The Editors of Buffalo Chow are proud to present the 2010 edition of the Top 100 Buffalo / WNY Foods and Restaurants Guide, an unparalleled independent look at the best culinary destinations in and around Western New York. Our Top 100 is unique: no advertisers, relationships with covered businesses, or external considerations have in any way influenced the creation of this list. Instead, our editors selected the Top 100 purely on merit, recognizing everything from the best of Buffalo's famous tavern foods to the most impressive fine dining establishments, and everything in between. Food quality was the single most important criterion, followed by value for the dollar, service, and ambience; some restaurants excel in specific categories, while others impress in all four.
Below, you'll discover that the 100 selected establishments are each briefly summarized, noting their geographic locations and at least a couple of great picks per restaurant. More importantly, you'll find full linked reviews for every one of the places, as well as photographs that let you know what to expect. While we have numbered the restaurants, they are not in rank order; star ratings and details within the reviews generally provide guidance as to how excellent the individual establishments are relative to local and national competitors. To keep the list manageable, we've split it into five parts, and will be rolling them out one per day over the course of this week.
Part 1: Family Dining: Barbecue, Burgers, European, and Latin/Tex-Mex
Part 2: Tavern Fare: Wings, Pizza and Beef on Weck
Part 3: Brunch + Sweets: Bagels, Coffee, and Desserts
Part 4: Asian Foods: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese (You're Here)
Part 5: Fine Dining: American, French, Fusion, Italian, and Steakhouses
The 2010 Top 100 is a labor of love, and the product of thousands of hours of dedicated tasting, discussions, and writing. We hope that it helps you discover some of Western New York's most wonderful meals, and enjoy them as much as we have.
Asian Foods: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese
43. Arirang. Expensive enough to deter some first-timers, Amherst's Arirang offers the highest-quality authentic Korean food we've found anywhere in Western New York, in a nice setting. What's Great: The barbecued Galbi beef short ribs will wow you, along with a variety of included Korean side dishes.
42. Cantonese House. Until Buffalo gets a comparably equipped Chinese dim sum restaurant, we'll be driving an hour to Rochester's Cantonese House, which serves a large variety of legitimately delicious small plate choices from both carts and a menu. What's Great: Virtually all of the dim sum here is above average, but Baked Roast Pork Buns, Abalone Dumplings, and Egg Custard Tarts are especially hard to find done as well in Buffalo.
41. Eastern Pearl. As the sharpest-looking "real" Chinese restaurant within Western New York's official borders, Williamsville's Eastern Pearl offers generally good renditions of actual Chinese dishes - not the Chinese-inspired fusion stuff served at P.F. Chang's - with fair to good prices. What's Great: Seafood is Eastern Pearl's strongest suit, so we'd try items like the Seafood Delight or Seafood Noodles Soup if you're looking for something impressive; lunch pricing is attractive for old standby dishes.
40. Fuji Grill (Williamsville). Having recently expanded to other towns, Williamsville's original location of Fuji Grill is amongst the area's very best Japanese places, with strong sushi and a good selection of the cuisine's best-known dishes. What's Great: Atypically strong tuna can be found in dishes such as Tekka Don, various sushi and sashimi picks, and an off-menu favorite of ours called the Sunrise Roll - sliced cajun-seared tuna, bonito flakes, and white onions atop a spicy tuna roll.
39. Gin Gin. Though it's low on visual frills, the Chinese restaurant Gin Gin in Amherst includes some hard-to-find authentic dishes on its reasonably priced menu, and does better-known dishes better than cheapo peers. A fine dim sum menu was added in recent months, as well, providing weekend lunchtime access to a variety of Chinese small dishes. What's Great: Different renditions of Curry Squid - one served mid-week, the other on weekends as dim sum - are both excellent, as are the Steamed Dumplings and Bubble Tea.
38. Jasmine Thai. One of several excellent Thai restaurants in the area, Amherst's Jasmine Thai is close to North Tonawanda, and does everything from appetizers to complex entrees very well. What's Great: Everything's good, but the Mee Krob, Yum Nua Spicy Beef Salad, and Banana Coins dessert are standouts.
37. Kabab & Curry. As Western New York's top Indian and Pakistani restaurant, Kabab & Curry blends into its Williamsville plaza until you've tried its rich, saucy dishes, at which point it's impossible to pass by without feeling hunger pangs. What's Great: We have yet to go wrong with anything here, but we'd pair the Seekh Kabab appetizer with any Mahkni dish if you're spice-adverse, or any Karahi dish - Lamb's best - if you like heat with your meat. Even the Mango Lassi milkshake-alike and included basmati rice offer simple, wonderful pleasures.
36. King and I. Limited parking is the only reason that we don't spend more time at this long-time favorite Amherst Thai restaurant, which does virtually everything well; it shares many dishes and similar quality with Buffalo's Taste of Thai. What's Great: If you're looking for something cool, the King & I Seafood Salad or Yum Nua Beef Salad are a good place to start, while hot dishes such as the Thoung Tong crispy baskets and the Ped Prig Pow spicy duck are also local standouts; virtually any other Thai classic is done well, too.
