebox and its encyclopedic selection of blues numbers. (updated Mar 2015)
• 3 Varsity Theatre, 3165 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 364-3008. It's a story that, in many ways, parallels that of the Allendale Theatre in Allentown: built in the 1920s as a silent movie palace in a then-thriving neighborhood, by the '70s it had been reduced to showing B movies and porn before closing outright, and was subsequently rescued from the threat of demolition and resurrected as a performance venue. Unlike the Allendale, though, the rebirth of the Varsity Theatre was as a venue for live music instead of theatrical performances — and rather than a multipronged effort on the part of a diverse group of preservationists and community stakeholders, the restoration of the Varsity was the six-year labor of love of a single individual: Ibrahim Cissé, a computer technologist originally from Côte d'Ivoire who now serves as head of the Bailey Business Association. The Varsity had its grand reopening in January 2016, and now plays host to everything from hip-hop acts to gospel choirs to the Nickel City Opera. (updated Oct 2016)

Buy

Kensington-Bailey

The stretch of Bailey Avenue between Winspear Avenue and the Kensington Expressway is the most bustling retail district on the East Side.

Clothing and accessories

If you're on the hunt for streetwise urban fashions, Ken-Bailey is the place to be: up and down the strip, there's an abundance of options.

• 1 Bailey Jewelry, 3124 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 832-0615. Daily 10AM-6PM. Yes, "CASH FOR GOLD" is proclaimed loudly and proudly on the signs that adorn the front of this humble storefront, but Bailey Jewelry is more than just another sleazy old-gold broker. On the contrary, the selection of 10-karat, 14-karat and silver jewelry here is impressive indeed. As is the rule on the East Side, the merchandise here runs heavily toward big, chunky hoop earrings, pendants, diamond watches, and other hip-hop-inspired styles; as is not the rule on the East Side, you should come prepared to splurge a little bit: prices are fair for what you get, but what you get is of surprisingly high quality. (updated Feb 2019)
• 2 Beauty Plus, 3121 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 446-9292. Su-Th 9AM-9PM, F-Sa 9AM-10PM. In business on Bailey Avenue since 2009, the main stock in trade at Beauty Plus is a range of wholesale beauty salon equipment and supplies, as well as a great selection of wigs, in many cases made of real human hair. However, there's a wide range of street-style jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, and other clothing on the walls and shelves of this crowded shop at the heart of the Kensington-Bailey business district. Beauty Plus is also an authorized dealer of Dickies workwear. (updated Feb 2019)
• 3 Carrie's High Fashions, 3329 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 838-0389. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM. Carrie's High Fashions is a small place that's not particularly easy to find: look for the small "Hats & Shoes" sign in the window next to Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, on the east side of Bailey Avenue. Hats and shoes are indeed the cornerstones of the merchandise at Carrie's, the selection of which comprises resale vintage items as well as vintage-inspired new pieces. There's elegant, high-fashion ladies' hats perfect for church on Sunday, and beautiful dresses in bold yet refined colors and styles. (updated Feb 2019)
• 4 City Fashion, 2987 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 833-4305. M-Th 11AM-6:30PM, F-Sa 11AM-7PM. Since 2005, City Fashion's stylish, elegant ladieswear has been attracting folks from all over the city and beyond — folks come from as far as Toronto to browse the great selection of quality items on the racks. if you're planning a special occasion such as a graduation, prom or wedding, you're in luck. The service here is friendly and helpful, and they do tailoring and alterations as well. (updated Feb 2019)
• 5 Fashion City, 3112 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 835-2819. Daily 9AM-10PM. At Fashion City, you'll certainly find plenty of the streetwise urban styles you see in other clothes shops on Bailey, but that's not the end of the story: there's also a decent selection of items in a more traditional, even preppy, aesthetic. The interior sports a brash and vibrant decorative scheme, highlighted by a loud black-and-white checkered tile floor, and it's where you'll find a wide range of name-brand clothes for men and women on racks, shelves, even hanging from the rafters: sweats, hoodies, jeans, t-shirts, baseball caps, flannels, bubble jackets, shoes and boots (there's a huge wall given over to Timberlands). Fashion City is also an authorized dealer of Dickies work apparel. (updated Feb 2019)
• 6 Lucky's Fashions, 1074 Kensington Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 835-8259. M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 10AM-8PM. Lucky's may not look like much from the outside, but there's a huge selection of different stuff inside that goes above and beyond "The Latest Fashion and Beauty" touted by the sign outside. The front of the store is given over to a decent selection of polo shirts, men's and women's T-shirts, jeans, and workwear, while in back you have bath products, body oils, wigs, hair extensions, and other such items. Finally, this jack-of-all-trades shop even sells, unlocks and repairs cell phones — a variety of brands and plans are offered. (updated Feb 2019)
• 7 Mz. Tammy's Fashions, 3389 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13 or 19), ☏ +1 716 436-5429. Tammy Scott makes it clear with the sign out front that the Bailey Avenue store she owns is "4 women with curves" — and if you're a plus-sized lady who doesn't want to miss out on the loud and proud, attention-getting urban styles you find at other East Side clothing boutiques, head in for a snazzy selection of everything from club-wear to church-wear, at fantastic prices. (updated Mar 2019)
• 8 One of a Kind Fashion, 3000 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 783-9796. Daily 11AM-11PM. "Don't be predictable", exhorts the motto on the sign, and true to its word, One of a Kind Fashions' inventory is a refreshing change of pace: fashions that are decidedly upscale without sacrificing any streetwise sass. The retail space here is split into two levels: in front you'll find streetwear and accessories whose aesthetic tends toward the loud and outlandish; walk up a few steps in back for a range of more conservative dresses, skirts, and tops perfect for a night on the town. Furthering this balancing act is the interior, brightly lit and decorated with stylish minimalism yet with delightfully gaudy accents here and there like mirrored walls. (updated Feb 2019)
• 9 Styles, 1012 Kensington Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 322-7347. M-Sa 11AM-7PM. Open on Kensington Avenue since 2015, Styles is less a fashion boutique than a custom screen-printing and embroidery workshop where you can have the design or logo of your choosing (pick from a selection of house-created ones, or come up with your own) placed on any number of different articles of clothing, accessories, or other goods — most often t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and the like, but also baseball caps, headbands, leather jackets, and even laptop cases and dog collars. Owner Joe Graham and his staff hold court in a store that's small in size but brightly lie and smartly appointed in minimalist style, and sell their wares for decent prices. (updated Feb 2019)
• 10 Swag, 2883 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13 or 19), ☏ +1 716 491-6340. M-Th 9AM-8PM, F-Sa 9AM-9PM. There's lots of urban clothes crammed into this ample, warmly decorated strip-mall boutique, particularly menswear: t-shirts, jeans, hoodies and more. Belts, shoes, boots and other accessories come in bold, bright colors and really make a statement. The folks at Swag also fix broken mobile phones, iPads and iPods. (updated Feb 2019)
• 11 United Men's Fashion, 3082 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 837-0100. M-W 10AM-6:45PM, Th-F 10AM-7:45PM, Sa 10AM-5:15PM. Established in 1929, United Men's Fashions is by far the oldest operating business in the neighborhood, with a selection that comprises an extensive and high-quality yet reasonably priced array of suit jackets, dress shirts and pants, tuxedos and other formalwear, sweaters, hats, and men's accessories. Despite sporting a style that's sometimes a bit too flashy for its own good — bright colors and offbeat styles abound — the inventory is classy and sophisticated, seemingly much more at home in a high-end men's shop in New York or Los Angeles than on the East Side. (updated Feb 2019)
• 12 Young Fashion, 3096 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 838-1733. Daily 10AM-6PM. Since 1992, owner Kim Young has operated this urban fashion boutique, stocking street gear and accessories for both men and women at the heart of the Bailey strip. The styles you'll find at Young Fashions are pretty much in line with the standard set by its neighboring competitors, but the selection is decent, and they're also an authorized seller of Dickies brand workwear. (updated Feb 2019)

