Bflo Pizza Bistro / Photo courtesy of Bflo Pizza Bistro
Back in April, the West Side lost a great restaurant in the form of Café Godot. But the odd, triangular corner formed by Porter Avenue and York Street didn’t go without a visionary concept for long.
The new Blfo Pizza Bistro is the brainchild of Chris Flynn and his wife Samantha, who were inspired by Detroit-style pizza, Italian sweets and a honeymoon in Europe. It might sound like a complicated vision, but actually, the new pizza spot is simple brilliance.
Bflo Pizza Bistro / Photo courtesy of Bflo Pizza Bistro
Like many of us, Chris picked up a hobby during the pandemic. After getting bored with sourdough bread, he turned his attention to pizza making and became consumed with all things dough, sauce and cheese. He eventually found himself gravitating to thick, Detroit-style pizzas because that style gave him the best results. The purchase of a small outdoor pizza oven led to a few pop-up pizza events out of his home. Then, a connection at the Broadway Market helped Chris get a stint in the market’s kitchen during the busy Easter season. After that, he was off and running.
But the whole idea to open a pizza bistro didn’t come together until the couple’s European wedding and honeymoon.
“After we got married in Ireland last year, we traveled to Southern France and Paris,” Chris says. “We were really drawn to these little cafes that were everywhere. And we’re like, there’s not really anything like this in Western New York.”
Bflo Pizza Bistro / Photo courtesy of Bflo Pizza Bistro
Everything swirling around in the couple’s heads galvanized when Chris learned about the availability of the old Café Godot space through his friend and the café’s former owner Roy Bakos. The new-look restaurant has a classic café feel in its 500 square feet of space. With Samantha heading up the Italian-influenced pastry side of the restaurant, Chris says Bflo Pizza Bistro is essentially their take on a small European bistro: “Everything is made from scratch and it’s a really simple menu.”
The format and vibe might be traditional, but the pizzas are born out of Chris’ pandemic kitchen experiments. The small pizza menu includes modern pies like Vodka Pesto, Pepperoni Hot Honey and Margherita-style with whipped ricotta. The owners say they are currently working on getting a beer-and-wine license. Chris says to expect wine and local beers that will pair well with the food. There are also plans for occasional Sunday pop-ups featuring Italian and Italian-American fare.
Bflo Pizza Bistro / Photo courtesy of Bflo Pizza Bistro
Bflo Pizza Bistro feels like a strong and simple concept that should resonate well across Buffalo. But Chris says that former owner Roy Bakos advised him to focus on the neighborhood first and being a destination second.
“He just said connect to the residents in the area because everyone there is very community oriented,” Chris says about the advice he received. “We have D’Youville University right across the street now, and they’re building an entrance about a block away from us. So we want to get involved with the college and maybe do something like student discount days, and get involved with that student community. Also, we want to get involved with the Kleinhans community. So there’s just a lot of opportunity around the area to grow, expand and kind of just be part of the community.”
388 Porter Ave. – Buffalo
Hours at time of publishing (Subject to change): Wednesday and Thursday 4 p.m. – 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 1 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Take Out
Bflo Pizza Bistro
388 Porter Avenue Buffalo, NY 14201 • $$$$$
Buffalo
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