Once upon a time in Buffalo, there were goth bars. The old school Continental closed, but Club Diablo filled that void, and I loved it. It was dark, had drinks with fun names like Jim Jones Kool-aid, played music I loved, and was full of the type of people I want to hang out with. I felt comfortable and accepted there, even though no one would go out of their way to call me “a goth”. And then it too closed, leaving a giant platform boot sized hole in “the scene”.

The former Club Diablo space remained empty for years. At one point it appeared to be set to reopen as Impact ultra lounge, but I don’t know if it ever did. Then a new sign appeared on the building – Angelica Tea Room. With no other information, one could only assume it was, indeed, going to be a tea room. Maybe some breakfast, or a lunch spot for downtown employees. I was game, I like tea. But surprise! It’s a bar!

The long narrow bar has been completely redone, and it leaves no trace of the old Diablo. From black walls to white, from devil and flame decorations to tropical wallpaper and fancy glassware. It feels classy, it feels English.

Upon sitting down we were brought tea cups of complimentary house punch. While it is a bar, with a menu full of classic drinks (but no descriptions…our waitress was happy to explain what they all were, but I bet they will get tired of that eventually), they do actually have tea, and they offer a selection of tea sandwiches and snacks. I didn’t really look at the menu in detail, as J immediately noticed they had a Bloody Mary so my decision was already made.

Isn’t that pretty? The $10 cocktail featured a house made mix by Rachel (owner? manager?), who was sitting next to us at the bar, mixed up by bartender Jason. Garnished with basil, a cocktail onion, olive and piped cucumber, it had a good, fresh, tomato-y taste. It was very, very spicy, without any vinegar-y taste and Rachel asked if I thought it was too much. Not for me, but perhaps for some other weaklings it would be. It was easy to drink, with no real standout flavor – like horseradish, or pickle juice – to take away from the base of the cocktail. Seeing the cucumber, I was initially afraid the drink would taste of cukes, but thankfully it didn’t. And of course, if you want it to, you can always eat the garnish.

As a whole, I liked Angelica Tea Room. It had a good atmosphere with music that wasn’t overbearing, in a style I don’t hate (which, of course, could change). It felt comfortable, and I’d definitely return to explore more of the menu. J didn’t seem sold on it, but I’m not sure why. It’s classy and a little fancy, definitely not a dive bar, and different from all the other craft cocktail bars in the area. Different is good!

One thing to note before you go, they don’t want their bar to be over crowded, so if there are no seats at the bar, you’ll have to wait. There are 2 top tables along the long side, and some larger tables in the back, but that’s it. We scored the last 2 seats at the bar and it was nice not to have people reaching over us the whole time ordering drinks, or bumping into me and invading my personal space. But some may find that having to wait for a seat to open up to be allowed in to be strange and off-putting. Personally, I liked it, and perhaps that’s why I found it to be comfortable.