Local kitchen and Beer Bar

We were searching for a place to watch the basketball game last night and as we drove past Local we peered inside and saw that it was completely empty. For a long time we were the only customers, and after spending several hours eating and drinking there, I have no idea why.
I ordered the black and blue wings, which were covered in some kind of teriyaki glaze with crumbled blue cheese. They were crispy and flavorful and pretty much perfect; good enough to return specifically for them. My friend ordered the ribeye steak sandwich which looked really good, but more importantly was the catalyst for an interesting-​at-​the-​time conversation about french fries; the fries were cut into a unique, steak/​spiral hybrid that reminded me of strands of DNA and led us down a rabbit hole of fry shapes that I never knew existed: alphabets, smiley faces, etc. Good food leads to good talks.
The beer list is impressive — 40 beers on tap and most of them were local or local-​ish. The 4 Mile Double IPA from Olean was my favorite: it was the freshest tasting beer I tried and surprisingly sweet for a Double IPA.
Overall, the place was awesome. It is a great example of the transition Chippewa is going through; clubs are slowly giving way to restaurants and brewpubs. Phil the bartender was great, and the kitchen was easily able to accommodate a couple gluten-​free requests. Not from me, from a friend; without gluten I would slowly wither away and probably crumble into a new french fry shape.

I’ve been here a few times already and I will go back. The service is great at the bartenders are awesome. The food is OK depending on what you get. The burgers are good and they’re massive if you’re hungry. If you’re looking for any help the options this is definitely not the place to go but the food is good and they’re always looking for suggestions to make it better. All of the stuff that I’ve met the staff has been wonderful there. I’ve had a steak sandwich there as well as a burger that was lettuce wrapped (they need to find tune the lettuce wrap that they use though it was very difficult to eat and not the best tasting either). Drinks are a little water down but the service makes up for a lot.

Came here for lunch and I’d come back. They have a variety of lunch specials with a half soup/​sandwich combo for about $ 8. It also comes with a free drink (pop or coffee).
I chose the Philly Cheesesteak and the roasted red pepper soup. It came with a side of house made potato chips. The Philly Cheesesteak was good, but the bread: meat ratio was a little crazy. Way too much bread and not enough meat/​cheese. It felt like I was mostly consuming bread, but the bits of meat and peppers that were in there were delicious.
The soup that I had was pretty good, although it tasted a bit too buttery and oily to me, which I didn’t expect from the roasted red pepper soup. I also tried my friend’s Grilled Cheese and thought it was a bit dry. Despite all these shortcomings with the food, I’d still come back here to try more of the menu. It’s a very casual place and I enjoyed dining here. Service was good, despite the small hiccup of them forgetting to pour the coffee (I had to ask for it a second time).
All in all, I’d be curious to come back here and try more of the menu and can’t write this place off on one subpar lunch experience.

I’m sitting in Local staring at my $ 22 bill, realizing I’ve just made a huge culinary error: I ordered the Friday fish fry. It was a $ 13.00 plate of beer battered cod, accompanied by Mac salad, potato salad & coleslaw whose whiteness was not relieved by any discernible seasoning.
Maybe I’m being unfair– think there was parsley or something in the various salads. I did ask the waitress for a little sweet pickle relish to add some tang and/​or zest to the salads. She said there was none to be had
I also asked her to advise the kitchen that mayo is NOT a seasoning.
And the beer battered cod? It tasted fresh but again, some seasoning, some real spice would have helped. I had to slather on the Frank’s Red Hot to it make it edible.
I understand the challenges of cooking for the public, you have to offer YOUR flavors and hope we diners will go along for the ride.
A restaurant kitchen is no place for those who lack commitment to taste and adventure.
Best part of my meal? A $ 6 bottle of «Not Your Father’s Root Beer and my $ 3 diet Pepsi.

Bartender had NO personality. Pretty sure he was high. Oh, and he went to the bathroom at the same time as my husband and did not wash his hands and came back to the bar and made drinks, touched glasses, and fruit. No thanks.

Local Kitchen + Beer Bar is the place to be. I’m not extremely fond of the «chip strip» however this place isn’t half bad.
Came here for dinner for Buffalos restaurant week and I am so glad I did. The drinks were great, the food was amazing, and the service was awesome.
I do recommend a reservation if you want to eat because we didn’t make one and we ended up eating outside, which wasn’t bad however the space was tight and not much room. Also, a little noisy but that doesn’t bother me, but if you’re not into it then don’t come here.
Other than that, two thumbs up.

