Worldwide guests don’t at all times understand what a big state New York is, with so many potential street journeys. Nonetheless, in case you love attempting native meals on street journeys, plan an Upstate New York street journey alongside the Upstate Eats Path, which provides an ideal mix of native meals experiences, historic websites, and enjoyable pit stops.
The Upstate Eats Path is a mixed effort between Binghampton, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse in Upstate or Western New York. The Path covers basic scorching canine stands, roadside ice cream retailers, barbecue joints, diners, bakeries, sweet shops, sandwich locations, and even old school drive ins. Whereas Binghampton, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse are the first locations on the path, there may be a lot to see (and eat) in between stops.
Since I used to be touring from Rhode Island, I adopted this Upstate New York street journey from Albany to Buffalo. It inspired me to get off of Interstate 90 and discover a few of the native roads, cities, and historic locations alongside the way in which.
Alongside this Albany to Buffalo street journey, you’ll drive via the bread basket of New York state, skimming the highest or backside of the Finger Lakes region, and observe the Erie Canal to the Nice Lakes. With so many scrumptious meals spots to cease at, plan on sporting your stretchy pants, bringing your urge for food, and packing your antacids since you gained’t be leaving hungry.
Western New York Highway Journey
Be aware: My street journey was hosted by Go to Buffalo Niagara, Go to Rochester, and Go to Syracuse, overlaying my lodging in addition to some actions and meals. Please see my disclosure web page for extra info.
Since I used to be driving to Buffalo from Rhode Island, I solely hit three of the 4 stops alongside the Upstate Eats Path, with Syracuse (also referred to as “Salt Metropolis”) up first.
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Syracuse, New York
Earlier than arriving in Syracuse, I ended at Inexperienced Lakes State Park in close by Fayetteville. After a couple of hours spent driving throughout Interstate 90, it was time to stretch my legs and construct up an urge for food with a straightforward hike round Inexperienced Lake, one among two surprisingly lovely glacial lakes within the park. If I had extra time, I may have additionally loved a day on the seashore and a swim in Inexperienced Lake, however I had meals on my thoughts.
Able to eat, I adopted the recommendation I acquired on social media and made a beeline to Dinosaur BBQ’s unique location in Downtown Syracuse. In fact the robust factor about solo journey is desirous to strive all of the issues and never having the ability to end something.
I chowed down on combined meat plate of ribs and brisket with fries and mac and cheese (nothing like beginning out with a feast!) I even tried the fried inexperienced tomato appetizer, however that I’d suggest skipping. The flavour of the meat was a few of the finest barbecue I’ve had shortly and oh so scrumptiously tender. I actually needed to restrain myself from ending your entire plate, however I knew my abdomen was simply getting warmed up.
After lunch I checked into the beautiful Marriott Syracuse Downtown. This historic resort has a surprising grand foyer and occasion house, with up-to-date and cozy rooms. The situation is ideal for exploring downtown, which I discovered to be very quiet throughout my summer season go to, though I think about that adjustments as soon as the college college students are again on the town.
With a purpose to get hungry sufficient for dinner, I took a self-guided strolling tour of Syracuse’s Historic Downtown. I beloved the structure in Syracuse and was disillusioned the Erie Canal Museum was closed, however I’d like to cease there on a future go to.
As soon as I had walked up a starvation, I wandered throughout the road from the resort to the Salt Metropolis Market meals corridor. In case you are on the lookout for a break from scorching canine / wings/ and bar meals, Salt Metropolis Market some fascinating choices together with Center Japanese, Jamaican, Thai, Vietnamese, Southern, and extra. There may be additionally a cocktail bar, juice store, and low cafe, so you possibly can get pleasure from a mixture of drinks and a wide range of cuisines in a single fashionable setting. I’d solely labored up a wee urge for food, so I sampled a Jamaican meat pie from Erma’s Island.
The subsequent morning, I wanted to depart early to get to the Harriet Tubman Home in time for a tour, so I didn’t have time for breakfast (plus I used to be nonetheless full from the day earlier than!). I additionally missed out on attempting Syracuse’s signature meals, salted potatoes.
Syracuse is nicknamed Salt Metropolis due to the salt springs on the southern shore of Onondaga Lake, which equipped the nation with salt till the early 20th Century. Irish immigrants would take the briny water from the deposits and boil small white potatoes in them, making salt potatoes an iconic Syracuse meals.
