The (Un)chicken Wing Trail
The best vegan and vegetarian wings in Buffalo: Eight different and delicious options that taste like chicken wings without actually being chicken
Growing up, I was the kid who was allergic to everything, and chicken was one of those things. In Buffalo, we are famous for the very thing that I couldn’t have. So, I soon discovered alternatives: frozen soy chicken tenders and cauliflower wings bathed in Frank’s Red Hot sauce. These options were all I thought I had until now. I spent a month exploring the under-the-radar, unchicken chicken wings at restaurants and a kitchen-made offering at a grocery store, the Lexington Co-op.
My discoveries: Buffalo offers a fantastic range of vegetarian and vegan “chicken” “wings.” They’re hot, spicy, and unexpected. There were more choices and flavors than I could have imagined! Two of the wings I found even came with “bones” – made from wood sticks and sugar cane.
Seven unique Buffalo wing styles with soy, cauliflower, tofu, polenta, eggplant and seitan. At least, that’s what I’ve found so far. I expect there’s still more waiting to be discovered.
Finally, even me, the guy allergic to poultry, got to taste what is an excellent riff on the iconic food my hometown is so well known for. I feel like I’ve reached a place that used to feel out of reach. I now feel like a full-fledged member of something I’ll call Buffalo’s “Chicken Wing Tasting Club.”
Wings made from things other than chicken are delicious and have a unique flavor and texture. I didn’t know what to expect while starting this journey, but I am more than pleased with where I ended. If you don’t eat meat or are just curious to try unchicken chicken wings, this is the list for you.
The following options are organized geographically and alphabetically:
Downtown Buffalo route
Betty’s
370 Virginia St., Buffalo, NY
Tuesday – Friday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Consider wings for brunch! In Allentown, a neighborhood near Elmwood Village, this restaurant serves plates of six ball-shaped seitan wings for $13 in four flavors: hot sauce, BBQ, sweet chili, and Korean BBQ. For those who have never tried it, seitan is a protein-rich meat substitute made from wheat gluten. The texture of the wings caught me off guard. They were firm and chewy. The sauce stayed on well. I got a lot of the sweet chili taste, a perfect mix of sweet and sour. The menu has lots of vegan options. Not to be missed: The seitan “Beefless Weck” actually tastes like beef. It’s delicious with horseradish.
Café 59
62 Allen St., Buffalo, NY
Open everyday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Café 59 is on Allen Street, in the artsy Allentown neighborhood and near galleries, shops, restaurants, and bars. Here, a $12.65 pile of rectangular polenta wings comes with a blue cheese sauce. Polenta, which I was trying for the first time, is a kind of cornmeal. The “wings” are fried in canola oil, making for a good contrast between the crispy outside and soft inside. The hot sauce tasted like it was part of the crust. The eight flavor options range from the traditional mild, medium, and hot to bourbon and honey mustard. The eclectic menu includes a tempting-sounding portobello sandwich with greens and balsamic vinaigrette. The bar by a bank of windows is great for people watching and having a drink with your wings.
Lexington Co-op
807 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY & 1678 Hertel Ave., Buffalo 14216
Open everyday, 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Yes, this is a grocery store, but they also have a kitchen that prepares food to go. Their Buffalo square tofu bites are priced by the pound at $7.99 and sold in big plastic cups. The one I bought held $3.76 worth. It came with a side of vegan blue cheese in a small cup. The small Fried tofu cubes have an almost meat-like texture that is satisfying when coated in a medium-hot Buffalo sauce. It’s hot enough but not too hot, so it’s easy to eat. Try some while sitting at a patio table. The Hertel Avenue store in North Buffalo has a similar setup but is more spacious, with seating indoors and outdoors. Or, do what I did and take them home. Heat in the air fryer at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. A regular oven works, too. They’re delicious warm!
Strong Hearts
295 Niagara St., Buffalo, NY
Monday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
This entirely vegan restaurant has five soy wing flavors: Buffalo, sweet and spicy, hot “hunny,” BBQ, and garlic “Parm.” They all come with vegan blue cheese except for the sweet and spicy one that has a chipotle aioli. This place was one of my favorites! The wings come with a stick inside that acts like a “bone” you can hold while eating. Each $15 order comes with four. These “wings” are mighty big. They will fill you up fast. I couldn’t resist sampling more from the menu. The $16 BBQ fried chicken sandwich was excellent, messy, and tangy with cold, sweet pickles inside.
Sunshine Vegan Eats
893 Jefferson Ave., Buffalo, NY
Tuesday and Monday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Wednesday – Friday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
This vegan menu was one of the most wide-ranging. Consider steak, ribs, fish, and fried chicken. Their $13 Buffalo wings come in orders of eight, are soy-based, and have a sugar cane “bone” to hold. These wings were the best at imitating the shape and size of real wings with a skin-like exterior and a soft inside. A basket of medium wings had just the right amount of heat. Good dipped in the herby ranch dressing it came with. The side dishes were also tasty—from the creamy, lightly spiced mac and cheese to a sweet, moist cornbread. Their shady patio makes it an especially inviting stop on a hot day.
Vice
500 Pearl St., Buffalo, NY
Monday – Thursday 4 – 11 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. – 1:30 a.m., Saturday 1 p.m. – 1:30 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Vice has the same menu and same owner as suburban Williamsville’s Neat. Their plate of $14 wood-fired cauliflower comes sprinkled with real blue cheese crumbles and sauce that is either classic hot Buffalo or sweet and spicy. For those who like to dip, blue cheese dressing comes on the side. The cauliflower has a good crunch while still being soft enough to eat with a fork. But be warned, it can get messy. For a main course, try their juicy Beyond burger. Served with the works—cheese, lettuce, and tomato–it was the best plant-based burger I have ever had!
The Further Out Route
Amy’s Place
3234 Main St., Buffalo, NY
Wednesday – Saturday 5 – 10 p.m.
Seitan wings made in-house and in multiple flavors, are a top seller here and come in hot, medium, barbecue and plain. They also have unique breaded and deep-fried eggplant wings. They look and taste like eggplant slices and are very soft on the inside. Both versions are $10.99. The vegetarian menu is diverse with options like chicken tenders and a Greek-style gyro wrap and burgers made of faux “Impossible” meat and black beans. The inside of Amy’s feels like a retro diner blast from the past with booths and an open kitchen for a good view of the staff at work. For nice days, there are sidewalk tables.
Neat
5175 Transit Road, Williamsville, NY
Open everyday, 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Neat, like the Vice, which is owned by the same owner, has the same hours every day. Like Vice, they serve vegetarian wood-fired cauliflower for $14, covered in Buffalo or sweet and spicy sauce. The cauliflower has real blue cheese crumbs and blue cheese dipping sauce. The cauliflower is crumbly, so eating with a fork is the way to go.
