Wedding review of Barrel Factory: - Ample parking in lot and side streets - Beautiful decor for fall wedding (rustic vibes) - Quick bar service Both the ceremony and reception were on the upstairs level. During cocktail hour, they quickly moved the chairs and pulled in the tables to transform the space. It was clear the staff knew what they were doing. Also, there was ~70 drinks (beer, specialty bride & groom cocktails) sitting on the bar, ready for guests to grab. - Bonus room with board games and cornhole I loved this extra space because the kids in the wedding party were able to hang out and run around. It was also a great spot for the photo booth. - Food was delicious Standouts for me were the eggrolls (stuffed pepper & beef on weck), baked potato soup (loved that this was served in place of salad), and the tender filet with buttery mashed potatoes. I may have grabbed some of my kids' fingers and fries, because I can never say "no" to my favorite comfort food - perfectly crisp and salty. Would highly recommend this venue for any couple looking for a party environment with delicious eats. read more

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We had a great time here. It's a cool place to grab drinks and a bite of food. I started with Seltzer. The flavor I picked was strawberry basil. My hubby chose a blueberry mojito with white rum. We also tried the gin and berries. They had seltzers, too, and we wish we could have tried them. Since we were drinking, we decided to have the appetizer trio. We had the delicious goat fig egg rolls, chicken pot stickers, and pretzel bites with cheese. read more

We've been frequent patrons of this venue for many years and have seen multiple transitions of the use of space. Currently, it's focused on cocktails, dining and events. Cocktails are the highest quality at an unbeatable price! The food and service was excellent. The menu prices were very reasonable. We had a great meal and will definitely go again! read more

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I had my wedding reception in The Lab room at Barrel Factory. Everything was great, the food, drinks and atmosphere but one thing I was a little upset about was not having a microphone for speeches like I was told I would have and when I showed up none of my items (cake cutting set, wedding favors, card box) were set out like I asked. My dad actually had to ask somebody there where my box of stuff was. Other than that we had a fun time and would still recommend. read more

Had a very enjoyable time at Lakeward Spirits for dinner. It started with a very personable hostess and concluded with a delicious and satisfying meal. We start off with a couple of cocktails, my partner and I. I had the South Buffalo Slam, while they got a "hot" cocktail called the Ultra Violet Tipple (it changed colors!) Both cocktails were very good. For dinner, I got the barrel factory burger, which was a half pound burger of ground short rub and brisket and my guest had the barrel factory pork chop, which looked so delicious I was jealous that I didn't get it. We both really enjoyed what we had with the pork chop being very yummy and a real standout. We finished things off with a shared desert of the Pot Au Chocolat, which was a mousse-like decadence served in a canning jar. Overall, it was a very nice dining experience and a charming space as well as a cool ambience. read more

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What a nice place! We both had the fish fry and it was delicious! The staff was very friendly and helpful. We will definitely be back.

Love going to your establishment. Wonderful selection of potential portables. Go back again and again

Absolutely gorgeous venue, unbelievable food, with very friendly. servers. The greek potatoes were absolutely unbelievable, like no hyperbole probably the best ive ever had. The souvlaki was perfectly tender, and overall everything was exemplary. read more

I love it here. Absolutely love love love it. First of all, the place is spotless and the ambience is divine. It's not too loud and it's got such nice decor. The staff is knowledgeable and they're all quite friendly. I've been twice now and both times the bartenders were so nice and genuinely happy to be there. One even had some witty banter for us as we shared some huggie bombs together during their luau a few weeks ago. Yes, huggie bombs. Remember huggies? I adore the drinks here. They've all been good, and I'll be honest, I've had a decent amount. Their selection is fantastic and their house made spirits are delicious (it is a distillery, after all). I personally recommend their Fathoms Below spiced rum. My husband and I split a scorpion cocktail to start on luau day, which is probably my favorite drink so far. I also had a few of their fun tiki cocktails and even got a few rum punches so I could keep the pineapple glass. It's a blast here on special occasions! Most recently, I went with my husband and my parents. I got a guava lemonade that I thought was really refreshing. We wanted to get food, but chose to go somewhere else instead as the gluten free stuff didn't really appeal to me. That's not why you come here, though. The drinks are the reason and they are fantastic. I highly recommend this fun, well staffed distillery! read more

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Another place we visited during our recent day trip. It was a Friday afternoon around 4-ish. The inside felt like a mom and pop shop and they have a second floor that opens at 6:30 pm. We sat outside, which means the drinks are served in a green plastic cup, instead of glass. There were a few other groups there, too. I got the gin cocktail with lavender etc. from the menu. It had a subtle floral note overall but nothing perfume-y. I didn't taste or smell the lavender. Instead, I got some light honey vibe, not one-note sweet and very refreshing. The price was affordable, $9 I think. The bathroom is located in the building, on the first floor at the back. read more

