Chicken Wing Enthusiasts Agree, These Are 14 Of The Best Wing Spots In America

It's easy to find a passable chicken wing. It's harder to find an incredible one. This unassuming poultry cut has slowly but surely become arguably the United States' go-to finger food, and with its ubiquity in sports bars and on fast-casual restaurant menus everywhere, you're never far from an okay-ish combination of chicken and classic Buffalo sauce. Getting it right, though, requires chefs to execute the perfect mix of flavor, texture, and moisture, in a small package, without just resorting to salt or spice to create impact. It's a tough thing to do.

That's why you need to be in the know — and luckily, there's a fairly even spread of spots across the country that nail their chicken wings. From New York to California, Florida to Nebraska, there are restaurants and neighborhood bars making chicken wings that are the stuff of legend. For this article, we scoured social media and customer and professional reviews to find the best chicken wing spots in America. We were very pleased with what we discovered.

Bar-Bill Tavern is located just south of Buffalo, and its geographical location carries a lot of weight. Buffalo wings were, as their name suggests, invented in the city in 1964 at the Anchor Bar — and so any restaurant within its proximity that serves wings better be good. Bar-Bill Tavern's wings aren't just good, though: According to customers, they're some of the best in the state. This eatery gets its Buffalo wings right every time, delivering perfectly balanced bites with just the right amount of sauce (which is brushed on with an actual paintbrush) and a crunch that hasn't been diminished by being slathered in liquid.

Additionally, the wings at Bar-Bill Tavern aren't the kind that are gone in a single bite: They actually give you a proper meal. "The wings are massive, crispy, and juicy," said one fan on Reddit, who also stated that the wings were "incredible" and that the sauces it dishes up are second to none. Beyond the wings themselves, the extended menu at Bar-Bill Tavern also goes down a treat with diners. 

barbill.com

(716) 652-7959

185 Main St, East Aurora, NY 14052

Buffalo-style wings may be the predominant option in the United States for this cut of meat, but don't sleep on what San Tung is dishing up. This Chinese restaurant is celebrated by customers and chefs alike for its dry-fried chicken wings, which some say are the best in the city. Even a mere description of them has us nodding our heads in agreement. San Tung's chicken wings are first coated lightly in starch before being fried, which gives them a crispy exterior and a moreish texture. Then, they're tossed in an aromatic sauce made with red pepper, ginger, and garlic.

The result is impressive, to say the least — and customers definitely agree that these dry-fried chicken wings live up to expectations. "The chicken wings here are the best I've ever had in my life," said one Google Review. "Believe the hype!" While they seem, at first glance, similar to Korean chicken wings, they have a nuance of their own that sets them apart. 

santungsf.com

(415) 242-0828

1031 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

There are plenty of places to find lemon pepper wings in Atlanta — it is one of the city's culinary creations, after all — but few joints will do them as well as The Local. This dive bar may be unassuming, and it may not allow you to grab its wings to-go, but that's all part of the charm. There's a sense that you're stumbling across a well-kept secret. Or, at least, it would feel that way if The Local wasn't so renowned for serving some of the best wings in Georgia.

This is even more impressive given that The Local isn't a wing restaurant, or indeed a restaurant at all; it just so happens to make some of the best around. Its wings are first smoked, then fried, giving them a double dose of flavor and a tenderness that makes them totally moreish. Its rotating selection of sauces also keeps the menu dynamic. It's the kind of place you share knowledge of with your friends in hushed tones.

(404) 873-5002

758 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

There's one surefire barometer of whether a place does good wings or not: How willing locals are to recommend it. Thankfully for Hogbody's, a bar and grill in Fort Myers, Florida, it doesn't have that problem. This joint is regularly cited by Fort Myers natives as the best place in the city to get wings, thanks to its consistency and its variety. The wings it serves are generously proportioned and hit the spot every time — and the selection of sides you can get with them — from mac and cheese to fried okra to mashed potatoes — offers a counterpoint to all that spice and flavor.

If you're trying to create diversity in your meal through those sides, though, then you might not even need them — you can get them through the wings themselves. The number of wing flavors available at Hogbody's is truly wild: You can choose anything from a raspberry to a jambalaya to a French onion-flavored wing. Can't decide? Grab a selection of sauces on the side, and dip your wings to your heart's content. 

hogbodys.net

(239) 543-8800

10440 Bayshore Rd, North Fort Myers, FL 33917

Popular BBQ restaurants often do wings pretty well, but it's slightly more rare for them to do wings that become the star of the show. That's not the case at Stiles Switch BBQ in Austin, though. Customers rave about the wings here, which have an underrated quality to them that only those in the know fully appreciate. Each portion exudes quality, with the generously sized wings bursting with flavor, and a balance of smokiness to savoriness that keeps people coming back.

