Buffalo

Caffe Aroma

It's not that the coffee is anything out of the ordinary. Nor is it the length of the beverage list, the food menu (which is pretty lackluster, actually) or the service. No, the reason why Aroma is perennially the most popular cafe on Elmwood is atmosphere. The cozy seating area is done up in warm tones, and the scent of fresh-brewed coffee hits you the instant you enter. More remarkably still, it manages to pull off a relaxed vibe even at peak hours — and if you want a respite from the crowds, head to the breezy patio facing Bidwell Parkway, the perfect spot for people-watching. Open-mic poetry readings happen every other Wednesday at 8PM.

Mon-Thu 6:30AM-midnight, Fri Sat 6:30AM-1AM, Sun 8AM-midnight·Wi-Fi · Outdoor seating

Sweet_ness 7

Since 2007, Prish Moran has operated her friendly old-world coffee shop in this beautiful and historic old Victorian building on Grant Street. Popular with artists, hipsters, and Buffalo State College students, Sweet_ness 7 serves fresh gourmet sandwiches, salads, soups, pizza, and pastry along with the coffee, and their breakfast is also very popular with locals.

Mon-Fri 7AM-9PM, Sat 8AM-9PM, Sun 8AM-6PM·Wi-Fi · Limited wheelchair access

Remedy House

This is it, folks: peak hipster in Buffalo. An airy space with two walls of windows offering a panoramic view of Five Points' namesake intersection, Remedy House matches its straight-outta-Williamsburg vibe with a staggering range of expertly roasted coffee and tasty loose-leaf tea that's packed with nuanced flavor (for the superlative example of this, opt for the cortado), plus a selection of pastry sourced from local bakeries and even beer and wine. Best of all: if the foregoing conjures up visions of blasé service from a staff of trust-fund kids who think they're better than you, prepare for the polar opposite. The only downsides are that the space is tiny and can get cramped during peak hours (to avoid that, hit up the sidewalk patio), and prices for anything other than coffee are astronomical.

Mon-Thu 6AM-10PM, Fri Sat 6AM-11PM, Sun 6AM-5PM·Outdoor seating

BreadHive Cooperative Bakery

BreadHive first made its name with delicious fresh-baked bread (the flagship "West Side Sourdough", multigrain, deli rye and Danish-style rugbrød) and bagels (eight varieties, all baked with locally-grown organic flour and wild yeast). But with their expansion from a mere walk-up window to a full-size restaurant has come additions to the menu in the form of delicious sandwiches all named for the owners' favorite female musicians — favorites include "The Robyn" (their version of what Jewish delis call the "Rachel", with beet caraway sauerkraut sourced from the West Side's own Barrel + Brine) and "The Bjork" (a vegan-friendly concoction with tempeh "bacon"). In the morning there's a somewhat smaller range of breakfast sandwiches, plus locally-roasted Public Espresso.

Tue 8AM-6PM, Wed-Sun 8AM-3PM·$10-20

Café 59

Though the heart and soul of the menu is still elegant yet affordable Italian fare, the slate of offerings at Café 59 has diversified considerably of late: rubbing shoulders with the pasta-and-sauce mains are delightful specialties such as salmon niçoise salad, a ratatouille tart, and Moroccan spiced chick peas. Lunch features a range of specialty sandwiches, burgers, and wraps. The ambience is airy and minimalist, and there's an ambitious range of local craft beers, imports and microbrews available at the bar, as well as a modest selection of Italian wines and locally bottled Johnnie Ryan sodas.

Mon-Thu 8AM-10PM, Fri Sat 8AM-midnight, Sun noon-10PM·$15-30

Café on the Avenue

Café on the Avenue hops during the morning hours with a full menu of breakfast sandwiches and (huge!) burritos, omelets, pancakes, French toast, and egg-and-breakfast meat platters, but the flagship item here is homemade donuts, prepared by what is proudly cited as "the first Donut Robot in the Buffalo area" and available in quite a few more varieties than you'll find at your average Tim's or Dunkin. At lunchtime, the slate of options transitions into classic American diner fare: no surprises on the menu, but everything's reliably good. Service can be hit-or-miss, but the price is right, the ambience is spacious and airy, and the kitchen is open, with all the food prepared freshly before your eyes.

Daily 7AM-3PM·$10-20

Intersection Cafe

The name may no longer be Cafe Taza, but little else has changed at this postage stamp-sized space on Elmwood: the smooth-flavored, creatively concocted drinks still exude caffeinated excellence without trying too hard (despite the straight-outta-Portlandia arty-hipster vibe, The Intersection is about good times and community spirit, not coffee snobbery), and if the name wasn't enough to clue you in that the LGBT+ community is still welcomed with open arms, the rainbow-flag decor certainly drives the point home. Best of all, added to the mix is a delicious slate of baked goods courtesy of BreadHive. Lines can be long, but efficient service keeps them moving.