35. Korean Express. Students at U.B.'s North Campus in Amherst mightn't fully appreciate just how good they have it with Korean Express, the best inexpensive Korean restaurant in Western New York. Located in The Commons, it dispenses with all the cuisine's fancy side dishes and delivers delicious authentic entrees at budget prices. What's Great: Try the spicy pork Dae Ji Bulgogi, the chilled, dry shredded Ojing-o Che sesame squid, and the fried Mandu dumplings.
34. Ming Cafe. Small and for whatever reason better at promoting its cookies than its impressive Chinese dishes, the Buffalo-based Ming Cafe feels like a well-kept secret every time we visit. The kitchen takes the high road in preparing even familiar dishes, offering better quality at higher prices. What's Great: A surprisingly strong, authentic rendition of Classic Wonton Soup shows how this oft-oversimplified bowl is supposed to be done, while the Hot & Sour Shrimp, Calamari & Scallop entree is another example of the high quality approach.
33. Ming Teh. Beloved for decades for its small but sharp Chinese menu, Fort Erie's Ming Teh is technically across the border in Canada, but as close to the water and Western New York as possible - a thrill if you're carrying a passport. The dining room offers a classier dining experience than almost every Chinese restaurant in Buffalo and its suburbs. What's Great: The Chewy Dry-Fried Beef Strips with Ginger and Garlic is unparalleled locally, a dark, powerful jolt of crunch and flavor, while the Stir Fried Fish with Snow Pea Pods and Onions is the yin to its yang, light, delicate, and sublime.
32. Papaya. We generally don't like fusion restaurants, but Papaya offers a legitimately nice pan-Asian and Asian-inspired menu in a setting that's atypically impressive by Buffalo city standards. What's Great: Items such as the Spicy Korean Seafood Stew, Fiery Thai Udon Noodle, and Hot Pepper Crusted Chicken offer delicious, chef-created riffs on one or two different Asian cuisines at once.
31. Prince BBQ. As the lone area representative of the popular Chinese form of barbecue, Kenmore's Prince BBQ isn't anything to look at, but offers locally peerless duck, pork, and squid dishes, with or without noodles and rice accompaniment. Ignore the takeout-quality venue and enjoy the uniquely prepared meats. What's Great: Any of the barbecued fare - such as the standard BBQ Pork or Duck - is worth trying, while the Soy Octopus is thrillingly thick meat for fans of seafood.
30. Saigon Bangkok. Though we'd give the original Tonawanda/Amherst location a slight edge over its recently-opened Williamsville sister, both locations of Saigon Bangkok serve the area's best Vietnamese food, and do a very good job with Thai food, as well. What's Great: The Bun vermicelli dishes, Summer Rolls, Mi Xao Don and Vietnamese Hot and Sour Soup are all strong on the Saigon side, while the Bangkok-based Papaya Salad and Thai curry dishes - we're partial to the green curry - are generally all strong.
29. Taste of Thai. The City of Buffalo might never realize how fortunate it is to have the dimly lit but strongly flavored Taste of Thai restaurant, run by half of the former King and I team; its renditions of familiar and unfamiliar dishes alike are consistently strong. What's Great: We're always blown away by the Pork and Eggplant with Green Curry, the Ped Prig Pow duck, and the Papaya Salad.
28. Thai Orchid. Despite the word "Thai" in its name, Williamsville's Thai Orchid offers options that differ substantially and impressively from other local Thai restaurants; we have yet to have a bad meal here. What's Great: Virtually everything here is solid, but some items, such as the delicate coconut Kanom Krok and numerous rotating specials, can't be found elsewhere locally, and are certainly worth trying.
27. Uncle John's No. 1. Quite possibly the least impressive restaurant aesthetically on our entire list, Uncle John's No. 1 sits anonymously on the border of Buffalo and Amherst, serving Chinese food - including weekend dim sum brunch and other authentic dishes - that is far, far better than its tiny storefront would ever suggest. What's Great: Between the Hong Kong Style Shrimp and all of the regular dim sum - Har Gow shrimp dumplings, Beef Tripe with Ginger, Sesame Balls, and Steamed Buns with Egg Custard - it's hard to go wrong with anything, including and especially the authentic dishes on weekends.
26. Wasabi. Though its Williamsville location is larger, offers more choices, and rates a little higher, Wasabi's small Buffalo shop is also a very good choice for Japanese food, particularly sushi. What's Great: The Shrimp Tempura and Spicy Tuna sushi rolls are amongst the area's best, but all of the sushi is good to great.
Tune in tomorrow for Part 5 of the Top 100 Buffalo/WNY Foods and Restaurants, focusing on Fine Dining: American, French, Fusion, Italian, and Steakhouses. Click here for Part 3: Brunch + Sweets: Bagels, Coffee, and Desserts.
