We truly hate to see locally owned and operated restaurants close. For obvious reasons 2020 took a lot of good restaurants and sadly we’ll probably be feeling its effects well into 2021 and beyond. (PS: Friendly reminder to eat local at the spots you’d miss if they closed!)
While this year included countless temporary restaurant closings – more than once we might add, this list only includes restaurants that have permanently closed. Consider this a sorrowful goodbye to restaurants, restauranteurs, and staff who generally put in a lot of hard work and heart. RIP, restaurant friends. You will be missed.
Did we miss one? Email us at editorial@steptoubuffalo.com to tell us about it or send us restaurant/dining tips.
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1. Tipico Coffee – Fargo
Was located at: 128 Fargo Street, Buffalo, NY 14201
Tipico has since opened a new location on Elmwood Ave.
2. Pastry By Camille – Hertel Ave
Was located at: 1422 Hertel Ave Buffalo New York 14216
“Aurevoir Hertel Avenue, Thank you all but I’ve come to a decision. Thanks to my staff, and all the foodies, May we meet again!”, wrote LE CAER in an Instagram post on May 11th. Head to Pastry by Camille’s Instagram and swipe through the several pages of heartfelt goodbyes for the whole story on how Camille LE CAER ended up on Hertel Ave and what’s next for one of Buffalo’s favorite “frenchies”.
3. Viking Lobster Co.
Was located at: 366 Tonawanda St, Buffalo, NY 14207
“The rumors are true..we have decided with a heavy heart to put our restaurant up for sale. It is not because we do not think the restaurant can succeed in our new world, because it most certainly can. We just felt it was a good time to start a new adventure, closer the our Farm in Middleport NY. This decision was a very hard one to make. We absolutely loved having met so many great people and are honored you loved your experience with us. We hope that who ever takes over the operation is just as passionate for you. Good News is…
Jeff and I are almost ready to start our new adventure …we hope to see you there. Final details are being worked out, but as soon as they are we will let everyone know here on our Facebook page. The Viking Lobster Company in Black Rock Buffalo will always be a memory that brings a smile to our face and warmth in our heart. We will miss the restaurant but we hope to see all of you again when our new adventure begins.” – Facebook post
4. Perks Cafes
Was located at: Multiple Locations
“Bob Newman, managing partner of Wainfleet Companies, the major investor in Perks, announced the decision to not reopen all three of its locations in a press release Monday night.
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5. William K’s
Was located at: 329 Erie St, Buffalo, NY 14202
Sister restaurant/location Acqua absorbed William K’s at 2192 Niagara Street, Buffalo.
6. Pairings Wine Bar
Was located at: 5893 Main St, Williamsville, NY 14221
“Sorry to say we will not be reopening. Thank you to all our wonderful customers for 11 great years. CHEERS!” – Facebook post
7. Suzy Q’s BBQ
Was located at: 2829 Niagara St Buffalo, NY 14207
“We hope you have been well over these past trying months. We want to thank all of our customers, many of whom have become like family to us, for their endless support over our 18 years of business. We would not have been able to do what we have done for so long without you.
As this time has passed, we have come to the very difficult decision that we will be closing Suzy-Q’s Bar-B-Que Shack in its current form. It is said that all good things must come to an end, and while this is the end of what we know, this is not the last you will hear of us.
Please take care, be safe, and God bless during these unprecedented times. ” – Facebook post
8. Scallywags
Was located at: 6558 Old Lake Shore Rd, Derby, NY 14047
9. The Hole in the Wall Restaurant
Was located at: “I am sorry to report that Travis, Dad, and I have decided to close the HW at the end of service this week. We will be open this week Tuesday through Saturday, but then will close for the foreseeable future. Pre-Covid we had been experiencing over 60 months of growth, had diversified to three successful businesses, and were employing sometimes more than 30 people. Our loyal team has been proud to serve you either as a customer at our restaurants, when catering your special events, or when attending the many community events we led in Perry. It has been our honor to serve the public and we regret having to close. We will re-evaluate things when circumstances change.
Our sister business, Ration Wine Bar, will remain open 7 days a week (with the exception of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day). We serve brunch there on Sundays and may explore more involved dining options too. (Pssst that definitely includes the igloos Dad just finished assembling on the patio!)” – Facebook post
10. La Tavola Trattoria
Was located at: 1458 Hertel Ave, Buffalo, NY
11. Washington Square Restaurant
Was located at: 295 Washington St, Buffalo, NY 14203
“The Washington Square Bar & Grill, operating in downtown Buffalo since 1967, will not reopen and the longtime owners have put the building up for sale.” – WGRZ.com
Update: Washington Square Restaurant was sold and has reopened under new ownership!
