Roaming Buffalo

There were some good things, and there were some missteps, I think that overall though I was pretty happy with my experience of Roaming Buffalo.
In an effort to try as many of Buffalo’s fine rolling eateries, as well as an intention to escape the doldrums of my workplace lunch menu, when I see a truck close by that I haven’t tried, I’ll try to make a stop.
So, Roaming Buffalo was in the neighborhood, and I gave them a try. I had their basic burger, and then noticed they had a «Buffalo poutine» special.
Now I know, those of you who know me well know I cannot resist something on a menu with the word «poutine» next to it. So, order it I did!
The burger was juicy and tasty, a good balance of meat and salt and toppings. It was very satisfying, and I’d order one again for sure.
The Buffalo poutine though, not so much. I know, people are trying to do twists on poutine, but this was a bit of a misstep. Poutine is: fries, cheese and gravy. This was more cheesy fries than poutine. It started in the right direction, with good fries and the use of blue cheese for the cheese. There was no gravy though, instead just Frank’s Hot Sauce. This combination made it generally too salty and overall not really all that great. It was a noble try, and I think if they did it again they should try to do a gravy *and* Franks, which is what other places that have done Buffalo-​style poutines have done.
All in all, this is a decent food truck and I’d go back.

Absolutely fantastic burger absolutely fantastic fries are perfect! I don’t even like fries and those were delicious. The bacon jam and habanero ketchup are out of this world

This was the 1^st Food Truck I ever tried in Buffalo and one of the few Food Trucks I’ve tried so far in my Life. As the name says it roams from Town to Town looking for Hungry Customers to Feed. I was out with a Friend checking out a Farmers Market in Hamburg, looking at all the fine and Fresh Produce when I stumbled upon this Truck.
I looked at the Menu and saw some interesting things, the one that struck me the most was the WTF Burger (a burger with Bacon Jam and Peanut Butter on it), I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have any Grass Fed Beef but other than that I really enjoyed the Burger (You bite into it and you get that Moist, Juicy Beef and then some Salty/​Smokiness from the Bacon Jam and then you get some Sweet Creaminess from the Peanut Butter).
This Burger makes you wanna say (WTF) and I enjoyed it the whole ride home. I’ll be sure to find that Buffalo again wherever it Roams !!!

