Why go to Buffalo for a road trip….first, it is a great sports town with  a real fan atmosphere at their venues. This time of the year the Sabre fans are rocking and the tickets are reasonable. Here are some tips and links for you to use in planning your trip and remember, you may get a bonus snow storm to extend your visit and miss a day of work !

TICKETS :

Keep your eyes on ebay.  Recently sighted several pairs at considerably less than cost.  In fact, one pair at lower centre ice sold for half of face value.

CONCESSIONS :

Actually above average options, the focus is on local flavor. Wings, Beef on a Weck, Fried Bologna and Onions.Try the ‘Pour Man’s Aud Club’ station, behind section 111, for the best experience. Plus you can grab an ice cream or Sundae for dessert.

EATING AROUND THE ARENA:

Blackthorn Rest/Pub -2134 Seneca St. blackthornrestaurant.com Great portions, great flavor! Try the buffalo standard Beef on a weck (a kimmelweck roll, a funky bun with a caraway top). Or the Big Guy special a massive sandwich that you’ll have knife and fork it.

Comments:

“Beer and cheddar soup was to die for. So were the prices. Very reasonable. Stuffed peppers were awesome as well. Great service too. If you want to be boring, go to denny’s, if you want to discover something new, come here. “

“We love watching Diners, Drive ins and Dives on The Food Network and wanted to try a place in Buffalo, NY. Blackthorn came highly recommended.

My husband ordered the Triple D. He loved it. The beer chedder soup was very rich in flavor! The portion was perfect for lunch!?I order the Chicken Quesadillas, they were amazing! Spicy, full of flavor.?The service was great, really nice people. The restaurant has a lot of character. It was a really nice meal! Would definately go back.”

Pearl Street Grill – 320 Pearl st  thecenturygrill.com This for a pre-game meal. They have a $15 all-you-can-eat pre-game buffet. Wings, Pizza, Weck, Pasta and more. Too, they also brew their own beer.

Comments:

Having eaten there several times we decided to have our son and daughter-in-laws wedding reception held here. What a great experience for our families, our guests and ourselves! The food was great as usual (if you eat here you must try their Pot Roast) and the staff was spot-on with its service.

I just love Pearl Street. The brews are fantastic! They even serve beer in large tubes with a spicket so that your party can share and drink up. The food is always good and the prices are very reasonable. Pearl Street is located in the heart of downtown in a building built in th 1800s. It features several floors with a bar on each floor. They also feature an outdoor patio on the second floor. During the summer it offers a beautiful view of the sunset. A definite must stop place to eat and drink when in Buffalo.

SPORTS BARS TO WATCH BEFORE OR AFTER GAME:

The Anchor Bar 1047 Main st anchorbar.com This is an institution around these parts and is well worth a visit as the locale that started America’s love affair with Buffalo Wings.  The wings are huge and and there may be a wait, but what’s a trip to Buffalo without at least one visit to this place.  P.S.  The Pizza is pretty good too.  P.S.S.  Be prepared for long waits at times.  P.S.S.S. Unless you are sitting at the bar – there are no TVs.

Comments:

This restaurant is known world wide as the original and best chicken wings. The pizza is also to die for. Although it is a thin crust it still has the integrity and chewiness of thicker crust. The smell of the crust is as fresh as can be. We like to have green and black olives on ours it really compliments the hot wings. We love this place and make it an annual trek!

Waited 10 years to get there for the wings and was not let down. Worth the trip despite Buffalo’s desolate feeling. The one and only original needs to be experienced.

Duffs Famous Wings at 3651 Sheridn dr originally opened in Amherst and has been serving wings since 1969.  It has become so popular that folks north of the border opened it’s doors to a Duffs in Toronto in 1985.  I guess Toronto gets Duffs and Buffalo gets Tim Hortons.  Seems like a fair trade.

Comments:

My wife’s family is from Buffalo, and when they want wings – they go to Duff’s. I recently visited Buffalo with my son’s 20 player hockey team for a tournament. We (including parents) went to Duffs and ordered a variety of wings – from the mild to the classic to the hottest. Service was great – they managed to get all of us sat and fed quickly. And the wings were as terrific as I am used to getting there. Everyone left happy, and happy they had Duffs wings. We got there early (11:30 AM Saturday), and when we left there was a line going out the door. Go to The Anchor Bar for the history, but go to Duffs for the wings!

WHERE TO STAY:

The Mansion On Delaware Hotel www.mansionondelaware.com top notch service, close ride to the arena, starting at 195/night

Comments:

This is a gorgeous building with beautiful touches inside and out. We live very close by but my husband surprised me and brought me here for the night for my birthday. There’s a great happy hour with complementary wine and cocktails and a lovely breakfast in the morning. We had dinner reservations at a pricey restaurant nearby but instead opted to enjoy the hotel more by ordering sushi from one of our favorite places. The hotel staff took care of everything. They brought a table into the room while we were enjoying happy hour and set up the sushi on beautiful plates. Everything looked so nice. They even turned on music and left us with some chocolate covered strawberries. A great experience- I’m looking forward to staying here again!