Bill Rapaport's Buffalo Restaurant Guide

Alphabetical Listing of Restaurants: U

Ulrich's 1868 Tavern    (Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus)
Uncle Joe's Diner    (Town of Hamburg)
Union Family Restaurant    (West Seneca/Gardenville)
Upper Crust Bakery & Soup Co.    (Chautauqua County/Fredonia)

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Key:

[–] , , ,	Bill's rankings
[XXX]	recommendation from contributor whose initials are XXX

All phone numbers are in area code 716, unless otherwise indicated.
All locations are in Erie County, unless otherwise indicated.

Ulrich's 1868 Tavern.
• Facebook page
• An old link with lots of history.
674 Ellicott St.
(at the southwest corner with Virginia St.),
Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (City of Buffalo).
989-1868.

German.

Same management as Snooty Fox Lounge.


[JJa, 1/26/15] says: "It was a long week at work when a work friend and I decided to hit Ulrich's on a Friday night. We both wanted a drink, and one of us wanted a fish fry. Ulrich's proximity to the workplace was a bonus. We ran into Medical Campus friends on the way in, but eventually made it to the hostess station and were seated promptly in a still-empty dining room. Friend ordered the fish fry from the specials menu and commented that creme brulee was listed under desserts. I decided to try the borscht, because I am a fan of hot soup on a cold night. I also ordered a long stack of potato pancakes as my entree, with the intention of sharing one with my friend. The borscht came out first, and it was unexpectedly a white borscht accompanied by garnishes of hard-boiled egg, chopped beets, cubed potatoes, chopped ham, a slice of marbled rye topped with a generous mound of horseraddish, and a little cup of beet juice. I tasted the soup plain, and it was bland until the addition of horseradish livened it up and gave it a flavor closer to the soup that my mother still makes at Easter. Unfortunately, the garnishes were just-out-of-the-refridgerator cold and totally dampened the concept of hot soup on a cold night. It was tasty, though, and a good match for my draft Spaaten. Panko-coated fish arrived in a red plastic basket, with homemade cole slaw and what were described as shoestring fries but were more like potato-chip slivers. The four small pancakes were stacked in pairs on a platter, topped with an apple wedge, apple sauce, and sour cream, then garnished with sprouts. I have had potato pancakes at many restaurants in WNY, and I've raved about the large, ever-crispy pancakes served at the previous incarnation of Ulrich's. The current version were limp and soggy, almost doughy in some places. They were pretty bland and needed a good grating of onion. After our meal, my friend asked about the creme brulee and was told that it hadn't been made yet, in spite of the fact that it was now 7:30 P.M., so we passed on dessert. Service was OK, but it was a little awkward that both servers sat behind us eating while we did the same. The dining room was filled by the time we left. A fish fry, soup, and potato pancakes with a draft and 2 bar drinks came to $25 each before tip."


[JoM, 8/5/14] said: "My uncle and I stopped in for dinner on 8/1/14. Ulrich's has recently reopened under new management, and they've done an outstanding job updating the bar and restaurant while keeping the old-time charm. We were seated in the back dining room. To start, we split a large plate of the potato pancakes. The order included 4 potato pancakes with a cooked apple on top. The pancakes were delicious and had a nice, crisp texture to them. For our entrees, we both chose the fish-fry special. It was 3 pieces of white perch coated with a light breading, served with sweet-potato shoestring fries and cole slaw. The fish was outstanding and not heavy in the stomach the way beer-battered fish can be. We finished our meal by splitting an order of the bananas Foster dessert. It consisted of several small bites of banana and walnuts in a caramel-rum sauce, with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream. We both thought that it was excellent. Our service was very attentive and friendly. I tried another meal at Ulrich's back in late June when they first opened, which I didn't review. On that visit, I had the pastrami on rye sandwich. The pastrami was thick cut and extremely tender. I enjoyed it so much that I considered ordering it again on this most recent visit, but I'm glad that I expanded my experience by trying something different. Overall, on both my visits to the new Ulrich's, I was very satisfied, and I highly recommend!"

[JPB, 7/10/14] has alerted us that Ulrich's has re-opened, under new management.

Reviews of its previous incarnation:

[4/07] Listed as one of Buffalo's "27 Best Restaurants" by Buffalo Spree magazine.