You probably have extra time in Syracuse, listed below are few different meals stops you may wish to strive:
- Glazed and Confused donut meals truck or storefront, 211 N. Clinton St., Syracuse, NY
- Funk n’ Waffles breakfast spot (I realllyyy wished to offer this a strive!), 307 S Clinton St., Syracuse NY
- Colemans Genuine Irish Pub in Tipperary Hill, 100 S Lowell Ave, Syracuse, NY
- Bull & Bear Roadhouse, 6402 Collamer Highway, East Syracuse, NY
Syracuse to Rochester
The drive from Syracuse to Rochester takes lower than an hour and a half, however you possibly can take the entire day exploring (and consuming) in case you have the time. I’d suggest a cease in Auburn, New York, which performed an necessary position within the Underground Railroad and the Girls’s Suffrage Motion. In downtown Auburn you will see the New York Equal Rights Heritage Middle, which covers the New York residents who’ve performed essential roles in civil rights, ladies’s rights, and LGBTQ rights.
I then joined a scheduled tour of the Harriet Tubman House and Nationwide Historic Website. You probably have ever seen the film Harriet or realized about Harriet Tubman in class, you most likely know a part of her story, however you should still be shocked by all of the superb issues this lady achieved in her lifetime. Her achievements embrace saving 70 enslaved individuals over 13 journeys as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, serving as a spy and nurse within the Civil Warfare, main a army mission that freed 750 enslaved individuals, and giving again to her neighborhood in Auburn by providing housing and meals to these in want.
After stopping in Auburn, I’d suggest persevering with on to Seneca Falls, the place suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the Seneca Falls Conference in 1848, advocating for gender equality. Whereas the Girls’s Rights Nationwide Historic Park is open for restricted hours proper now, this is a vital historic website to attempt to squeeze in. On the town, you may as well go to the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Home and the Nationwide Girls’s Corridor of Fame. In case you take a stroll alongside the river, you may as well take an image of the bridge made well-known within the Christmas basic film, It’s a Great Life.
Leaving Seneca Falls, I ended for a snack in Waterloo at Mac’s Drive In. This conventional drive in is a slice of Americana which has been round since means earlier than Sonic made drive ins cool once more.  Open seasonally, Mac’s serves up quick meals, however it’s most identified for its root beer floats. Served in a calming mug utilizing Rochester’s candy Richardson root beer and topped with scrumptious, creamy tender serve, this basic drink even gained me over (and I’m not often a root beer fan.)
Don’t indulge an excessive amount of although as a result of if you get to Rochester, there may be some extra consuming to do!
Rochester, New York
Rochester, nicknamed “Flour Metropolis,” is legendary for the “rubbish plate”, in addition to white hots (scorching canine), floor rounds (burgers), and frozen custard. The rubbish plate is nearly what you’ll assume, a plate piled excessive with carbs and meat that I’m positive is a well-liked late evening “snack”. Because it was invented at Nick Tahou Hots, that’s the place I went to do this well-known dish. The restaurant is a complete gap within the wall and solely open till 7pm on most nights, however it’s price making a cease to strive the unique rubbish plate. In case you don’t make it in time, many eating places in Syracuse have their very own model of the rubbish plate.
A rubbish plate often begins with a base of fries and macaroni salad, topped with burgers/cheeseburgers or scorching canine, and smothered in meat sauce, onions, and “the works.” Deliver a good friend or a giant urge for food in case you plan on ending yours!
My subsequent cease was at Invoice Grey’s on the Port of Rochester on Lake Ontario for white hots and floor rounds. One factor you’ll study alongside the Upstate Eats Path is that every “hots” restaurant has its personal twist on both toppings or canine. Most use locally-produced scorching canine (akin to Zweigle’s) and supply both white hots (white scorching canine), purple hots (common scorching canine), or each. I attempted a white scorching and if you may get previous the weird look, you will see it fairly much like any uncured scorching canine.
In any case this meals, I wanted to stroll it off and fortunately I used to be proper subsequent to Ontario Seashore Park on the shores of Lake Ontario. With a pleasant lengthy stroll alongside the tender sandy seashore of this immense Nice Lake, I used to be able to squeeze in a small cone from Abbott’s Frozen Custard. Tender-serve frozen custard brings me again to childhood seashore days on the Jersey Shore, each lick a mixture of deliciousness and nostalgia.
In fact a go to to Rochester shouldn’t solely be about consuming, so I ended at a museum I’ve heard about for years — The Robust Nationwide Museum of Play. In case you are visiting with youngsters, this museum is an absolute should! All I may assume was how a lot I’d have beloved to stay close by and have a museum membership when my daughter was youthful. What a blast that might have been exploring the various interactive displays from the “Studying Adventureland” to the mini Wegmans grocery store to “play” retailer to the Comedian Guide Heroes and the Dance Lab.
