Coffee & Treats in Cheektowaga

Baskin Robbins' worldwide expansion can be attributed to one thing: gourmet ice cream. More than 31 flavours fill its freezers, with classic flavours such as chocolate chip or butter pecan, and rotating seasonal flavours such as the cherry-filled black forest cake or green tea. Not content to just serve scoops, Baskin Robbins molds their ice cream into cakes, milk shakes, and sundaes made scrumptious by pieces of fresh fruit. Baskin's staff also swirls up soft serve cones, bowls, and parfaits filled with fruits and sweets. The ice creameries also indulge weight-conscious eaters with a menu of no-sugar-added sherbets, light yogurts, and sorbets.

Gen Perryman, owner of The Cupcake Orchard, has always loved to bake desserts but admits that she was inspired to open her bakery by the influx of cupcake shops across the country. She says on her website, “As I saw these cupcakeries popping up around the country, I thought, 'why not package what I love doing into a sweet cupcake?'” Every morning, Gen and her staff freshly prepare each batch using eggs and butter from local farms, seasonal fruits, and Belgian chocolate. The shop carries eight “everyday” flavors—favorites include chocolate-chocolate and red velvet—as well as three to five seasonal flavors such as pumpkin, caramel apple, and snowball.

Behind the counter at Ashker’s Juice Bar - Bistro - Gallery, staffers concoct a long list of smoothies, sandwiches, and all-day breakfasts made to be enjoyed in their cozy lounge that doubles as an art gallery and social hub. In the front lounge, padded chairs invite diners to bask in the glow of the sunlight that streams through the eatery’s expansive windows, aiding in the body's natural photosynthesis process. Along the walls, local artists display their masterworks, which mirror the swaths of color often found in the creamy smoothies.

Powder-blue trim and lush flowers clustered around a quaint clapboard storefront welcome visitors to Vincenzo's Italian Ice. The dessert parlor swaps traditional ice cream for less-fattening frozen treats, including silky gelato transported from NYC's Little Italy and italian ice sourced from Philadelphia's secret ice mines. In a simple space adorned with shelves of elegant bottles, customers can peer into the glass case to hunt down their favorite flavors of gelato, ranging from malted milk ball to espresso, or to scope out the rainbow of italian ice varieties, from black cherry to coconut.

The Snack Shack satisfies sweet and salty cravings with an arsenal of freshly crafted pick-me-ups. Cookies, muffins, and cupcakes headline the shop's sizable snack list, luring lips and taste buds of all types with a cornucopia of flavors that includes oatmeal raisin, banana nut, and chunky chocolate. For on-the-go noshing, chicken wings, hamburgers, and burritos volunteer to cannonball into empty tummies, and a selection of drinks washes back bites and ensures nearby fountains won't be sucked dry by thirsty snackers. Local corporations can also jump in on the munching, as The Snack Shack provides delivery programs to downtown Buffalo corporations.