DrinkBarDowntown

Electric Avenue

There's character for miles in this scruffy dive bar hidden in plain sight next door to Mohawk Place, understandably a popular place to drop in before or after a concert for a cheap beer (mostly blue-collar brands like Genny and PBR, though there are a few local craft brews if you're so inclined) or maybe play a game of pinball or darts. Other than at showtimes, Electric Avenue's clientele is composed mostly of salt-of-the-earth regulars, though you won't be made to feel unwelcome.

Address: 300 Ellicott St.
Getting there: Metro Rail: Lafayette Square
Website: electricavenuecafe.com (opens in a new tab)

Directions Suggest a nearby place

Listing from Wikivoyage: Buffalo/Downtown, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Location and details from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Also listed in Overture Maps open data.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

Close by

DoLive music venueDowntown
Mohawk Place
Famous for boasting the "Finest in Underground Rock Since 1990" until its closure in January 2013, Mohawk Place is back and better than ever. Or, perhaps better said, it's just "back" — aside from a new floor, a few touch-ups to the original tin ceiling, and a bar that's more consistently well-stocked than before, new owner Rick Platt has kept the place true to its divey, eccentric roots, to the delight of the local musicians and fans who considered the place almost a second home. Mohawk Place's previous iteration was known to book the occasional nationally-known touring act and was beloved for such annual events as the Irving Klaws Halloween Party, the Annual Joe Strummer Tribute Show, and The Smiths vs. The Cure Dance Party; at this early date there's no word on whether any of that will continue to be the case, but the punk, metal, and hard rock scene in Buffalo is glad all the same to have the place open again.
EatMexican restaurantDowntown
Deep South Taco
If you're a taco lover for whom ambience is more important than authenticity, check out the Ellicott Street cantina helmed by Richard Hamilton, here making a clean break from his haute cuisine background both in terms of the food he serves and the acid-trip environment it's served in: at the entrance psychedelic lights and visuals surround a giant lucha libre mask; indoors garish multicolored LED lights are punctuated by the eerie greenish glow of illuminated heating ducts and bar taps. Tacos come à la carte on homemade tortillas that draw mixed reviews: fresh as can be, but a bit too fluffy and prone to falling apart in your hand. Other options include a nacho platter smothered in melted cortija cheese, sides of Mexican street corn that are as authentic as it gets, and several vegetarian options.
Sun-Thu 11AM-11PM, Fri Sat 11AM-midnight$15-30
SeePublic art
Wildflowers for Buffalo
BuyCraft shop
Five Points Framing
36 Broadway