Patina 250, the full-service restaurant operated by Patina Group at the base of Delaware North’s headquarters in Buffalo, in October earned the No. 2 ranking in Buffalo Business First’s annual restaurant survey – the first corporate-owned venue to crack the top five since 2019.
As part of the recognition, the restaurant and its leadership were recently featured by the publication. An excerpt of the story can be found below.
Patina 250 occupies a rarefied position among the Buffalo area’s top restaurants.
Christian DiFiglia joined the restaurant as GM in 2018 following four years with Pegula Sports & Entertainment’s (716) Food and Sport at HarborCenter. The Buffalo native has a lengthy resume, which includes being the founder/co-owner at Cozumel Grill (now home to Teton Kitchen) for 17 years. For the last seven of those years, he also co-owned Prime 490, now home to Roseland’s Atlas.
“A lot of people work for corporate and then open their own place. I did it backward,” he said. “I was always intrigued with working for a larger restaurant group, but that opportunity didn’t really exist in Buffalo. I’d have to move to New York or Chicago or a bigger market.”
The timing was just right when Delaware North, the region’s second-largest privately owned company, acquired the Patina Group. It gave DiFiglia an opportunity to be part of something bigger without leaving Buffalo.
While DiFiglia handles front of house operations, the kitchen is managed by Executive Chef Evan Wargo, who spent eight years running restaurants in Rhode Island before returning home in 2018 to launch the restaurant. Patina employs 68.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Patina keeps the menu fresh while maintaining customer favorites. In our restaurant survey, readers raved about the Buffalo cauliflower, a crispy tempura cauliflower with Buffalo sauce and New York bleu cheese.
While Wargo keeps the menu fresh, the restaurant’s interior design is overseen by Alice Jacobs, whose family owns Delaware North. She also happens to chair the board at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and curates the art hanging on Patina’s walls.