Edit:
Received this compliment from the owner, calling my review phony and re-​assuring me how great his food is:
«All we have to say to this phony review is „Voted best burger in WNY by Unilocal 2014“. It’s pb&bj=WTF»
Not a good way to respond to criticism in my opinion, so I’m adding it to the review and also lowering from 2 stars to 1 star based on the accusation that my 100% honest review was «phony». Actually should have been a 3 originally because I almost never rate family-​owned businesses less than 3 out of common courtesy. Having said that most family businesses don’t come out and call me a liar.
Also based on that response, I definitely won’t be giving it the benefit of the doubt and giving it another try, regardless of how much some of my friends, or the people of WNY, or the owner himself, loves the food here.
*****
I had a seizure when I tried this food. My friend suggested they change their name to Foaming Buffalo because one taste and I was foaming at the mouth in disgust. But seriously, no.
I really, really, really don’t like this place. I had half a burger — which compared to Vizzi’s or Ruzzine’s or Mooney’s (or even a Big Mac) was very disappointing. I had my own order of «Buffalo Poutine» because it sounded so exciting! And it was so damn expensive too grr.
So Buffalo Poutine is basically… really bad french fries that taste like frozen oven fries. Really bad crumbly bleu cheese on top of them. That tastes awful. And then some very sharp tasting Frank’s Hot Sauce poured all over them. The end. I couldn’t taste any butter in the sauce at all. It tasted (a) awful, (b) lazy, and © how much did I pay for this omg?
And so because of the price and the very high rating from everyone else and how thoroughly disappointed I was, I have to give them an awful rating.
I’ve said this again and again but Buffalo food trucks are reeeeally not that good in the main and they’re also very overrated (Lloyd’s, I’m looking squarely at you).
I’m not one of those people who thinks that food trucks are automatically a lower standard than restaurants. I LOVE food trucks. Nobody loves them more, I might even say. My 2^nd fave place to eat in Seattle and in San Diego: food trucks. A Taco Bus and German Mariscos Taco Truck more specifically. And Tazo Nazo in Columbus. Omg one of the best ever. And then there’s the Halal Carts, especially Sammy’s, and Biryani Cart, all in NYC. Some of my fave places in Rochester and Philly are trucks. My fave in Pitt? India On Wheels food truck! Cleveland? SETI’s baby! I am used to getting incredible food from trucks. So I have the same standards for trucks as I do from non-​trucks. And I like dirt-​cheap regular places and dirt-​cheap trucks, it’s not about how fancy it is.
But no. It didn’t do it for me. At all. I might even say that for all I care, this truck should go Roaming from Buffalo and stay Roaming.
PS
The star attractions here are a Bison Burger (I can never bring myself to eat Bison meat or pay $ 8 for another bad burger from here), and a WTF burger (which is a PB & J burger — edit — the owner is annoyed that I said PB & J instad of PB & BJ. Sincere apologies). Let me just make this clear. I think PB & J is awful, I think the fact that it’s a legitimate sandwich and/​or meal here is awful, and every time I see it on a menu I roll my eyes. Why not serve «Kraft Mac N Cheese» burgers then? How about a «Brownie» burger? (More awful American things I can’t stand).
So you get the idea. No, I’m not going to try their 2 specialty burgers because then I’d probably end up lowering it to a 1. The regular burger gets a 3, the poutine gets a 2, and the fact that it’s so overpriced and overrated evens out to a 2 overall.

I hired Roaming Buffalo for a party that I had and it was the biggest hit. Chris and his staff did an amazing job catering to my hungry guests.
Everyone loved everything on the menu and a year later I still here how their favorite thing at my party was the food truck and how great the food was.

My experience at this food truck was not the greatest, even though I don’t eat beef. So my only real options were chicken sandwiches and fries. I wanted to try the fries ($ 3) before I spent the big bucks ($ 5+). The fries that I received were «burnt» at best, they almost look like sweet potato fries, but had no flavor, the sea salt didn’t help either. I’m not a fan of ketchup, but that would of really helped. Their «original loganberry» comes in a can, so disappointing. It is nice that they do accept most credit cards.

Follow them on twitter @roamingbuffalo1 to see where they are every day. The dizzle burger is great also love the dirty bird. And if you are not full after lunch stop back for the buffalo balls. They are delicious little fried dough balls tossed in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.
This truck is one of my favorite in buffalo. Great verity every time so you can always try something different.

A clever name with great bites! Screw sitting in a restaurant or waiting for so-​called fast food to not taste good… Follow The Roaming Buffalo on Twitter and eat here instead.
I had heard so much about this food truck and when I first came across it at the Ralph last season I had to try it out. Now, mind you, I was pretty drunk as you could imagine, so everything sounded good on the menu. I just handed the girl working the window a $ 10 and smiled. She said, «What do you want?», and I said, «I don’t care. Surprise me». She gave me a BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger and it was out of this world. More importantly, everyone else around me had big ketcup/​cheesey/​BBQ smiles from ear-​to-​ear on their faces.
Took a while to get to writing this review but I plan to hit up the Food Truck Tuesday at Larkin Square this Tuesday, and I noticed The Roaming Buffalo is on vacation. I figured I should put it up so I can better document my comparisons.

PERFECT! EVERYTHING is incredible! They are always happy & kind! Thanks guys!

Hands down the best burger in buffalo. There is no doubt why they won «Best burger in wny» in the buffalo spree.
^I voted for them…
They always have different stuff to try. But the burgers steal the show. Where else do you see beef tongue and pork belly on the same truck? No one in buffalo is doing that…
They’re super nice and accommodating to customers too.

