Mexican restaurant Oralia reopens in new downtown location after bazaar exit
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- A downtown Mexican restaurant has reopened in the Brisbane Building, following the struggles of WEDI's Downtown Bazaar, where the restaurant was formerly located.
Oralia Mexican Cuisine opened at 403 Main St. in the Beebe's at the Gallery space in early September, serving tacos -- both traditional and breakfast tacos -- quesadillas, burritos, lunch boxes and various appetizers, in addition to their catering service.
After living in Texas and studying Mexican cuisine, owner and chef Jessica Melisz returned to Buffalo, where she opened Oralia in May 2023.
"I kind of had to do some soul searching to see what exactly I wanted to do," she said. "I was feeling like I was getting in these positions where I was only getting to go so far and it wasn't a long-lasting relationship."
She first managed a Tim Hortons location, later becoming the head chef for Remedy House in Buffalo's Five Points neighborhood. The soul searching led her to return to the culinary skills she learned in Texas, as she established the beginnings of Oralia.
"I started doing pop-ups around the city," Melisz recalled. "I was up at The Monocle and Fattey [Beer Co.] and pretty much wherever I could go. People were receiving the product really well."
Melisz, with over 25 years of experience cooking, said that her version of Mexican food coming from northern Mexico and west Texas brought a unique spin on traditional dishes to the Buffalo area.
"I'm finding more and more Texas transplants here, so they're really excited about it," she added. "It's a work in progress, but it's growing and it's doing what it's supposed to be doing."
She said she feels lucky to have found the space in the Brisbane Building when she did, as it came at a time when she needed a new start in the area. She said she's developed a great working relationship with Beebe's at the Gallery to coordinate events. On Nov. 19, the venue hosted a trivia night with food by Oralia, and Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas as guest bartender.
She spoke to advantages of Oralia now being independent from the Downtown Bazaar, saying that though the bazaar brought in people who were not set on a cuisine upon entering and would sometimes select Oralia, having her business stand alone with a street-facing restaurant has helped draw customers from around the neighborhood.
"In the bazaar, people are coming there, not always specifically for you," she said. "There's other restaurants in there, so while we had a really awesome community and we all worked really well together, it wasn't like a solid sale -- everyone walking in the door wasn't just coming there for me."
Melisz said that the more people who find out where Oralia is, the more business she does, mentioning specifically the offices above her in the Brisbane Building and those across Lafayette Square, which bring in to-go orders for individuals and catering for entire offices.
"Little by little, word of mouth and the social media presence and collaborating with Beebe's, we're starting to gain some traction with it here," she said. "I'm also a built-in caterer for Beebe's, so if they want to have Jazz Night or happy hour or what have you, I'm here."
For first-time visitors to Oralia, Melisz recommends the carnitas tacos, saying they are a customer favorite. She also recommended the nachos as a go-to snack, "even though it's way too big to be called a snack," she laughed.
"There really isn't anything on the menu that I don't want to eat all the time," she said. "So I always tell people it just depends on how hungry you are. You can get a couple tacos, so you can try a couple different things without feeling overwhelmingly full, or if you're really hungry, I can take care of that, too."
For more information about Oralia or to view the full menu, click here.