This is my favorite festival of the year. This year 2026, I have to say was one of the best. They made some changes that I think really paid off. There were "bleachers" through out the festival. I feel this was a great thing. It one gave more options for people to sit down, eat and relax. Which I think in turn cleared alot of space up. We walked through the festival for over three hours and not once felt crowded, and I really think that's because of all the new resting spots. I always get the family tickets from tops ahead of time, then collect the tickets from the tent. Always an easy process, shorter lines. Average good was going for 8 to 10 tickets, same as previous years so I did not see any increase there. And most had a 4 ticket sample item as well. Loved the variety..trying new restaurants. Entertainment is always spot on, that hasn't changed either. Just a good food festival..this year weather was perfect for it as well. read more

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One of my favorite days of the year. Walking around downtown with my kids, eating way more than necessary, and teaching them how to review food. Pro tip: buy your tickets at TOPS before the festival. They're cheaper, and you get (non-alcoholic) drink coupons to use ar the fest. Our favorite this year was Nickel City Vice's "You're Nuts," a peanut butter cheesecake ice cream sandwich. The boys nearly died laughing when I went up to place our order and asked the guy, "Can I have You're Nuts?" We also happily demolished small FREE bags of Checkers & Rally's fries, some ethic eats, and Buffalo classics (Nick Charlap's custard, Just Pizza). The Taste of Buffalo is one of those events that reminds you how many great local restaurants and food businesses we have. read more

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This year the taste was very limited and few. I was not impressed..There's a need for a more variety due to the amount spent for tickets to make purchase things. The food was very limited regarding different options of food choices.. read more

What a great way to spend an afternoon in Buffalo - food-tasting! It was a great crowd. We were all slow-moving with the heat but respectful. My fav's included the horseradish stuffed pretzel from the Barrel Factory (came with a $5 coupon!) and the Buffalo 66 Cocktail from Hartmann's Distillery. It was a lot a tickets - but worth it! read more

Today was my first time making it to Taste and I had a blast! Me and my roommate went to Tops and got the $60 voucher to split ... this will give you 100 total tickets and 4 free non-alcoholic drink tickets for free. It's a good deal AND even better: you get to bybass the long lines for tickets and go to the Tops voucher redemption part of the tent (literally no line). Between me and my roommate, we had enough tickets to try plenty of things. I used more than him to be honest but he was kind enough to share some lol I'm not going mention the restaurant I thought was so bad I took one bite and threw it out but let's just say it was the most expensive food I saw, and the only tent I didn't see anyone coming or going from. But it's a kind event with a good purpose so I'm not going to do that so I will mention what I thought was AWESOME and DO recommend... Oh and btw the free Coca Cola bags were already all given out by 2:30pm Saturday. However, the independent health free bags they hand out are very nice quality .. good stitching and insulated! And the Tops spin the wheel ... don't be confused like me ... I was all excited to win $8 in coupons, thinking it was tickets for some odd reason, and it was literally 4 different $2off coupons for Tops items lol! But it's for a good cause and who doesn't like to spin the wheel! Ok back to the food and drink recommendations: Osteria 666 - get the mini meatballs!!! They have the taste size and regular size. They're amazing! Water Lilly Cafe - Thai Fried Chicken Spring Rolls... yummmm! Merritt Lilly Cate - Blue Rasberry Wine slushy! Super delicious, very refreshing, and a good wine buzz when you're done. Staff is also super friendly and will give you a business card which you can redeem for $2 off another slushy when you visit their actual location Sorry I don't have dessert recommendations! I didn't try any as I'm not the biggest "sweets" person. But seriously if you've never been, go get the Tops voucher and head on down. It's a great time! read more

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Great event. Great vendor options. I wish there was the 2-ticket taster items again. This year it was 4-ticket tasters (double the tickets!) Each vendor had a 4-ticket option, but it wasn't always their most popular. Some of them were the heart healthy options, that I didn't want to try. I definitely would have tried more places if they had tasters in the items I wanted. Here's what I did try though: Sidelines: *Chicken Wonton 10/10. Great crisp from the fryer. Lots of filling. Soft and soft, creamy chicken. They made it almost like a crab Rangoon I think but with chicken. There was a little kick from the peppers too at the end of each bite. Taste of Siam LLC: *Fried Pork Wontons 2/10. Crisp was nice. Barely any filling. Did not taste the pork at all, just the fried wonton. Sauce on it was sweet and good though. The Dalmatia Hotel: *Peanut Butter & Jelly wing 2/10. Coated in a jelly sauce with a peanut butter drizzle. I wouldn't get this again. The wing was not crispy. I think peanut butter sauce coating and a jelly drizzle would be better for some reason. Carmines: *Asiago Asparagus Risotto 8/10. Tastes mostly like Parmesan cheese.. or I guess Asiago. Needs a touch of salt. There was no asparagus. Steaksters: *Steak & Cheese Rollup 2/10. Needs waaaayyyy more cheese. Lots of steak inside. It was basically a steak-only log. It was a good thought though. The Flaming fish: *Bahama mama fish taco. They need a fishier fish. Not very flavorful. Wish it was fried instead of grilled. *Seabreeze fish taco. Same as above. I think the only difference was that this taco had mango on it. Stack burger: *Deep Fried PBJ 10/10. Phenomenal! I actually got this twice! The batter they used on the outside was good, more like fried dough, so I think it paired much better than a thick pancake batter or beer batter type. read more

