Introductions for these guides feel obligatory. However, the SEO gods demand them and so here is where we do a shallow dive on beef on weck:
Unique for its topping of whole caraway seeds and large-grain kosher salt, the kummelweck roll was brought to Buffalo from Germany in the late 1800s, probably. Locals started serving them filled with roast beef with a side of horseradish and soon after, a number of places became famous for the sandwich: Schwabl’s, Bar Bill and Charlie the Butcher.
Like chicken wings, beef on weck is available in just about every village and town in Western New York. There are a ton of non-famous local favorites out there – underrated if you will, and these are a handful that we appreciate.
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1. Margie’s Bar and Grill
5044 Broadway, Depew / More Info
Beef on weck is a simple sandwich.
If you’re trying to make it right, there aren’t 17 ingredients or a delicious sauce to hide your mistakes. Above all, the beef needs to be well seasoned and well cooked. Margie’s Bar and Grill is probably the best example of this. Butter-soft with a deep brunette umami, the beef at Margie’s Bar and Grill will have you thinking about it long after you’ve left; like memories of an Old Flame you can’t shake from the recesses of your Labatt-soaked brain.
2. Connor’s Restaurant
3465 Seneca St. West Seneca / More Info
West Seneca may be famous for that other roast beef spot visited by TV’s Anthony Bourdain, but Connor’s roast beef (with its lower price point) is probably more popular among locals, especially locals of a certain age.
The roast beef stands out for being the size of a softball, and typically comes medium rare. If that’s your jam, this is your spot.
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3. Sidelines
189 Delaware Ave., Buffalo / More Info
Located downtown right across from the Hampton Inn on Delaware Avenue, Sidelines is the kind of sports bar you’ll find in every American downtown. TVs jammed into every nook and memorabilia into every cranny. Only the most popular Maroon 5 songs on the PA. The faint smells of fryer grease, stale beer and industrial sanitizer commingling in the air.
However, what Sidelines lacks in vibes it makes up for on the above-average menu, and a major highlight of that menu is the beef on weck. With smartly cooked beef and on-point kummelweck seasoning, the sandwich comes with a side of jus that only gets more flavorful as you dunk. Why more places don’t offer jus really is baffling.
Best Spots for Beef On Weck
According to Western New Yorkers
4. Falley Allen
204 Allen St., Buffalo / More Info
Famous Troll Alton Brown once said people shouldn’t go to Buffalo for great wings because Buffalo thinks it has wings on lock, and there’s no pressure for wing spots to innovate or one-up each other.
Leaving that hot take alone and moving on; when it comes to beef on weck, some local restaurants are trying to push the conversation forward and one example is the short rib beef on weck at Falley Allen. Unless you’re a staunch traditionalist, this braised cut of beef is a definite upgrade.
^The only picture ever taken of Beef on Weck at Anchor Bar in the history of the world.
5. Anchor Bar
1047 Main St., Buffalo / More Info
The original Anchor Bar is like our Times Square. It’s a tourist trap. If you’re a local and you get caught there, you have to make up an excuse: “Uhh, my sister-in-law is in town from North Carolina, aaand…”
We can argue all day about the quality of the wings, but this isn’t an article about wings. Next time out-of-town family and friends drag you to the Anchor Bar, make the Cool Local move and order the beef on weck. Then, appreciate a depth of flavor you can’t find everywhere in the 716.
