We all know that (most) Buffalonians are pretty darn lucky when it comes to access to quality affordable food. With incredible restaurants ranging from Tempo to Lin, Wegman’s on our doorstep, farm shops and bakeries that include White Cow Dairy and BreadHive, and other fan favorite delicacies such as Public Espresso, Spar’s, and countless other delectable delights hiding around just about every corner… this city has a ton of culinary offerings (per capita) that would make any food lover proud.
The funny thing is, that Buffalo is just starting to make a name for itself as a culinary destination. While there have been quality restaurants around for a long time, the food scene in this city is just starting to heat up. I seems as if a new restaurant is opening every week, not to mention the other food and drink oriented delights that are springing up.
According to a study conducted by WalletHub, Buffalo is 2015’s 15th Best Foodie City for Your Wallet. Yes, there are a lot of studies out there, and many of them are devised to drive viewers to various websites, but there is a lot to be said for the affordable food offerings that we have access to. Not to say that we don’t have a ways to go when it comes to creating a truly explosive food scene, it’s just nice to know that when it comes to food, we’re a lot further along than we were just ten years ago… or five for that matter.
This city might still be the Chicken Wing Capital, but thanks to a growing selection of ethnic restaurants (Ethiopian, Burmese, Iraqi, Mexican, etc), we can finally rest easy knowing that our yearnings for better and more diverse foods are being satiated. Even one of the all-time fan favorites is re-opening in the city – Ted’s Hotdogs. And it’s only a matter of time before we get some gourmet Chinese (AM&A’s building). The Seneca Casino will be upping the ante in the near future. Not to mention the countless food trucks that populate every corner of the city. And don’t forget about the urban farms, farmers markets and CSAs that are playing a crucial role in what we are eating these day.
With Oct. 16 being World Food Day and nearly a third of the U.S. food dollar being spent on restaurant services, the personal finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2015’s Best and Worst Foodie Cities for Your Wallet. To find the most affordable culinary scenes in the U.S., WalletHub analyzed the 150 most populated cities across 18 key metrics, ranging from the cost of groceries to the number of restaurants per capita.
Gastronomic Affordability in Buffalo (1=Best; 75=Avg.)
- 25th – Cost of Groceries
- 24th – Number of Restaurants per Capita
- 34th – Ratio of Full-Service Restaurants to Fast-Food Establishments
- 14th – Number of Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores per Capita
- 43rd – Number of Craft Breweries & Wineries per Capita
- 37th – Number of Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita
- 22nd – Number of Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Shops per Capita
- 11th – Number of Grocery Stores per Capita
For the full report, visit WalletHub.