One of the few places I went out to eat this year was to Lafayette Brewing Co., pre-winter 2020 shutdown. It felt like a split-second of normalcy sitting at their high top tables, sharing a beer with friends, enjoying the banter with the waitress, and taking in the historic brewery’s energy.

I have to say, the waitress we had was incredibly kind. She was so patient and friendly. It was nice to connect with others in the community like that again and support local. There are many businesses and workers who are working their tails off these days to comply with NYS regulations and make ends meet. My heart goes out to them and pray the world sees safer days soon.

Lafayette Brewing Co. obviously has a pretty stacked list of beers on tap. I believe all beers are brewed right within the building, which is a beautiful old establishment connected to the Hotel @ the Lafayette. Being right in central downtown Buffalo on Washington St., the brewery is perfectly situated for an adventure.

The food menu was pretty solid with a range of options. I had to go with the pizza though. To be honest, I had pretty low expectations! Since the menu had different types of dishes like fish tacos and sandwiches, and not all pizzas, I figured it’d be pretty mediocre.

I have to laugh, because when the waitress brought over my pizza (I was the only one who got pizza), everyone stared at my plate and went “that looks SO good!!!” It was hilarious and they were very right!

This was considered a personal pizza, so I didn’t have to share it with anyone either (*insert evil laugh here*). Although, my favorite quote is “Every pizza is a personal pizza if you believe in yourself.” In sum, this pizza looked damn good and it was all mine!

This pie was cut into six perfect little triangles. I’m noting the importance of this because the pieces were the ideal size for handling when out to eat at a restaurant. Sometimes pizza, especially thicker pizza like this one, can be really messy and challenging to eat cleanly in front of others when you’re out! So embarrassing when you have a thousand napkins and greasy fingers, although it’s worth it sometimes haha.

Like I noted, this was a bit thicker of a dough, but because it was small slices to delicately handle, the dough was sturdy enough to hold its own. The end crust was so fluffy on the top with a few air bubbles, and crunchy once you sink your teeth in for a bite.

As you can probably see from the pictures, this cheese was also fairly generous! But it was the star of the show and very stringy. You can just tell it is cooked to perfection. I’m a big fan of the burnt spots on the cheese too, as it just adds to the overall flavor.

For being a pepperoni pizza, there really wasn’t a ton of pepperoni here. Some pieces could’ve been given a few more to even things out. But overall, the cup-and-char ronis themselves were solid. They were more on the crisped side, but it gave a nice duality with the soft cheese and crunchy pepperoni.

If I have the chance to go back, I’ll probably do pepperoni again, but add on some sausage and onions to top it off! I like that you can just build your own pizza based on the toppings they have available. That keeps it easy peasy for everyone.

Lafayette Brewing, you were such a treat! I love when I don’t have any expectations going into it, and it just completely blows me away! I highly recommend visiting if you’re looking to go out with a small group to enjoy a meal and drink with in a cool, historic atmosphere. And please, continue to support local – cheers!

Pizza & love,

Mandy