Pubgrubguru, 27 Riley St, East Aurora, NY (2026)

10/01/2026

GrubMaster made a return visit to the Bar at Main & Hamlin in East Aurora, NY. This establishment is one of a handful in this popular Western New York community serving highly rated Buffalo pub grub. The orders for this visit were Spicy BBQ and Cajun. The Cajun wings were the better of the two with just enough crispiness and lightly coated with the Cajun rub. It seemed that just a little too much butter applied prior to coating with the rub actually washed some rub off the wing leaving all that flavor laying in the bottom of the tray. The Spicy BBQ wings had good flavor with a mild-medium heat level but no real crispy texture with several soft and spongy. Their blue cheese is always good, easily passing both the stand up challenge and the pour test. This rating not quite as good as prior visits, with the Cajun getting an 8.25 and the Spicy BBQ a somewhat disappointing 6.5 out of 10.

09/24/2026

GrubMaster visited Wayne's Depot in Ellicottville, NY. This establishment boasts their wings are from a collaboration with the popular Bar-Bill in East Aurora, NY while serving the original Ellicottville Depot pizza. For this visit, it was personal favorites Hot & Spicy BBQ and Cajun, to see how they stack up to Bar Bill standards. First thing was the presentation. The delivery and presentation was as expected, with the Cajun looking very inviting, while the spicy barbecue could have been coated a little more evenly. Flavor of both sauces was spot on however, in both cases, the wings could have been cooked more with some skin uncoated, white and rubbery, specifically the Cajun as they were only coated on the top half with the underneath left uncoated. The blue cheese was thick and flavorful easily passing both the stand up challenge and the pour test. With nearly 2 decades of visiting all the Bar Bill establishments and easily over a 100 wing orders, this will be the lowest rating ever for a Bar Bill wing order with the Cajun getting a disappointing 5.25 and the Hot & Spicy barbecue, a little better with a 6.75 out of 10. Maybe they should be called Wayne's Wings to preserve the reputation. Find other ratings or rate your wings from the app at pubgrubguru.com.

09/15/2026

GrubMaster visited Prohibition 2020 in Orchard Park, NY which is in the shadow of the new Buffalo Bills football stadium. With a couple dozen sauce flavors to choose from, it was Cajun Honey Butter and Hot Garlic Parm. Both orders were served hot and crispy but the wonky wing sizes varied from jumbo to roadkill. The Hot Garlic Parm had very little flavor or heat with the parmesan plopped on top of the order. The Cajun Honey Butter fared a little better with a slight hint of Cajun along with the honey giving them a nice even coating. The blue cheese was standard issue, failing both the stand up challenge and the pour test. We can only hope that the football team across the street ranks better than the wings on this visit with the Hot Garlic Parm getting a 5.50 and the Cajun Honey Butter a 6.25 out of 10. Rate your wings

09/04/2026

GrubMaster visited The Playground in Dunedin, FL on on a very busy dollar wing Thursday. As the name implies, this spot is loaded with both indoor and outdoor games for all ages. Wings can be ordered in any quantity 6 or greater. For this visit was Dry Cajun, Sriracha and Hot Mango Hefe. The wings were served piping hot. Some had a nice crispy crunch some did not. The Cajun had little to no flavor other than a slight saltiness. The Sriracha and the Hot Mango Hefe sauces had reasobably good heat but it was the actual wings themselves that needed to be better. The inconsistencies of their texture made it difficult to be excited about finishing the order after the first 2 or 3. It was difficult to tell the difference between the blue cheese and ranch, both miserably failing the stand up challenge and the pour test. No veggies are included. If you are a gamer and want to knock back a few cold ones the playground is a good spot for that. Go for the games not the wings with this odrer getting a lacluster 6.25 out of 10.

08/31/2026

GrubMaster made a return visit to Buffalo Charlie's in Dunedin, FL. This place is always in the discussion when talking about the best wing places in the Tampa Bay area. With the owners originally from Buffalo this place definitely has the hometown feel as soon as you walk in the door. For this visit it was Cajun Hot. Their tagline has been 'The wings are worth the wait', but in this case the wait was not that long. They were served hot but not piping hot with just enough crispiness but not crunchy crispy to the point where you might wonder if there's now some pre-cooking involved. Not saying that there is, just wondering. The sauce had a nice flavor balance between the hot which is really medium heat and the Cajun spice. The blue cheese was topped with fresh crumbles and barely passed the pour test and failed the stand up challenge. Buffalo Charlie's is currently expanding in its the Dunedin location due to popularity, and rightly so with these wings getting in a respectable 8.25 out of 10.