Mon-Fri 7AM-6PM, Sat Sun 8AM-6PM

Niagara Café

Niagara Café is a Buffalo culinary pioneer, serving up Puerto Rican specialties on the main thoroughfare of Buffalo's West Side Latino community since 1992. There are those who say the place lags behind its competitors nowadays, coasting on its name recognition and status as multiple-time winner of awards from the likes of the Taste of Buffalo and Artvoice's annual "Best of Buffalo" poll (most of which they won when they were pretty much the only game in town), but that's not entirely true. The menu may not hold any surprises for those familiar with the cuisine, but it does what it does well — and there's nary a better way to put your finger on the pulse of Hispanic Buffalo than to chat it up with the locals in Niagara Café's spiffy dining room to the strain of the salsa music on the stereo.

Mon-Sat 11AM-10PM, Sun noon-8PM·$10-15

Overwinter Coffee

No fancy syrups or frou-frou cappuccinos at this tiny little place — just real honest-to-goodness coffee, light-roasted and smooth-drinking yet bold-flavored; a little pricey but you get what you pay for. And if you really like it (and really have money to burn), they ship the same house-roasted, expertly blended beans nationwide! Indoor seating is extremely limited, but if it's a nice day, take a seat at one of the tables set up on Roosevelt Plaza and enjoy your coffee al fresco; it's one of downtown's best people-watching spots.

Mon-Fri 7AM-3PM, Sat 8AM-2PM

Tappo

"Let's enjoy city dining again", implores Tappo's website, echoing the sentiment of a growing number of Western New Yorkers. Developer Rocco Termini and Buffalo restaurateur extraordinaire Mike Andrzejewski teamed up in 2013 to convert the former Horton Coffee building into this casual restaurant serving Italian fare that is familiar yet creative and well-prepared. Diners rave about delicious interpretations of classic favorites like lasagne, chicken cacciatore, and Italian wedding soup, as well as more imaginative options such as a basil prawn risotto and Tappo's lauded brasciole. The wine list features no fewer than 41 imported vintages, with a few domestic wines for good measure. Best of all, the value for what you get can't be beat — and neither can the view of the downtown skyline from the rooftop patio.

Mon-Sat 5-10PM, Sun 3-9PM·$15-35

Trattoria Aroma

Trattoria Aroma serves authentic, rustic Italian cuisine in an upscale trattoria setting. Homemade bread, sausage, pasta, and delectable Italian pastries and desserts are complemented by some of Buffalo's best espresso. Trattoria Aroma also operates a location in the suburb of Williamsville that features a full wine bar.

Mon-Thu 11:30AM-10PM, Fri 11:30AM-midnight, Sat 5PM-midnight, Sun 11AM-3PM (brunch) & 5-10PM·$25-55

Wonder Coffeehouse

Wonder Coffeehouse's website describes its location as "a part of the city that is literally in ruins", which is both true and untrue: yes, there's an eerie emptiness around old Elevator Alley these days, but that's exactly what's attracting visitors — and, increasingly, visitor amenities like this very café — to the area. But industrial ambience isn't all Wonder has to odder: the coffee- and tea-based beverages are smooth, flavorful, and come piping hot, the food menu is dominated by crowd-pleasing Liège waffles, and prices are fair. What's not so "wonder"ful is the service (friendly but often slow) and the cleanliness standards (overflowing garbage bins are a persistent problem).

Daily 8AM-4PM

Daily Planet Coffee Company

"Good enough but not exceptional" is a phrase that sums up the Daily Planet experience in many ways: the selection and quality of drinks, the trendy-but-not-too-trendy vibe (very much in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood), the service (once reliably cheerful, now hit-or-miss), the food menu (ranging from usual coffeeshop fare like pastries and breakfast sandwiches up to more elaborate stuff like panini and wrap sandwiches, and including several vegan items), and the prices. If you're a live music fan — especially offbeat genres like folk, bluegrass, and Eastern music — check out their website to see what's on.

Mon-Thu 7AM-9PM, Fri 7AM-10PM, Sat 8AM-10PM

Fera's Electric Tower Café

The menu at Fera's is as old-school as the Electric Tower's Art Deco-styled lobby, if not nearly as dazzlingly opulent: a selection of sandwiches, soups, and other simple lunch fare that's as comfortable and familiar as an old shoe, served to you nice and quick for decent prices by a superbly friendly staff that seems like they've been here forever. The turkey bacon club is a particular favorite, but consensus says stay away from the salads, which are overpriced for what you get. In the morning, breakfast sandwiches and piping hot coffee are a hit with the nine-to-five office crowd.