Specialty foods

• 13 An Chau Asian Market, 3306 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 837-2303. M-W 10AM-7:30PM, Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-8:30PM, Su 10AM-6PM. If you've been to An Chau's other location on Niagara Street, you know what to expect: crowded aisles stacked floor-to-ceiling with a wide variety of international, and especially Asian, specialty groceries. Compared to its counterpart, the Bailey location is smaller yet cleaner and less chaotic and claustrophobic, but you'll find the same sorts of sauces, oils, pickles, nonperishables, fresh produce, and fresh and frozen meats — as well as an expanded selection of non-Asian items, such as Jamaican johnnycake mix. For best results, check sell-by dates: An Chau is known for keeping expired items on the shelves. (updated Feb 2019)
• 14 Fair Price Halal Meat, Grocery & Food, 3327 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 536-1890. M-F 9:30AM-9:30PM, Sa-Su 9AM-9:30PM. "Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Indian, Pakistani and American grocery items" are what the bilingual English-Bengali sign outside the door advertises, and indeed, what you'll find on the shelves of this refreshingly uncluttered shop is all the usual ethnic-grocery standards: huge sacks of rice and other staple grains stacked in the front window; dried legumes, cooking oils, spices and condiments on the shelves; frozen samosas and the like in the coolers. But what sets Fair Price apart from the competition is an impressively diverse and impeccably fresh selection of Asian and Western produce. (updated Mar 2019)

Furniture and home decor

• 15 Bailey Furniture, 3191 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 835-6171. Tu-F 11AM-4PM, Sa 11AM-3PM. The furniture at issue here is mostly used and antique, with a few new items mixed in. There's a wide selection to browse through at this crowded little shop, especially of dining room furniture, which seems to be a particular specialty. As the inventory is sourced mostly from consignment, quality (and value for your money) varies widely from item to item, and the shopping experience is akin to a giant estate sale. Still, like any estate sale, there are bargains to be had for those who are willing to hunt for them. It might be worthwhile to call ahead if you're thinking of stopping in: the staff has a habit of adhering rather loosely to their posted opening hours. (updated Feb 2019)
• 16 Priceless Home Decor, 3139 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 551-0642. M-Sa noon-9PM. "Home decor" is really only the beginning at Priceless, where you'll find a truly gargantuan selection of furniture, appliances and home electronics whose sophisticated class, durability and all-around high quality may come as a surprise to visitors initially put off by the downmarket look of its exterior. This place has stuff you wouldn't find in a store twice its size. A full range of living room, dining room and bedroom furniture, mattresses, stoves, washers and dryers, refrigerators and other appliances, and TVs and other electronics are all sold at Priceless, with service that's second to none in friendliness and efficiency. (updated Feb 2019)

Looking south down Bailey Avenue from the corner of Westminster Avenue, in the heart of the Kensington-Bailey business district.

