EatAsian fusion restaurantElmwood Village

Taste of Asia

Name: Taste of Asia
Address: 494 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo
Telephone: 17167839666

Between the dashed-off service, the spartan ambience, and a menu of heavily Americanized Chinese, Japanese, and Thai specialties that's no better than what you'd find at your average takeout joint, pretty much every aspect of the Taste of Asia experience could be generously described as "mediocre". Every aspect, that is, except one: the coconut mushroom soup on the "Thai Specials" section of the menu. It's not available at any other restaurant in Buffalo (Sun Express downtown serves a soup that's identically named, but the recipe is completely different), but it is one of the best things you will ever taste. The best comparison would be tom kha, but the broth is less creamy and more savory, with different spices.

Address: 494 Elmwood Ave.
Getting there: Metro Bus 12 or 20
Hours: Tue-Thu 11AM-10:30PM, Fri Sat 11AM-11:30PM, Sun noon-10PM
Price: $15-35
Phone: 17167839666
Website: tokyoshanghainy.com (opens in a new tab)

Directions Suggest a nearby place

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

Also listed in Overture Maps open data.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

Close by

EatElmwood Village
Thin Man Brewery
Named for the original automobile crash test dummy, invented in Buffalo in 1949, Thin Man went from zero to arguably Elmwood's most popular eatery within a few weeks of opening day. Owner Mike Shatzel is best known for sparking the craft beer craze in Buffalo, and what he offers here is not only a range of house-brewed beers but a food menu that's a carnivore's wet dream. Options range widely, but pork is the star of the show: between pork belly banh mi, locally sourced T-Meadow Farm pork chops, and even whole suckling pig (call a few days ahead), it's omnipresent among the offerings. Health food this is not. The interior ambience is an odd mix of hipster-friendly industrial chic and chain-restaurant banality; if that's not your bag, try the second-floor patio decked over the sidewalk.
Mon-Fri 3PM-2AM, Sat 11:30AM-2AM, Sun noon-1AM$15-50
EatSandwich shop
Erbert & Gerbert's
484 Elmwood Ave
DrinkBar
Toro Tapas Bar
492 Elmwood Ave
DrinkElmwood Village
Thin Man Brewery
More than Allen Burger Venture, Moor Pat, or any of the other places he owns nowadays, Thin Man is the rightful heir to the storied legacy of Blue Monk, the craft-beer mecca on which owner Mike Shatzel built his legendary name. The selections brewed in house by brewmaster Rudy Watkins are augmented by a range of several dozen other craft beers that strikes a near-perfect balance between local beers, craft brews hailing from elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada, and hard-to-find European imports of the type Blue Monk used to be famous for.