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Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops Returns to Niagara Square July 9 & 10

Highlights include 40 restaurants and food trucks, New York State wineries and plenty of food fun for the whole family

Wed, Jun 8th 2022 10:30 am

Buffalo, NY – June 8, 2022 – The nation’s largest two-day food festival, Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops returns to downtown Buffalo on Saturday, July 9 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, July 10 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Enjoy culinary delights from 40 restaurants and food trucks, five New York State wineries, live music and more along Delaware Avenue starting at Chippewa Street and continuing into Niagara Square.

“Celebrating its 39th year, the Taste of Buffalo has always been about bringing our community together to share food and good times, while celebrating the city we love,” said Luke Baecker, 2022 Taste of Buffalo chair. “This year’s Taste is an opportunity for all of us to join with our neighbors from across the city, the suburbs, and beyond to celebrate why we are known as the City of Good Neighbors and show our support for our community and our local restaurants.”

Eleven new restaurants and food trucks are participating in this year’s event including Alchemy Wine and Beer, Big Ditch Brewing Co., Brodies, Caribbean Flava, Fat Lady’s Cakes & Pies, Hofbräuhaus Buffalo, KT Caribbean Cuisine, Mi IsLa, Mother Cluckers, Steaksters, and Unbridled Café.

In partnership with the Independent Health Foundation, each participating restaurant will again offer a “Healthy Option” menu item that is lower in fat and sodium. To provide flexibility in menu planning and portioning, restaurants will also provide a smaller “taste portion” of one or more of their menu items.

Admission to the Taste is free. Food and beverage tickets can be purchased at the festival in $6 sheets. Cash, Visa and Mastercard are accepted.

Beginning Sunday, June 12, participating Tops Markets will sell pre-sale Taste food ticket vouchers at the registers. Vouchers are available in $10 and $60 increments and are redeemable at the festival ticket tents. Each $60 voucher comes with four free, non-alcoholic beverages.

Get a Taste of Food and Fun

The Taste is grateful to have the continued support of Tops Markets as its presenting sponsor for the 19th year.

“In this time of solidarity, we’re proud to continue to bring our community together for food and fellowship for the 39th Annual Taste of Buffalo,” said John Persons, president of Tops Friendly Markets. “We’ve been proud to support our community for the past 60 years and as the sponsor of the Taste for the past 19 years bringing you the very best that Tops has to offer and we look forward to seeing everyone this year at Niagara Square.”

Stop by Tops Markets big striped tent at the foot of Delaware Avenue and Niagara Square to try something from their great menu. Grilled chicken sandwiches, grilled chicken salads paired with Newman’s Own dressing and Craisins, Tops Italian sausage with peppers and onions, Sahlen’s hot dogs, Tops summer slaw, corn on the cob and Tops Chantilly cupcakes will all be available to purchase. Also be sure to get free samples of delicious Tops brand items at their other tent inside Niagara Square and stop by the Tops Pharmacy tent too.

Several sponsors will also offer samples, demonstrations, and interactive activities along with plenty of entertainment and fun. Here’s a taste of some of the experiences to check out this year:

  • Make a $2 donation to Independent Health Foundation’s Healthy Options at Home program to help feed the underserved in the community and receive a tray to carry all your delicious Taste food and drinks.
  • Enjoy Coca-Cola beverages and quench your thirst at various locations around the festival.
  • Ice cold Labatt and other local craft beers available at five walk up beer tents.
  • The Taste of Fun KidZone is back! Presented by WellNow Urgent Care and hosted by Explore & More Children’s Museum. Kids 10 and under can enjoy fun activities like the WellNow teddy bear x-ray machine, Explore & More’s farm to fork play area, and free samples of kid-friendly snacks, while supplies last.
  • The Culinary Stage is live again all weekend long, starting at noon both days, in the New Era Cap parking lot sponsored by Artisan Kitchens and Baths and Buffalo Spree. Featuring Buffalo’s own Chef Darian Bryan and other great Buffalo chefs, be sure to get a seat and enjoy free samples before the demonstrations and a taste of the finished chef dishes. Don’t miss the Singing Cops, who will learn how to make a recipe with Chef Darian – sure to get you laughing. Also, come cheer on the Taste of Buffalo scholarship recipients and watch them compete to make the Best Burger in the Student Burger Battle.
  • Get a photo in the cool 360 photo booth from Lab Entertainment, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. both days in Niagara Square.
  • Enjoy live music throughout the event from local bands, acoustic artists, and a live DJ.
  • Other Taste sponsors include: Bubble Bar, Colgate, Cracker Jack, Equitable Advisors, I Love NY, Independent Health, IV360, Kind Frozen, Lasik, Lays Stax, New Era Cap, NFTA, NY Pork Producers, Tums, Urgent Dental Care, and Yakult USA.

Supporting Our Community

As the Buffalo community continues to heal and honor the lives of those lost in the devasting act of violence that took place on May 14, the Taste has partnered with Tops Markets to support the Buffalo 5/14 Survivors Fund. You’ll see heart-shaped QR codes all throughout the festival. Scan the code with your phone to make a donation. 100% of the donations go directly to the survivors. Let’s lift up our community with love!

In addition, the Taste invites you to sit down and enjoy a meal with people in your community in the Share a Meal with Your Neighbor tent located inside Niagara Square. Strike up a conversation and let’s start to get to know each other.

“It’s great to have the Taste of Buffalo, one of our City’s great summer traditions, back this July,” Mayor Byron W. Brown said. “I thank Taste of Buffalo organizers and Taste sponsor, Tops Markets, for finding a way to honor the victims of the May 14 tragedy, and creating a quick and easy way for Taste-goers to make financial donations to the Buffalo 5/14 Survivors Fund using the QR codes. I also think our entire community will embrace the ‘Share a Meal with Your Neighbor’ tent and have conversations with open hearts and minds while enjoying great food.” 

Visit tasteofbuffalo.com to view the digital Festival Guide featuring participating restaurants and their menu items, the festival site map, the Culinary Stage schedule, and more.

About Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops

The Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops is the nation's largest two-day food festival. The 39th annual Taste will take place on July 9 and 10, 2022, along Delaware Avenue and Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo. The Taste is a not-for-profit organization with more than 1,000 volunteers helping to put on the annual event. Approximately $543,000 has been raised at the festival for local charities including scholarships awarded annually to local high school seniors pursuing a culinary or hospitality-related degree. For more information, visit tasteofbuffalo.com, and find @tasteofbuffalo on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.