Music

• 17 New Style Records and Movies, 2995 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 834-0710. A 20-year veteran of the local music industry, Civic Davis has been selling the latest in R&B, hip-hop, reggae, gospel, jazz, and blues albums in this small shop since 1996. Browse through the selection of CDs and cassettes in the stylishly decorated sales floor overlooked by a huge fishbowl. DVDs of blockbuster Hollywood movies are available, as well as — interestingly — a range of spa and beauty care products. (updated Feb 2019)

Delavan-Bailey and Schiller Park

Clothing and accessories

• 18 City Swagg, 2240 Genesee St. (Metro Bus 24 or 26), ☏ +1 716 247-0691. M-Sa 9AM-9PM. Opened in 2012 on the West Side, City Swagg moved to its current location in Schiller Park in 2017. The inventory is the same as ever, though: these guys offer the best in urban fashions straight from the streets of New York, L.A. and Miami. From everyday wear like jeans, dresses, and jackets, to shoes and accessories, to swimwear and body suits, the designs here are sexy, sassy and make a bold statement. As well as clothing, City Swagg also sells mobile phones and related accessories, with calling plans from providers such as H2O Wireless, T-Mobile, and Net10. (updated Feb 2019)
• 19 Gear Up, 1281 E. Delavan Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 892-1695. Daily 9AM-9PM. This brightly-decorated storefront in Delavan-Bailey is a destination for those in search of urban-oriented sportswear, outerwear, jeans and sneakers from popular brands like Nike, Timberland, and New Era. Gear Up is a crowded and not particularly well-organized place, but there are some nice finds if you're willing to hunt them down a little bit. That's especially true of the sneaker selection: if you're looking for something that really stands out, with bright colors and unusual designs, stop by. New arrivals come in every week, and Gear Up also boasts a modest range of ladies' fashions, handbags and other accessories. (updated Oct 2016)
• 20 Get Your'z, 2047 Genesee St. (Metro Bus 24), ☏ +1 716 894-4252. M-F 11AM-9PM, Sa 11AM-10PM. Owned since 2006 by James Barclay and situated on Genesee Street an easy walk from Schiller Park, Get Your'z is a source for trendy, statement-making designer ladies' apparel (and some menswear too). Dresses, blouses, stylish jeans, leggings and hosiery come in bold colors and daring styles, and sales and promotions happen frequently. Interestingly, Get Your'z also stocks a range of car accessories. (updated Feb 2019)
• 21 KeeKee's, 1384 E. Delavan Ave. (Metro Bus 26), ☏ +1 716 603-4915. M-F 10AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-5PM. Owner Lakeisha Williams proudly sells her line of new and secondhand women's "Fashions on a Budget" in this sparsely decorated storefront in the heart of the Delavan-Bailey business district. If your tastes tend toward the Afrocentric, KeeKee's is the place for you, with lots of colorful wooden jewelry and flowing dresses in tribal-style prints, but aside from that the styles here tend to be a bit more understated than what you'll find on a your typical East Side urban fashion boutique. But there are some really upscale finds here among the dresses, blouses, shawls, shoes, handbags, and other accessories. (updated Oct 2016)
• 22 Legacy Apparel & Footwear, 2649 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 893-0361. Daily 9AM-11PM. A newer addition to the roster of Bailey Avenue clothing boutiques, Legacy Apparel is a huge emporium located at the far southern end of the strip stocked with a huge range of streetwear for both men and women — hoodies, jackets, baseball caps, and some of the best-priced jeans you'll find anywhere on the East Side. Bright colors and hip-hop styles abound. And if Bailey Avenue is particularly busy on the day you visit, never fear about parking — Legacy Apparel boasts an ample off-street lot. (updated Feb 2019)
• 23 Sky's the Limit, 2619 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 895-3520. Daily 9AM-11PM. Sky's the Limit is run by local entrepreneur Ahmed Ahmed, a second-generation Yemeni-American immigrant who also owns Farm Fresh Market across the street. The main attraction here is a dizzying range of beauty supplies as well as wigs and weaves, but there's also a similarly impressive selection of urban-style women's apparel and footwear, with excellent bargains to be had on bold, sassy tops, leggings, dresses and other formalwear, work uniforms, and even kids' clothing. The downside at Sky's the Limit is the customer service, which tends toward the inattentive. (updated Mar 2015)

Specialty foods

• 24 Indo-Pak Bangla Bazar, 525 Doat St. (Metro Bus 6 or 22), ☏ +1 716 803-6529. Daily 10AM-9PM. As the name indicates, Indo-Pak Bangla Bazar is a small grocery store in Schiller Park that serves the needs of the area's teeming South Asian immigrant community with a small selection of ethnic foods. Here you'll find a variety of spices, staple foods such as rice and dried grains, as well as more standard bodega fare such as soda pop, snack foods, and canned goods. Friendly customer service is a specialty at Indo-Pak Bangla Bazar: the credo is "Quality comes first, profit is its logical sequence". (updated Jul 2016)
• 25 Steve's Meats, 1314 E. Delavan Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 897-0272. M-Sa 9AM-5PM, first Su of each month 9AM-1PM. Steve's Meats has been serving the Delavan-Bailey community and beyond since 1978 with some of the freshest meats around: stuffed pork chops, steak rollups, chuck roasts, chicken breasts, and even custom-made combo packs fly off the shelves, and in the freezers you'll find a selection of chicken fingers, pizza logs, and other snacks, Jamaican-style beef patties, and breakfast treats like waffles, French toast and hash browns. If you're visiting near the beginning of the month, you'll likely have to brave crowds, but customers nearly always leave happy. (updated Feb 2019)

