Every U.S. State’s Best Place for Chicken Wings

Where to go for America’s best wings
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, the chicken wing landed on menus across the country in the 80s and 90s and quickly became one of America’s favorite foods. Since then, the humble wing has blossomed from a basic bar & grill appetizer to become the anchor menu item at an ever-growing list of chicken wing restaurants. These days, the best chicken wings in the USA are being served up at everything from food trucks in Texas to gourmet smokehouses in Ohio and Korean spots in Portland, with the influence of Buffalo natives seemingly never far away from a great wing restaurant. So where are the best chicken wings in America? Well, you’re going to have to try the following 50 restaurants to find out for yourself.

Alabama: Big White Wings
Located near Mobile, this wing pit is beloved by locals and visiting foodies alike for its wings doused in a decadent range of sauces. Examples of owner Maurice White’s sauce sorcery include Hot Honey Mustard and Ranch Lemon Pepper, which are served up alongside the classics like Barbecue and Buffalo. Make sure to pair your wings up with a side of some of his crazy-loaded “Stupid Fries”.

Alaska: Big Daddy’s BBQ
What else would you expect from a place that proudly dishes up the “northernmost Southern barbecue” in the nation from its base in Fairbanks? Indeed, in addition to mouthwatering barbecue, Big Daddy’s dishes up massive expertly smoked whole wings that will knock your socks off.

Arizona: ATL Wings
Owning multiple locations through the Phoenix metro area, ATL (All The Luv) specializes in crunchy wings with crispy skin and tender juicy meat inside. ATL then tosses its wing wonders in a range of both classic and quirky sauces (Bacon Jalapeno Ranch sits next to Honey Habanero and Mild on the menu) in addition to a range of dry rubs.

Arkansas: Foghorn’s
With multiple locations in northwest Arkansas, Foghorn’s has established itself as the reigning wing champ in the region. The star of the show here is the collection of 50 sauces, which features flavors ranging from the heat of Habanero Sweet Barbecue, Acid Rain and Cryin’ Hawaiian to Gold, Lemon Pepper and a range of fruit-kissed coatings.

California: Ye Rustic Inn
This iconic LA dive bar is beloved for its no-frills atmosphere, low light, and lack of attitude, but it’s the wings that made this spot famous. Their crispy wings are served up with a small selection of classic sauces, proving that sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to go. Drink some beer, have some wings, sing some karaoke, then do it all again at the Ye Rustic Inn.

Colorado: Fire on the Mountain
They match up mouthwatering all-natural, free-range chicken wings and hoppy libations at both Denver locations of Fire on the Mountain, a family of wing restaurants that began in Oregon. Sample their skills at making classic wings with an order slathered in their smooth & zesty Buffalo sauce or go for something unique like Spicy Peanut, Lime Cilantro or Raspberry Habanero. The vegetarian options and the tater tots are worth shouting about too.

Connecticut: J. Timothy’s Taverne
The historic building this Plainville bar is located in can trace its heritage back to the 1700s, but after it’s all said and done, the address might end up being remembered more as the spot where the “dirt” wing was invented. J. Timothy’s funky take on the Buffalo wing involves frying, saucing, re-frying and re-saucing wings until they reach a state of crisp, caramelized bliss.

Delaware: 2 Fat Guys American Grill
Head to this hot wing heaven in Hockessin for pounds of bone-in wonders doused in a range of great sauces that range from classics to creatives like the Triple Play (a mix of Bourbon BBQ, Mild and Poached Pear). As they like to say, “you can’t trust a skinny chef”.

Florida: House of Wings
Miami-famous for featuring over 60 varieties of wing sauce, this hotspot is your home base for everything hot wing. As you might guess, with that many sauces, things are bound to be imaginative with Lemon Pepper Teriyaki, Honey Hickory Smoke, Hennessey Glaze and Curry Honey Mustard just a few of the menu’s many delights.

Georgia: J.R. Crickets
Owning multiple locations all over the state, J.R. Crickets has grown from one location in Atlanta to become the king of Georgia wings. Try some classic Buffalo, Dirty Bird (Buffalo BBQ & lemon pepper sprinkles) or the world-famous Lemony Pepper Wet, which combines classic Buffalo sauce and lemon pepper sprinkles.