The Barrel Factory - a bar with a brick wall and shelves - Distilleries Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I fell in love with this place as soon as I sat at the bar. Located on the main level of a multi used building, Lakeward Spirits specialize in vodka, gin, and rum. I'm more of a whiskey person, but rum is always a close second. After finding that out, the bartender recommended that I try a bourbon barrel aged rum ....I had it on the rocks and fell in love! It's a very rare find and at $42/bottle I may have to treat myself one day. The location itself is nice. They sell their spirits and also have a great beer selection. Their cocktails are also amazing. Downstairs is another distillery with cider that you can grab and bring back up if you prefer to sit with these fun loving bartenders, which is something people were doing. Downstairs is a food spot you can order things like mac and cheese or a burger and also, bring it back to your favorite drinking spot. You can also have some fun downstairs with the pinball machines and board games. They have happy hour from 5-6 with $5 cocktails. You can get beer flights. You can also get a tour, have some kombucha and buy merchandise if you choose to. I wish I knew about this before, but how that I'm informed, I'll definitely be back. read more

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What an incredible venue! We came here for the Yelpies event. Parking was easy. The space was absolutely gorgeous. It has an industrial feel and great atmosphere. The gentleman who was doing the tastings (I assume an owner) was very knowledgeable and easy to talk to about the products. The rum sample I had was smooth and I actually has a cocktail with the same rum later on. The bar staff were also so friendly and eager to talk about the beer and products behind the bar. read more

The Barrel Factory - Distilleries Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I am very happy and excited about this new distillery. This is a family own and operated distillery. The building has been beautifully refurbish and is now such a great space. The atmosphere here is very cool and chill. The mix drinks are great! My favorite two are the Ward Rose and the Erie Mule. Both are less than $10. When was the last time you saw a high-end cocktail for less than $10? They also have a couple of rotating beers on tap from local breweries. Make sure to take the tour when you visit and check out the second floor. During sunset the views from the second floor are pretty gorgeous. read more

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I just had a delicious specify your own ingredient omelette and started to watch the game upstairs in the event center. Brought my bloody Mary and lounging in this couch, could take a nap. read more

The Barrel Factory - Event center has a 20 foot screen for the game - Distilleries Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Awesome building filled with a variety of businesses and banquet rooms in addition to the distillery. If you're a Cider-lover, make note to try their exclusive Cider brewery Bar Cultivar. Buffalo's Best Cucina pumped out some fabulous pizzas. And Snowy Owl made some potent - and tasty kombucha if that's your speed! read more

Here's the good - The venue is pretty stellar and spacious. They did an incredible job refurnishing the place. A really nice bar with a perfect window view of the actual distillery area. Complete with the most beautiful hardwood floor you'll ever see and a really nice outdoor front patio. I'd have to imagine the upstairs area would be a great spot for a wedding party. This distillery is yet another great location helping revitalize Buffalo. The bad - The mixed drinks. Obviously this place is distilling their own gin and vodka. The bottles were beautiful and reasonably priced. But the cocktails we ordered were awful. I had the Arnold Balmer. $7 for a premium cocktail is a bargain but it was very bland. I honestly think the bartender may have even forgot to put lemonade in it. It tasted like unsweetened ice tea with a kick of vodka. I would've been better off buying my own Arnold Palmer and mixing the vodka myself. I also tried a gin & juice drink that i'm forgetting the name of. It was served in a warm glass and again was very bland. A kick of gin topped with Ocean Spray orange juice. I was disappointed they make such an incredible product but would hide it in such bland cocktails. I would definitely consider stopping back in if I find myself in the Ward. I would even buy their bottles if I found myself shopping for vodka. Next time i'd probably just order their moscow mule. read more

Great new space located in the Barrel Factory. Family run and making an excellent vodka product. The space is already awesome and there's more to come when construction is completed. Every ingredient they're using is locally sourced and they are passionate about this aspect of the business. Be sure to take the Distillery Tour and get down there soon to claim the first batch of their vodka. They will be making gin, rum and whiskey in the near future - stay tuned. read more

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We went on a tour of this Distillery tonight with the owner and head distiller. It was an absolute riot and we learned a lot. He was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and was able to give us a lot of education while keeping it light and entertaining. Also on the tour was the head brewer for Pressure Drop Brewery, and he was a laugh and a half. He might have also been two sheets to the wind as well..... but that only made him funnier. We have been on a ton of brewery tours in our travels, I have never had such a down-to-earth, hilarious presentation as we did tonight. They definitely know their stuff, they definitely enjoy working alongside each other, and I would recommend anybody go on the tour with these two guys because you will learn a lot and have a good time doing it. I will say, I do wish that they included some samples as part of their tour. Nearly every other Brewery we have ever visited, if we went on a tour, there was usually a sample of the different brews they make. I would suggest they make this a part of it. read more