Taste of Buffalo - The Dalmatia Hotel: Peanut Butter & Jelly Wing 2/10 - Festivals Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Taste of Buffalo used to be a great event where you could go out, buy tickets for a buck each, and redeem 1-3 for a small bite at a local restaurant who was there. That was the festival I loved, because I could go and try new things without braking the bank. And if I tried something I didn't like, no big deal- and no big loss of money. The entire point of Taste of Buffalo is so that you could go and have a TASTE from all these restaurants! The point is to experience as may different places and types of food in one day, and then know where you'd like to go an try out a big meal later on. That was what I thought the idea of this festival was. It has turned into an awful, money-grabbing joke, and I will never, NEVER, EVER go back again unless they return to the old ways. Now, you aren't buying "tastes". You are basically paying through the nose ($8-15) for a FULL serving of something (not a taste!). You heard me- you have to purchase a huge entree or item, there are no "tastes" to purchase anymore. This is the antithesis of the festival! Last time I went, I was so disgusted, I swore to never return. I bought 2 or 3 things, because the cost prevented me form purchasing more, and also- I didn't have ROOM to eat anymore, because every vendor was selling large, full-portions!!! Unless you go with a large group, and every person buys one item and you share them all, there is no WAY to get a taste of everything. Which is beyond ridiculous. That's not what this festival is- not how it was created, and is not the spirit of the festival. Vendors better get their acts together and return to how it was- because the name is misleading, and it's turned into an expensive event where you are left disappointed, and completely sad. read more

It was wonderful to attend my favorite food festival once more after its absence in 2020. Though it was an abbreviated version compared to past events, it had a lot of enthusiasm from those present that were grateful to be at a food festival on a wonderful summer day. The entire Taste of Buffalo Festival was located in Niagara Square and one block of Delaware Avenue. Due to restrictions only being lifted several weeks ago, there were only 23 restaurants, 3 wineries and several vendors in attendance. We parked in a lot by the Curtis Hotel, placing us very close to the festival for $10. The ticket tent was by Statler City, so we were able to purchase them before passing any of the food booths. Having attended the Taste of Buffalo many times, we have a strategy of rope dropping the festival, as well as knowing exactly what we are getting from where so that we can be efficient at buying the right amount of tickets based on our selections. We like to get in and out before it gets extremely crowded and hot. Tickets were $1 each with restaurants offering selections between 2-5 tickets. Drink booths with Coke products were also present with water costing 2 tickets and Coke products costing 3. There was also a Labatt Blue drinking area. With only 23 restaurants present, the food choices were limited. Despite this, we tried to pick a variety of different food items, picking restaurants that we normally do not frequent and ethnic food that we typically do not go out for much intermixed with some of our favorite types of food. Of all the things we tried, here were our favorites: Best Overall Item: Grilled Apple Cinnamon Roll with Sweet Cream Gelato from Chrusciki Bakery Best Savory Item: Stuffed Banana Pepper Pierogi from Babcia's Pierogi Best Healthy Option: Brussel Sprout Slaw from Local Kitchen and Beer Bar Honorable Mentions: Sausage Stuffed Pepper Risotto Stick from Osteria 166 & Peach Habanero Pork Slider from BW's BBQ Most Missed (not at Festival this year): Jerk Chicken & Rice from the Caribbean Experience Our biggest disappointment was Buffalo Soul. We tried their entire menu and it was a let-down - especially the Key to Our Soul Chicken. It is one thing to pay $5 for a single chicken finger - but it better be really good. The chicken was chewy and it was coated in a sweet, pepper sauce that was not good. We also did not care for the Water Lily Cafe's Thai Garlic Pepper Pork. We arrived at the booth 20 minutes into the festival and it still was not ready. When we returned, what we got was a bland dish from an otherwise terrific restaurant. Lastly, if you attend the event, get several dishes and go to the fountain area. Most people do not go to that area, leaving a lot of standing tables empty. It is a quiet, scenic space where you can enjoy your food and strategize your next selections. I would highly recommend attending the festival and supporting the restaurants. read more