08/25/2026

GrrubMaster visited Vinny's in West Seneca New York. This is your typical neighborhood bar with very reasonable prices and a nice little outdoor patio bar area. This visit consisted of orders of dry rub Cajun and Thai Chili. Both orders were served piping hot with a very nice crispy crunch. The Cajun had ok flavor but needed just a little more heat and a bit more of the rub applied. The Thai Chili wings were perfectly coated with a nice thick sauce that had both heat and flavor. The blue cheese was reasonably good passing the stand up challenge but failing the pour test. Vinny’s is definitely worth a visit with the Cajun getting an 8.25 and the Thai Chili 8.75 out of 10.

08/17/2026

After receiving a suggestion from another Guru follower, GrubMaster visited The Swamp in Jamestown NY. Their location justifies the name and provides an interesting setting for those adventurous types. For this initial visit the choice was easy. Two house specials, Swamp Wings and Bills Mafia Wings. The Swamp Wings are pan fried in a cast iron skillet with a house original blackened Cajun seasoning. The Bills Mafia Wing sauce is a combination of Frank’s Hot Sauce, Bison French Onion Dip and a third ingredient not mentioned. The Swamp Wings were steaming hot and completely covered in their Cajun rub. They were cooked perfectly and tender but lacked crispiness and had a very unique spicy medium heat. The Bills Mafia wings were perfectly crispy and generously covered with the Mafia Sauce. The tasty combination of Frank’s and Bison Dip had a mild-medium heat with no additional dip into blue cheese needed. Blue cheese is provided though, barely passing the pour test but failing the stand up challenge although no veggies are included. It’s easy to see why their wings have been previously rated the best in Chautauqua County with the Swamp Wings getting an 8.75 and the Bills Mafia Wings an exceptional 9.0 out of 10.

08/17/2026

GrubMaster visited the Warped Wing Brewery & Smokery in Huber Heights OH. This location is a combination brewery and smokehouse with a nice selection of in-house craft beers and an equally nice menu of smoked meats. The wings here are first smoked then flash fried. The wings for this order were served plain with the sauce on the side however you can get them shaken. With a dozen sauces to choose from, Nashville Hot was the pick. Typically, you would find that smoked wings lack a crispy skin but not the case here. The wings had nice smokey flavor, an absolutely perfect crispy crunch and were fall-off-the-bone tender. The sauce was medium-hot but slightly thin. There are 6 different dipping sauces to choose from as well. If you are in southwestern Ohio, the Warped Wing should be on your places to visit list with these wings getting a very respectable 8.5 out of 10. Rate your wings

08/12/2026

GrubMaster visited the Birdsall Inn in Canaseraga, NY. This adventure was a suggestion from a guru follower to try their house signature Birdsall Blast sauce. If points were awarded for being in the middle of nowhere, this location gets a 10. First clue is that there were more ATV's and Side-by-Sides in the parking lot than vehicles. This place has a real nice and friendly country feel with a spacious outdoor patio and stage for live music. A nice option is the ability to order wings in quantities of 6. For this visit it was Hot Garlic Parm and the reason for the trip... Birdsall Blast. Both orders were served piping hot with just enough crispiness. The Hot Garlic Parm wings were coated nicely but seemed to lack a distinct flavor combination between the meduim level heat and the parmesan while also lacking any real hint of garlic. The Birdsall Blast fared much better. This sauce had a very mild black pepper heat with a unique sweet and slightly tangy coating. Anyone not into hot wings would really enjoy this flavor. The blue cheese was standard issue barely passing the stand up challenge but failing the pour test. Anyone in the mood for a very scenic drive to the middle of nowhere should keep Birdsall in mind with the Hot Garlic Parm getting a 6.5 and the Birdall Blast a respectable 8.25 out of 10.

08/06/2026

GrubMaster visited Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern in South Buffalo, NY. Consistently rated high for their wings and fish fries, Adolf's is exactly what you would expect from a local Irish pub. This visit consisted of orders of Cajun Hot and on the recommendation of fellow gurus, their Salt & Vinegar rub. Both orders were served piping hot and with a perfect crispiness. The Cajun Hot were coated nicely and had a medium-plus heat but were a bit salty which took away from the Cajun spice. The Salt & Vinegar... Wow! Crunchy crisp, juicy and a dry coating that stuck perfectly to the wing with a nice balance of saltiness and the vinegar. The house made blue cheese was exceptional and worth the visit just for that alone. It's easy to see why this place is so popular with the Cajun Hot getting in 8.5 and the Salt & Vinegar getting a very impressive and almost never given 9.5 out of 10.

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