This review is solely based on my one-​time experience which was for local restaurant week– a crazy night it was. I had reservations with friends at 7pm, and we were seated at 8pm– by that time we just decided to stay at the bar and order due to the craziness that ensued. We decided to stay although we couldn’t be seated (which is strange if we had reservations), and the food did not come out for another 45 minutes-​1 hour which was a little daunting. No appetizers– nothing. However, once it did (out of order, may I add), it was delicious. I ordered the walnut crusted chicken and hummus with cucumbers and I must admit the freshness of the food is quite great, and you can tell everything is made extra fresh. Although I know it was an unorganized chaos week during local restaurant week, the food did not disappoint and made the 2+ hours of waiting not seem too terrible. Will I go back? Perhaps for a drink. The regular menu looks delicious!

Great atmosphere and the local woodwork from a Clarence barn is perfect for anyone that supports local food/​shops.
The food was amazing and the portions are big enough so you have leftovers. Some of the sides are from the Broadway market which is a nice touch –locals supporting locals! There is a large selection of local beer as well.
The only downside was the service was not great, I was there on a Tuesday with very few people there and the waitress forgot to introduce herself and only set down the menus. Otherwise this is a great new restaurant!

Time to update —
Sat right away last night, surprised it wasn’t busier. Service was OK. Waitress was a little young and not quite educated on drinks or beer but otherwise she was good. The beer list is pretty decent and long. They offered free appetizers (buffet) which was nice because we were able to try a few things off the menu that we didn’t order. The chicken wing dip had a nice zing to it and the beef on weck rolls were OK. I wasn’t crazy about them but my husband liked them.
We ordered the pretzels as our appetizer. The jalepeno mustard was amazing but the cheese they served with it got cold and turned too hard to dip. My husband ordered the fish fry which was BIG! He said it was good and he would get it again. I had the Schillers Park chicken sandwich. I thought the sandwich needed more flavor, the chipotle mayo was good but I think maybe a bbq sauce or something should replace it.
Waitress said they were still working out the kinks, which is understandable because they aren’t «open» yet. I would definitely return. The place was beautifully redone!!! The walls are amazing.

Other than the dirty mop smell that tends to fill the air, this was place is pretty great.
I’ve come for happy hour and lunch, and sometimes order take out to eat at my desk. Their online menu is not their lunch menu, as a heads up. So pretty much anything you order they may not have (e.g. the Cobb salad).
Of what I’ve eaten, the pulled pork and veggie burger have been my favorites. Both come with fries, but they’re not normal curly fries (fried potato corkscrews?). The not-​fries are yummy.
Drinks wise, there are a large selection of beer and alcohol. There’s happy hour specials and I think specials when one of the beers is at the end of its run.

Chill vibe and bomb ass music. Throwback 90s Hip Hop & R&B. I’m so glad I didn’t go to the fancy place across the street. This is just right.

Finally got to this little gem last week. Very happy with the staff and the beer options. Finally a bar really embraces local breweries. They must have two from everyone and then also the bigger regional craft beers that we all love. Space is comfortable and spacious with a general cozy feel throughout. I was most blown away by the food. We got two appetizers only but the freshness and tastes were superb. I have no idea how they made the cheese sauce and mustard with the pretzels so amazing.

Real food that does not come from a bag. Awesome beer selection. If you want bar food that doesn’t come from the freezer come here. Everything taste fresh with a respectable beer selection. Bartenders need a little hustle but it wasn’t busy enough to matter. I like it:

You know what? A few years ago all you could get on West Chippewa was a black eye and herpes. Now, you can get local beers and amazing food in a great space here at Local!
Pleasantly surprised with everything in here tonight. Reminiscing of stupid times in the old Crocodile bar with a few friends. Beers were great, food was way better than expected (grabbed the «Ultimate Chicken Sandwich.») Buddies ordered the loaded fries (their fries are so good) other buddy ordered the almond chicken strips. All blown away to say the least. This is a step in the right direction for a street that has been taken over by dildos for as long as I can remember.

Pretty swell place. Had the wings, loaded fries and lots o’ local beer. The design of the space is a little predictable: reclaimed wood and oversized metal letters all over the place. Looks fine, but it also looks like any other new restaurant. Would also love to see a few more NY ciders on the menu (Blackbird, Docs, Nine Pin, etc.). Regardless, we had a good time and left full! Great service.