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The Taste of Buffalo, the biggest food event of the year for the Buffalo community offering small plates from restaurants all over the Erie/Niagara County area. 2018 was my first festival and we decided to uber here since I live on Delaware and did not want to deal with parking/driving in the first place. I figured we would be here a good amount of time but ended up only spending around 2 hours, which was plenty of time to eat and get relatively full. The event was full of pretty much everything you could think of trying from BBQ (Dinosaur BBQ, Fat Bob's, ETC), Thai (Taste of Siam), Frozen treats (Anderson's), Wine (I don't care about wine, so I don't even know), Pizza (Just Pizza), and a ton of other places I just can't remember right now. Not only do I not remember all of the trucks and stands but I don't even remember all of the places I stopped at. Here is what I do remember eating! -I spent 4 tickets on a super tiny oreo milkshake that was pretty good, though I don't recall what booth it came from. -I spent 8 tickets getting a buffalo chicken crunchy roll which was so so so good. It was literally a buffalo chicken egg roll. -I spent 4 tickets on a Loganberry ice treat from Anderson's, what can I say? I'm a sucker for Loganberry. -I spent 8 tickets on some sort of chicken on a stick that was covered in peanut sauce, the chicken was amazing and of course I don't remember which booth I got it from. - I sampled the Jamaican beef patty as well and it get's an A+ from me. I don't remember the name of the place but I do know that it's located on Bailey. I wish I ate more but I had to leave room in my stomach for dinner. Overall, is the Taste of Buffalo cheap? No, like any fair, food truck event, or food gathering it ends up taking a small dent out of your wallet but it's still a fun thing to explore, sample, and learn about what kind of exciting places are in the area. I recommend this event for anyone in the Buffalo area to come explore, you'll have a good time! read more

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it's been a few years since we at have attended. Last time we went it was cost a lot and we left hungry. We spent $20 and we ate a lot and was not hungry. We ordered things we never ate and from restaurants we never tried before. So it was a new and exciting experience. Now we have 2 new places to try. Best part is people watching as we eat. read more

Taste of Buffalo - Culinary stage...winner of master chef. shaun o'neale - Festivals Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I attend this event every year and it is always one of my favorite places to be eating great food and wine slushies of course ! I usually buy a ton of tickets but this year the tickets at the food trucks went up. I usually stay a few hours but my friend and I just went for a few tastings! It is nice because there is a ton of room to catch some shade and eat your dish! I did use a good amount of tickets on wine slushies and a couple mimosas! Always an enjoyable experience! Parking can get crazy but that's okay because there is a lot of ways to find a parking space ! My friend and I paid 25 bucks to park super close which next time I'll just find a side street. They had entertainment and I had a great time again this year ! Can't wait till next year read more

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A really fun event in Buffalo! Taste of Buffalo is held in downtown Buffalo, so make sure you get there early or else parking will he difficult. The event starts at 11am, but if you get there around 10:30am, you can find PLENTY of event parking right next to the venue for $5-$10 depending on the lot. Once you get to the event, you'll need to buy tickets which are $1/ticket. Each booth had select menus and items they sell which range from 1 ticket ~ 5 tickets. Make sure you check out the free samples and giveaways! They had a Hershey's truck that gave out free S'mores, and a King's Hawaiian stand that gave out free pulled pork sliders. Personally, I loved the jerk chicken and rice from the Caribbean Experience booth and Dole whip from the Nick Charlap's Icecream booth. It can get super hectic once it hits 1pm though, so I'd suggest you get there early! Also bring your own water too. The water at the event was about 3 tickets ($3). read more

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I do not know why people spend money at the Taste of Buffalo. I watched my friends dish out about $20 each and stuff their faces, while I stuffed mine for free. In the free area, by City Hall, I tried bourbon, wine by Josh Vineyards, a grilled cheese by Cooper's Cheese, a s'more by Hershey's, a pulled pork sandwich topped with pickled onion on a Hawaiian roll, and some nut milk by Elmhurst. I also won a box of Success Rice, and a bunch of other items, and did not pay a dime. How could you go wrong? I look forward to people watching, and dancing to the music every year. What I do wish I spent my money one was the risotto stick from Osteria 166. Now that looked amazing. read more