[JJa, 4/12/13] says: "After a farewell, happy-hour party for a friend, we decided we needed food, and Ulrich's was just around the corner. I have been here many times over the years, but not much since the closing/reopening. I went in thinking that I'd likely have their fish fry or a beef on 'weck, because I am not into their German offerings much. I was pleasantly surprised that their menu has been upgraded to include some new ‘pub food’ and non-German, nightly specials, including steaks & other seafood. Our very friendly server went over the specials and got our attention with ‘Ulrich's Famous Pub Fries’. In fact, she sort of talked us into trying them. The name doesn't do the dish justice: They should be called Fabulous Pub Fries. Think nachos, but with hand-cut, crispy, fried potatoes, cheddar, gorgonzola, small chunks of chicken, a glaze of not-too-hot sauce, and topped with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes. Yowser! Were these good! If I were going to clog my arteries, this would be worth it. After sharing the pub fries, we shared the catfish special: 4 nice pieces of lightly fried catfish napped with tzatziki sauce, on seasoned rice with cauliflower and broccoli. We also ordered a side of cole slaw and got it in a soup bowl: finely hand-cut white and red cabbage with just enough dressing. Couldn't finish, even though we were sharing. Wish we had room for dessert, because the Apple Caramel Bread Pudding in a puddle of Crème Anglaise sounded divine. I will be stopping at Ulrich's again soon, because I have always enjoyed their fine selections of beers on tap. Now I will be including dinner to go with. Ulrich's is back with a vengeance, in a very good way!"

[JoM, 2/19/13] said: "We stopped into Ulrich's on Friday evening (2/15/13) before the Sabres game. Fearful of how busy it might be before the game, we made a 5:00 reservation; we were seated right away. To start, the table shared an order of sweet-potato pancakes with an apple chutney on top; the pancakes were very good, but they weren't as flavorful as I had remembered before the restaurant's temporary closing. For our entrees, we all had the fish fry. It was a very large piece of fish accompanied by French fries and cole slaw. Once again, the fish was very good; however, it wasn't as I remembered: The last time I had their fish fry, it wasn't a typical breading, but rather a panko style. Everyone enjoyed the meal, but agreed that it was different from previous visits. A welcome addition on this visit was fast and attentive service, something Ulrich's had never been known for previously. Overall, we were happy with our meal and will return."

[RM, 8/12] said: "In the 1980s and 1990s, I probably had lunch there 50+ times per year. I always enjoyed the atmosphere, the décor, the people, the history of the place (I believe oldest still-operating bar in WNY), and the comfort food. More recently, I have been there a few times; the décor has changed a bit, but it is still comfortable, but the food has been significantly upgraded. So, while one can still get your basic comfort food, one can also get some really high-end food. Read the board for the specials and enjoy some German or French or basic American food. A place one must visit if you live in WNY."

[WHN, 8/12] said: "Ulrich's has been seized and closed by the government for $215k in unpaid taxes, per Ch. 2. A sign on the door says they will reopen 8/6. Highly doubtful, I think."

• [8/10/12] I just called them; no answer.
• [8/28/12] Both [DGB] and [WHN] wrote to say that today's Buffalo News reported that Ulrich's has filed for bankruptcy protection and will re-open on September 4 with a special Flying Bison-sponsored party, with lunches starting on Sept. 5 and dinners on Sept. 6.
• [9/7/12] Indeed, [DGB] & [WHN] had reason to believe in what the Buffalo News reported, because it now reports that "Ulrich's Tavern Reopens after Taxes Settled".

[WHN said:

[1/12] "I met G for lunch at Ulrich's on Monday, 1/2/12. We both had Reubens with French fries and cole slaw. Excellent!"

