No Joke! Here’s your 2023 All WNY Award Winners

After 15 days of nominations and another 15 days of voting, the 2023 All WNY Awards have been tabulated. There were 6,304 ballots cast in the 2023 awards, voting in 79 categories including music, business and community.

Here’s your winners:

MUSIC – Best New Band

1. Letter to Elise
2. Merangutang
3. Diyene

MUSIC – Best Live Band

1. Skyway
2. Virus X
3. Grosh

Music – Best Rock Band

1. Hearts and Hand Grenades
2. Grosh
3. Sunday Reign

MUSIC – Best Punk/Pop-Punk Band

1. Skyway
2. Letter to Elise
3. Virus X

MUSIC – Best Hardcore/Metal Band

1. Hearts and Hand Grenades
2. Grizzly Run
3. Inertia

MUSIC – Best Americana/Folk Band

1. PA Line
2. Folk Faces
3. Fuzzy & The Rustbelts (tied)
   Uncle Ben’s Remedy (tied)

MUSIC – Best Country Artist/Band

1. PA Line
2. Fuzzy & The Rustbelts
3. Shoot Ya

MUSIC – Best Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B Artist

1. Brother Nature
2. Jay Fazo
3. Wasted Reject

MUSIC – Best Acoustic Act / Singer/Songwriter

1. Grace Greenan
2. Sara Elizabeth
3. PA Line

MUSIC – Best Blues Band / Act

1. Miller and the Other Sinners
2. Diyene
3. Handsome Jack

MUSIC — Best Jazz Band / Act

1. Damone Jackson Outcome
2. Ellen Pieroni and the Encyclopedia of Soul
3. Jay/Sharptet

MUSIC – Best DJ/Electronic Band

1. Grub
2. Space Junk
3. DJ ThinkSoJoE

MUSIC – Best Indie/Alternative/Jam Band

1. Tuesday Nite
2. PA Line
3. Tsavo Highway

MUSIC – Best Tribute Band

1. Unplugged – A Tribute To The Music Of MTV
2. Dog Faced Boys (Phish Tribute)
3. Fleetwood Mac Experience

MUSIC – Best Classic Rock Cover Band

1. Boomerang
2. Prestige Worldwide Band WNY
3. Uncovered

MUSIC – Best 90’s / Modern Cover Band

1. Crush Crush Crush
2. Prestige Worldwide Band WNY
3. Nerds Gone Wild

MUSIC – Best “Other” Band / Act

1. Damone Jackson Outcome
2. The Funk Knights
3. Farrow

MUSIC – Most Original Band/Artist

1. Virus X
2. Grosh
3. Blaised and Confused

MUSIC – Best Local Song

1. “Day Drinking” – Letter to Elise
2. “Zip Tied” – Virus X
3. “Find A Way” – Tsavo Highway

MUSIC – Best Local Release (EP or Album)

1. “1983: The Final Vinyl” – Virus X
2. “Who I Am Now” – Grace Greenan
3. “Autocrave” – Fernway