I had a mixed experience with Roaming Buffalo, but I want to note that it was during a Larkin Tuesday so they might not have been at the top of their game! So I’ll start by saying that I’ll give them another shot whenever I get the chance.
I was disappointed to hear that their burgers are not gluten free (why ruin beef with bread?) but my disappointment faded when they suggested the Buster burger — 100% bison meat. However the buster burger is boring — LTO with ketch up mustard blah blah blah, so I asked if I could have it done «dizzle style» (mushrooms, cheese, garlic aioli, drunken onions) which they happily accommodated. The burger was super delicious and the aioli was also great. 4.5 stars
Hubby had a chicken sandwich, which was a-​ok. Nothing fabulous, nothing bad. 3 stars.
The biggest disappointment was the buffalo poutine. I’ve noticed it’s not on the online menu so maybe it’s no longer an option, but it was disappointing at best. The fries were over cooked and almost a transparent brown color, having lost all their innards. Also, I think «poutine» might have been the wrong description, because it conjures thoughts of ooey gooey crispy cheesy delicious potato strips when in fact we just had a dish ¾ filled with some fries sprinkled with hot sauce and a tablespoon or two of blue cheese crumbles. I’m not one to leave behind food covered in hot sauce and blue cheese, but they were so uninteresting that we ended up throwing out the last third. 1 star.
But man, that bison burger was delicious!

I went to Larkin Square for the first time last Tuesday to enjoy the many food trucks that Buffalo has to offer. Being the poor person that I am, I only got to try the Roaming Buffalo.
However, I am glad that it was the only one I tried. The bison burger they have is amazing. Absolutely delicious. I honestly felt that I could have been eating that at a gourmet restaurant. I usually don’t eat pickles but even the pickle on this burger was good enough that I ate it as well. You should definitely check these guys out.
Also, I met the guy who runs it and he is a really nice guy. So, props to him.

Chris and Val do an incredible job! Their burgers are hand mixed and made to perfection. I love the Bacon Jam on anything as well as the Flying Bison BBQ sauce. If the pork belly bah mi is on the truck do not hesitate to give it a shot. Great hometown favorites available all over town.

After finally getting a chance to come back here to try their Bison burger, this review gets an overdue update.
You ever crave a perfect burger from a truck? Roaming Buffalo has the solution. Not only do they grill a perfect cow, but the BISON burger they sometimes have is mouth-​shatteringly delicious. It’s lean, scrumptious and even a bit healthier. Sure, you pay a premium price for it, but at $ 8 — it’s still a steal.
The husband and wife owners who run this truck are great people as well. Valerie, who takes care of the orders is really friendly and her energy gets you excited for the food. Christopher, the chef — is a true burger maestro. Their PB & Bacon Jam takes them 8+ hours to prepare and he put some of it on the bison burger, along with some tomatoes, onions and lettuce. The tomatoes I tasted were very flavorful and the other vegetables tasted very fresh.
The PB & Bacon Jam is a great condiment for the burger, but only if it’s cooked medium rare, otherwise it tastes a bit too dry for me. If you haven’t had a chance to get a burger from here, you’re missing out. Roaming Buffalo does it right.

I’ve been to a number of places throughout WNY in search of a great homemade burger… You would think living in America that it would be easy to find a great burger… I think the problem is the general public settles for the «frozen status quo» burger, and restaurants are more than happy to oblige them… Well anyways I have been to Grovers, the bedrock place across the street from them, Tantalus, etc… And I have to say without a doubt my favorite burger comes off the Roaming Buffalo.
My favorite is the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger… It comes with drunken onions, and Chris’s homemade bbq sauce with beer… I have to say I was never a big fan of beer in food until I came across the RB… The burger is seasoned excellent (a tad spicy), and has a super texture that almost melts in your mouth, mmmmm — drool… I had eaten here many times in the past before I joined Unilocal… I have eaten this burger a ton of times, and I never have gotten sick of it… For me that is something to say because I tire of eating the same food very quickly.

