Perks Cafe and Market

We ate here two days ago for breakfast!
The only reason we gave it two stars is because the gals who took our order over the counter were pleasant enough and gave us a buck off the coffee and kind enough to split our dishes into two plates for us!
We otherwise would have given it one star!
The food came out very quickly and they seemed to want to knock it out rather than heat it up.
Food was pretty tasteless and lukewarm to cold! They were NOT busy at all so don’t know what the problem was.
The coffee was just NOT good! It was in fact awful! We had ordered pancakes, turkey sausage, fried eggs, home fries and toast that wasn’t toasted and ice cold. Not so good in 23 degree weather. Our standards are fairly high! It wasn’t even that reasonable for quality and quantity we received. There is no parking and I guess the regulars who go there are satisfied based on other reviews! Good luck with that! They wouldn’t last a few months in Texas or Florida which is where we live.

Stopped on our way out of town for breakfast and coffee. I had the breakfast sandwich with bacon on a croissant and a red eye coffee. It was satisfying and I would stop here again for something quick if it was in the way.

Lovely place to get breakfast. The menu selection was good and the food quite tasty.

The people, the food and the environment make this the best choice downtown for breakfast and lunch!
There is giant blackboard menu listing all of the delicious beverages and food always available. There are daily specials every day fresh from the creative minds and hearts of the friendly folks who take your order and prepare each one by hand, one at a time. Desserts. Baked goods. Wraps. Sandwiches. Salads.
I especially like that there is always some special item dreamed up and made up death in house.
The coffee is excellent and I’m particular about coffee.
Take some time and enjoy. Don’t rush. And come back!

Good food but very slow. Stopped here on a Saturday morning before driving back to Michigan. Waited almost 45 minutes for pancakes! Not withstanding they were very good pancakes but a very long wait for three-​year-​olds breakfast

Mmm, Perk’s. Super great vibe and they really pack flavor into their food… which is why my coworkers and I keep going back. The lunch menu is reeeeeally tasty! I’ve loved everything I’ve tried so far, though my favorites are the Turkey Ruben and the pesto quesadilla. Their specials are also quite good.
The seating is light and open, with affordable artwork and photography on the walls. I love that they have a rack of emergency items in case you’re at work and really need something such as a Tide to Go pen, mints, medicine, a lint roller, etc.

Simply great! In town from LA, and this place rocked it! Super friendly staff, a stellar pumpkin spice latte, good regular coffee, and the food orders were on point as well! I had the Southwestern burrito, which couldn’t possibly have been done better! Dad had the massive breakfast sandwich, and really enjoyed it. Give this place a shot! Cheers!

Perk’s Café & Market seemed to sneak up on me one day out of nowhere. Not the bad kind of «sneak up» where you lose your wallet in a stick up or when a ninja karate chops you unconscious or something, but the good kind of «sneak up» when someone hands you a freshly made sandwich and an iced coffee.
I grabbed a grilled chicken on a ciabatta roll w/​a side of mesclun greens (if you’re wondering what the hell mesclun greens are, don’t bother asking me because I haven’t the foggiest. I think it’s some kind of lettuce that Alice found at the bottom of that rabbit hole in Wonderland.) The chicken sandwich was very ordinary; not a lot of spice or seasoning, and just plain grilled on a flat top. It had melted provolone cheese, peppers and onions, but no sauce or fancy mayo… just dry. Also, it was $ 8 and I was still hungry enough afterwards to cause me to resort to chewing on the corners and edges of my desk at work. I didn’t have a very huge portion of mesclun greens either. Don’t you hate it when people don’t give you enough mesclun greens?
I also picked up an iced coffee and that was satisfying. I will give Perk’s Café another shot someday, but for now that iced coffee remains the fondest of my memories of Perk’s.

Perk’s is great. Good food and friendly staff. I haven’t tried their smoothies or coffee yet but it looks great. A slice of nice relaxing environment right in downtown buffalo. Bring your library card or student ID for a discount.

Perk’s Café & Market is my go-​to place for coffee in downtown Buffalo. The have a different unique coffee flavor every week, along with their regular roasts all the time.
The staff is always welcoming and warm. When I started coming there regularly, they quickly remembered my name and my order.
The food is excellent too — especially the Breakfast Burrito. I can’t say enough about the customer service and the atmosphere here, and I would recommend Perk’s to anyone looking for breakfast, lunch, or just a coffee.

My husband brought me a Perk’s coffee one morning and I was surprised at how delicious it was. Then he took me to the shop and I completely fell in love! Excellent staff, great coffee, delicious menu! :)

Perks is the best café in Buffalo. Hands down! Was visiting Buffalo from Toronto and this place was the first place i stopped and they made me feel so welcome. Pancakes and Americano were great. Super nice and comfy spot inside. WiFi. Cool character to the place. Highly recommended. Perks is an island of awesome in an otherwise sleepy area of downtown Buffalo.