[2/11] "My sister-in-law and I had lunch at Ulrich's on Monday, 2/14. I haven't been to Ulrich's in over four years, and she had never been there nor had she eaten German food before, so wanted to try some of their Teutonic specialties, instead of one of the more standard sandwich offerings. There was a group of about ten people at the next table, and our thoughtful server suggested that we order sooner than later, so the kitchen could prepare our food before she put the ticket in for the large group. My sister-in-law ordered a potato pancake and sausage platter, but wasn't sure which kind of sausage to request. Our server suggested weisswurst, which she ordered and enjoyed, along with the potato pancakes, which were accompanied by sour cream and applesauce. I had Wiener schnitzel (which, of course, is Austrian, not German) with red cabbage, German potato salad, and sauerkraut. I also shared some of her potato pancakes. Along with the meal, she wanted to try a German beer, another first for her, and asked the bartender to recommend a lighter beer. He did, and she ordered Pilsner Urquell (OK, it's Czech, not German, but the two countries are neighbors). I had a dark Warsteiner Dunkel. Good food. Good beer. Good service. Good company. And the quaint ambiance of a tavern that's over 140 years old."

[10/06] "Six of us went to Ulrich's for their Oktoberfest menu. Three of us had Wienerschnitzel with red cabbage, spaetzle, and a side order of potato pancakes. The others had a German sausage platter with potato pancakes and sauerkraut. The food was good. A German oompah band was playing (loudly), but it was perfect for an Oktoberfest celebration, and we all enjoyed the evening. Their wine "menu" of generic reds, whites, and roses could use more variety and better selections, especially some German Rieslings for Oktoberfest, but there were a number of good German beers available."

[CSS, 3/11] said: "I really cannot understand the allure of Ulrich's. It's a neat old tavern and clearly has a lot of history, but, for me, that's where the charm ends. Honestly, I've never had a really good meal there, and a recent lunch was no exception. First, our server was extremely disgruntled, likely because we came in during the tail end of the lunch hour. She was annoyed that I spent too much time perusing the specials menu. I was also told I could not get a draught beer in anything smaller than a pint glass (how hard is it to fill a smaller glass? I would have just paid for the larger size and taken the smaller one!) and, of course, ended up drinking half my beer and wasting the rest. We ordered soups, potato pancakes, a sausage platter, and a burger. The soup du jour was vegetable based and clearly not homemade, somewhat room temperature, but edible. The potato pancakes were soggy and greasy and too big to really be appetizing, although I can see that some people might view that as a positive. The sausage was fine, and my companion's burger also looked good. The accompanying homemade chips and German potato salad were the best part of the meal but nothing I'd return for. Maybe I've been there on off-days, but in the 2–3 times I've eaten at Ulrich's, I've always been disappointed with food and service."

[FS, 3/11] comments on [BI]'s review below: "Just curious what difference it makes when you present the coupon. Do they give you smaller portions? Just wondering."

[BI, 3/11] said: "My parents and I went to Ulrich's Tavern last night [3/24/11] for my birthday dinner. I will try to keep this short, but I do have a lot to say. The food at Ulrich's was very good. My father and I split the mussels in a beer broth for an appetizer. The mussels came with some bread and sausage; the dish was great! Then I had the German combo dinner; it was Sauerbraten and a Wiener Schnitzel accompanied by red cabbage, sauerkraut, and spaetzle: What a great meal! My father and my mother also enjoyed their food very much. Here is the very disappointing part: the way we were treated. When we got our check, we also gave our server a restaurant.com certificate for $25 off. She responded very flustered and somewhat agitated, and sort of scolded us, letting us know that we really should have given it to her before the bill was generated. We apologized and said we didn't realize that, and every other restaurant we have done that at never had an issue. She made it very known that we made a huge mistake, and her manager June was not going to be happy and may not even allow the money off. We watched her talk to her manager June and saw June looking very annoyed and upset. When the server came back to our table, she told us once again about our mistake, but that they would honor the certificate this one time. My father was getting pretty annoyed at this point and said that they could just give us the certificate back and we would use it another time. The server said no, it's fine this one time. My father checked the bill and noticed the $25 was added to, not subtracted from, the bill. I took the bill and went up to June to ask what had happened. She was reading a newspaper at a bar seat and was so rude to me and upset. She told me that it was the server's fault and that she (June) should not have even given us the discount in the first place, because the owner is going to be so mad at her for doing the discount backwards, meaning the check then the discount. I explained to June that this is no way to treat a customer, and it was my b-day, and that we were sorry for the inconvenience. June was shaking her head back and forth and seemed very afraid of what the owner's reaction to her was going to be. I explained to her that this was our first time there, and we feel like we are being treated horribly for making a mistake. She seemed almost angry at me for this issue. June is an example of a horrible manager, and we honestly have never been treated this way at any other establishment in Western New York. Ulrich's food was very good, but I honestly do not think any of us would return based on our experience with June; she ruined our experience and my birthday dinner completely. "