MUSIC – Best Vocalist

1. Sarah Gruenauer
2. Michael Delano
3. Emily Scripps

MUSIC – Best Guitarist

1. Grace Lougen
2. Mike McLaughlin
3. Dan Gagliardi

MUSIC – Best Bassist

1. Nate Kalnitz
2. Sean Gruenauer
3. Tom Varco

MUSIC – Best Drummer

1. Christopher Joel
2. Damone Jackson
3. Vince Mayer.

MUSIC – Best “Other” Instrumentalist

1. Alex Cousins
2. Griffin Brady
3. Tom Proctor

MUSIC – Best Venue

1. Town Ballroom
2. Sportsmens Tavern
3. Buffalo Iron Works

MUSIC – Best Open Mic

1. Jack Rabbit
2. Tudor Lounge
3. Wagon Wheel

MUSIC – Best Sound Person

1. Camryn Porter
2. Tony Coniglio
3. Stef

MUSIC – Best Concert Photographer

1. Julie LaCrout
2. Meredith Snow
3. Matt Shotwell

MUSIC – Greg Rinker Memorial Service Award

1. Sara Elizabeth
2. Greg Burt
3. Johnny Hart

BUSINESS – Best Arcade

1. Misuta Chow’s
2. Dave and Buster’s
3. Lasertron

BUSINESS – Best Barber / Hairstylist

1. Jonny the Barber
2. Dark Horse Barbering Studio
3. Carl Militello

BUSINESS – Best BBQ

1. Fat Bob’s
2. The Brickyard (Lewiston)
3. One-Eyed Jack’s

BUSINESS – Best Beef on Weck

1. Taylor’s Tap & Grill
2. Bar Bill Tavern
3. Adrian’s Custard & Beef

BUSINESS – Best Bodega

1. Niagara Deli and Pizzeria
2. Good Guys Deli & Grill
3. Montes Grocery & Deli (tied)
   Mayback’s Deli (tied)

BUSINESS – Best Book Store

1. Talking Leaves
2. The Book Corner
3. Burning Books

BUSINESS – Best Bowling Alley

1. Transit Lanes
2. Tonawanda Bowling Center
3. Rapids Bowling Center

BUSINESS – Best Brewery

1. Woodcock Brothers Brewery
2. Big Ditch Brewing Co.
3. New York Beer Project

BUSINESS – Best Burger

1. Taylor’s Tap & Grill
2. Grover’s Bar & Grill
3. Mr. Sizzle’s

BUSINESS – Best Chicken Finger Sub

1. Jim’s Steak Out
2. John’s Pizza
3. Brick Oven Pizzeria & Pub

BUSINESS – Best Chicken Wings

1. Bar Bill Tavern
2. Taylor’s Tap & Grill
3. Duff’s Famous Wings

BUSINESS – Best Chili

1. Taylor’s Tap & Grill
2. Dinosaur BBQ
3. The Wellington Pub

BUSINESS – Best Coffee Shop

1. Orange Cat Coffee Company
2. Spot Coffee
3. Undergrounds Coffee House and Roastery

BUSINESS — Best Comedy Club

1. Helium Comedy Club
2. Nietzsche’s
3. Buffalo ComedySportz

BUSINESS – Best Comic Book Shop 

1. Pulp 716
2. Gutter Pop Comics
3. Queen City Bookstore

BUSINESS – Best Diner

1. Swan Street Diner
2. Amy’s Place
3. Alton’s Restaurant

BUSINESS – Best Dive Bar

1. The Old Pink
2. Mister Goodbar
3. Tudor Lounge

BUSINESS – Best Donuts

1. Paula’s Donuts
2. Donut Kraze
3. DiCamillo Bakery (tie)
   Frankie’s (tie)

BUSINESS – Best Fish Fry

1. Ghada Have It!
2. Taylor’s Tap & Grill
3. Wiechec’s Lounge

BUSINESS – Best Food Truck

1. Lloyd Taco Truck
2. Dirty Bird
3. The Cheesy Chick

BUSINESS – Best French Onion Soup

1. Taylor’s Tap & Grill
2. Gabriel’s Gate
3. The French Pub

BUSINESS — Best Golf Course

1. Diamond Hawk Golf Course
2. Glen Oak Country Club
3. Niagara Frontier Country Club
   Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Course

BUSINESS – Best Greek Restaurant

1. Kostas Family Restaurant
2. Olympia Restaurant
3. Alton’s Restaurant

BUSINESS – Best Ice Cream Shop

1. De Dee’s Dairy
2. Lake Effect Ice Cream
3. Nick Charlap’s (tie)
   Sweet Jenny’s (tie)

BUSINESS – Best Italian Restaurant

1. Mulberry’s Italian Restaurant
2. Chef’s
3. Carmine’s

BUSINESS — Best Karaoke Spot

1. Rec Room
2. Milkie’s
3. 87 Buf
   Day’s Park Tavern

BUSINESS – Best Mexican Restaurant

1. El Cubilette
2. Taqueria Los Mayas
3. Aguacates

BUSINESS – Best Pizza

1. Bocce Club
2. Imperial Pizza
3. Favorite’s

BUSINESS – Best Polish Restaurant

1. Polish Nook
2. Polish Villa
3. Sto Lat Bar

BUSINESS – Best Record Store

1. Revolver Records
2. Black Dots
3. Hi Fi Hits

BUSINESS – Best Reuben

1. Taylor’s Tap & Grill
2. Blackthorne Restaurant & Pub
3. Gene McCarthy’s

BUSINESS — Best Seafood

1. Remington Tavern and Seafood Exchange
2. 2 Forks Up
3. The Dockside Bar & Grill

BUSINESS – Best Soup

1. Danny’s
2. Village Inn
3. Mooney’s

BUSINESS – Best Sports Bar

1. Mooney’s
2. Sidelines Sports Bar and Grill
3. Amherst Pizza & Ale House

BUSINESS – Best Sub / Sandwich Shop

1. DiBella’s
2. Mayback’s Deli
3. Brick Oven

BUSINESS – Best Tacos

1. Might Taco
2. La Davina
3. Lloyd’s

BUSINESS – Best Winery

1. Niagara Landing
2. Vizcarra Vineyards at Becker Farms
3. Honeymoon Trail

COMMUNITY – Best Art Space / Gallery

1. AKG
2. Revolution Gallery
3. Niagara Arts And Cultural Center

COMMUNITY – Best LGBTQ+ Space

1. 26 Allen
2. Lavender Room
3. The Underground

COMMUNITY – Best Local Podcast

1. ThinkSoJoE Show
2. WNY Brews
3. Buffalo Brews Podcast

COMMUNITY – Best Local Theatre

1. Shea’s Performing Arts Center
2. North Park Theatre
3. Irish Classical Theatre

COMMUNITY — Best Mural

1. General Mills Mural
2. Gord Downie Mural
3. Black Rock Heritage Mural

COMMUNITY – Best Music Festival

1. Music Is Art
2. Lewiston Jazz Festival
3. Borderland Music Festival

COMMUNITY – Best Park

1. Niagara Falls State Park
2. Delaware Park
3. Niawanda Park

COMMUNITY — Best Place to Watch a Sunset

1. The Silo
2. Fort Niagara
3. Niawanda Park

COMMUNITY — Best Social Media Account

1. Step Out Buffalo
2. West Seneca Police
3. Dogs of Buffalo

COMMUNITY — Best Tourist Attraction

1. Niagara Falls
2. Cave of the Winds
3. Darwin Martin House

COMMUNITY — Best Trivia Night

1. New York Beer Project
2. Misuta Chow’s
3. Magic Bear Beer Cellar

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