Beautiful little café downtown, one of the few places in downtown Buffalo that actually has it’s own identity. The atmosphere is both hip and cozy and there’s almost always great music playing everytime I’ve entered.
The staff is incredible, always going above and beyond to help the customer, they’re also very friendly and helpful everytime I’ve been in. The interaction they have with regulars on a day to day basis is a shining example of why people come back.
Their pastries are absolutely delicious, their blueberry bagels are particularly tasty. They also have possibly the best espresso I’ve had in all of Buffalo. Their Americanos are so much more full-​bodied than anything I’ve ever gotten at a Spot Coffee or Caffe Aroma. I have yet to have eaten lunch here but have heard great things, and if it’s anywhere near as good as the rest of their food and drinks, it should be nothing short of exceptional.
In short, Perks Café is an incredible little café and one of my favorite places in Buffalo.

Very good food, great atmosphere. Their mesclun salad with goat cheese & balsamic dressing is fantastic, I go out of my way to order it to go for lunch. Everything is fresh and I don’t see anything that looks processed or fake. Their pastries are delicious. Much better alternative to Timho’s or Dunkin Donuts if you want a coffee shop that feels like authentic Buffalo & serves real food (as opposed to frozen fake eggs reheated in a microwave).

Super trendy. Came here for breakfast because sign said, «Open ATM» as opposed to not being open at the moment.
But first things first, the review. Employees at 8:20AM are super friendly, location is prime, ambiance is bright/​trendy and as a tourist from NYC, I felt like I was back in NYC!
Ordered bacon, egg and cheese on plain white toast. The dish even came with slices of orange. Typically what I would rate as typical is now changed. With the ambiance, service and price ($ 6) I would rate this a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ breakfast experience.
Sat in the room with a fireplace and had the most pleasant date with myself.
Thanks for reading!
Charismatic Cherie.

Always have awesome coffee — today I tried the spicy black bean soup — oh my gosh, the absolute BEST!!! If I could take home a few gallons, that would be perfect!
Had a casual business meeting here, great ambiance compliments the great food and service.
A MUST every time I visit the area!

First of all, the space is quite great. It has a lot of character and is very spacious — lots of room to breathe and enjoy the huge windows. Hard brick walls and a collection of different chairs and tables from history. It’s very chic and clean, as well — a lot of clean lines, artwork, and space for the artwork to be unique.
Dirty Chai made from homemade chai = quite the spicy and delicious treat. Not at all sweet, which is a wonderful change from the prepackaged chais.
I had a wrap and it was pretty grand. Hummus, greek dressing, vegetables, and a side of pasta salad. Quite good. And I’d say fair to better pricing compared to other cafes in Buffalo. Other reviewers must be comparing only exclusively to chains, but this seemed less-​than for a meal than other places.
Tip for students: 20% off! Moments like this make me happy I am still in my PhD program. And that’s on anything, as far as I know. Good times.
I just stumbled upon this place and I highly recommend it. Of course, it’s not near anything and has different hours (not late hours) — but if you need a morning or afternoon study location, definitely try this. It’s pretty empty as I type, so I feel like i could stay here all day!
Oh, and fantastic music choices. The music is at a good volume (unlike other cafes) and it is interesting, reflecting the unique quality of the staff and space.

Cool location and has a nice separate action of counter and eating/​lounging area. However, it’s just not that cozy. Also has a strange collection of travel pens, toothpaste etc that I will rip on here, but I am sure one day I will thank my stars I know where to get high liters, a mini– stapler and travel dental floss… Oooh, and a compass, definitely will need to draw circles.
Staff– pleasant
Food– good, but slightly pricey
Coffee– major turn off– not the taste mind you. follow: a pet peeve of mine is when you order 4 shots of espresso, and they ring up 2 doubles… Did I ask for 2 doubles? No– are you giving me 2 cups? nah; 4 shots should always be rung as a double, then add shots. Now I would like that iced… Oh, that’s 50 cents more? Really?. If ask for ice water is that 50 cents?
So that may be my last 5 $ I ever spend here.
If I opened a coffee shop, I would probably try to have a sense of how much I am overpricing my drinks in comparison–
Has lots of pluses and I really want to like it more, but I have some «me centric» issues with the ordering. Since that is really all I drink, getting it at the evil empire saves me 2 $. And there’s no parking, and limited hours… etc– see other reviews for all that.

Fantastic spot if you want excellent food, and good coffee while in downtown Buffalo. Their lunch menu always has something unique and flavorful. I grabbed lunch after a meeting here and got their special of the day — turkey breast with bacon and swiss with cucumbers, spinach, a whole bunch of other things I can’t even remember, all on a ciabatta. The sandwich was huge, but the flavors were like an explosion of creative goodness.
The side pasta salad in a balsamic was fantastic as well!
Give them a try the next time you’re within 17 miles of the corner of Broadway and Ellicott.
Updated review — have to give them an extra star. The staff goes above and beyond every time I’m there, in either location! Such a rare find in business these days!

I came here with a friend for lunch today. Walking it, it had a nice deli feeling to it. I ordered the turkey cheddar BLT on wheat bread. The bread was delicious! Actually, the whole sandwich was! I would definitely recommend it. It also came with a side salad that had wonderful balsamic dressing on it. It all came out to about $ 8 with a bottle of water
The inside was so nice! A big dining area. My friend said they had redone the inside. I liked it a lot.
The employees were very nice as well! I would definitely recommend Perks. I just wish it was closer to where I work, I would go there a lot more.