I [Bill] don't normally editorialize, but I checked the restaurant.com website for Ulrich's, and it does say, though in fine print, "Present prior to ordering." Be that as it may, it certainly sounds like [BI] was not treated properly. A simple, but polite, "scolding" on Ulrich's part followed by a "we'll take care of it this time; don't worry about it" would probably have sufficed. After all, isn't the customer always right (even if they're wrong)?

[JoM, 11/10] said: "Went to Ulrich's on 11-27-2010 with a party of 9. We called ahead for a 7:30 reservation. Arrived at 7:25, and table was available right away. The entire group split several orders of both the regular potato pancakes and sweet-potato pancakes. Everyone agreed they were absolutely fantastic. As a group, everyone ordered one of three items: fish fry, Sauerbraten, and Leberkase. To briefly define, Sauerbraten is basically a pot roast that marinades for several days in a vinegar-based recipe; Leberkase is similar in consistency to bologna and is considered a sausage meatloaf. All of the entrees were delicious. I highly recommend Ulrich's for the food, but the service leaves much to be desired. We have been to Ulrich's about half a dozen times in the last year. The food is always delicious, and the service is always terrible."

[PT, 10/10] said: "I met a friend at Ulrich's for lunch on Friday [10/15/10]. She called to say that her husband was going to be in the neighborhood and wanted to join us. When I arrived, she was at the table and said her husband had gone to the men's room. It seemed like he was gone an awfully long time, but then she got a call on her cell phone. She started laughing and said it was her husband calling to say he was trapped in the men's room. We told our waitress, who said ‘that happens all the time’ and she would tell ‘Big Jim’, who we guessed must be the owner. ‘Big Jim’ went to the rest room door, yelled: ‘Stand back’, and kicked the door open, which caused the door knob to fall off, and my friend's husband was able to escaped. It was all rather funny. My baked fish was very good. I forget what my friends had. Ulrich's should really fix their bathroom door, if it happens all the time."

[VAA, 2/10] said: "If you want German-style food served robustly and much more authentically [than at Prosit], try Ulrich's downtown. OK, the ambience is very different there, but if it's the food you're after, Ulrich's can't be beat in a head-to-head comparison."

[DwH, 3/07] said: "Travelling to Buffalo almost weekly since February and wanted to pass along some impressions: OK...what's not to like? The potato pancakes are great, the beers are cold, the ambiance is so olde tyme as to make it closer to a time machine than a bar. Ghosts are all over the place—and for St. Patrick's Day, the Germanic tone shifts to all Celtic, all the time—the corned beef dinner is perfect, but good luck finding a place to sit."

[NW, 4/06] said: "We just ate dinner at Ulrich's Tavern in Buffalo; it was a most enjoyable experience, from our short wait in the bar for a table, where we were exposed to to Ulrich's great beer selection on tap, to all the history the bar holds. We then had a very good meal. The 4 of us loved our appetizers: German antipasto and potato pancakes, then enjoyed some very good live Irish music as we waited for our main course. A fish fry, Wiener schnitzel, a shrimp and pasta dish, and sauerbraten were shared by our party. All very good and fresh, the sides of sauerkraut, red cabbage, spaetzel, and roasted potatos were very good. Then we got the nickel tour from the owner, who told us 137 years of Ulrich's history in 15 minutes; it was very interesting. We then had cherry bread pudding and German chocolate cake as we listened to Irish rebel music. It was just a wonderful evening of great beer, great food, fun music, and Buffalo history, the most interestingly charming Buffalo place I've been at to date. The smell of cooking and the beer brought back wonderful childhood memories."

