Ulrich’s Tavern

I came here on a Sunday evening to wind down the weekend — great choice.
Very cool place — it has an old-​timey, Buffalo-​heritage feel that I can definitely appreciate. Someone told me it’s one of, or the oldest bar/​tavern in Buffalo?
There was no one at the bar and only a few tables full in the large back dining area. After a great meal, I was surprised this place is so empty.
Free popcorn! I opted to take advantage of this instead of ordering an app.
My friend and I both ordered steak Remoulade — flank steak wrapped in bacon in a mustard sauce. It came with awesome, vinegary German potatoes. Phenomenal meal.
Great beer selection, too — I had a Great Lakes Raspberry Chocolate porter that was delicious. They must have some sort of relationship with Great Lakes, as I’ve seen the GLBC Twitter tweet endorsements of Ulrich’s and Ulrich’s has a ton of GLBC Beers.
The waitress was nice and the owner or manager came over to see how everything was.
I’ll definitely be back for some excellent German food. Thanks for the recommendation, cousin Matt.

Came in for lunch and sat at the bar. Our bartender was absolutely amazing. Attentive and quick. I had the fried bologna, while my husband had the beef on weck (both with fries instead of chips) oh my goodness… Absolutely to die for. The Bologna and beef were juicy, seasoned well and the French fries were seasoned to perfection. The tavern itself is beautiful and historical, if you’re in buffalo for good food, great company and amazing food. You need to stop by

What a great place for lunch! If you happen to be visiting someone at Buffalo General or Roswell Park skip going to
The hospital cafeteria or Tim Horton’s and take a 2 block walk down Ellicott St to Virginia St where Ulrich’s Taveran is located on the corner. Our meals were amazing! The fried bologna on a pretzel roll and warm pastrami sandwiches were exceptional, as was the perogi appetizer! I plan on having the award winning chilli next time and there WILL be a next time!

Unfortunately, Ulrich’s was one of the more disappointing restaurant experiences I’ve had in quite a while. I really had high hopes for this place, as there is a large German population in Buffalo. In a nutshell, this place has an identity crisis.
The potato pancakes were underwhelming and overpriced. They were far too thin, and there was really nothing to them. The menu as a whole doesn’t seem like a German menu. This may be by design, but if so, why? There were only two German beers on the menu, which also left a lot to be desired.
Ulrich’s has a nice atmosphere inside and is a historic building and I really wished it was better. I think if they decided to go ‘full-​German’ they would benefit a lot. Until then, Scharf’s remains the best German food in the area, so head there instead!

Was excited to come here when I heard it reopened and saw the fantastic renovation job that was done on the building. Buffalo has a big population of people with German ethnicity and no real German restuarant in the city so a decent restaurant should be a slam dunk. The new Ulrich’s however failed pretty big. It’s clear it’s not a real authentic German restaurant (panini on the menu??) and the bar has mostly microbrews instead of German beers. Could not understand this as German beers and beerhalls have become in vogue in many big cities, certainly all over NYC. Who the hell wants to order Angry Orchard beer at a German restuarant. Food was mediocre at best, old Ulrich’s was better. In summary, the place looks great, it’s just that everything coming out of the kitchen and from the bar will still leave you longing for a decent German restaurant experience in the city of Buffalo.

Owner takes pics of his kid urinating in front then posts it on social media. Gross.

So not worth the calories or money. We ordered the potato pancakes and chicken pot pie, which are both on the specialties menu. The potato pancakes were greasy and fried brown, not because they were cooked well but because the grease must have been old. Not good. Not to mention that the small plate ($ 9) had two 3 inch pancakes. Seriously, it’s a potato, a real portion even for the small size was expected.
The chicken pot pie was an even bigger disappointment. There were obviously new, greener peas tossed in with the original older peas in the recipe, and the mixture tasted a bit freezer burned. Hardly any chicken to make it worth being called chicken pot pie.
While it’s great that this place has been around for so long (since 1868, according to the sign), it clearly takes advantage of the fact that there are hardly any other places around, and that the folks who patronize the place will be there regardless due to convenience.
Overpriced and less than mediocre food.

I see Ulrich’s is having an anniversary Octoberfest party.
Well, the last time I was there, there was nothing German about the place anymore, ending a long-​time Era of a true Buffalo German bar/​restaurant.
They had 1 German beer on tap, a wheat beer, and the only one in a bottle was St. Pauli Girl non-​alcoholic.
Try exploiting a different ethnic festivity, more fitting to what your restaurant offers.

Food great. Service absent. Did a take out Octoberfest plate, 3 different sausages with sauerkraut and German potatoes with whole grain mustard. Very good. also ordered potato pancakes w apple and sour cream. Pancakes are delicious, apple bad. Had to wait too long to be greeted and order to be taken.$$.