The ace up Stiles Switch BBQ's sleeve is in the sauce it uses. Its smoked wings come with an Alabama white sauce, giving them a creamy, tangy, peppery, sharp quality. Although this might sound like a left-field choice for wings, the flavor combination elevates things enormously and gives them a certain mystique in the Austin area. If you'd prefer something a bit more familiar, though, it also serves up Buffalo wings, which customers also love. Oh, and its PBJ wings are also a favorite, too.

stilesswitchbbq.com

(512) 380-9199

6610 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78752

BadaBing Wings Zone is a recent entrant to the Chicago food scene, and one that looked as though it could be finished before it had really started. Opening in 2022, the wing joint was an immediate hit, before the death of founder Jose Lopez caused it to shut its doors a few years later. BadaBing Wings Zone subsequently reopened at the start of 2025 by Lopez's friend Ani Saha, who vowed to continue what Lopez had started and to honor his legacy — and to continue sharing his recipes with Chicagoans.

This reopening has cemented its place as a jewel in the Windy City's culinary crown. Frequently cited as one of the best places to get wings in Chicago, it serves up heaping piles of chicken that are sauced to total perfection and available in a variety of flavors and combos. Careful sourcing keeps these wings feeling big and satisfying, and the variety of specials it offers keeps customers coming through the doors.

badabingwingszone.com

(773) 654-3912

4754 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640

If you're ever asking for wing recommendations in St. Louis, you're likely to hear the name of one restaurant quite a few times in response. Salt + Smoke is actually a mini chain, with several locations around the city — but while your natural reaction to a multi-unit restaurant might be to think that it doesn't get its wings right, you'd be wrong. Its restaurants are revered for their meaty, succulent smoked wings, which get their flavor from cherry wood and come complete with sides, including a bacon and cheddar popover. We're already sold, especially because of the old-school breakfast food it comes with.

The wings themselves at Salt + Smoke are good, but customers say that it really delivers in the sauce department. Its white barbecue sauce and BuffaLove Me sauce (which, as you've probably figured out, is a spin on Buffalo) are favorites, and some people love them so much that they end up buying a bottle for themselves on the way out. Personally, we'll leave it to the pros: Salt + Smoke clearly knows what it's doing.

saltandsmokebbq.com

Multiple locations

You can find some of the best wings in the country in an unfussy, friendly local bar, with its regular patrons only too happy to spread the good word. That's the situation at Tracks Lounge in Omaha, Nebraska, a local favorite that's well-known for making some of the best wings around, in an atmosphere that won't make you feel like you have to put on a suit and tie to enjoy them. "Tracks is our go to. It's never disappointed us each time we've gone," said one person on Reddit. 

Another reviewer on Yelp called the wings "unreal," stating: "Been across the U.S. on tour, these wings absolutely blew my mind. Amazing texture and flavor. Fantastic."

We're not sure you need much more convincing than that, but we're gonna try anyway. Tracks Lounge's wings are a multi-sensory experience, with multiple flavors like hot honey and garlic parm coming together in every bite. Big, juicy, and generously slathered in sauce, you'll need a fair few napkins to get through a plateful, but you likely won't regret it.

tracksloungene.com

(402) 905-0102

1506 S 60th St, Omaha, NE 68106

Just because a restaurant specializes in one dish doesn't mean it can't be really good at making another. Want proof of this? Check out Pies and Pints, and specifically its Columbus, Ohio location. This modest chain is a pizza restaurant with a sideline in sandwiches and salads, but it also serves chargrilled hot wings as an appetizer, adorned with sriracha, garlic, spices, lime, and cilantro, and served with Gorgonzola sauce. Incredibly, this blink-and-you-miss-it dish is regularly cited as one of the best portions of wings in Columbus, and is a favorite amongst its customers.

Pies and Pints' wings are a testament to the fact that if you do one thing really well, you'll get people talking. The restaurant may only serve one style of wing, but the flavor is dynamic and full enough to keep folks happy. They're smoky, sharp, citrusy, spicy, salty, and herby all in one go. Enjoy them as an appetizer, or grab a couple of portions and make a meal of it — quite literally.

piesandpints.net

614-478-7437

4205 Weaverton Lane, Columbus, OH 43219

A1 Wings & Seafood is a newcomer to the Albuquerque food scene, and it's definitely a place that thrives on its diversity. Although its name indicates that it serves wings and seafood (which it does), it also cooks up hushpuppies, egg rolls, fried rice, cheesesteaks, chicken fingers, and burgers. With so much going on, you'd be forgiven for thinking that it might not get its bannerhead promise right — but A1 Wings & Seafood is winning fans around the city daily for its knockout wings. "Definitely wasn't expecting all that flavor we just experienced," stated a Google Review, speaking to this eatery's modest, but seriously impressive nature. When you've got people saying that you serve the best wings in the area within a few years of opening, you know you're doing something right.