Mon-Fri 7:15AM-3PM·Under $10

JAM Parkside

JAM offers "coffee and community" across from the Buffalo Zoo, right at the heart of the Parkside action: the former is locally-roasted by the good folks at Tipico (the house special "JAM Blend" is accurately described on their website as "exquisite and world-class, but also approachable and well-balanced"); the latter is embodied by their unique not-for-profit ownership structure with over 70 local shareholders, the schedule of community events they host, and even their interior decor, airy and inviting and furnished with upcycled materials from ReUse Action. Decent prices, too.

Daily 7AM-7PM

Golden Cup

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.

Mon-Fri 7AM-7PM, Sat 7AM-3PM

E-Café

More than just another lunch-break destination for the suit-and-tie crowd, E-Café is a veritable Internet café, rare in these parts, with free WiFi and a collection of wired PC terminals available free to customers. Here you can get simple but well-prepared lunches and breakfasts served with a smile and lightning speed. The usual range of subs, wraps, burgers, soups, and salads are all on offer and all delicious, but E-Café's customers reserve special praise for the dozen or so melt and focaccia sandwiches on offer at lunchtime. Breakfast sees office workers savoring the scent of bacon in the air as they gobble up omelettes and breakfast sandwiches (available on English muffins or bagels) before the workday begins. The downside is the coffee, which is just okay. On Fridays they close early, but make up for it with free fountain beverages all day.

Mon-Thu 7AM-4PM, Fri 7AM-3PM·$5-15

El Buen Amigo

El Buen Amigo — "The Good Friend" in Spanish — is the name of the storefront gallery in Allentown run by the Latin-American Cultural Association of Buffalo. Aside from the works of art that are on display and for sale in the gallery, El Buen Amigo also hosts a wide variety of activities and programs reflective of the vibrancy of the local Hispanic community, including music, cultural enrichment programs, and Spanish language classes. El Buen Amigo also offers fair-trade crafts, clothing, and coffee for sale.

Mon-Sat 11AM-7PM, Sun 11AM-5PM

Hearth + Press

Hearth + Press may be best known for the artisanal pizzas and baguette sandwiches they dish out during lunch and dinner hours, but in the morning they're at the service of caffeine-starved office workers with what is easily downtown's most eclectic selection of coffee — roasts hailing from Guatemala to Ethiopia to Hawaii and everywhere in between can be sampled, along with tasty breakfast sandwiches.

Daily 8AM-10PM

Mon Ami Café & Bakery

One element the local dining scene has lacked more and more noticeably lately is French food: over the past decade, this dwindling has claimed longtime Buffalo stalwarts like Le Metro, Rue Franklin, and Mode. Striking a blow in the other direction is this breezy bistro that opened in the Cathedral Park Tower in 2019 with a menu replete with quiches, crêpes, sandwiches, and other light and lunchy Gallic classics, plus some nifty breakfast options too. The odds-on favorite is the croque madame — rich and decadent to rival that served anywhere in Paris, so reviewers say — but you really can't go wrong no matter what you choose. The speedy service is perfect for those on the go, too.

Mon-Fri 7AM-3PM, Sat-Sun 9AM-2PM·$10-25

Snowy Owl Kombucha

Snowy Owl is a "kombucha production studio" that opened in September 2016 as one of the inaugural tenants of The Barrel Factory's "makers' market" selling artisanally produced goods. Snowy Owl makes theirs in a sustainable manner using 100% organic, fair trade-certified tea leaves. On Fridays and Saturdays, thirsty customers descend on their brewery-cum-tasting room-cum boutique to sample one of about a half-dozen plain and flavored kombuchas (also available is a "blend your own" option, where you can go to town on Snowy Owl's own juicer and your choice of fruits) — either imbibe at the bar or bring your own growler.

Fri 4-8PM, Sat noon-8PM

Ashker's

For a description of this local chain of juice bars, see the main Buffalo article.

Mon-Sat 6AM-9PM

Grindhaus Café

On the other hand, if good coffee is your paramount criterion, Grindhaus is at your service with Allentown's fanciest gourmet third-wave cold-drip pour-over yada yada yada. If that sounds like a knock on the place, it's not — everything here is tasty, the vibe is super welcoming, and most notably, everything on the menu is 100% vegan. And unlike the similarly hipster-focused Intersection Cafe, the place is big enough to linger rather than just grab-and-go, so if you want to actually take time out to (let's say) admire the work of local artists on the wall over a slice of avocado toast, that's a viable option. Prices are a touch high, but worth it.

