Buffalo’s oldest bar has reopened.
Ulrich’s’ owner/operator Salvatore “Sal” Buscaglia says that he is excited to get back to the business of running the circa 1868 pub in a limited capacity to start. “I wanted to get the doors open in time for St. Patrick’s Day,” he told me. “We’re starting off with a different dish each week – this week is chili. It’s more about serving bar food and drinks at the moment, while we see how things go. As we get busier, we can introduce more days and hours, and different menu items. I’m in the process of seeing what types of food will be popular here. In the meantime, it was important to open up the bar, for our customers who have been missing us.”
At this stage in the game, Ulrich’s is open for happy hours on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with Rosalind “Roz” Mikolajek behind the pine – starting at 3pm, and winding down around 10pm (as the bar crowd dictates).
“I love being at Ulrich’s for the history of the building and atmosphere,” said Roz. “Within hours of opening, dozens of people that work in the area filed in. They were all anxiously awaiting the doors to open. I immediately felt a great sense of community and shared enthusiasm. It’s a great place to hang out for a cold beer and a nice crowd.”
It’s a slow rollout for this great old tavern, as everyone gauges the post pandemic climate. Being situated so close to the Medical Campus, the thought is that people are looking for an afterwork drink, and some pub food. But Ulrich’s also has a bigger draw, with a wide customer base that has always supported the tavern due to its historic prominence in Buffalo.
Sal has now been co-owner of Ulrich’s for upwards of a decade. In that time, he’s put a lot of work into the place. For a time, he was serving a heavier German food menu, but these days he thinks that people are looking for something different. So it will be interesting to see what he comes up with. What I do know is that the more people frequent Ulrich’s, the more Sal will roll out – more beers, more food, more days and hours. But it’s good to know that he’s at least starting the process by getting the doors open and the drinks flowing.
Welcome back, Ulrich’s.
Ulrich’s Tavern | 674 Ellicott Street | Buffalo, NY 14203 | (716) 989-1868 | Check Facebook for further details