Even adults will recognize strolling via the Toy Corridor of Fame and seeing what number of toys from every decade have been as soon as in your toy field. There’s a pinball and online game arcade and even a colourful butterfly backyard. You don’t have to be a child to benefit from the Museum of Play.
My subsequent cease in Rochester was on the Susan B. Anthony Home and Susan B. Anthony Sq., to see the sculpture of excellent pals Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony having tea.
Earlier than dinner, I took a stroll alongside the pedestrian walkway overlooking Excessive Falls in downtown Rochester. This 96-foot waterfall is actually an sudden sight in the course of town! You may as well benefit from the view with a pint from the rooftop of the Genesee Brewhouse. The Genesee Brewery is without doubt one of the largest and oldest regularly working breweries in America. Immediately it goes means past the unique Genny Cream Ale with a collection of craft beers and a pub-style restaurant in a 9,200 square-foot house. It’s properly price a cease at this iconic brewery.
I turned in for the evening on the Strathallan Lodge from Doubletree by Hilton. With a really feel of a boutique resort, the Strathallan provides good skyline views from its rooftop bar. Sadly it was closed once I visited, however they did hook me up with an enormous one-bedroom suite on the highest ground with a terrace that ignored downtown Rochester.
The subsequent morning I used to be saving my urge for food for Buffalo, however in case you are on the lookout for a breakfast spot in Rochester, strive:
Rochester to Buffalo
On my Upstate New York street journey, I needed to high-tail it to Buffalo within the morning to fulfill up with a good friend becoming a member of me for a Buffalo women journey. Nonetheless, I did cease at a few of the Upstate Eats Path stops on my return journey from Buffalo. When touring from Rochester to Buffalo, I’d suggest stopping for a couple of hours on the Genesee Nation Village and Museum. One of many largest out of doors residing historical past museums, there may be a lot to do right here — from exploring a recreated nineteenth Century village to strolling trails and a nature heart.
The village consists of 68 buildings, a lot of that are staffed with costumed interpreters giving stay demonstrations on the pottery, cooper store, tinsmith, and blacksmith retailers. The Pioneer Settlement dates from 1795-1830, the Central Village from 1830-1870, and the Fuel Mild District from 1860-1900, letting you stroll via time to see the evolution of a small city. On my go to, I even obtained to look at the Silver League play an old-time baseball match.
As you get nearer to Buffalo, there are a selection of fast meals stops that I’d suggest to pattern or choose up treats to deliver dwelling. These embrace:
- Oliver’s Candies — ice cream, sponge sweet, truffles, and cashew glaze (like a peanut brittle however with cashews), 211 West Predominant Road, Batavia, NY
- Kutter’s Cheese Manufacturing unit Retailer — Yancey Fancy cheddar cheese of many flavors (beware the buffalo cheddar is flaming scorching!), 857 Predominant Highway, Corfu, NY
- Dave’s Ice Cream — positioned in a transformed former Dairy Queen, Dave’s serves up each Perry’s Ice Cream and Upstate Farms tender serve, 3872 W Predominant Road Rd, Batavia, NY
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo was the final cease on my Western New York street journey and the rationale why I launched into the Upstate Eats Path to start with. I’ve been intrigued by the renaissance of this industrial metropolis on Lake Erie and its burgeoning meals scene. In fact, whereas on the town, I needed to strive a lot of Buffalo’s most well-known should strive meals, beginning with purple hots and loganberry drink at Ted’s Sizzling Canines.
Ted’s is legendary for its spicy meat sauce that it slathers over its charcoal-broiled canine, together with no matter mixture of fixings you select (pickles are a well-liked possibility.) The sauce undoubtedly provides a enjoyable kick, with a really completely different taste from a chili canine. And in case you actually love the sauce, you possibly can at all times purchase a bottle to take dwelling!
After lunch, my good friend Cheryl and I headed over to the Ohio Road riverfront for a strolling historical past tour with Discover Buffalo. The tour gave an ideal overview of the historical past of this space, which was primarily dwelling to Irish immigrants, and the workings of the riverfront throughout its heyday as a grain distribution heart. All that strolling made us thirsty so we stopped into Resurgence Brewing, one among 35 craft breweries that now name Buffalo dwelling.
Our subsequent cease was the Canalside District, dwelling to the Youngsters’s Museum, the Buffalo Heritage Carousel, the Naval Park, and an extended stretch of the Buffalo River, the place you possibly can hire paddle boards, kayaks, and water bikes. From there, it was time to strive the legendary Buffalo wings at Anchor Bar’s unique Predominant Road location. That is the place Teressa Bellissimo first took some rooster wings meant for soup and fried them and tossed them in scorching sauce, inventing what we all know because the Buffalo Wing in 1964.
