The West Side: International Flair

Walk a few blocks of Grant Street on your next visit to Buffalo and you’ll get a perspective on how immigrants and refugees can infuse a city with new flavors, customs and vitality. In recent years, this historically Italian neighborhood has been transformed by an influx of newcomers from around the world. The center of all this activity is the West Side Bazaar, a business incubator that assists recently-arrived entrepreneurs pursue their dreams of owning a business. The food is diverse and delicious and the crafts and clothing indigenous to the seller’s native country. Other must see stops along Grant include Guercio & Sons grocery, Sweetness 7 Cafe, Freddy J’s BBQ, West Side Stories Books, Rust Belt Books and the Tabernacle, a former church turned restaurant whose walls and ceilings feature an explosion of color and imagery that will blow your mind. It’s Buffalo’s very own Sistine Chapel.