Had dinner for seven. The only thing we would order again is the Poutine– and that was really just fries with gravy but the gravy was good.
We had 2 orders of chicken fingers that tasted like the fish fry from Friday night. The staff did nothing when I mentioned how terrible they tasted except to say the grease was just cleaned. We should have had new orders made in the other fryer or been refunded.
The beef on weck was cold but tasted ok.
The 2 orders of schnitzel were soggy– fried at too low of a temperature. The kraut and potatoes with the schnitzel were good though.
The mac n cheese made with spaetzle was a glop of oil.
Very disappointed as we had eaten here before and were happy

Historic Ulrich’s has a decent atmosphere but was underwhelming as far as service and food. Their beer selection was fantastic and the building is restored and very visually appealing. We were seated right away, and the restaurant was in their lunchtime hour, but our server who was also the bartender seemed very uncomfortable waiting tables. We waited with our menus for far too long and she had to make 3 – 4 trips grabbing miscellaneous items because she kept forgetting what was requested.
The food was just okay, we ordered beef on weck and immediately both sandwiches were noticeably soggy. They give generous portions of the beef but the entire bun fell apart to where you really had to just eat it with a fork. The fries were okay, looked beautifully hand cut but tastes a bit dry. I’m glad we gave it a try to experience it’s historical value, but I probably wouldn’t go back again.

Originally named «illrich» because it was an instructional workshop for those who wish to sue major corporations by purposefully getting ill off their mis-​labeled products, and then cashing in big time. My favourite class was «how to get sick and not die and then get rich.»
Unfortunately, some rich men in Albany decided this was unethical (probably because they didn’t think of it themselves) and shut it down. It changed its name to Ulrich’s and started serving German food. And the rest is, as they say, histo… I don’t feel too well. I think it’s this damn Kraft Mac N Cheese I’ve been eating 10 times a day for 2 months.
Anyway on with the review.
My first visit here was for overpriced German food that didn’t taste German at all. The service was excellent but the prices weren’t. We got a sausage platter that was similar in appearance to what we had in Germany, but the taste didn’t compare. Honestly, I probably preferred the Rose Garden German food to Ulrich’s. I appreciated the effort though, even though it was only a ³⁄₅ experience.
Recently, I came back with a friend, and they have completely remodeled it. It looks shiny and welcoming. The staff is very friendly. The space is much nicer and while I miss the old «basement» feel of the German Tavern, I do think the new design is much better for a night out, and for drinking, and will probably serve the establishment very well.
So for this notable improvement, I will raise their star rating to a 4, and I will give the German food a second try at some point soon.

This restaurant and my experience on Friday definitely deserves a raise in the orifinal rating I gave!
Came here with my manager and a client (again) and was kind of expecting the worst. I was proven wrong!
The fish fry was completely different, for the better. They added some delicious bleu cheese coleslaw and changed their shoe string fries to seasoned fries.
The service also greatly improved! Before, it would be over 2 hours in and out for lunch. This time was exactly an hour. Again, a great change.

I had been to Ulrich’s previously in Fall 2014. It was delicious. Had potato pancakes as an appetizers and beef on weck, which was some of the best I’ve had. Flash forward to last night. My friends and I stopped there after the roller derby bout. I was super excited for my friends to try this gem, well, what I thought was a gem. Everyone has an off day, but this is almost non forgiving.
We got in at around 8:15 p.m. There were a few tables available, so it wasn’t that busy. We sat down within 5 minutes of arriving. The waitress came over and we ordered beers and food. There were two beef on wecks, a hamburger, and a Cuban sandwich, all asking for fries to be substituted instead of the kettle chips. The fries are freshly made, so there was no question in substituting the chips for the fries. The waitress never told us that there would be an up charge for the substitution.
We ate two baskets of popcorn. The popcorn was the best thing all night. After about an hour, the waitress finally decided to check on our food multiple times. At that point, the restaurant was pretty cleared out, except for 2 other tables of 2 or 3 people each.
The waitress finally brought our food over at about 9:30 p.m. The beef was dry and disgusting, but I was too hungry to complain, and didn’t want someone spitting in my food.
The waitress brought over the check and I saw the up charge for the fries. After waiting for more than an hour to get the food, you would think that the waitress at least wouldn’t put the up charge on our bills. Nope, it was on there. Pretty disappointing second experience. I do not know if I’ll be back.

When I set foot into the dining room of Ulrich’s last weekend, I had flashbacks of being a kid and sitting shoulder to shoulder with other Buffalonians on St. Patrick’s Day eating corned beef and cabbage. Call me nostalgic but the old tavern still has much of the charm it always has. Ulrich’s markets itself as being «Western New York’s oldest tavern.» Their bar still sports handsome old refrigerators and stained glass. The old bar is stocked with an above average beer selection including a few European style brews like Tyskie.
The menu has some traditional German/​American favorites such as potato pancakes and sausage dishes. On this most recent visit I had a serving of potato pancakes and my friend had potato and cheese pierogi. Both dishes were very good but small and overpriced. My dish came with four small but dense pancakes and a dollop of sour cream and apple sauce and was nearly 13 dollars! My friend’s dish came with about four or five small pierogi and was 8 or 9 dollars.
Ulrich’s has changed noticeably in recent years– a facelift, higher prices, and different owners and management. It’s also now surrounded by some of the newest and most high tech and talked about buildings in the city. For me, the charm still endures when you step through the door. And what’s more Buffalo than that?

