Buffalo/Niagara Region
Medina Food and Beverage Tour
Medina
With just over 6000 people, this small town has a big foodie scene and plenty of fun things to do year round. There are numerous great restaurants in town that include one of the best Fine Dining establishments in western NY, a fantastic Mexican restaurant, a chic upscale restaurant, a beautifully crafted Irish restaurant, and a place that makes gourmet Tapas and amazing craft cocktails. And they are all within a mile of each other. That is why we call Medina - Foodie Town, New York! Our Medina Daycation gives you the option to eat at all of the restaurants, but you might want to stay another day or two so that you can have a great meal at all of them. But food isn’t the only game in this town. A stroll down Main Street evokes memories of yesteryear with a homemade chocolate shop, a Tea Shop, a bookstore owned by a published author, crafts, antiques, and many other shops.
(Click on the map to navigate to all locations on your phone or computer)
Lodging
Best - $$$$
Great - $$$
Great - $$
Breakfast - You rarely hear the term “Gourmet Breakfast” used, but at The Shirt Factory, it is a thing. They even have the option to get a Bloody Mary that doubles as breakfast because it is topped with a mini Egg & Cheese Bagel Sandwich, Salted Caramel French Toast, celery, pickle, olives, grapes, and other assorted fruits. This is a one of a kind breakfast option and one of the best in upstate New York. They also have more traditional options, and all of them are amazing. If a traditional diner breakfast is more your style, a block away is the Country Club Restaurant which has all of the standard breakfast options. We are a bit partial to it since it was the first place we had breakfast together as a couple.
Morning Itinerary
Hiking at Iroquois Wildlife Refuge - Alabama (New York)
Just 10 minutes from Medina is a 11,000 acre park that is home to 10’s of thousands of birds, mammals, and aquatic creatures. It is common to see Bald Eagles, deer, otters, Blue Herons, Hawks, and 100’s of other animals on your trip here. It is very flat terrain so you don’t have to worry about keeling over half way through, but it is a huge park and you could go 10 miles on a trail and not get to the end. It is a good way to start the Daycation because you can burn off some of the many calories that you will consume during your Medina Daycation.
Medina Model Railroad Museum - Medina
This 100 year-old former Train Station now houses the largest Model Railroad display in upstate New York. The display is over 200 feet long and 14 feet wide and features hundreds of working model trains. The museum also has a ton of cool railroad paraphernalia and details the history of the railroad industry in Upstate New York. On certain weekends you can take a 30 mile train ride (full-size, not model trains) on the restored locomotives that are parked out back. Check on their web-site for those dates.
Lunch - Just a mile south of the town is our favorite Mexican restaurant in upstate - Mariachi De Oro. The food, decor, and libations are all top notch. Fitzgibbons Public House is another great lunch option. With authentic Irish Cuisine options like Bangers & Mash, Sherherd’s Pie, and Celtic Nachos (who knew) you can get a wee bit of the Irish in ya’ before your afternoon excursion. Of course that includes some fine Irish Ales. The decor here makes you feel as though you are in Ireland with handcrafted woodworking (built by the owner himself) that will make you say - “Wow. Just wow!'“
Afternoon Itinerary
A Walk Through the Historic Town - Medina
Throughout the entire year, the 4 block downtown is full of great things to see and great shops to visit. Starting at the north end of town you can go behind the buildings on Main Street and see one of the widest parts of the Erie Canal and marvel at the 30 foot waterfall where Oak Orchard Creek goes under the canal. After that, a tour of the buildings on each side of the street provides you with a view of the pastoral charm of yesteryear and an opportunity to browse the numerous shops and restaurants.
Modern Mercantile - Medina
Amongst the numerous quaint and interesting shops throughout the town, Modern Mercantile is a hidden gem. There are always numerous keepsakes there that fill that space in your curio cabinet, or even a new set of table settings that is a finishing touch when you have guests over for a special dinner. The store is “never the same place twice” as there are always different pieces that find their way into your house! It is always a place that we stop when we are in town.
Leonard Oakes Winery/Cidery - Medina
In our opinion, this is the best stop on the Niagara Wine Trail! Although you can get wine, cider, beer, liquor, and food here, we usually stick with the wine and cider. Since the owners have been growing apples for over 100 years, it makes sense that they would have great ciders, but they also added wine to their portfolio a couple of decades ago and it doesn’t disappoint. Our faves are the Blanc D’Orleans and the Blaufrankisch. During the fall you can stroll next door to the orchards and choose from hundreds of different apple varieties to hand pick and purchase as a tasty souvenir of your experience. If you are visiting here in the summer they have bands play in their outdoor pavilion as another reason to extend your stay here.
Chateau Niagara Winery - Newfane
Since the warm fall winds off of Lake Ontario extends the growing season for them, Chateau Niagara has some fantastic wines! Their red wines are the best of any winery in the Buffalo/Niagara region (and their whites are darn good, too). Most people haven’t heard of Blaufrankish and Saperavi varietals, but they grow well in this climate and the vintages here are very tasty. During the summer they have monthly wine and food pairing dinners that are very good as well.
Blackbird Cider Works - Barker
Even though there are over 75 cideries in New York, the Northeast’s best grocery chain, Wegman’s (which is based in Rochester) only stocks ciders at all of their locations from 3 cideries - and Blackbird Cidery is one of the them. It is our favorite cider in the Buffalo/Niagara region and they have tastings of 10 or so varieties year round. They specialize in traditional dry and semi-dry ciders, but they recently have added some unique blends to their line-up like the Ghost Lantern Cider which is infused with Ghost Pepper and Pumpkin Spice. And yes, it is tasty.
Dinner
After a 2 year renovation of the circa 1864 building, Harvest Restaurant opened in 2021 and quickly became the best restaurant in the Buffalo/Niagara Region. This is fine dining with all of the trimmings including heated sidewalks outside so that your shoes don’t get snowy in the winter. They have monthly 7-course pairing meals that are curated by their French chef who is also a Sommelier. It was one of the best meals that we’ve ever had! Zambistro is a fantastic restaurant that serves upscale traditional American cuisine with some great twists. Seared Ahi Tuna for an appetizer is good. Add a Panko crust and a cherry siracha drizzle and you have a great dish. Many of the food options here are like that - great twists on traditional entrees. The Shirt Factory takes a different path to great food. Gourmet Tapas! The best Deviled Eggs we’ve ever had. Perfectly seasoned Cornish Game Hens. We ordered 5 different items off the menu and all of them were great. The hardest thing about getting a great dinner in Medina is choosing which place to go to!
Evening Itinerary
Into the Enigma - Medina
Escape Rooms are gaining in popularity across the country. Why? Because we all want to feel that we can solve challenges and mysteries that take us out of our normal day-to-day life. And if we do it as a team with our significant other or 5 good friends, that takes it up a notch and gives us a great story to share the next day. Into the Enigma changes the room every few months, but each time they feature challenging puzzles and riddles with “a helper” just a knock on the door away.
A Night Cap at Fitzgibbons Public House - Medina
Since most of the places that we suggest that you go to during your Medina Daycation are within 3 blocks of each other, there is no better way to end your Daycation than to have one of your favorite beverages at Fitzgibbons while you discuss the many great foods and experiences that you had that day. Not only can you get a Irish or Scottish beer, they also have wines and cider from some of the local places that you visited earlier in the day.