Wow. I think I have a new favorite food truck! I finally got to try Roaming Buffalo at Music is Art, yesterday. I went with the WTF Burger (Peanut Butter & Bacon Jam), because I had heard such good things. Amazing. But really, it was burger itself that blew me away; thick and delicious, clearly homemade. This was no frozen patty. The seasoning had a little kick to it which I enjoyed but wasn’t expecting (just a note if you like things bland). Plus, the burger was only $ 6 which was more than reasonable for a tasty and hearty burger. I can’t wait to go back and try more.

For a fair price of $ 6 I just tasted a little piece of heaven for lunch. Mmmmm Peanut butter and Bacon Jam on a delicious patty. The WTF burger from these guys was so worth braving the rain for today. I heard about this burger from the taste of Buffalo write up and have been waiting to try it. Well let’s just say it did not disappoint.
Now I am always up for trying something strange and new but truthfully the taste here is not all that strange. The peanut butter and bacon jam do not overtake the whole burger as you might think. The patty itself is absolutely delicious and was cooked to perfection. Slight crisp char on the outside, soft juicy inside, with just the perfect amount of spice. The homemade quality of it actually stood out over the PB & J on top of it.
After mine was done, I kind of wished I ordered two, or least that is what my taste buds were telling me. Can’t wait to go back and try some other choices from the menu.

Definitely one of the best food trucks in Buffalo. This particular truck focuses on good ol’ American fare, including a few different burgers. I had the BBQ Bacon burger. Delicious. Burger was cooked perfectly with lots of flavor. The BBQ sauce was the perfect amount of sweet and spicy.
Two of my friends had «The What» burger — this burger consists of bacon jelly and peanut butter … yes, you read that right. I had a bite out of curiosity and now I understand why this is such a popular burger! Unbelievable.
Also, props for the amazing service. So incredibly friendly and cheerful. It was cold outside and the cashier offered to run our order into the building if we wanted to get out of the cold.

There’s a reason why they call them «crack fries.»
Roaming Buffalo’s food is delicious, especially their fries. Their whole menu’s reasonably priced, with delicious burgers around $ 6. There’s enough variety to make everyone happy, including veggie burgers (topped with crisp, tasty veggies). The service is always excellent, and the owners really care about the quality: they prefer that everything be homemade.
The owners also play well with others: they’ll be hosting a «guest chef» series throughout 2012, with different local chefs (i.e. Kevin O’Connell from O’Connell’s) taking over the grill. As such, they’re an awesome asset to the new Buffalo food scene.
The only tough part is, well, their truck’s always roaming! And since I am too, I can rarely plan to eat their food – it’s always a happy accident.
I’d say the wait times also make it tough (especially if the weather’s bad), but ultimately, it’s worth it, so not a drawback. This is fresh, good food, made to order, not a Mickey D’s on wheels. So if you’re not willing to wait for goodness, don’t. But if you are, you’ll be rewarded.

2 things that stood out to me about Roaming Buffalo:
1) Awesome paint job on the truck.
2) Great teamwork aboard it. That’s one well-​oiled machine and they fly through orders.
Homegrown Buffalonians will likely gravitate to this truck b/​c it serves up traditional WNY-​fare (burgers, wings, beef on weck). However, they’re still able to throw in a few wrinkles here and there. Everyone raves about their bacon jam which I thought was a little over-​hyped. I’ve always thought one of the appeals of bacon to be the texture and you kinda lose that w/​the jam. The chicken wing soup was nice although to be honest, I had no idea what I was eating. Can’t really say it tasted like chicken wings either but it did taste good. The burger was nice (though they really need to toast their buns) and their onion rings solid. The creativity of their menu will separate them from all the other Buffalo restaurants that serve the same stuff.