Stopped in for an early lunch so it wasn’t busy and got a seat no problem. The dinning room is aged and could use a little eye for design to play with the historic atmosphere.
The service was fine and didn’t have any problems. Not memorable however.
Good selection on the menu. The wiener schnitzel wasn’t bad but not great.
I was hoping for brewed iced tea, sweet or unsweetened, ended up being from the gun. I settled for the hot stuff.
Overall I’ll be back, I’d love to sit at the bar for a drink. Here’s hoping for excellence from Buffalo’s oldest tavern.

I’m glad that Ulrich’s has reopened because I missed it. I hope that this new formula works, but there are still some glitches to work out. It doesn’t seem to know whether it wants to be a sports bar or a gastropub. I hope that it opts for the latter, but if so, the following would need to be addressed:
1) better selection of beer on tap, with more craft brews
2) more careful presentation of food items
3) get rid of smelly and tacky popcorn machine in the bar area
The prices are on the gastropub level, so foods should not be layered on the plate. I had wiener schnitzel, which was good though the coating was a trifle over-​cooked. It seemed to have darkened grill stripes on it, which is unusual for wiener schnitzel. Though the filet was tasty, it was served over a bed of sauerkraut and then topped with «roast veggies» that were in turn slathered/​marinated with vinaigrette. I didn’t care for these lifeless vegetables in a loud sauce and would have preferred them on the side rather than on top of the meat. Ditto for serving the meat on top of the sauerkraut, which has an overpowering taste also.
The pumpkin soup was excellent. My H enjoyed the borscht. The dessert offerings were sparse, and the kiddies did not appreciate that. Nothing with chocolate. Waits were not bad for a gourmet-​ish eatery and service was very attentive. I’m sure we will return because we love the special ambiance of Ulrich’s and this has been preserved in the renovation.

I have never been here before under the previous owners but had always heard what a historic place this was in Buffalo. So I was stoaked as a history lover and a sausage lover to check this place out with my dude.
I started with the pretzel appetizer, which came with one massive plain pretzel and one cheese filled pretzel with cheese crusted on top. It also to my pleasure came with three different mustard dipping sauces. The plain pretzel was a little dull tasting for me but I liked the cheese pretzel, even though the inside of it tasted kind of like nacho cheese. I could have just had gone home after the appetizer I was so full. The three dipping sauces were what really made the pretzel appetizer though.
For dinner I got a entrée that came with three types of sausage, German potatoes and kraut for $ 14. Two out of three of the sausages were okay. They tasted like your average sausages. The third sausage was smaller but much tastier and the waitress told me after it was the one they make in-​house. It had a much better texture and taste than the other two, and texture is what I look for in links. I wish it had just came with three of the little house made sausages instead. The german potatoes were good and the kraut was kraut, can’t really go wrong.
The place had a great atmosphere. It was sort of like sitting in a nicer version of a family restaurant. I enjoyed the historic photos on the wall and the feeling of this super old establishment. There are mystery buttons all over the walls that I’m sure were used for something back in the day. Our server was very nice, helpful and communicated a lot with us. However since the food was only «alright» I probably won’t be returning. Sad panda but there are other sausages out there.

Not the same Ulrich, very few German items. Food is quality though and the chips are made in house and delish.

I’ve been looking forward to trying Ulrich’s every since I sampled their delicious beet and herbed goat cheese salad at the 2014 Unilocalies.
The atmosphere is lively, it’s a great restaurant for gathering, and the décor is tavern to the fullest! That’s so great to see and is definitely a good start to any experience.
As far as the food is concerned: It’s OK. As I prefer vegetarian fare, Ulrich’s fell a little flat on flavors. There’s a lot to say about it, so for more details, please check out my full review at
. While their meat may be incredible, that might be as far as their cooking mastery goes which was a little upsetting to discover. I’d still go back and give it another shot because it wasn’t actually a terrible experience, it’s just… there is so much better food elsewhere.

This is not the old Ulrich’s that I knew I loved. Granted, one thing I liked about the old Ulrich’s was the fact that it needed some aesthetic updating. The new Ulrich’s accomplished this (only in the bar area — the bathrooms and the back dining area have not changed).
With the updates, the charm disappeared. The beer selection is lacking. The bartenders don’t give off the same «neighborhood/​corner bar» impression as the former owner. The food is mediocre, uninspired and way too expensive for what it is. The portions are HUGE — I would have preferred to pay $ 3 – 4 less for half the size. Simply not necessary.
Perhaps my low rating is solely rooted in my longing for the old Ulrich’s, which may not be entirely fair. I miss the days when we would belly up to the bar, be greeted by a gruff older bartender who always remembered us, surrounded by older patrons, get a quality beer and then listen to some live Irish, German or Polish music. Sadly, these charms are a thing of the past.