A1 Wings & Seafood's sense of diversity carries over to its wings, and you have more options here than at most other places. There are 29 flavors to choose from, all made from scratch. If you wanna keep things classic, though, the lemon pepper is a fan favorite.

a1wingsseafood.com

(505) 361-1690

6904 Menaul Blvd NE C, Albuquerque, NM 87110

Nashville has a lot of wing places, and most of them have generated fairly mixed opinions. In Chex Grill and Wings, though, you'll find a restaurant that has a lot of positive vibes attached to it. Its chicken has been called the "best wings on the market" on Reddit, and it has people not only coming back time and time again, but also practically begging others to try them. Whatever flavor you're going for (and there are a lot to choose from, from its Raspberry Hot wings to its Masala wings), you can be pretty sure that you're in for a good time.

Chex, which is a chain with two Nashville locations, very much understands that making a good wing isn't just about the size of the meat. Nor is it about the Buffalo flavor, or the sauce that goes on top. No, no: It knows that all of these things need to be superlative if a wing is going to succeed. As such, this is a place where the wings feel like the whole package.

chexgrill.com

Multiple locations

D.D. Peckers' Wing Shack has word-of-mouth on its side. Over the last few decades, it's slowly but surely built a reputation as one of the best places to find wings in the city, and now Charlotte locals are quick to recommend it to people looking for a standout portion of breaded hot chicken. These are wings that actually feel like wings, not just a pale imitation of the dish. They're big, crispy, flavorful, and diverse, with a generous number of sauces for customers to choose from. Amongst the classics you'd expect, like Lemon Pepper and Garlic Parmesan, are also options like Ginger, Hawaiian, and Hoisin Honey. There's a lot to like here, quite literally.

Although D.D. Peckers calls itself a wing shack (and it definitely is one), there's also something for everyone here. It's got an impressive range of burgers, wraps, and sandwiches, and you can also buy grilled chicken on a stick, with any of the wing sauces available accompanying it. Sides-wise, it's got everything you'd expect, and the onion rings have won rave reviews from customers.

ddpeckers.com

(704) 541-4113

10403 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210

Located in Honolulu is a portion of chicken wings so good that it's caused people to consider booking flights. We're talking about Le Fried Chicken Wings from The Pig and the Lady, which have been impressing locals and visitors alike for well over a decade, and which are recommended by some as not just the best wings in the city, but the state. It's incredibly impressive for a plate of wings that were created almost through improvisation. Le Fried Chicken Wings come drenched in a sauce that, according to The Pig and the Lady's executive chef Andrew Le, was made with "what was growing around us and whatever was in the pantry." Talking to Food & Wine, Le said that when they stumbled on the sauce, "it made us collectively say 'That's money!'"

This famous sauce (and it really is famous) is made with coconut sugar, fish sauce, calamansi juice, Thai chilis, and Makrut lime leaves. It then drenches a portion of twice-fried wings, which are then topped with peanuts, pickled onions, and more lime leaves. It's a generous plate of food, and one that's hard to hold back on.

thepigandthelady.com

(808) 585-8255

3650 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816

When a chicken wing is getting the stamp of approval from none other than Guy Fieri, you know that it's done something right. That's exactly what the hot wings from OB Noodle House in San Diego have managed to achieve. These bright-red, super spicy, garlicky wings, which are flavored further by lemongrass, ginger, onions, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, and white pepper, were featured on an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," and seriously impressed the host with their punchy flavor and tenderness.

It's not just Fieri that OB Noodle House's wings are blowing away, either. One customer on Reddit said that the restaurant probably makes "the best wings in San Diego," and they are far from the only person who's come out to bat for this dish. Combine them with the creamy dipping sauce they arrive with and a glass of cold beer (or your drink of choice), and you'll be in heaven.

obnoodlehouse.com

(619) 450-6868

2218 Cable St., San Diego, CA 92107

Finding the best chicken wing spots in America is easier said than done, considering the sheer number of places that serve them. We worked state-by-state, first establishing which restaurants, dive bars, and everything in between were blowing customers away by geographical location. We primarily looked at Reddit, Google Reviews, Yelp, and Facebook for evidence of excellence posted within the last year, and particularly kept an eye on when restaurants were praised repeatedly. When we had those, we made sure we were profiling a spread of eateries across the country. We also made sure that it wasn't just America's best Buffalo wings that were represented; there are a lot of wing options out there.

Then, we looked at what made these wings so good. We examined what customers were saying about sauce-to-meat ratios, wing sizes, juiciness, and consistency. When there were clear reasons why a wing was consistently praised, we knew that it was the kind of place that drew enthusiasts — whose opinions we wanted to work with here — to make sure we were giving readers the best options out there.