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It's Buffalo's biggest foodie event! If you're ever looking to be crammed down Delaware on a hot summer day, this is the place to do it! It's a Taste festival, so it's pretty typical - they've got a little over 50 food trucks, restaurants and the like offering their best dishes to try. They've really got a grand variety of foods for you to try, so it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll find something worth trying, something you've never tried, or your absolute favorite dish! I feel like Taste is Yelp in real life! Buffalo's 'best' picks! Great for people who don't use the site but are looking for something new. But I (obviously) use Yelp for a majority of my dining decisions, so I don't need to attend a festival to find out what food is good in the city. This past year I ended up gravitating to what I know: I sampled Sidelines' Chicken Dumplings and their deep-fried pickles, and they were delicious. The gals there really know how to make great food! Couldn't pass up on some Paula's donuts too. Had Sweet Melody's Mango Sorbet for dessert - perfect on such a warm day. Also tasted some of my friends' wine slushie, and although I don't like wine I seriously debated getting my own, it was so good! This past year, every sheet of tickets was $5, and you'd get 10 tickets out of the deal. Well, most full-on meal samples are worth 8 tickets, so if you legitimately want to try a good number/variety of foods from different vendors, you're going to end up spending over $10. Which isn't bad, but you basically have to know how to handle your tickets. They usually have stands throughout the event with people selling cold water/soda, for 5 tickets a pop. So there goes half your sheet of tickets. I used about two sheets' worth of tickets, and that was just on myself. Something to keep in mind if you're going to be feeding your whole family at the Taste! At least they give you a box to hold your food in! The entertainment this year was awesome. On the Tops stage they featured two of the local bands that I frequently follow, and the space they gave them under the beer tent was awesome! You could bring your children into the beer tents with you (anyone under 18 simply had to be supervised by a legal adult) which really makes this event incredibly family friendly. Quoting a friend: you have to be a moron to bring your dog to the Taste of Buffalo. Unfortunately I kind of agree. Outdoor festivals like this are really no place for your pooch. Please do them a favor and leave them at home! read more

Awesome opportunity to try a little bit of Buffalo restaurant cuisine. Lots of entertainment and family fun! read more

Taste of Buffalo - Early Sunday crowd - Festivals Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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You don't know good until you've been to Buffalo, and the taste of Buffalo let's you try out dozens of restaurants in one place. The cost is reasonable and actually there is a good number of free things to try, like Hershey s'mores and Josh wines read more

Taste of Buffalo - Festivals Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Well done Buffalo well done! Extremely organized. Great weather, good local food , drink and music! Well spread out helps keep it feel less crowded...wide variety of foods. Good pre-event deal thru Tops. Everyone was friendly. read more

Taste of Buffalo - Festivals Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Tasty treats & eats that can't be beat is what a taste of buffalo is all about.The best of buffalo restaurants showcase their favorite foods for you to try, plus there's always a healthy option.Theres also food trucks, wine trucks making slushies, & the beer tent.The event also had live music to entertain you as you try to choose that next great food item to try. read more

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One of my favorite events of the summer, its such a great place to see new restaurants & try some food that you may have never heard of.With so many options including a healthy choice option there's something for everyone young to old.You can also try wine from the wineries, beer in the beer tent, or maybe just relax, digest & listen to one of the many live bands playing to entertain you.Such a fantastic event , not to be missed !!! read more

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Buffalo is full of festivals during the summer- Taste of Buffalo, Italian Festival, Greek Festival... If you're a Buffalo foodie, a Buffalonian, or simply a foodie, you need to check out the Taste of Buffalo. The Taste of Buffalo brings together some of the best restaurants in the Buffalo area in one place. The festival runs on a ticket system, you make sure you bring your credit card or cash. You need to buy sheets and each sheet contains 10 tickets and cost $5. Restaurants have a special dish which usually cost 8 tickets, a mini order of that special dish for 4 tickets, and a healthy dish. Definitely go for the sample dishes for 4 tickets! I bought two sheets and purchased two single order of pierogis, one single order of chicken satay, and one slider. I wanted to buy gelato, but it was 10 tickets... Overall, I highly recommend checking out the festival. It's a bit expensive but definitely worth it. Lots of food options! read more

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This is my all time favorite event in Buffalo. I was at the first one 35 years ago on a cool drizzly day, with hardly anyone else. The following are the best bargains I found today, in no particular order: 716 Buffalo chicken fries at get fried café ( 4 ticket sample) Nani's meatballs at Osteria 166 ( five for 8 tickets) Jaeger schnitzel at Schnitzel & company (4 ticket sample) Chicken coconut noodle soup at Sun Cuisines (4 ticket sample) Other good things I tried (usually shared with my wife): Braised and fried pork belly at Black & Blue Steak and Crab Cinnamon Buns Hun at Cheesecake guy Chorizo Po'Boy at Mineo & Sapio street eats Beef on Weck garbage plate at Riverstone Grill( 4 ticket sample) Fried Dumplings at Saigon Café Gyro over rice at Venus Greek and Mediterranean I am sure there are many other fine things to try, but I'm only one person. This is a great place to try things and restaurants you never tried before. I never miss it. read more