Hawaii: The Pig & The Lady
Proudly cooking with Vietnamese sensibility and flavors, The Pig & The Lady in Honolulu has them coming for miles for the unique Southeast Asian accents they’re putting on their wings. Everything starts with buttermilk-soaked chicken, which is fried and then lashed with lime, peanut and their punchy Money Sauce.

Idaho: City Limits Brewpub
Boneless wings are the thing at this brewpub in Wallace, a town in Idaho’s northern panhandle. Get your tasty wings tossed in Tiger Sauce, Hot Garlic Parm, Mild or Buffalo and pair it up with their solid selection of craft beer and you’ll soon be planning a return trip to the “city limits”.

Illinois: The Fifty/50
Can you find tons of cutting-edge wings covered in a range of lip-smacking global flavors all over The Windy City? Absolutely, and they’re all worth feasting on, but then come back to The Fifty/50 for the classic buffalo wing & sports bar combo experience to indulge in bodacious breaded wings tossed in their award-winning sauces.

Indiana: Tower Bar and Grill
Head to Fort Wayne to sample drumsticks that have been rubbed, cooked and sauced with a signature mix of flavors, including a range of homemade sauces. Go for the grilled option on your wings to savor just the right amount of smoke and char on the chicken.

Iowa: The Filling Station
Davenport’s favorite gas station turned bar & grill, the Filling Station serves up some of the most delicious breaded wings in the entire Midwest. Pick one of their 12 house sauces (all the classics and new school flavors like Mango Habanero) to coat your bulbous wings in and don’t be surprised if you decide to take a bottle home with you.

Kansas: The Peanut
Ask anyone in the Kansas City metro area for a tip on where to score some stellar wings, and there’s no doubt that the Peanut will pop up. Swing into any of their locations across the state line in Kansas for colossal cluckers covered in a signature buttery, peppery sauce.

Kentucky: Momma’s Mustard, Pickles & BBQ
Momma made a name for herself in the ‘Ville with her mouthwatering barbecue and pickles at both of her locations, but she knows a thing or two about wings too. Momma uses a unique, paprika-based rub on her birds before they are smoked and dipped in the fryer for a final flavorful flourish.

Louisiana: Bayou Hot Wings
This is Louisiana, so of course, these guys are using Crystal hot sauce as their signature sauce base and offering up a Steen’s Cane Honey BBQ sauce at their New Orleans restaurant. Other sensational sauces coating Bayou’s 24-hour-brined birds are Korean BBQ, Thia Chili and Pepper Jelly.

Maine: Binga’s Wingas
Known for traditional or smoked “wingas” in addition to tasty tenders, Binga’s in Yarmouth has become the main name in the Maine wing game. The sauces here run the spectrum from easy-going flavors like Blanch (a mix of Blue Cheese and Ranch) to zesty numbers like Buffalo Bacon Nacho & Buffalo Garlic to heat seekers like Diesel & Hot Buffalo.

Maryland: Annapolis SmokeHouse
Not only do they use the finest poultry they can possibly get their hands on and use a signature four-step process (brine, dry rub, smoke and fry), they’re making their sensational sauces all in-house. Highlights include Fire Sauce, Carolina Mustard, Bourbon Cherry and—because this is Maryland after all—a Spicy Old Bay.

Massachusetts: DJ’s Famous Wings
Buffalo wings landed on Cape Cod in 1989 when DJ’s opened its doors and they’ve been going strong ever since. They specialize in crispy wings tossed in a range of traditional and “4 Alarm” flavors in addition to a range of dry rubs, with a few unique highlights of the wing menu being Sweet Heat, General Tso’s, Garlic Parmesean and Thai Peanut Butter & Jelly.

Michigan: Sweetwater Tavern
Sweetwater’s mouthwatering birds begin their journey to your plate at Detroit’s historic Eastern Market before heading to the tavern in order to be bathed in a special marinade for a full 24 hours. After they’ve soaked up all that flavor, they are fried to perfection and tossed in their one and only sauce, a zesty, not-too-hot concoction.

Minnesota: The Monte Carlo
Head north for a tremendous wing experience that will take your taste buds on a trip to the East. This Minneapolis institution is famed for serving their birds up “Beijing Style”, which means they’re fried to a blissful level of crispiness and then covered in a dry dub that includes a unique mix of flavors like cinnamon, red pepper and cumin.

Mississippi: Old School Hot Wings
Beloved by wing lovers located in northern Mississippi and the Memphis metro area, Old School has been always doing things the right way at their spot in the small town of Walls and they show no signs of slowing down. Swing in for some wings fried up and tossed with a lip-smackingly good spicy sauce and served up with slices of crunchy carrot.