[RSm, 12/05] said: "Last Friday night (12/30/05), we had dinner at Ulrich's Tavern. What a great experience and so Buffalo. We had a wonderful German dinner, cooked by a black chef, with entertainment by a Celtic combo. The food was wonderful, the music was delightful, and the service was terrific. We had a variety of their German dishes. Between the potato pancakes appetizers and the cherry bread pudding dessert, we each had a separate German specialty. I had a chicken schnitzel dish with mushroom sauce and gravy, served with spaetzle, red cabbage, and sauerkraut. My wife had the sauerbraten special, and our daughter had the Wienerschnitzel. Everything was terrific, especially the cherry bread pudding. The dinner prices were about $15 each. The ambiance is old Buffalo. There's nothing new or modern about Ulrich's. It's like stepping back into an old neighborhood bar of the 1940s or 50s, which it is, I'm sure. Music throughout dinner was provided by the Celtic group, Iad Fein, which served up stirring ballads about the Irish fight for independence and, of course, Irish love gone wrong. The guitarist-vocalist and two percussionist (one man most ably played the spoons and the other female percussionist harmonized with the main vocalist). We liked them well enough to fork over $15 for a CD of their music."

[DCM, 10/05] said: "This restaurant has climbed to the top of my worst experiences. My son won a $50.00 gift certificate and invited me for a birthday dinner. As you enter the establishment, the first thing you notice is the strong moldy smell in the bar area. Over the years, I've come to Ulrich's a good half dozen times, and the smell is always there, creating a 1st and lasting impression. I had thought that, once the smoking ban took place, the smell would improve. Alas, it's still rank, perhaps the worst of any restaurant in all Western New York. While the food was just OK, I must stress it's a poor excuse for German food, lacking in both taste and freshness. When you have German food, it should be lightly fried, and this was heavy and overcooked. The owner paces the floor continually, making his help feel uncomfortable, and added an 18% tip because we had 5 adults and a two-year-old child. As we paid our bill, including the mandatory tip, he bluntly informs us that, for a reason we couldn't make out, we could not use the gift certificate. Because the gift certificate came with advertising for Octoberfest, we assumed that we needed to use it that day. Needless to say, what should have been an enjoyable night out with family and friends turned into something else. If we knew it was a drinking establishment first and foremost, we would have not expected more. The last thing anyone needs is another bad meal."

[ND, 1/01] said: "I recently dined at Ulrich's on Ellicott and Virginia, and was quite surprised. I believe this would be a welcome addition to your listing of German resturants. Check it out sometime. I believe they only serve dinners Fri. & Sat. nights. By the way, try the potato pancakes...outstanding!"

Uncle Joe's Diner.
4869 Southwestern Blvd.
(between Howard & Sowles Rd.; between the Carnegie & Roundtree neighborhoods),
Town of Hamburg.
648-7154.

[3/10] Listed as one of 41 "Restaurants We Love" by Buffalo Spree magazine.

Union Family Restaurant.
1747 Union Rd.
(at N. America Dr./Commerce Pkwy., between Rt. 400/Aurora Expy. & Seneca Creek Rd.),
Gardenville (Town of West Seneca).
674-9775.

[KRN, 10/11] says: "We visited this restaurant for Sunday breakfast. The place was busy, but the service was good. I chose the Italian sausage and mozzarella omelet, with toast and home fries, for $5.55. The sausage was spicy, just the way I like it; everything was hot when served. Coffee was $1.45. L. opted for the (diced) corned beef and Swiss cheese omelet for $5.55; this dish was also very good. Also offered were a pepperoni and mozzarella, a Jalapeno and Swiss, and a cheeseburger and fried onions omelet. I noticed a lunch special of Cincinnati-style chili, a dish rarely seen in WNY; I will have to come back to try that. There are other interesting things to try, so be prepared and check the menu on the website. We will eat here again."

Upper Crust Bakery & Soup Co..
27 E. Main St.
(between Day & White Sts.),
Village of Fredonia (Town of Pomfret, northern Chautauqua County).
672-2253.

[JoM, 10/11] says: "This is a nice little bakery in downtown Fredonia. We stopped in on the morning of 10/22/11 for a quick bite to eat and a coffee. We ordered a cinnamon roll and a slice of their lemon bread; the lemon bread is their house specialty. Both were very good. Live entertainment was provided by a gentleman singing with his guitar. He was in the corner of the restaurant and it was a nice touch, not so loud that anyone had to shout to hold a conversation at their table. Overall, we were happy with our experience, and I recommend."

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