I try to go to the Taste of Buffalo every year. It's a great place to go with friends and family. I always leave very full and happy. There's really nothing better than extremely talented chefs coming together to throw a food festival on a beautiful summer day in Buffalo. How it works: Local restaurants serve samples of their specialty menu items from their stands. Each stand also offers a "healthy option.." Many of the vendors create something new and unique to test out at the event. The new items are often the most memorable and delicious. There are several ticket stations throughout the festival where attendees can trade cash for tickets. One sheet of 10 tickets costs $5.00 (as of 2015). Once you buy your tickets, it's best to walk around and scope out your options. There are over 250 different items you can purchase, so it's important to prioritize. There is never enough room in my stomach to try everything that looks good. Small items/appetizers/soups are usually 4 tickets ($2.00) and larger portions/main courses are usually 8 tickets ($4.00). Each year, the festival attracts a large variety of participating restaurants. No matter what type of food you are in the mood for, you will find it at the Taste of Buffalo. I purchased the following items with my 30 tickets ($15.00) this year: -Mac n Cheese from Fat Bob's -Beef on Weck Ravioli from Indian Falls Log Cabin -Steak & stuffed banana pepper crostini from Snooty Fox -Crab Rangoons from Papaya -Ahi Tuna Mango Fish Tacos from Riverstone Grill -Blueberry Sorbet from Sweet Melody's I loved everything that I tried and I was completely stuffed after. As always, the festival offered the perfect mix of my favorite classic items and some delicious dishes that I had never tried. I was happy to add a few restaurants that I had never heard of to my "Buffalo Bucket List." The fan-voted favorites list is very helpful, if you are overwhelmed by all of the choices. Although, If you are looking to try some of the fan-voted favorites, try to arrive somewhat early. A lot of popular items seem to sell out before the end of the day :( read more

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They used to only serve Buffalo meat here, and nobody came. Then they realized it was a "Waste Of Buffalo" so with typical "Haste Of Buffalo" they cleaned up their act (using "Tooth Paste Of Buffalo"), and although they forgot what they were doing a few times ("Spaced Of Buffalo"), and had to deter attackers ("Mased Of Buffalo"), they located some great vendors and put them along the streets ("Placed Of Buffalo"), and got a lot of plaudits for it ("Praised Of Buffalo"). How very "Chaste Of Buffalo." This festival is one of the most underrated and famous food festivals in the country. It's the second largest, only Chicago is bigger. Sort of like me, if I was an adult movie star. The first week I ever spent in Buffalo, I departed heading west on a Greyhound bus. My next stop was, in fact, Chicago, and I spent a couple of days there, and it happened to be at the very same time as Taste Of Chicago. Years later I remember comparing TOB to TOC and thinking, wow, they're both really good. Little did I know they were the two biggest in the country, to this day. The problem now is, TOB has been taken over by a lot of sh**ty restaurants, I wonder if they pay to be part of it? Probably, I'd assume? A lot of the really great places aren't here anymore. And the prices... oh my goodness, the prices are ugly. However, Taste Of Buffalo is a true Buffalonian tradition, and it's something Buffalo can boast that it has "the best of". It has the biggest and best food fest in the country, notwithstanding Chicago which is a city that dwarfs every other city in the country save NYC and LA anyway. I've been saying for a very long time that Buffalo has some of the best food in the country, and TOB really confirms that by its size and popularity. And while I don't live here permanently, it's my honour and privilege to be "Based Of Buffalo." read more

At the heart of all good recipes, I believe, are the elements of simplicity and fresh ingredients. Good beef and fish stock, select proteins and vegetables, tasty breads and pastas and sweet creams and fruits. At this year's taste of Buffalo - despite sometimes very dense crowds - I went in search of extraordinary food. There was an area set aside for the growing fleet of food trucks and I wanted to make the rounds and check them out. After sampling each, my vote goes to The Cheesy Chick for two food items. The first for their classic grilled cheese sandwich. Thick crusty grilled bread with bubbling cheese at its center and that great buttery flavor throughout. Mmmmm mmm - comfort food. My second thumbs up was for their grilled Nutella and banana sandwich. Warm hazel nut and chocolate flavored Nutella with banana slices between slices of grilled bread. I thought this combined sweet and savory flavors together with a surprise in every bite. I want to applaud Orazios for their Brasiole Sliders which I hope becomes a menu item. The depth of flavor, for such a seemingly simple dish, is something you should experience. Fantastic taste! Lastly, a Buffalo presence for many years, Chrusciki Bakery delighted festival foodies with their classic Chrusciki - confectionately called Angel Wings - crisp, sugared and drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce. I'm looking forward to the next Taste and the next great recipe! read more

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I did not enjoy much at Taste of Buffalo this year... I feel like the food portion has gotten smaller and price went up? Also, the biggest reason for this 2 star review is lack of variety. Food was great, don't get me wrong, it was just lack of variety. Wherever I go to, everyone was serving bbq this or bbq that, this salad, that salad, burger, hotdog, etc... I was not impressed. read more