Missouri: Syberg’s
A family of St. Louis sports bars, Syberg’s has been serving up sensational wings since the early 1980s. Their chicken is of the highest quality and their wings are fried to perfection before being lashed with their signature sauce or a selection of other options like Sweet Heat or a dry rub laced with the flavor of STL-favorite potato chip Red Hot Riplets.

Montana: Desperado Sports Tavern
You’ll be desperate for another helping of Desperado’s dynamite wings after you visit this sports tavern in Missoula. Start your flavor adventure with some wings tossed in Sissy Sauce—the perfect blend of mild and hot—before setting sail for the South Pacific with some Maui Wowie and then taking down some of their classic Hot.

Nebraska: Oscar’s Pizza & Wings
What do you get when you take traditional wings and finish them off on the grill for just enough time to get them kissed with a tasty bit of caramelized char? Oscar’s “Char-buffed” wings are what and these beauties have become a legend around Omaha.

Nevada: Johnny’s Mac’s
Proving that you can take the man out of Buffalo, but you can’t take Buffalo out of the man, Johnny Mac’s is headed up by an Upstate New York native who brought his passion for wings out West. The wings are always fresh, never frozen and are only fried in high-end fryers before being tossed in a range of delectable sauces.

New Hampshire: Delaney’s Hole in the Wall
Delaney’s doesn’t go in for all those new-fangled flavors making the rounds on your favorite social media platform. Nope, they just stick to frying up their wings until they’re crisp & golden brown on the outside and juicy & flavorful on the inside before coating them with either Buffalo or Honey Hot Sauce.

New Jersey: Dominic’s Tavern
South Jersey’s undisputed wing champion, Dominic’s is the quintessential local bar that just so happens to crank out elite-level wings. Get yours tossed in Fat Daddy Sauce—a truly unique mashup of ranch, hot sauce and cheese—or go for Medium, Honey-Hot or Garlic-Hot.

New Mexico: AJ’s Wings
Located in the small eastern New Mexico town of Portales, AJ’s well worth the trip for wing lovers. Here, you’ll find a team of wing aficionados slinging traditional bone-in babies in a range of stellar sauces like Bacon Parmesean Ranch, Honey Chipotle, Buffalo, House (spicy barbecue) and smoky Paprikash.

New York: Dan & John’s Wings
When you’re craving a taste of Buffalo in the Big Apple, go see Dan and John, because they’ll gladly hook you up with their classic wings which will send your taste buds straight to heaven, erm, Buffalo. Their mantra is “eat wings, drink beer, be happy” and that’s exactly what you’ll find going down at all of their NYC locations.

North Carolina: d.d. Peckers’
This Charlotte wing shack & sports bar tosses its wings in over 20 homemade sauces, with flavors ranging from classic Hot, Garlic Parmesan and Lemon Pepper to surprising takes like Ginger, Hoison Honey and Hot Fajita. Come for the hot wings, stay for the warm and welcoming atmosphere.

North Dakota: Sickies Garage
Sickies Garage is known far and wide for its flavor-charged burgers and tasty brews on tap, but wing nuts know that the chicken game is strong too at this North Dakota-based family of restaurants. A few of their signature sauces are Thai Peanut, Citrus Garlic Mango, PB & J, and Stinging Honey Garlic.

Ohio: Smokehouse Brewing
They brine, hickory smoke and char-grill all their wings at this Columbus smokehouse and their process results in some of the smokiest, meatiest morsels in the Midwest. After being grilled to perfection, the wings are tossed in a range of sauces that includes flavors like Texas Smokedip, mustard-kissed Carolina Gold and sweet Kansas City sauce.

Oklahoma: Wing Supreme
Their tagline is “The King of the Gourmet Wing” and they back up the talk at this OKC spot by taking the unique step of sauteeing their wings in a bevy of lip-smacking sauce flavors—a list that includes Honey BBQ, Buffalo Lemon Pepper, Cajun, and Jerk. Long live the king!

Oregon: Toki
This Korean restaurant has picked up a dedicated following for its mouthwatering range of fried chicken wings. They serve their birds in four standout flavors: Sweet Garlic Soy, Gochujang & Tamarind, Korean Hot Chicken Chili Oil and the legendary “essence of Instant Ramen”.