Miscellaneous

• 26 M&J Wholesale, 1287 E. Delavan Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 768-0762. M-Sa 9AM-10PM. This Delavan-Bailey destination stocks everything for the tobacco enthusiast on your list: M&J's has hookah pipes, loose tobacco, rolling papers, and other accessories for sale at rock-bottom prices (cash only, though). (updated Oct 2016)

Highland Park

Specialty foods

• 27 Bangla Bazaar, 2290 Fillmore Ave. (Metro Bus 8 or 23; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 495-3721. Daily 9AM-12:30AM. Picture this. It's 11 at night. You haven't eaten yet, and you're hungry for Indian food. All the restaurants are closed. What to do? Well, assuming you know how to cook and don't mind braving a moderately sketchy neighborhood in the dark, Bangla Bazaar in Highland Park is your answer. Step inside and you'll find shelves well-stocked with everything you'd expect from an ethnic food market: nonperishable packaged groceries, spices, dried beans and legumes, frozen fish and meats (100% halal), even vegetables. Prices are high and the organizational scheme of the store's layout isn't what you'd call intuitive, but of course that comes with the territory. (updated Mar 2019)
• Landies Candies, 2495 Main St., Suite 350 (At the Tri-Main Building; Metro Bus 8, 23 or 32; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 834-8212. M-F 9AM-4PM. If you're a home shopping aficionado, you may have seen Landies Candies offered up for sale "exclusively" on the QVC network. You might have searched fruitlessly in stores only to be told that the only way you can get them is through the television. Is that true? Yes indeed — unless you head up to the third floor of the Tri-Main Center in Highland Park, where Landies has a retail shop selling a wide range of treats: chocolate truffles, peanut butter cups, caramel confections, and a delectable take on sponge candy that's fresh and flavorful without the cloying sweetness you'll find elsewhere. (updated Feb 2019)

Miscellaneous

• 28 Alive Christian Bookstore, 2275 Fillmore Ave. (Metro Bus 8 or 23; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 837-1118. M-F 11AM-5PM. Operated since 1995 by the Greater Refuge Temple of Christ's Reverend Gordon Sweat and his wife Larcenia, Alive Christian Bookstore carries copies of the Bible in a variety of different translations, as well as Bible study materials, Sunday School readers from the Union Gospel Press, and sundry other Christian literature. The purview of this place doesn't end with books, though; Alive is also a source for church supplies including robes, clergy shirts and other specialty clothing. (updated Apr 2015)

Eat

section lede - do we bother breaking this up into budget/mid-range/splurge? I'd say no

Kensington-Bailey

The Bailey Avenue strip has the most diverse and interesting range of eateries on the East Side. If you like Jamaican, you'll be especially pleased with your options.

