During our recent visit to Buffalo, Kooks and I decided to check out Sato Brewpub as it combined the best of both worlds in the Queen City – food and beer. Located right in the heart of downtown, Sato Brewpub is a combined Japanese izakaya and craft brewery. The concept here is to pair food with beer using particular Japanese ingredients in both a la carte. In other words, patrons come here expecting an experience that entices their taste buds. This is not the place to go if you are looking to gorge on an endless supply of Japanese cuisine.
 |
| Buffalo Brews - Sato Brewpub |
Despite arriving after 5pm EST on a Saturday night in mid-December, we were surprised to find Sato Brewpub to be almost half full. Kooks and I were in town for a Tran Siberian Orchestra concert, which was really the only major event going on in Buffalo this weekend. So, I am sure some of the other patrons were grabbing some dinner here beforehand like we were. It was also an interesting dichotomy seeing Japanese lanterns and decorations adorning the interior of the brewpub, which was located in the basement of what seemed to be a re-purposed early 20th Century factory.
 |
| Sato Brewpub - Buffalo's only Japanese Izakaya Craft brewery |
I started the night off ordering a Kabocha. At 4.8% ABV and 20 IBUs, this light-bodied Belgian Brown Ale is brewed with squash. It was much better than it sounded as it nicely balanced he nutty characteristics of your typical Brown Ale with sweet flavours of squash. I thought about pairing it up with some kokoro as I missed out on the opportunity to try chicken hearts in Foz de Iguazu, but decided to stick to something more standard in case my stomach decided to turn against me for whatever reason.
 |
| Sato Brewpub - Buffalo's only Japanese Izakaya Craft brewery |
Ultimately, I ordered the Tori Paitan Ramen. It was a think and cloudy shio-based chicken broth made with Chashu chicken, green onions, corn, egg, baby bok choy, and garlic oil. Thinking that would not have been enough to eat, I also ordered a tan-tan bowl as a side dish. This rice bowl was made with ground pork seasoned with spicy miso, egg, and green onions. I thought it was okay, but not overly spectacular and could have done without it in all honesty. The ramen itself was plenty enough to eat for dinner, especially with the partially boiled egg that came with it in addition to the Chashu chicken. Rabbit In the Moon was a very light Table Beer I ordered after dinner. At 4.8% ABV and 23 IBUs brewed with puffed brown rice and green tea, it did not disappoint!
 |
| Tori Paitan Ramen with a side order of Tan-tan |
Overall, Sato Brewpub does a good job filling a
specific niche in Buffalo’s culinary scene.
It’s ascetically pleasing with its Japanese décor and rustic basement bar
look. Would I personally come back
again? Most certainly for the beer and
the intimate, laid back environment. As
for the food, not so much as it is quite pricey for the portion sizes given – both
our meals combined was around $75 US. My
suggestion is to come here for special date nights with your significant
other. Grab a sake, a beer or wine and
maybe order a dish or two to snack on before you head off to a concert like
Kooks and I did. Or just come here with
your significant other to cap off your evening together if you are looking for something
more intimate, but unique within downtown Buffalo.
 |
| Buffalo Brews - Sato Brewpub |
Sato Brewpub
110 Pearl Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone: (716) 248-1436
Hours
Monday – Thursday: 11:30am – 10pm EST
Friday:
11:30am – 12am EST
Saturday:
12pm – 12am EST
Sunday:
Closed
No comments:
Post a Comment