Apparently this is the largest food festival in the nation. Way to go, Buffalo!! I've been twice now, last year and this year, and I have to say I am really liking it. This year, the veggie option:vendor ratio has gone up, which is awesome! Hopefully that continues to rise =D The festival itself spans two blocks of Delaware Avenue and encircles Niagara Square. Both sides of the street are lined with booth after booth of restaurant, brewery and winery representation, with stages of live bands scattered throughout. Lloyds and BMFT made their way out as well, and I anticipate increasing food truck participation in coming years. This is a full scale operation, with proper grills, deep fryers, the works, so quality of food was spectacular despite it being 95 degrees out. For example, my Gordon Bierch garlic fries were perfectly fried; they weren't stale and sunbaked, they didn't taste of re-used oil, nor were they grease-laden and soggy, and I got them at the end of the day, no less! In fact, for the most part, cooking conditions and preparation didn't factor into the quality of food at all. Props to all the vendors!! As far as cost goes, be prepared to lay down some serious dough if you're an eater. Not because anything is particularly expensive, but because there is A LOT to try. Tickets are $0.50 a piece, sold in sheets of 10 ($5). The most expensive food items were 8 tickets, the cheapest at 2. Portion sizes were excellent as well (see pictures). All very reasonable. But trust me, it adds up. The absolute most expensive item I know of is the sangria slush in a commemorative cup, a whopping 15 tickets ($7.50), but if you think about it, that's about right. Plus, you can't get away with NOT getting one on such a hot day. They're amazing and delicious. With good food, live music, and great drinks, this really is one of the best events in Buffalo's summer lineup. read more

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Taste of Buffalo is always a great event. You're almost guaranteed a hot, sunny day to keep everyone cooking in the streets packed with vendor shops and shoulder to shoulder crowds. Sounds pleasant, doesn't it? It isn't as bad as it sounds. However, like all things in life, the less people that are involved, the more enjoyable it is. That being said, those are your baseline expectations: A lot of restaurant options, a lot of heat and a lot of people. Putting that aside, the only thing that ever disappoints me with this festival is the number of chain restaurants that come out for it. Do we really need to see Applebee's and Jack Astor's? Granted they should be allowed, but how about restaurants with a national footprint get charged based on the size of their footprint, and make room for some of the smaller, but awesome local restaurants that might not be able to afford to be there? The food options this year were significant. I guess food trucks ARE their own tent, eh? It was nice to see the 30th Anniversary celebrations - free cupcakes from Tops Markets, free Popsicles to cool the kids - a lot of activities in Niagara Square including a football toss for prizes and the Boy Scouts letting kids build Pinewood Derby cars. The Taste gets bigger and more impressive every year. Eventually they'll just sell tickets and let everyone visit the restaurants they want to go to for samples! read more

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I've been to the taste of Buffalo every year since I've moved her and love it. The selection of restaurants is very wide and the prices aren't bad. If you want to try different foods this is the place to go. It's amazing how they get so many vendors to meet in one location. I've lived in many places and never seen anything like this. I'd defiantly recommend this event to everyone. read more

Taste of Buffalo - Festivals Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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For a Saturday/Sunday festival, we chose to go on the Saturday. It started at 11am, and we got there at noon. Sure it can get crowded, but at least when we were there, it was never OVERcrowded. Every line we went to moved very quickly with the exception of Charlaps ice cream, but I suppose that's expected since It was a hot day and their ice cream is amazing. Tons of food choices depending on what you like, and I wouldn't consider it overexpensive. We had $50 worth of tickets split between four people, and found it lasted just right (we were full and just barely used them up when we were ready to leave). Don't know if I'd go every year, but it's worth checking out if you've never been. read more

This is easily my favorite event of the summer in Buffalo and I always have a great time here. This year they made a nice decision to eliminate all of the 50 cent tickets which started to get confusing last year. It did not however cause all the prices to raise and I was able to more than eat my fill on $20. This is an awesome way to learn about and see the menu's from a ton of different local restaurants and food trucks. Many are favorites of mine but not a taste goes by that I don't discover a new restaurant or business I've never seen before. By far the best thing I tried this year was the chocolate soup from the Chocolate Bar on Chippewa. It was just something else. Essentially warm chocolate mousse with strawberries and fresh mint on top, it was divine! Parking is always a mess for this event but with enough patience you'll find a space whether paid or free. There's an amazing variety of foods to try and there's bound to be something for everybody! Looking forward to next year already! read more

The Taste of Buffalo was fun. I haven't been here in years and my husband has never been. We went on Saturday afternoon. We paid $15 for parking (for 4 hours) which was annoying. We thought it would take awhile to visit all 60 booths, so we paid for 4 instead of 2 hours of parking. Turns out, it only took 1 hour and 15 min and we sat on the grass for about 10 min. The temperature was perfect and it wasn't too crowded when we first got there. It was easy to maneuver around the restaurants that were stationed in the circle. It was harder to visit the ones that were down the street in a straight line, one across from the other. But it was still worth it and were glad we went when we did. We spent $25 on "tastes" of food, which is def pricey and we wish it would have cost less. But, we know a lot of the proceeds went towards Mercy Flight and we got to try different foods from local businesses, some we've never ate at. Our favorite was the Prosciutto Tortellini from Salvatore's! read more