Budget

• 1 Baba's Place, 3319 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 832-5252. M-F 9AM-6PM. "Ethnically influenced comfort food" (their words, and perhaps the best possible description of said food) is the name of the game at this tiny, spartan Greek diner: gyro, souvlaki, and other favorites served the traditional way — with pita bread and a Greek salad on the side — or on sub rolls. Either way, expect huge portions and second-to-none quality that both belie the low prices you pay. If that doesn't tickle your fancy, there's a range of other pita-pocket sandwiches and "pita tacos" to choose from, shish kebabs and a truly delicious rice pudding, and American diner staples as well. $10-20. (updated Mar 2019)
• 2 Bailey Seafood, 3316 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 833-1973. M-Th & Sa 11AM-8PM, F 9AM-9PM. Part seafood market selling shrimp and crab legs by the pound to cook at home, part take-out spot specializing in tasty treats from the briny deep: there's a good reason why East Siders brave ubiquitous crowds and endless lines to enjoy what Bailey Seafood has to offer. Simply put, the food here is really, really good, with shipments of high-quality product arriving daily. The marquee item is the "Haddock Super Sandwich", a feast that truly lives up to its superlative name, but frankly it would be useless to try to summarize the gargantuan menu in any succinct way: just know that pretty much anything you can think of that's aquatic and edible is on the menu, along with plenty of non-seafood items, and if you like Southern cuisine, you'll especially want to give Bailey Seafood a try. $10-25. (updated Mar 2019)
• 3 Captain of the Sea Fish & Chicken, 3038 Bailey Ave. (Entrance facing Kensington Ave.; Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 446-5622. M-Sa 10AM-8PM. Sad to say, Captain of the Sea will probably always stand in the shadow of its big brother up the street, Bailey Seafood: in terms of consistency, local renown, and size and diversity of the menu, the latter is simply in a league of its own. That's a shame, because at its best, the delicacies served up here can ably hold their own with the competition. And there's something to be said for a menu that's easy to wrap your head around: it's no more complex than various species of fish and seafood breaded and deep-fried to a crisp, served with French fries or, if you like, massive unsplit chicken wings prepared basically the same way. Service is friendly and lightning-fast, and the dessert case (something Bailey Seafood doesn't have) is full of scrumptious treats. Take-out only. $10-25. (updated Mar 2019)
• 4 Caribbean Experience, 2897 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13 or 19), ☏ +1 716 838-5131. Tu-Th 12:15PM-10PM, F 12:30PM-4AM, Sa 1:30PM-4AM. The "experience" here is astoundingly good, if a bit strange at first: ring the buzzer out front, whereupon you'll be met at the door led to the counter in the back of the building to order your food, then double back to a large, sparsely but pleasantly decorated dining room to await your meal. Caribbean Experience's menu sticks to the standards, but does so with aplomb: the jerk chicken is flavored perfectly, not overpowering in its spiciness but with a meaty, somewhat smoky aroma and none of the sweetness that you occasionally find in other Jamaican eateries, and the delicious authenticity carries over to the rest of the menu as well. All meals are served with fried plantains, red beans and rice, and they'll smother it with spicy jerk gravy if you want — highly recommended. $10-20. (updated Mar 2019)
• 5 The Fire Spot, 3300 Bailey Ave (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 835-3473. M-Sa 9AM-9PM. Char-grilled hot dogs? Blazing-hot Mexican or Asian food? They don't take the "fire" metaphor quite that far, but if you're in the mood for delicious, homestyle soul food classics made fresh to order and served by one of the friendliest staffs of any restaurant in the city, you should definitely check out this pint-sized Bailey Avenue eatery. Though The Fire Spot does stay open through dinnertime, breakfast (all-day!) and lunch are the two busiest times of the day here: the biggest seller on the menu by far are the chicken and waffles, uniquely served with whole, unsplit wings fried up to crispy perfection (you can substitute tenders or traditional wings on request). At lunchtime, you can also try a delicious steak hoagie slathered in their own secret-recipe "Tailgate Comeback Sauce". $10-20. (updated Mar 2019)
• 6 Mike's Steak Joint, 3355 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 835-5636. M-Sa 11AM-1AM, Su 11AM-10PM. If you're looking to nurse a hangover after a night of bar-hopping in nearby University Heights, Mike's menu is frequently described as a tastier and cheaper version of Jim's Steakout. As you might have inferred from the full name of the place, steak is the marquee ingredient: Mike's claim to have invented the steak taco is dubious at best, but that doesn't make it any less delicious, and the "Steak in the Hood" hoagie comes with pork sausage in addition to the titular filling. Aside from steak, Mike's serves a full range of hot and cold subs, burgers, sausage sandwiches, chicken wings and fingers, and tacos. They deliver, too. $10-20. (updated Mar 2019)
• 7 Pho 99 (99 Fast Food Restaurant), 3398 Bailey Ave (Metro Bus 12, 13 or 19), ☏ +1 716 836-6058. M-F 10:30AM-10PM, Sa 10AM-10PM, Su 10AM-8:30PM. Though Buffalo's first Vietnamese restaurant can no longer claim the title of Buffalo's best Vietnamese restaurant — consensus says the experience here has suffered since new management took over, and that's not to mention all the competitors that have sprung up since the place opened in 1999 (hence its name) — this place still gets crowded at lunchtime, especially with students and faculty of the nearby South Campus of the University at Buffalo. The Vietnamese soup that gives the restaurant its name is joined on the menu by a wide range of vermicelli bowls, fried rice plates, and meat-based entrees, all passable in quality if not quite as spectacular as what you can find at Pho Dollar on the West Side. Service is friendly if sometimes slow. $10-20. (updated Mar 2019)

Mid-range

• 8 Kensington Avenue Pizzeria, 1463 Kensington Ave (At Cleve-Hill Plaza; Metro Bus 12 or 32), ☏ +1 716 832-3322. M-Th 10AM-10:30PM, F-Sa 10AM-11PM. A true conundrum: locals are equally likely to praise the deliciousness of the food here as to denounce the slow service, "rough around the edges" waitstaff, and high-ish prices. Kensington Pizza does earn points for its expansive menu, though: the sign outside touts "the largest variety of pizzeria foods around", which is too modest; this place's oeuvre spreads far beyond mere "pizzeria foods", with a full range of sandwiches and burgers, pasta and other Italian specialties, Southern-style fried chicken, some Greek diner fare, even Puerto Rican food like pastelillos and pernil. If you do want pizza, come hungry: the "Kitchen Sink Pizza" — with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, onions, mushrooms, green and black olives, and sweet and hot peppers — is the odds-on favorite. $10-30. (updated Mar 2019)

Groceries

• 9 Dollar General, 3079 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 833-3127. Daily 8AM-8PM. 
• 10 Family Dollar, 3364 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13 or 19), ☏ +1 716 833-4093. Daily 8AM-10PM. 
• 11 Family Dollar, 1459 Kensington Ave. (At Cleve-Hill Plaza; Metro Bus 12 or 32), ☏ +1 716 836-2361. Daily 8AM-10PM. 
• 12 Imperial Market, 3045 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 836-6223. Daily 7AM-11PM. 

Pizza

The following pizzerias are located in Kensington-Bailey. Those who are interested in pizza delivery (as opposed to pickup) might want to also check listings in adjacent districts; local pizzerias will often deliver to several different neighborhoods of the city.

• 13 Bailey Avenue Pizza, 2916 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13 or 19), ☏ +1 716 837-4444. M-Th noon-11PM, F-Su 1PM-11PM. 
• 14 Sam's Pizza, 1393 Kensington Ave. (Metro Bus 12 or 32), ☏ +1 716 424-0007. Daily 9AM-11:45PM. (updated Mar 2020)

Local chains

The following local chains have locations in Kensington-Bailey. Descriptions of these restaurants can be found on the main Buffalo page.