Stopped by Lakeward Spirits on a Sunday afternoon for a drink. Upon walking in I loved the whole vibe of the place, this place has a Buffalo feel to it, the rustic/wooden decor with a laid back vibe. I decided to try The Riverrunner and it did not disappoint, you could taste the rum, toasted almond syrup, pineapple juice and mint and none of the flavors were overpowering or lacking, I felt that it was the perfect blend. Another thing I enjoyed was the staff they were helpful, allowed time to overlook the drink menu, and were knowledgeable with any questions customers had with the drink. Was very impressed with the place and the staff, looking forward to stopping and trying more drinks Lakeward Spirits has to offer. read more

The Barrel Factory - One of Lakeward Spirits Cocktails. - Distilleries Near Me - Buffalo, New York

What a spectacular space! An old barrel factory in the OFW - the owner described as the "Amazon-box-of-the-day" not the type of barrel you think of, like whiskey/rum. These were smaller and used for dry good usually. Once opened they were then used a kindling. The theme here is fermentation and the knowledge and passion this family has for distilled spirits is TREMENDOUS. Tour the facility - highly recommend. Different processes taking place here than in a brewery or winery. They are starting their rum distilling and should have bottles ready soon! Family owned, locally sourced, and the bottles are made in America! The craft cocktail menu is creative and tasty. I enjoyed the Kombucha (Snowy Owl sold in the same building) Mule -- if you're not a fan of Kombucha then I wouldn't advise you start with this one BUT I LOVED IT!!! I can't wait to return to enjoy a leisure cocktail this summer on the patio. They have board games too! Soon they will have a higher end Italian restaurant in house serving up delicious eats I'm sure. They also plan to have a Lenoard Oakes Winery inside as well. You can have your wedding, baby showers and company events here in the loft upstairs!! AND AND they are putting in apartments on the 3rd floor! read more

We just had our wedding here. What a beautiful venue - and these people know their stuff when it comes to decorating. The flowers, the table set up, the signage - all breath taking. In terms of planning the wedding, we had a few hiccups, but the staff was responsive in addressing any concerns or dropped balls. Its always good to get things in writing so everyone is on the same page. During the wedding everything went well - we had a good time. There was one managing staff member that was really rude. I don't think he was meant to be there so he had a sour attitude the whole time (scowling, saying kind of rude things). He was upset that one of our bands was too loud and threatened to "shut down" our wedding if it continued. We hadn't done anything else wrong so I was a bit taken aback by that approach. Aside from this snag, truly, I couldn't have been happier with the event itself. read more

Lakewood spirits was a wonderful place to host the Yelpies this year. The Yelpies ended up bringing me to a place I probably never would have tried otherwise, which is really kind of the whole spirit of Yelp to me. I was able to sample a number of their cocktails and a bit of the spirits themselves. While I wasn't a huge fan of the gin (I never am, that's not their fault) I did really enjoy the rum. Hopefully we'll be back soon, at which time I think it would be cool to check out the distillery tour. read more

My first review! My friend took me along on his adventure to discover something new in Buffalo. Since, we went the first week of their opening we manage to get the 1st batch signed personally by the distiller himself. He also gave us a tour and educated us in the art of making Vodka. I was impressed on all the steps Lakeward Spirits takes to make an Eco-friendly product. I had the Ginger Lime Kombucha vodka in the mule and found it to be refreshing summer drink. :) read more

The Barrel Factory - Distilleries Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Just visited this new distillery today! I am so proud of what our city is doing and this is one more example of a family owned business that believes in our city! Greeted by the very friendly barstaff when we arrived and given a nice size sample of vodka along with the price of our tour! Adam ( co-owner/founder and master distiller) gave us the grand tour and patiently answered all our questions about the process. We have been on several related tours (wine, beer, scotch etc) and this ranked at the top because i could actually follow what he was saying but it also gave me a new appreciation for math and science! What impressed me the most (besides the vodka of course!) was the building itself and how it has been lovingly restored using reclaimed wood and parts of the original building- the floors and walls are stunning! and be sure to ask about the roman numerals in the railings - surprise! Adam and his family have also taken extreme efforts to re-use the water they need for the processing of the vodka, and should be commended for that. The Bottle for the vodka was designed by his sister and really pays homage to our fine city along with the name! After the tour, have a drink at the bar, and enjoy a beer OR a great vodka drink using some of the flavored kombucha made by his sisters and sold on premises as well! Can't wait for the next phase.. GIN! and what a great place for an event! read more