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12. Black Button Distilling
Was located at: 149 Swan St, Buffalo, NY 14203
13. Schupper House
Was located at: 2115 Seneca St, Buffalo, NY 14210
14. Village Beer Merchant on Elmwood
Was located at: 547 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222
“A family owned business in the Elmwood Village is closing up shop after more than 13 years. The Village Beer Merchant owner Brian Nelson says they had to shut down after losing too much revenue during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
“Do we want to take our another loan, a 30 year loan and start from scratch and have that huge debt that we incurred January and February and then March?” Nelson said. “And then pull out more money just to basically be a small business? It’s sad.” – WIVB.com
15. The Pub at Wegmans
Was located at: 8270 Transit Rd, Williamsville, NY 14221
“The coronavirus pandemic was the last call for the Pub by Wegmans. Wegmans stopped service at the Pubs months ago in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, but has now confirmed the bar restaurants will not reopen. Wegmans had 12 Pub locations, including one at 8270 Transit Road in Amherst.” – The Buffalo News
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16. Nickel Creek Cafe
Was located at: 4717 Clinton St, West Seneca, NY 14224
17. Homegrown Bistro
Was located at: 4211 N Buffalo Rd Orchard Park, NY 14127
“I started on this journey 5 years ago with a lifelong vision of what WE created into Homegrown Bistro. I opened the doors uncertain of how my concept would be embraced, how the Orchard Park community would respond, and how to make my vision of a “happy place” come to fruition. To my loyal customers who have become more like family than customers to me, thank you! To my staff who worked tirelessly to bring my vision to life, thank you! To my family who provided countless hours of help and support, thank you! To the Orchard Park community, who embraced me from day one and has welcomed me in with open arms, thank you!
The time has come to embark on a new journey. As many of you know, we welcomed our first child into our family recently and life priorities have drastically shifted. Our lease is up and with the uncertainty of the duration of the NY mandated limits on indoor dining and occupancy limitations, the risk of continuing to operate was too high to jeopardize my family’s financial future. I am extremely humbled by the generous donations that came through in a “Go Fund Me” campaign organized by one of our loyal patrons who caught wind of our imminent closure. I will not be accepting this money as the decision was already made to close and the purpose of the campaign was to raise funds to remain open.
The last day that the Bistro will be open is Wednesday December 23rd. It is important to me to provide notice to give people the opportunity to use up any outstanding gift certificates.
I cannot express my gratitude for all of you enough, thank you, thank you, thank you! WE made a very special place that brought some incredible people into my life. I know I will be seeing many of you before I close the doors for good and look forward to thanking you personally.
With a Full Heart and Sincere Gratitude, Katie” – Facebook Post
18. Root & Bloom
Was located at: 423 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222
The owners shut down Root & Bloom and transformed the business into a new concept called Big Mood, a fast casual restaurant more fit for Covid-times.
19. Crazy Jakes
Was located at: 26 Webster St, North Tonawanda
“After careful consideration by our management team, we have come to the unfortunate conclusion that after tomorrow at 5pm we will be closing our doors for business, due to hardships with the Covid-19 Pandemic. We would like to thank all of our generous customers for making these last 12 1/2 years, unforgettable. We would also like to thank our very hard working staff, for every ounce of effort they have put in to keep us going. Without them, we wouldn’t have gotten this far. It has been our pleasure to bring the City of NT good food and fun times. We would like to wish our neighboring establishments good luck in their futures, and once again thank you all for your support. We wish all you a safe and happy holiday season.” – Facebook Post
20. Jordan’s Ale House in South Buffalo
Was located at: 107 Abbott Rd #1045, Buffalo, NY 14220
According to WGRZ.com, “The brother-and-sister owners of Jordan’s Ale House, 107 Abbott Road, have put the restaurant on the market with a $220,000 asking price. For those who don’t know it as Jordan’s, the bar is probably better known as Stankey’s.”
21. Buffalo Road House Grill
Was located at: 1980 Niagara Falls Blvd Tonawanda, NY 14150
“It’s with a heavy heart and a great deal of regret, we are forced to close down permanently. This decision was not made lightly but as a result of multiple shut downs and a drastic reduction of business we can no longer operate at a loss without any hope for the future. Thank you for all the great people who have supported us through the years, we will miss you. Happy and Safe New year to all.” – Facebook post
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22. American Grille in East Aurora
Was located at: 7901 Seneca St, East Aurora, NY 14052
23. Iron Kettle Restaurant
Was located at: 1009 Olean Rd East Aurora, NY 14052
24. Belsito on Hertel
Was located at: 1368 Hertel Ave, Buffalo, NY 14216
Did we miss one? Email us at editorial@steptoubuffalo.com to tell us about it or send us restaurant/dining tips.