• 15 Louie's Texas Red Hots, 2811 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12 or 19), ☏ +1 716 835-8200. Su-Th 8AM-1AM, F-Sa 8AM-3AM. 

Delavan-Bailey and Schiller Park

Budget

• 16 Bailey's Homestyle Cooking, 2682 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 896-9661. Tu-Sa noon-midnight. The menu at Bailey's Homestyle Cooking is an odd but delicious hodgepodge: simple hot-off-the-grill fare like burgers, hot sub sandwiches, hot dogs and French fries rub elbows on the menu with succulent Southern specialties like barbecue ribs and mac & cheese, and they even serve Jamaican-style curry chicken. All this is dished out to you in a homey, unpretentious environment for budget-friendly prices. $10-15. (updated Feb 2015)
• 17 Park Vue Bar & Restaurant, 34 S. Crossman St. (Metro Bus 24), ☏ +1 716 783-7437. Th 5PM-10PM, F-Sa 3PM-10PM, Su noon-6PM. Nestled in a verdant setting on a side street at the edge of Schiller Park (hence the name), this address is best known among Buffalonians as the original location of Scharf's, which dished out hearty German-American pub grub to a steadily dwindling crowd of neighborhood old-timers for nearly half a century before finally closing up shop in 2014. Nowadays, though, soul food is the name of the game at the Park Vue. The hours of operation are not what you'd call extensive, but if you can catch the place open, you're in for a feast of barbecue ribs, fried chicken, mac & cheese, and other finger-lickin'-good favorites, an ambience that's as down-to-earth as the old place but also a lot less gritty, and service that's the definition of old-fashioned Southern hospitality. $10-30. (updated Sep 2019)

Groceries

• 18 Family Dollar, 2565 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 597-0258. Daily 8AM-10PM. 
• 19 Farm Fresh Market, 2724 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12 or 19), ☏ +1 716 838-6082. Daily 7AM-11PM. 
• 20 Save-a-Lot, 2160 Genesee St. (Metro Bus 24), ☏ +1 716 896-6178. M-Sa 9AM-8PM, Su 9AM-5PM. 

Highland Park

Budget

• 21 Cali Eats, 2319 Main St. (Metro Bus 8 or 23; Metro Rail: Humboldt-Hospital), ☏ +1 716 243-9953. M-Sa 11AM-7PM. The name of this Main Street taquería is no idle exaggeration: the owners are proud West Coast transplants, and when it comes to replicating the staples of Cal-Mex cuisine in their most authentic form, Cali Eats is "a great business that takes real pride in getting it right" (in the words of one reviewer). The menu is far from the most extensive in the local area, with none of the lengua, buche, or other exotic fillings you'll find at a place like Los Mayas or Casa Azul, but those with more conventional tastes in meat can enjoy heaping portions of pork, chicken or beef served on house-made corn tortillas, either à la carte or in the form of fast-food style numbered combos with rice and a drink on the side. Yummy pastelillos are on hand for aficionados of Puerto Rican cuisine, and don't forget to save room for dessert: churros are another specialty of the house, and they're to die for. $10-20. (updated Sep 2019)
• 22 Swings, 2280 Fillmore Ave. (Metro Bus 8 or 23; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 247-9464. Daily noon-3PM & 5PM-midnight. Buffalo's culinary history is a cautionary tale littered with failed attempts to reinvent the chicken wing. Swings is one of the rare success stories in that department. Short for "specialty wings", the iterations sold at Kobie Lewis' Fillmore Avenue walk-up window have won five National Buffalo Wing Festival trophies, so clearly the strategy of working within the limitations of the source material has paid off. The variety of flavors is ample, if not quite as much so as at Wing Kings, Buffalo's reigning champion of creative wings: choose from standards like barbecue, lemon pepper, garlic parm, and of course classic Buffalo style with varying levels of heat, plus a well-curated selection of oddballs such as taco-seasoned wings. $15-25. (updated Feb 2019)
• 23 Tony's Ranch House, 2285 Main St. (Metro Bus 8 or 23; Metro Rail: Humboldt-Hospital), ☏ +1 716 835-4358. M-F 7AM-3:30PM, Sa 7AM-1PM. A somewhat misleadingly named Main Street institution that's served a full range of Greek diner fare since 1981 to a loyal clientele comprised of a mixture of neighborhood regulars, Sisters Hospital employees, and Canisius College students. The menu sticks to the basics but also includes Texas hots smothered in a secret sauce whose recipe has been in the family since the '50s. There's also a copious slate of breakfast options that includes homemade doughnuts and about a half-dozen specialty omelettes. The interior has been renovated and updated yet retains that classic homey ambience, but the quality of the food and service are merely average (and seem to be declining after the death of the longtime owner a few years ago). $5-15. (updated Mar 2019)

Groceries

• 24 Dollar General, 230 Holden St. (Metro Bus 8, 23 or 32; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 833-0878. Daily 8AM-8PM. (updated Apr 2015)
• 25 Dollar Tree, 2141 Fillmore Ave. (Metro Bus 23; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 833-1018. M-Sa 9AM-9PM, Su 9AM-8PM. 