The Barrel Factory - Love these floors! - Distilleries Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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This place is so cool! I came here for the 2019 yelp elite event. The whole building is really awesome looking! I especially liked the upstairs layout. We didn't get to try the drinks but we will be going back to try them for sure. read more

Great atmosphere at the iconic distillery in Buffalo's First Ward. Locally family owned and a really treat. read more

The Barrel Factory - Distilleries Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I went here a couple weeks ago from NYC with some cousins and accidentally left my jacket. When I called them the next day, not only were they able to find the jacket, but offered to ship it to me in NYC instead of making me drive al the way back from the Bills game. I have never experienced this level of care and concern by a venue after leaving. Thanks to the staff for all your efforts and I hope to come back next time I am in Buffalo :) read more

I decided to check this distillery out for happy hour with a coworker. The parking it limited for the size of the building, there is a small lot in the back. The space is beautiful, it looks like they have been set up here for ages. We got to the bar around 5:20pm for their happy hour, which is from 5-6pm, and drinks are $5. We stood at the bar while the bartender was speaking with some other customers. Once he finished up his conversation, instead of engaging with us, he put a drink menu in front of us and walked away. I found this to be odd, since we had time to review the menu board for about 5 minutes during our initial wait, we were ready to order. We waited for about 10 more minutes, and during that time, 2 other employees were behind that bar chitchatting, and ignoring us. I'm not sure if they were working the bar, or the event upstairs, but they never asked us if we had been helped. The bartender finally made it back to us, and we placed our orders. Again, there was limited interaction as he made our drinks, set them in front of us, and cashed us out. I don't think he spoke to us besides asking if we were ready to order. Keep in mind, by this time, we were the only 2 people at the bar. Our drinks were just okay. For a craft spirit distillery, you would think the cocktails would be on point. I had the Erie Mule and my friend had the Arnold Balmer. I enjoyed her's more than mine. There was serious flavor lacking in each drink, just not what I had expected. I would go back and try other cocktails on the list. They are normally $8, which is still a great price for a drink. With that price, and the beautiful atmosphere, I would be willing to give it another shot. read more

If you are seeking a distillery with a lovely ambiance look no further than this gorgeous space in the barrel factory. If you are seeking a distillery that is actually distilling a drinkable spirit, perhaps you should give them an another year or so... Lakeward offers four spirits. A flawed vodka, a tasteless rum, and two gins. 'Wild Gin' while misnamed, is at least potable. A boring, floral forward flavored vodka. 'Evergreen Gin' however, had a slight 'moldy socks' taste profile (and nose) that could use some rethinking. Two stars for the branding, the beautiful space, and remaining... optimistic about future products. read more

Thank you for hosting the 2018 Yelp Elite event! What an amazing venue and experience. First- take pride in Buffalo that this location has been renovated into such a beautiful space. Serving delicious food, crafty drinks and friendly service. The space brings history into modern data trends. A wedding would be breath taking. The experience was worth it and I can't wait to comeback! read more

What an awesome addition to the area. What they have done to the building is absolutely impressive. We were able to do a factory tour of Lakeward Spirits, as well as Pressure Drop Brewery, which are both located under the same roof. Both tour guides (each from their respective professions) were hilarious and highly informative throughout the tour. From start of the distillation process, all the way to the barreling and ageing of the different products. Then through the doors to learn about the brewery from bringing in the proper ingredients to the science behind making specific beers. Informative, fun, and entertaining. read more

Had a great time here this afternoon sampling fine beer from Pressure Drop. The building houses several very cool businesses and it's a really nice place to spend a winter afternoon. Good, spirits, beer and nice folks. read more

you will love this place. great vodka.drinks are amazing.the owner gave us a tour and was extremely informative and friendly. Pay them a visit. take a tour. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. read more

OMG best Sunday Bloody Mary ! Big olives great taste and staff so friendly!!! I will be back here again and again!

Another great example of what this city is about. A family owned business putting all their energy into this brilliant little gem. They have only been opened a few weeks, however, they have a wonderful product and are already looking to the future. Creative, knowledgeable and friendly staff. Will definitely be back. read more

This place is amazing, you have to see it (pictures on their website http://www.barrelfactory.com/lakeward-spirits.html), and my bartender was tall, blond and gorgeous; I think her name was Tara. I am almost 6 feet, and she topped me by a couple inches. As busy as it was the night I went in, she got to me very quickly. I was able to really enjoy myself, and I got to check out the gallery space during my visit. read more