This year's Taste was better than ever. Let's rehash: THE GOODS Osteria 166: No Surprises here. Probably one of the best restaurants in Buffalo. Osteria'a meatballs are world class and were on display. Oshun: The shrimp ceviche and the fish taco were both extraordinary. Consume at will! 716: Really liked the buffalo Mac n' cheese and the beef-on-weck wings were very unique. Lloyd's: Obligatory plug for Lloyd's, of course. THE SO-SO Giacobbi's: They had a short rib meatball. I LOVE short rib more than those cows love themselves. These meatballs were ok. I'd probably order them again, but wouldn't risk a felony to break into their truck after hours and steal them. Roly Poly's: Had a bunch of toys too small for me to play with, and I couldn't fit into the kiddie sized wheel my son was playing in. Kids seemed to really like it, however. THE BADS The Lodge: The deep fried goat cheese balls were gross. Might as well called them the crusty greasy goat gonads and at least then people would say "there're not as bad as they sound". Deep South Taco: The nachos with chicken and stuff; might not have finished them had I not been approached by a nice lady who told me Deep South was donating the money to a wounded veteran program. That was pretty cool of them though. Just Pizza: Blah. read more

Attended on Sunday, 7/14/2013 around 3:30 This is the first time that I've attended the Taste of Buffalo in YEARS and years. The last time I was there it was still on Main Street - not sure how long ago that was. Since then I've made a point to skip it (too hot, too many people, hit in the shins by too many strollers). I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by my impromptu decision to check it out yesterday afternoon. I spent the early afternoon at Canalside and decided that I would make a quick stop at the Taste of Buffalo only if I could find a free parking spot. So I did. I was more curious than hungry (and quite frankly I had had more than enough sun on a hot day) so I opted to buy just $10 worth of food tickets. My objective was to more or less powerwalk through the entire festival and stop for a light bite or two. Mission accomplished. I managed to get through the whole thing, use all of my tickets, catch up with a couple friends and check out the New Era flagship store all in just over an hour. I was impressed! It has definitely changed quite a bit since I last attended so many years ago. The current location on Delaware and Niagara Square is better suited to accommodate the large crowds than Main St was. The food selection was extremely diverse and there seemed to be plenty of entertainment. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't all that hungry so my mission was to try a few small "tastes" (at 4 tickets each). I went for the following fish and veggie options: Fried Shrimp/Fish Cake served w/ Slaw from Niagara Seafood, Inc., Balls of Fire from Joe's Crab Shack, Mac 'N' Cheese from Fat Bob's Smokehouse (cause who can resist their mac & cheese!), and two 'tastes' of the Ahi Tuna Nachos from The Riverstone Grill (AWESOME!!!). $10 down the gullet and I was done! Yes, still too hot and too many people.....but after this somewhat pleasant experience I might not wait a decade to partake in the Taste of Buffalo again. FACTS: - the Taste of Buffalo is the largest 2-day food festival in the U.S. - this was the Taste's 30th year - over 54 restaurants, over 13 different ethnic food groups featured, 7 wineries, 4 beer tents, 3 entertainment stages - they claimed to have 450,000+ food lovers attend this year's event - you could drop loads of cash here if you're so inclined (!) This is something that Buffalo should be very proud of!! read more

It'd been years since I've ventured into the festival of food, so it was time to check it out. The short review is well, it'll be years before I venture into this festival of food again. The organization of the affair was challenging. You knew there was something going on but were left like cattle to follow the others into protocol. First, line up to purchase tickets. This line is slow, oh, it's the credit card only line. Move to other line, but wait, how many do you need? HoneyPie ran to see the closest signage and determined twenty bucks worth ought to do. The ticket sellers were not very friendly, but I can't blame them. Next, fall into the food festival shuffle. By my estimate, it was one person per square foot. And being petite, my view was many armpits and (badly rendered) tattoos in the super high heat and humidity. Thank goodness the aromas of the grilling food was strong. The goal was to try food from local joints but what an unpleasant surprise to see offerings from chain restaurants...rather defeats the purpose of Taste of BUFFALO. Ah, but the good was aplenty from creative offerings from places like The Lodge, Red Osier, Merrit Winery, Charlap's, Clarence Center Coffee Cafe and more. Kudos to all the workers, not a slacker in the bunch. What a feat to safely prepare so much food. I'd have preferred the tents were well staggered, allowing more space from vendors across from each other. There was an absurd amount of people in every line--and willy-nilly lines at that-- even running into each other from different across-the-aisle-vendors, leaving a very clogged middle of the road. Strollers and dogs and all sorts of roadblocks. Oh my. And if that wasn't enough commotion, there was some rather bad karaoke coming from...somewhere. Someone was in dire need of a throat lozenge. Time to try the roast beef at Red Osier, snap, where do you go to actually eat it? We pulled up a curb to enjoy it. And later just walked while loving a Paula's donut. There was a vendor giving away some kind of Alka-Seltzer tablet you drop into a glass of water. And on this hideously hot day, it was like an oasis in the desert. It's fruity flavored and adds vitamins and caffeine and it was quickly-spit-this-out horrendous tasting. And frankly, not a Taste of Buffalo. Boo. Save it for the trade shows and county fairs. Does not belong at this event. There were plenty of trash bins and recycling receptacles. Buffalo PD had a great presence, some obvious, like the imposing watch tower, some dressed plain clothes to blend in. In summary, if you're a crowd-going people-watcher who enjoys food tasting, it's your gig. I do implore you to patronize the local, avoid the chains though. read more