Drink

section lede

Kensington-Bailey

• 1 Bailey's Sports Bar & Grille, 3205 Bailey Ave., ☏ +1 716 322-7589. Not a location of the similarly-named national chain Bailey's Sports Grille. (updated Mar 2019)
• 2 Phat Catz, 965 Kensington Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 235-8549. (updated Oct 2016)

Delavan-Bailey and Schiller Park

• 3 All Stars Social Club, 930 Walden Ave. (Metro Bus 6, 22 or 26), ☏ +1 716 697-9294. (updated Jan 2017)
• 4 Big Fella's, 1202 E. Delavan Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 894-8949. 
• 5 Sophisticated Soul, 2227 Genesee St. (Metro Bus 24 or 26), ☏ +1 716 602-7536. (updated Oct 2016)
• 6 Sweets Lounge, 2 Schreck Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 893-1473. (updated Mar 2019)

Highland Park

• 7 Central Park Grill, 2519 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 23 or 32; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 836-9466. (updated Apr 2015)
• 8 Golden Nuggett Inn, 2046 Fillmore Ave. (Metro Bus 23), ☏ +1 716 834-3967. (updated Apr 2015)
• 9 Pandora's Sports Bar, 2261 Fillmore Ave. (Metro Bus 8 or 23; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 803-1335. (updated Apr 2015)

Sleep

head to Cheektowaga

Connect

post office - The 1 Central Park Post Office at 170 Manhattan Ave.

• 2 East Delavan Branch Library in Delavan-Bailey has 35 public computers.

Stay safe

content goes here

Cope

Hospitals

• 3 Sisters of Charity Hospital, 2157 Main St. (Metro Bus 8; Metro Rail: Humboldt-Hospital), ☏ +1 716 862-1000. Buffalo's first hospital, Sisters of Charity was founded in 1848 by Bishop John Timon: one of many charitable institutions he put in place for the benefit of Buffalo's Catholic community, which at the time consisted mostly of the desperately poor Irish immigrants of the First Ward. The hospital was run at first by a staff of nuns from the Sisters of Charity (hence its name) and moved to its current location in Highland Park in 1876. In the present day, Sisters is the flagship facility of Catholic Health System of Buffalo, with 586 beds between its main location and its branch hospital in Cheektowaga. It provides a wide range of medical and surgical care but is particularly well-known as an excellent maternity hospital. (updated May 2015)

Laundry and dry cleaning

Kensington-Bailey

• 4 Laundry Time, 1451 Kensington Ave. (At Cleve-Hill Plaza; Metro Bus 12 or 32). Daily 6AM-9PM. (updated Mar 2015)
• 5 Vega's Exclusive Dry Cleaners, 2947 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 836-9385. M-F 7:30AM-6PM, Sa 8:30AM-5PM. (updated Mar 2015)

Delavan-Bailey and Schiller Park

• 6 Delavan Village Laundry, 1440 E. Delavan Ave. (Metro Bus 26), ☏ +1 716 894-6966. Daily 24 hours. They also do dry cleaning. (updated Mar 2015)

Highland Park

• 7 Lake Effect Laundromat, 2311 Main St. (Metro Bus 8 or 23; Metro Rail: Humboldt-Hospital), ☏ +1 716 832-5200. Daily 9AM-10:30PM. They also do dry cleaning. (updated Apr 2015)

Places of worship

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Mainline Protestant

section lede - more of these here than anywhere else on ES

• 8 Cleveland Hill United Methodist Church, 546 Eggert Rd. (Metro Bus 12 or 32), ☏ +1 716 833-8225. Services Su 11:15AM. A small and close-knit faith community whose ethnic diversity mirrors that of the neighborhood it calls home, this church was founded in 1925 as the Cleveland Hill Evangelical United Brethren Church and has worshiped in its present building, a simple, modern-style brick and stone church in Kensington-Bailey, since 1949. Today, Pastor Holly Dale-Coty leads a congregation that is active in the community and enthusiastically welcoming of visitors and newcomers. (updated May 2015)
• 9 Hermon Karen Baptist Church, 10 Hastings Ave. (Metro Bus 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 495-4018. Services Su 10AM. Affiliated with the Karen Baptist Convention, it was in 2015 when pastor Myo Kyow moved his flock from their former home on the West Side to the erstwhile St. James Catholic Church in Kensington-Bailey: a hulking English Gothic structure designed by Karl Schmill and built in 1926 for a mixed German and Irish congregation on what was then the outskirts of Buffalo's urbanized area. As before, Hermon Karen Baptist serves as spiritual home to a growing contingent of Buffalo's Burmese immigrant community, whom Pastor Kyow and company actively engage with friendly services, a host of worthwhile events, and group meetings sponsored by a wide range of community groups. (updated Feb 2016)
• 10 MacAlpine Presbyterian Church, 2700 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 893-0208. Services Su 10AM. Founded in 1920 as the Bailey Avenue Presbyterian Church and renamed six years later after the death of their founding pastor, MacAlpine has been a tried-and-true stalwart in Kensington-Bailey all throughout the changes the neighborhood has undergone over the years. Reverend Lowell Avery is a true dynamo, leading his church not only in rousing Sunday-morning services but in a full range of community programs and ministries. (updated May 2015)
• 11 St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, 81 Burke Dr. (Metro Bus 12 or 32), ☏ +1 716 836-0220. Services Su 9:30AM. With a tight-knit yet friendly and welcoming congregation, this "little church with a big heart" has been serving the spiritual needs of Episcopalians on the Buffalo/Cheektowaga border since 1948 (and for over a half-century before that in their former home on the Near East Side). Father Isaac Ihiasota — otherwise known as head of Father Isaac's Foundation, a not-for-profit that finds medical care and supplies to poor people in Nigeria — is at the helm today, and as he promises on the church's website, "there is always good conversation, friendly people, and warm hearts". (updated Mar 2020)
• 12 University United Methodist Church, 410 Minnesota Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32), ☏ +1 716 833-7562. Services Su 10AM. With a history that stretches back to 1918, the University Methodist Church has been a linchpin presence at the north end of Kensington-Bailey for far longer than most anything else in the neighborhood. Though services are still held in its original, imposing red-brick Gothic building, the church is now linked together with the nearby Cleveland Hill United Methodist Church — the two congregations share the same pastor, the Rev. Holly Dale-Coty, as well as the same outsize vitality and spirit of community engagement that belie the small size of the flock, and the same warm welcome for visitors. (updated May 2015)