Pennsylvania: Byrne’s Tavern
Is the secret to Bryne’s Tavern wing reputation the high-pressure frying? Or is it their lip-smacking classic Buffalo sauce? Or perhaps, it’s the fact that you can pair up your wings here with some of their just as famous potato logs. There’s only one way to find out, head to the City of Brotherly Love and feast on some wings for yourself.

Rhode Island: Ted’s Stadium Kitchen
This recently renovated bar & kitchen in Cranston takes pride in making ingredients from scratch and doing things the right way. Their wings are no exception, expertly cooked and coming doused in either Buffalo, Barbecue or Asian-inspired East/West sauce.

South Carolina: Publick House
This Columbia Irish pub has been making remarkable wings for well over 30 years and they’re still frying them in 100% vegetable oil before individually saucing them over an open flame. Drop in for a classic flavor or try one of their unique twists like Buttery Barbecue and Spicy Teriyaki.

South Dakota: T.C.’s Referee
The zabras have put away the whistle and are letting everybody have a good time at this classic sports bar in Sioux Falls. Choose bone-in or boneless and have them slathered in some classic Buffalo, tangy Golden Thai or fiery Hot Fever.

Tennessee: Ghot Wingz
They’re low on frills but huge on flavor at this fantastic wing spot in Nashville’s historic East Side. All the classic sauces are rock solid but it’s the specialties like Spicy Ranch, sweet & smoky Gold sauce, and tangy-sticky barbecue sauce Summin Different that helps Ghot Wingz truly stand out from the crowd.

Texas: Tommy Want Wingy
Taking its name from a Chris Farley line in the classic 90s movie Tommy Boy, Tommy Want Wingy whips up their lollipop-cut chicken with a sense of humor and a steadfast dedication to wing craft. Take the Spicy Pineapple (a marriage of sriracha and blended pineapple) for a spin or dance with the Chile Limon (fresh lime juice and Tajin seasoning) or Buffalo at any of their three locations in Austin. Oh, and you definitely won’t regret pairing them up with some of their insanely tasty tater tots.

Utah: Boneyard Saloon
You won’t go hungry at this Wine Saloon & Dive in Park City, as their “Colossal Yardbird Wing” more than lives up to the menu description. After they are fried up perfectly, the wings are tossed in your choice or Red Chili, Buffalo, Triple S, or homemade BBQ sauce.

Vermont: Wings Over Burlington
Fly into the Burlington outpost of this East Coast and Midwest family of wing restaurants to sample one of their 20-plus sauces and dry rubs. Some of the highlights of the sauce menu are the hot spicy Cruisin’ Altitude Buffalo sauce, Citrus Chipotle Barbecue, 7 Pepper Rub and Hot Garlic.

Virginia: Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern
It’s a tale as old as America itself: Man moves away from a region famous for a particular food item, proceeds to struggle to find it in his new home and then decides to make it himself. In this case, it’s Jimmy and he needed a place to eat great wings and watch his beloved Buffalo Bills and he’s brought the original recipe from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo to this spot in Herndon.

Washington: Some Random Bar
This cool cocktail bar & eatery in Seattle doesn’t take themselves too seriously but they do happen to make some seriously delicious wings. Their chickens are all free-range and are fried up perfectly before being paired up with a sweet & spicy glaze, cucumber, hot peppers and crispy shallots & garlic.

West Virginia: The Cold Spot
Rest assured that despite their name that they are serving up sizzling wings at this hotspot for wing lovers in Charleston. Take your pick of traditional or boneless wings and they’ll serve them in your choice of a range of sauces like Honey Mustard, Sweet Asian, and many variations on classic Buffalo. Oh, take them up on their offer to add garlic to any order for a small fee, your taste buds will thank you.

Wisconsin: TomKen’s Bar & Grill
The compliments keep coming for TomKen’s, Milwaukee’s self-described “Home of the Friendly Fried Chicken”. Try some fried birds tossed in their mild Sarsparilla sauce, Buffalo Sings the Bleus sauce—a classic Buffalo sauce studded with blue cheese crumbles—or Buff Garlic for a nice sample of their wing slinging skills. The menu also features some tasty crispy chicken thighs, too.

Wyoming: Wyoming Hot Wings
This laid-back & friendly spot in Casper does all the small things right and it all adds up to make it the best spot for wings in the Cowboy State. Each and every one of their sauces are made from scratch and then they’re paired up with chicken fried to juicy perfection.