This week in Buffalo food: 2 pizza spots win national honors; lunch is back at Tappo; Aguacates opens in Hamburg

Buffalo is no Naples but the area's Neapolitan pizza is earning some recognition on a national scale.

Jay's Artisan Pizza (2872 Delaware Ave., Kenmore) and Pizzeria Florian (650 Main St., East Aurora) were both named within a list of top 50 pizza spots in the country created by Italian online pizza guide 50 Top Pizza. Jay's ranked No. 6 and Pizzeria Florian, only open for five months, ranked No. 44.

"It's nice to be recognized for all the hard work we put in," said Jay's owner Joe Powers.

The pizzerias are closely linked. Jay Langfelder opened and operated Jay's Artisan Pizza, where he gained a following for his wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. He sold the business in 2020 to Powers, who had been working at Jay's since he was a teenager. Langfelder trained him in the art of Neapolitan pizza - thin dough topped with seasonal and local ingredients - which Powers continues to make. Powers has moved up the ranks of 50 Top Pizza's list for the last four years.

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Langfelder opened Pizzeria Florian with his wife, Amanda Jones, in June after spending the last few years catering (including making pizza for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's wedding). The pies at Pizzeria Florian's are Neapolitan-inspired but also infuse elements of other Italian and New York-style pizzas. Langfelder had been named to the list before, when he owned Jay's, but Jones said they were shocked to make it on the list so soon after opening.

50 Top Pizza is an international media company started by an Italian journalist in 2017 that ranks pizza in the United States and internationally every year. Its inspectors (people with no professional involvement in the food sector) create a list of candidates, then dine anonymously at each potential pizzeria, judging the food and service. Langfelder, Jones and Powers all attended an awards ceremony at the Chelsea Market to receive their awards on June 25.

"I'm sure to other people that don't work in restaurants or work in pizza it's not a big deal, but to us it's a huge deal to be recognized in the country, especially being in New York State where you tend to get out-shadowed by New York City," Jones said. "It shows how much good food there is in Buffalo on a national level ... they'll see that Buffalo is a city worth visiting for the food scene.

Restaurant news

Tappo Italian (338 Ellicott St.) is offering lunch service for the first time since Covid. Tappo owner Phil Limina said he's ready to see if the lunch crowd will return. "We kind of want to test what's down there," Limina said. A $10 lunch special with a smaller entree portion, salad and soda is being offered at least through the end of the summer.

Aguacates, a new spot for authentic Mexican food and margarita towers, opened June 24 at 3450 McKinley Parkway (formerly Buffalo Wild Wings). It's the third Aguacates location in the area, owned by restaurateur Jose Castaneda. Castaneda also recently opened La Fiesta Cantina in Allentown.

Food events

Prix fixe, multi-course dinners available at a fixed price, is an adventurous way to try local cuisine. Grange Community Kitchen (22 Main St., Hamburg) continues its summer Prix Fixe Tapas series July 7 with a menu of breaded Spanish ham and cheese croquetas, grilled octopus and sherry cream-topped olive oil cake.

Those who like champagne, charcuterie and cacti may want to take note of Graze at the Gardens, a picnic from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 7 on the front lawn of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens (2655 South Park Ave.). The Grazeful Gatherer, a local charcuterie caterer, will sell snacks while the Bubble Bar will sell sparkling wine.

The latest

Here's what's new at Taste of Buffalo including 10 restaurants and 15 rock-star chefs.

The new Foxglove Pub in Hamburg abruptly closed after being open almost a week.

A multi-use space with food vendors and a public market is expected to open in 2026 near Canalside.

The owners of Luxor Steak & Lobster (3199 Main St.) are asking the City of Buffalo to allow them to reopen a month after a man was shot and killed outside the restaurant.

A new, central food hub for preparing fresh and healthy meals, as opposed to processed foods, for the 28,000 children in the Buffalo Public School District is lagging on its timeline.

New York State Legislature passed a bill that enables the distillers to ship directly to consumers, helping to broaden their customer bases.

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