Catholic

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• 13 Blessed Trinity RC Church, 317 Leroy Ave. (Metro Bus 13 or 23), ☏ +1 716 833-0301. Mass Su 10AM, Sa 4:30PM, Tu-F 11AM. Located in the heart of Highland Park since 1907, Blessed Trinity's congregation worships in an exquisite brown-brick building: its architecture an imitation of the Cathédrale Saint-Trophine in Arles adapted to the style of a 12th-century Lombard cathedral, it's said to have the most plentiful terra cotta ornamentation of any church in the U.S. (updated May 2015)
• 14 St. Lawrence RC Church, 1520 E. Delavan Ave. (Metro Bus 24 or 26), ☏ +1 716 892-2471. Mass Su noon, Sa 4:30PM & 10PM, M-F 8:30AM. St. Lawrence Church is located just inside the city line in Delavan-Bailey, which at the turn of the century stood out among East Side neighborhoods as an island of Italian immigrants in a sea of Germans and Poles. St. Gerard, located at the intersection that gave the neighborhood its name, was their church, but as Delavan-Bailey grew in population it became too small to accommodate all the congregants. Thus St. Lawrence was founded as a mission church in 1914, graduating to the status of full-fledged parish in its own right in 1929. Today it is a small but diverse and friendly congregation that's welcoming to visitors and active in the community. (updated May 2015)

Nondenominational

section lede?

• 15 CityReach Church, 260 Eggert Rd. (Metro Bus 12), ☏ +1 716 893-8112. Services Su 11AM. In 2014, the erstwhile Expressway Assembly of God — located in Kensington-Bailey, in an old factory building just off the Eggert Road exit of the Kensington Expressway, hence its name — became part of the CityReach Network, a group of several dozen churches located throughout the eastern United States whose mission is to bring the Christian message to "unlikely people in overlooked places". Accordingly, Pastor Lou Krutz and his cohorts foster an accepting, low-key, come-as-you-are environment in their services, with a special focus on ministering to youth and young adults: a nursery and Children's Church are available during regular Sunday services, and teens and young adults are catered to during Tuesday and Wednesday night programs, respectively. In order to represent their faith to the community in the best possible way, CityReach goes far beyond simply welcoming new members: they actively and enthusiastically encourage visitors to check out what they're all about. (updated May 2015)
• 16 Elim Christian Fellowship, 70 Chalmers Ave. (Metro Bus 8, 23 or 32; Metro Rail: Amherst Street), ☏ +1 716 832-7698. Services Su 10AM. The Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Bronner is a Philadelphia native who first cut his teeth in the local faith community as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Humboldt Park. In 1999, he struck out on his own to found this huge, vibrant congregation, expanding to Rochester with its identically-named sister church three years later. Elim is truly a church for the 21st Century — it meets in a huge, warehouse-like building tucked away on a side street in Highland Park, engaging a tech-savvy audience with modern-style services live-streamed over the Internet that feature sermons reposted weekly on social media. As well, this is a congregation that truly goes the extra mile in making folks feel welcomed and like a member of the family, whether they're regular attendees or first-timers. (updated Apr 2015)

Jehovah's Witnesses

• 17 Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1250 E. Delavan Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 26), ☏ +1 716 895-4653. Services Su 10AM & 1PM. (updated May 2015)

Muslim

section lede?

• 18 Baitul Mukarram Jame Masjid, 3296 Bailey Ave. (Metro Bus 12, 13, 19 or 32). Though it's located in the heart of the Ken-Bailey business district, this place is not the easiest in the world to find: Baitul Mukarram is an old wood-framed house set off a good distance from the street, converted into a humble but friendly and welcoming place of worship for the East Side's Bangladeshi Muslim community. (updated Mar 2019)
• 19 Jami Masjid, 1957 Genesee St. (Metro Bus 12, 19 or 24), ☏ +1 716 597-0280. Jami Masjid is located in the building that was for eighty years the home of Queen of Peace Catholic Church, founded in 1920 to serve a small Polish enclave that had migrated northeastward from Broadway-Fillmore. The building dates to seven years after the congregation was established, a sandstone and limestone edifice in a pleasant English Gothic style whose design was unique among all the city's Catholic churches: church, school and rectory were combined in one large cross-shaped structure. Today the church portion is where Sheikh Ibrahim Memon leads one of Buffalo's largest Muslim congregations in Friday prayers, while the school portion of the building is now home to the Universal School, which provides a private Islamic education in the Sunni tradition to elementary- and middle school-aged students. (updated May 2015)

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