Bar-Bill Tavern | Must-Eat Buffalo Honor Roll

Wing Artistry

Bar-Bill’s beautiful wings are hand-brushed with sauce. Each perfect drum and bow resembles a prop for a photo shoot. But they eat like Buffalo’s best. Crisp-edged, meat-laden, and succulent, they come brushed with a choice of sauce. Highlights of the sauce repertoire include multiple heat levels as well as Cajun, honey-pepper, spicy Asian, honey Dijon, and Sicilian. On the endlessly appetizing Buffalo Wing Trail, this place is a highlight. Put it at the top the must-eat Buffalo honor roll.

Beef on Weck

Beef on weck is no slouch, either. In fact, it is a blue-ribbon best. Of course, they hand-carve it, sandwich by sandwich. The beef is magnificent, but it differs from most. Whereas it is typical for the region’s beef carvers to shave the meat thin and pile it high, Bar-Bill’s sandwich artisan slices it relatively thick — maybe 1/5-inch — resulting in velvety pieces of juice-laden beef that fairly ooze juice and flavor. Pile this into a good roll spangled with coarse salt and caraway seeds and dunked in juice and you have one of the great American sandwiches. And, by the way, the cup of extra jus that comes with it is itself a bracing beef cocktail, taking each dunked bite of sandwich into an even more ecstatic realm.

Beer, Here

Extraordinary as the food is, Bar-Bill also happens to be a great place to drink (and is open until 2am) . The beer menu features nine drafts, including several locally-brewed favorites, and countless bottles. Serious cerevisaphiles can pay $50 to secure their own personal mug, entitling them to $1 domestic drafts for life and discounts on all other drinks.

Not Fast Food

Do note: Bar-Bill takes does not take reservations. Buffalonians love it, so expect to wait for a seat, especially a seat on the front deck. But for a restaurant at the topmost echelon of the must-eat Buffalo honor roll, it’s worth it. Bar-Bill is cash only; no credit cards.