Schwabl's Restaurant

"I visited a ton of old school spots on our excursion out East but none as historic as the 184 year old Schwabl’s in Buffalo. I missed this landmark stop last time I was in town so it was at the top of the list for when I returned. Sebastian Schwabl settled in a German part of Buffalo not long after it became a city and he immediately got to work. The restauranteur opened a few spots including a bar called Schwabl’s. His sons would follow in his footsteps and opened spots of their own including the current iteration of Schwabl’s which was built in 1942. When most people think about the food of Buffalo, it’s the chicken wings that come to mind. But those are predated by the beef on weck which is what they call roast beef sandwiches with kummelweck rolls. Its exact origin is unknown but it’s believed the salty kummelweck rolls studded with caraway seeds came over with a German Baker from Bavaria. The Beef on Weck is a classic sandwich in every sense of its description. Big chunks of beef are roasted until medium rare in the middle. The beef is then sliced to order for sandwiches throughout the day. They come served on the previously mentioned rolls and there’s a big bucket of horseradish at each table. The most popular way to enjoy a beef on Weck at Schwabl’s is with their top notch sides of warm German style potato salad (with bacon) and pickled beets. Both were spectacular to the point where they may have overshadowed what’s an excellent sandwich. This was as close to a restaurant time machine as I’ve been in. A must stop spot when in the Western New York region."