Five Points' favorite hipster watering hole, now serving a full menu of pub grub. Barbecue is the specialty of the house at the Essex Street Pub: Texas- and Memphis-style platters of house-smoked brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and wings served with cornbread, coleslaw, baked beans, or mac & cheese, with just the right amount of sauce to accentuate but not overwhelm the flavor of the meat. And they make their own pastrami and corned beef, too: try their "PLT", where the former serves as a replacement for the bacon in the classic recipe. Downsides include the service, which can be slow and gruff; also, no one would call this place the most comfortable in the world (seating is at the bar on high stools, or at one of the few wobbly tables if they're free).
Mon-Sat 11AM-4AM, Sun 3PM-4AM · $10-20
A complex of four buildings that serve as living quarters as well as studio and exhibition space for painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, and all manner of other artists, the Essex Arts Center has been a mainstay on the West Side for four decades running. The center traces its history back to 1969, when local steel sculptor Larry Griffis and his Ashford Hollow Foundation, which was established three years previously to administer the 400-acre (160 ha) sculpture park he'd established in Cattaraugus County, purchased the former Webster-Citizens Company Ice House to use as an arts studio and performance venue. The Essex Arts Center immediately attracted to its roster a veritable Who's Who of Buffalo's arts scene of the 1970s and '80s, and over the years it has proven to be an incredibly prolific incubator of institutions that have gone on to become major players in the local arts scene — Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, the CEPA Gallery, and the dearly missed Artists' Committee Gallery all got their start at 30 Essex before striking out on their own, and Big Orbit Gallery, founded in 1991 and described below, carries on the tradition at its original location. Besides the gallery, the Essex Arts Center also hosts frequent events such as art auctions, musical performances, and educational workshops and seminars whose proceeds go directly to benefit the local arts community.
Italian restaurant West Side Would you believe Left Bank was once a daring innovator on the Buffalo restaurant scene, serving an eclectic menu of upscale New American cuisine since 1992 in a neighborhood that, in those days, many had left for dead? Fast forward to the present and it's largely the same menu; nowadays many people describe Left Bank as staid and dated, but why fix what isn't broken? Offerings are categorized into small plates of rustic "peasant fare" (featuring the best fried calamari in the city) and more upscale "bourgeois fare" (the ahi tuna tartare is a particular standout), and a slate of artful full-size mains of steak and chops, seafood, and pasta, all served in an ambience that's arty meets industrial meets pub. Off-street parking is available, too; a rarity in this part of town.
Mon-Thu 5-11PM, Fri Sat 5PM-midnight, Sun 11AM-2:30PM (brunch) & 4-10PM · $25-55
511 Rhode Island St