BUFFALO, N.Y. - Ask ten Western New Yorkers which restaurant has the area's best wings, and you'll get ten different answers.
Those who have discovered South Buffalo's The Nine-Eleven Tavern, though, rarely give any other answer.
Founded 35 years ago by Western New Yorker Mark Gress after returning to the area, the unassuming bar near the corner of Tifft and South Park Avenue has built an underground reputation thanks to its homemade wing sauce. Just don't ask Gress what's in it.
"We start with the basics, but I added something that I think people really, really enjoy," Gress says. "And we try to do it consistently, and give people a quality product at a reasonable price."
The 2 on your Side newsroom gave the sauce it's best guess- garlic? Parmesan? Extra vinegar? Whatever it is, it lives up to the hype. Gress also sells jars of the sauce, when the jars are available (a chalk sign on the wall reads, "WE NEED JARS").
Alongside the wings, the tavern serves a small menu of deliciously-seasoned fries, burgers, corned beef on rye, pizza logs and chicken wing dip.
The first question about the bar is generally the source of its name. The simple answer- it's at 9-11 Bloomfield Avenue. Gress says he probably considered changing it after 2001, but by then it had 20 years of history connected to the name.
The building itself is half seating area, half bar, complete with a bar shuffleboard table. There's also an outdoor patio, and every inch of wall i covered with sports memorabilia and a collection of antique sleds.
Note also, The Nine-Eleven Tavern only takes cash- no credit cards.
Check out The Nine-Eleven Tavern at its Facebook page here, and let us know where to go next by emailing us here.
The Nine-Eleven Tavern
11 Bloomfield Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14220
(716) 825-9939
Hours:
Tues-Sat: 4:30pm-12am
Closed Sun-Mon