What a transformation from the former club «Noir»! Walking into this place you would never guess what was there before! I love the rustic/​industrial feel of this place. What a terrific job! This is defiantly what we need to make Chippewa more of a classier street.
With that being said, the food is also very good! We made reservations for 4 people on Saturday at 7 and we were seated right away. We all started out with a beer. They have a decent beer selection. We ordered the chicken taquitos they were so good! You only get 3, and 2 dipping sauces, but 1 each should be plenty. We all ordered the One Buffalo fish fry and we were all very impressed! The fish is absolutely huge, served with seasoned fries (or potato salad) and macaroni salad. Its really a ton of food. The fish will run you about $ 13.00 which is on par for the rest of buffalo.
We all really enjoyed our meal. The only thing that bothered us slightly, we all felt like we were being rushed. I don’t think our server was doing intentionally but, we just wanted to take our time and enjoy the company. I could understand if the place was busy and they needed the table but honestly, the place was not very busy at all and there were several open tables. On the other hand she did do a really good job, the food was brought out hot, and our drinks were always full!
I love fish fry’s and this is one of my new favorite spots to get one! Looking at the food coming out of the kitchen it all looked very good! I will defiantly be back soon to try something else! I do have to say though, the menu is pretty limited, but that is not always a bad thing!

Local is an excellent, classier addition to the Chip Strip. It’s about time Chippewa started to move away from the clubs-​only and focus on making this a place for the more adult crowd. We made a reservation prior to a Sabres game on their second weekend open. We probably didn’t need one, but hey, better to be safe than sorry. It was busy, but there were open tables.
To start off, I loved the décor. They have a big light-​up «Buffalove» sign against the back wall, and as cheesy and played out the «Buffalove» movement is, I enjoyed the sign nonetheless. The shape of the bar, though, you can totally tell it used to be a club.
They boast a pretty impressive beer list, similar to that of Tap House across the street As the name suggests, many of the extensive beer list were from local breweries, from Hamburg to Southern Tier, 12 Gates, and more. They also have a large assortment of whiskeys on their menu, if that’s your thing (I personally like my whiskeys in a cocktail moreso than straight up, but it’s a nice menu option).
For food, we started with the pretzels. It came with 3 dipping sauces. Again, as the name suggests, they get a lot of their food and condiments from local purveyors. The pretzels came with a jalapeño sauce from a local vendor at I believe the Broadway Market. You also get a tangy delicious Honey Mustard, and a melted warm cheese sauce. Our biggest issue with the pretzels is that they give you 3, which is just a weird number all around. Would have made more sense with 4. But maybe I’m just being a hungry, greedy, pretzel fiend.
For the entrée portion, they have a ton of sandwiches. I went with the Ultimate Chicken Sandwich. For the record, I really try to avoid chicken sandwiches, because many of them are similar and run-​of-​the-​mill. But I decided to give this a try, and I was not disappointed. Chicken was seasoned well and not bland, and the toppings gave the sandwich a nice flair with creamy avocado and crunchy potato chips. Paired with the sandwich were strange curly potato wedges. I really have no idea how to describe their shape… but they were tasty, especially with the sauces we had leftover from our pretzels! Yum!
There are so many delicious sounding things on the menu, including the wings. I’ll definitely be back. For being so new, everything went smoothly. Food was being run out efficiently, and all the employees were friendly and helpful. Again, this is a great addition to Chippewa, because it’s a nice change from the club feel of the street.

We came here on a night before a Sabres game. We made a reservation before we came, since we figured we didn’t want to gamble on finding a place before a game and with Seinfeld performing that night.
We got there and were seated immediately. The décor inside is nice. I liked the lit up Buffalo sign in the back.
The beer list here is pretty good. Not Blue Monk level of exotic, but it definitely doesn’t disappoint. I got a Hamburg Red Ale and the fiancé got a chocolate cherry bomb beer.
We got the pretzel appetizer, which was amazing, but had a few things I was not a fan of. Particularly, there were 3 dipping sauces, with only 1 being mentioned on the menu. I feel like we should have been told what they were before just blindly tasting them. Be proud of what you’re serving! The other issue was having 3 pretzel sticks in the appetizer. I feel like it should be 4, and I’d pay the extra dollar or two for the menu change to include 4, I just think 3 is an odd number. It’s weird to split it for 2 people, I’d imagine a table of 4 would really be put off.
The entrées we got were good. I got the turkey sandwich with candied bacon. It reminded me of the I Love Josie sandwich from Joe’s Deli, with a few differences. The candied bacon strips were great, and the cranberry aioli was perfect in taste and amount on the sandwich. My only complaint would be that the bread seemed a little greasy, not overly so, but still just a touch. The accompanying french fries were an oddity. The cut was a mixture of wedges mixed with curly q’s. It’s something I should have taken a photo of just to get an answer. They tasted really good as well.
Overall the place is a solid dinner place, and a good place to get some beers too. I will certainly be back!