This food festival was a lot bigger than expected. When I heard 50+ restaurants would be in attendance, I imagined them all cramped side by side, lining a block or two of Delaware, keeping their food warm in foil tins. Instead, restaurants came ready with 20-foot long smokers, full set of BBQ grills, and stretching not only 2 full blocks of Delaware but encircling the entire Niagara Square plus surrounding side streets. Just the sheer volume of attendees was amazing to see. Not only was the food good, but the entertainment was also great with live bands rocking out on multiple stages throughout the strip. I definitely recommend bringing your own water b/c they're going to charge you astronomical prices for their beverages (5 tickets = $2.50). The "Chairman's Choice" winner went to Laughlin's Hog Wing which I think was a pork rib for 8 tickets... Overall, it was great seeing so many restaurants from outside of Buffalo that I'm too lazy to drive to. This event blows the Buffalo Wing Festival at HSBC out of the water, and it was pretty cool seeing all demographics of Buffalo come out to such a diverse and popular event. read more

My family and I ordered chicken wings 2 hours before the super bowl and they accepted our request. They called us at the estimated delivery time and said that they were out of wings. We decided to add a couple subs instead of the wings and specifically asked for ranches and blue cheeses. We paid for the sauces and were not given them. We're weekly taste of Buffalo customers but won't be ordering again after this let down. read more

Love it!! You know it's summer in Buffalo when the Taste of Buffalo happens! This year definitely try the Three Brothers hard cider slushie, dole whip at Nick Charlap's, Original Crunch Roll's mac and cheese roll, and the Caribbean Experience jerk chicken. You really can't go wrong with any of the food read more

This is such a great place would definitely recommend that you go here good food nice people good music and fun mini games

The Taste is a good way to try things that restaurants go out of their way to prepare for you. We skip the pizza and hot dogs since we can get them almost any day in our area and most of the places serving them do a good job. That said what was outstanding this year from this old person's perspective: *Nettie's fried chicken (why not, they are the specialists) *Francesca's Seafood Gnocchi *Indian Falls Log Cabin Avocado Cream Cheese Pie *The Original Soup Man Seafood Bisque and I've had Shumai before but the Shrimp Shumai (Steamed Dumplings) from *Sakura Sushi were truly a party in your mouth. You could eat at any of the restaurants represented at the Taste and I'm sure you will be satisfied with the meals,but "my foodie" who goes with me chooses very carefully because she is the cook that can actually taste the finished product. Thus the reason for the notable selections. If you want to avoid crowds, strollers, heat go early or later in the day. And don't forget those food trucks are at Larkin on Tuesdays. read more

I am generally not into going places where there are huge crowds. Especially when it's hot and humid out. But since I'd never been to the Taste of Buffalo I had to go this year, just to check it out. It is enormous. I had no idea it stretched so far down Delaware and into Niagara Square. There are lots and lots of restaurants here, it's almost overwhelming. The one thing I find to be a bummer is the ticket policy. You buy the food with tickets instead of cash, so you have to buy tickets first. It's sort of inconvenient for a compulsive eater like me. Before we got tickets I was nearly lured in to a booth but then remembered I had no valid currency. :( Many local businesses were represented at the fest, but there were certainly plenty of chains. I was super disappointed to see Applebee's and the like there. There are so many OTHER tastes in Buffalo besides crummy food from a chain restaurant. But I'm sure it's a big investment to get a booth at Taste so lots of great local restaurants probably can't afford it. I didn't eat too much while I visited, I only had some seaweed salad from Sakura and a sangria wine slushie from Merritt Wineries which was SO GOOD I got a wicked brain freeze from sucking it down! Overall, I'd pop in to the festival to try a few restaurants but it'd be expensive for a day long trip. read more