Mon-Thu 7AM-7PM, Fri 7AM-8PM, Sat 8AM-8PM, Sun 8AM-6PM

Lucy

Much like its namesake (a 3.2-million-year-old fossil australopithecus discovered in 1974 in Ethiopia), Lucy is a pioneer: Buffalo's first Ethiopian restaurant, in business since 2012. Slow and inattentive service are forgiven for the chance to feast on huge portions of doro watt, tibs, sambusa, and other favorites that come packed with flavor, not overwhelmingly spiced, and with plenty of injera on the side. Vegetarians and vegans are well cared for, and unique among Buffalo Ethiopian eateries, a full slate of breakfast options are offered (you can sample four of them via the $9.99 "Lucy Special"). Wash it all down with some of the most delicious sweet chai Buffalo has to offer, but perhaps more interestingly, on Saturday evenings from 3-7PM a free traditional coffee ceremony is held.

Tue-Thu 10AM-9PM, Fri Sat 10AM-10PM, Sun noon-8PM·$10-25

Ming Café

What Ming Café offers is a lot more refined than the drab look of its exterior may suggest: sit-down meals of gourmet American Chinese fare in a setting that's several cuts above your average take-out joint. That is, if you can catch the place open: opening hours are not what you would call long. Szechuan chicken, kung pao shrimp, moo shu pork, and the like seem a relatively humdrum selection at first glance, but that's just another case of "don't judge a book by its cover"; once you tuck in, you'll find they're elegantly prepared and bursting with flavor. The hot and sour soup is particularly good. But it's in the "signature dishes" section of the menu where the true extent of Ming Café's creativity is brought to bear. The icing on the cake is the huge selection of imported Chinese teas, as well as a variety of coffee. Cash only.

Mon-Sat 5PM-9PM·$15-40

Tipico Coffee

With an out-of-the-way location in a leafy residential area, Tipico is the best-established of the Lower West Side's hipster coffeeshops: if you can't make it to the shop, you'll find their coffee poured at restaurants all over Buffalo. If you can make it there, the experience is a mixed bag: thumbs up for the coffee itself (locally roasted and served in both drip and pour-over iterations; smooth, full-bodied and above all strong); thumbs down for high prices and omnipresent flies (the latter an unfortunate side effect of keeping the floor-to-ceiling windows open in summer); "meh" for a pleasant but grungy ambience (chipped flatware and dusty tabletops are almost the rule rather than the exception).

Mon-Fri 6AM-9PM, Sat 7AM-9PM, Sun 7AM-8PM

SPoT Coffee

For a description of this local coffeeshop chain, see the main Buffalo article.

Sun-Thu 6AM-11PM, Fri Sat 7AM-midnight·Wi-Fi · Outdoor seating · Wheelchair accessible

Flavors of Allentown

The Allentown bar that can't seem to keep a steady tenant is back for another go, this time with a heaping side order of LGBT pride. It's not a gay bar per se (you'll find those at the other end of the strip), but the rainbow-flag motif that's all over the decor at Flavors of Allentown testifies to its inclusive philosophy, and its all-female ownership team have crafted a much less fratty and testosterone-fueled (yet still divey) atmosphere than neighboring spots. Stop by for a beer or a cocktail, occasional live DJ sets, or Tuesday night league darts.

Chautauqua Café

In the first-floor atrium of the building is where you'll find this pleasant full-service bistro-style dining room where the food is reasonably priced but delicious. The Chautauqua Café is open for breakfast, which features a menu of egg sandwiches as well as a self-serve Belgian waffle bar with a range of toppings, as well as lunch, where the menu changes weekly but features soups, hot sandwiches, deli-style sandwiches, and personal pizzas (your choice of two each) as well as a heartier entree and salad. Full lunch service ends at 2PM, but soup and salad continues to be available for an hour thereafter.

Mon-Fri 7:30AM-2PM·$5-15

Cookie

Owned and operated by Rich Products, the famous food products megacorporation headquartered across the street, the name of the game at Cookie is an ever-evolving menu of cookies, pastries, and other baked goods made exclusively with Rich brand ingredients. The interior is decked out like an old-school sweet shop, complete with classic black-and-white checkerboard floor and a huge glass display cooler packed with tempting treats — but the Cookie experience, in practice, is decidedly a grab-and-go affair (though if the single table-and-chairs setup happens to be free, they also pour hot coffee all day!)

Mon 10AM-4PM, Tue 10AM-5PM, Wed 9AM-5PM, Thu Fri 9AM-6PM, Sat 9AM-2PM