Being that Friday was their first night open to the public, they did a pretty darn good job. Not five stars but it has the potential to get there once the service become a bit more polished, but everyone needs time to work out the kinks. The place is beautiful, rustic with wooden accents, cozy and while I’ve never been to Noir, I have heard from others that the renovations are pretty superb. We did a circle around the place before deciding where we wanted to plant ourselves. There wasn’t anybody at the door when we came in, but soon after walking around aimlessly we saw the hostess who grabbed us a table and handed us large menus. She spoke briefly about the menu and highlighted favorite dishes. She told us a server would be over shortly to take drink orders. It took quite a while for a server to come over and help us, we thought about going to the bar to get a drink but then he came over and recommended the Resurgence Sponge Candy Beer which we appreciated but declined and went with Blue Lights, so boring considering how awesome their craft beer list was. Craft beer and food doesn’t go well together, I need to either just drink craft beer and eliminate food or stick to the domestics because they go down like water, but that’s neither here nor there. So, we asked a bit about the food, they do their fish fry with cod which is fantastic because while cod and halibut are similar, cod is much meatier and makes for a much more delicious and substantial fish fry. Unfortunately the brussels sprout slaw that was listed on their menu, wasn’t available just yet, big tease because that sounded like it would be right up my alley. I was torn with what to order, which is a great thing because I am a picky eater at times and this menu had a lot of great options. Some days I decide I am going to be Gluten Free and the next I’m sticking to whole grains and the next I’m all about the Salads. So, being able to accommodate any of my dietary needs on a given day is a a huge plus. Great salad menu, pizza options, burgers, sandwiches, and don’t forget to check out the back of the menu, there are bigger entrée style plates there too which are easy to miss.
Went with a fish fry, didn’t want the cole slaw so our server gave us the opportunity to add on a different side and suggested grilled vegetables. Heck yes, we were all about the vegetables. We really appreciated the easy swap with no up-​charge. The fish fry was ENORMOUS and pretty delicious as was the mac salad that came on the side with a little paprika on top. My gluten free margarita pizza was decent for being gluten free. It didn’t have a notable crunch that I am always looking for in pizza but that’s fairly difficult to find with a Gluten Free crust and it was large, clearly made with fresh ingredients so overall I was really happy with my choice. We had friends join us mid way through our meal, they too ordered a fish fry and enjoyed it. A while later we had two more joiners and they didn’t give us a hard time with trying to squeeze six people into a four person high top table. Speaking of tables, ours wobbled back and forth the entire meal. When we brought it to our server’s attention, he grabbed some coasters and tried to fix the issue, but unfortunately, the base of their tables are circular and so it’s nearly impossible to level the table, something needs to be done underneath to make sure it stands up straight because it became an annoyance. The server was nice but a tad inexperienced, for instance, he came over to ask if we wanted our food boxed up while we were still working on it, felt a tad rushed. We stayed there to drink until around 11:30 and then asked for our bill which he separated for us without an issue. By 11:30 the place was really dying down so I’m not sure if this will be a late night hangout or what their mission is in terms of a late night bar crowd. Their website isn’t up yet which I wish was. In my opinion, having an established website that people can look at to see what this place is all about before actually going is a good thing.
A few comments about things I didn’t like. First, the space is so beautiful and renovated but the bathrooms are not. If I had to guess I would say these are the same bathrooms that were in the bar before this one because they were old and pretty disgusting. There was no heat in the woman’s bathroom either so everything was ice cold. Not that the bathroom is a place I want to hang out in but the second I walked in, I wanted to get OUT. They really really could use a renovation in there. Also, the printed out checks are SO incredibly long. So long. The itemized checks have a big Local Kitchen and Beer Bar logo on the bottom which is a great idea except that it needed to be folded four times in order to fit into my wallet. Nix the logo or downsize it to make the checks shorter, save the environment, ya know. So to end on a good note, definitely check this place out, it’s worth the time and the money.

So far I’m liking this place. Came in after the buffalo on tap event with my boyfriend and My friend. It was fairly busy at the bar, not so much at the tables. It was around 9:30 on a Friday. The kitchen was still open and we were told the only thing we could not order were the entrées. Totally fine by us.
Two bartenders helped us, the guy helped me choose a Bourbon and his suggestion was ON POINT. I’m obsessed.
My friend and boyfriend both got beers that they enjoyed, I expected their beer list to be a bit longer but maybe they didn’t have everything tapped yet.
My boyfriend ended up ordering the steak sandwich. It looked pretty large and was cooked exactly as he asked. It also came with these cool looking and tasty fries.
Overall we will be back to try more menu items!