BUFFALO, N.Y. — People packed Niagara Square and downtown Buffalo on Saturday, ready to sample some of Western New York's finest food and drink at the Taste of Buffalo.
Among those people with big appetites were more than 60 judges, who had the envious task of trying different dishes to determine the best items at the two-day event.
This year's Taste of Buffalo winners included:
- Chair’s Choice (chosen by Tom Mahoney, 2024 Taste of Buffalo Chair): D.A. Taste — Dom’s Taco
- Children’s Choice (chosen by Claire and Esme Mahoney, daughters of 2024 Taste Chair): Golden Hour Treats — Nutella Me Crazy Waffle
- Louis J. Billittier Sr. Rookie of the Year Award: Carrubba’s Chicken Pit
- Veteran Restaurant Winner: Sidelines Sports Bar & Grill
- Eric DuVall Memorial Best of Buffalo Winner: Resurgence Brewing Company
- Best Overall Item: Dirty Bird Chicken N’ Waffles LLC — Fried Cauliflower Taco
- Best Surf or Turf Item: BW’s Barbecue — Smoked Jerk Chicken Wings
- Best Dessert: Fat Lady’s Cakes & Pies — Award Winning Sweet Potato Pie Cupcake
- Best Handheld: Stack Burger — Stack Burger
- Best Red Wine: A Gust of Sun Winery — Pinot Noir
- Best White Wine: Victorianbourg Wine — Estate Pechette
- Favorite Fermentation: Three Brothers Winery & Estate — Cabernet Franc Rose
The panel of judges represented local media, politicians, business and community development sectors.