Immediately the Anchor Bar is common with vacationers and wing lovers, with its sauce being offered as distant as Kyoto, Japan, We ordered the wings medium for the unique taste — however we additionally didn’t hesitate to strive a few of the many different choices on the menu.
We stayed in a single day on the Buffalo Marriott at LeCom Harborcenter within the Canalside District, which was an ideal location for exploring town. Each Canalside and Buffalo Riverworks have been walkable, and downtown was a brief drive or mild rail experience away. We beloved our keep at this resort, particularly the views of the river from our room and the fashionable foyer bar.
Our second day in Buffalo began off with just a little extra historical past, this time from the river with a narrated boat tour with Buffalo River Historical past Excursions, the place we obtained to expertise the nation’s largest assortment of standing grain elevators and journey alongside the waterway that made Buffalo one of many richest cities on the planet for a time throughout the Gilded Age. This space remains to be dwelling to a Basic Mills plant, which is busy churning out Cheerios and Fortunate Charms, which you’ll scent as you cruise down the river.
From the cruise, we walked over to Buffalo RiverWorks, a eating and leisure district constructed within the footprint of former grain silos (actually, a few of the remaining silos are painted to resemble a six-pack of Labatt’s beer.) Immediately, there’s a brewery, restaurant, sports activities services, and leisure venues on this advanced. It is a perfect spot for lunch or drinks on the water (you could even get an opportunity to hop onboard the floating tiki bar.) For lunch at The Ward, I’d extremely suggest the Buffalo rooster dip!
Our subsequent cease was Silo Metropolis, for cocktails and out of doors stay music at Duende, a bar and occasion house. The handcrafted bar and industrial design makes use of reclaimed supplies from the encircling silos, that are slowing being reworked into loft and occasion house. That is such a enjoyable and distinctive spot to get pleasure from a drink on a stunning afternoon.
We needed to discover out if Buffalo was solely about beer and rooster wings, so within the night we headed to Graylynn, a European bistro and gin bar in downtown that incorporates a farm-to-table menu.The meals was scrumptious and downtown was abuzz with the vitality of a summer season night. After the sleepy really feel of Syracuse, I used to be shocked and jazzed concerning the liveliness of downtown Buffalo and its vibrant public artwork scene.
On a return go to, I’d love to take a look at a couple of extra scorching spots, like Misuta Chow’s, a Japanese restaurant and arcade, out of doors eating at Tappo Restaurant, or drinks at Fattey Beer Firm.
Our final day began off with espresso and scones from Jam Parkside (and we later regretting not additionally getting the toast platter with jam sampler,) earlier than heading to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin Home for a tour. The previous dwelling of Darwin D. Martin, a self-made millionaire and a outstanding govt with the Larkin Cleaning soap Firm, it is a prime instance of Wright’s Prairie home fashion. Sadly, the home fell into disrepair after Martin misplaced every little thing within the Nice Melancholy, nevertheless it has been lovingly restored and maintained and is now a Nationwide Historic Landmark.
The tour whet our urge for food for some extra of Buffalo’s well-known meals, together with sponge sweet from Parkside Sweet and inventive tender serve custard concoctions at Churn. I additionally fell in love with each the nachos and the “deep south” tacos from Lloyd Taco Manufacturing unit, which went from being Buffalo’s first meals truck to having its storefront obtain approval for its tacos and cocktails.
We rounded out our meals indulgences in Buffalo with a couple of extra iconic renditions together with the “beef of weck” sandwiches from Charlie the Butcher (sliced roast beef on a roll crusted with caraway seeds and kosher salt), Buffalo-style pizza from Bocce Membership Pizza, and drinks at Huge Ditch Brewing.
Subsequent time I make it again to Buffalo, I’d love to take a look at the affect town’s many immigrants have added to the meals scene by visiting the West Facet Bazaar, a not-for-profit incubator house for immigrants to promote their meals and items from world wide. The Bazaar incorporates a meals courtroom providing every little thing from Ethiopian injera and Burmese tea leaf salad to Thai noodles, goat curry and banh mi. Â
In case you are nonetheless hungry in spite of everything of that — there are extra stops to make on the Upstate Eats Path. Are you able to eat?
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Tamara Gruber is the Founder and Writer of We3Travel. A former advertising and marketing govt and journey advisor, Tamara is an award-winning journey author and acknowledged skilled in household journey. Tamara is a member of SATW and the Journey Journey Commerce Affiliation, and serves on the Board of the Household Journey Affiliation. She can also be the writer of YourTimetoFly.com and the co-host of the Trip Professionals journey podcast.