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The Bakersfield Wing Festival has been going on for a few years now, this year was the 4th Annual but the first time my wife and I attended. We never knew anyone who went to it and with the price for General Admission being $45, we were sketchy. We have been to festivals that are supposed to glorify the product and are nowhere near that, but this festival did not fail, wings were definitely glorified. I won’t name the vendors but here is what happened. Vendor “A” was crazy busy, the line and words mentioned about them spread quickly, the demand was just overwhelming for them. My wife and I went back after visiting them upon entering the festival initially, at that time the demand wasn’t as big since it just started. The second time we visited, we waited a bit, with chicken you have to ensure it is thoroughly cooked, the second visit left us a little disappointed, the middle was pink and bleeding. My guess is they were trying to churn out wings fast and weren’t letting their oil reheat after each batch, while the outside is gleaming with crispiness, the middle wasn’t cooked. Vendor “B” also faced a similar situation but just not as much demand as Vendor “A”, but their wing was super rubbery and you can tell the frying wasn’t done properly, the skin of the wing wouldn’t break by biting into it. The flavor was superb but the wing being rubbery was just unappealing. We showed up not even 30 minutes into the festival starting, by two hours in some vendors were out of wings, not sure if they planned it that way or not but it is a shame they couldn’t display their wings, the ones who did and did well certainly gain a customer from me. I had three favorites, one surprised me a lot too but I just never went to the restaurant. First is my top choice, Bucky’s Chicken, they work out of a food truck that they just purchased recently. I tried all four levels of heat, Smooth Sailing (Mild), Heatin Up (Medium), Loco Loco (Hot) and Get Buck (Xtra Hot), all had spectacular crispiness and seasoning. Hot or Loco Loco had a decent hum, nothing bad but that Get Buck aka Xtra Hot had the lips burning. My second favorite was Black Rose Catering with their Southern Creole wings, they weren’t deep fried but seemed smoked with a beautiful creamy sauce dazzled with green onions on top. I think the only reason it fell second to Bucky’s was simply because the skin wasn’t crispy, that is how I love my wings. Third was Hooters, I have never been to a Hooters at all, I never knew they had quite the variety of flavors of wings. When I approached the table, one of the ladies greeted me and asked which flavors would I like, I didn’t know what to choose so I told her to pick them and I’d give it a try. I’ll be honest, the only one that stood out for me both in flavor and name is the Spicy Garlic, which was a damn good wing. The souvenir cup they give for general admission is not too much bigger than a shot glass and when you go to get your beer they were trying to fling them out fast so it was alot of foam. I did find a few beer stands that were taking their time so the pour was much better. Free water bottles were also available at two different sides of the festival, that is always good especially when the weather is in the 90’s until a bit later it started getting stormy but cooler. I think I will return next year, the value was worth it and now we know everything that goes on, we will watch the wing eating competition and the fire wing competition, that should be fun!

Wings and Tea Cafe – Menu with Prices – 10709 Town Center Dr #110, Rancho Cucamonga

Came here for some wings for the cross rival Lakers-Clippers game. And wanted to try a different place other than wingstop. So after some research I decided to give this place a go. I went with 80 bone in wings, and it came out to about $70 which is a tad on the high side. Placed the order over the phone, and the lady over the phone was really nice. Actual restaurant is right next to the terra vista movie theater, and is pretty small inside. By the time I got there, 30 min later the wings were ready. Customer service is on point. They even seperated all the different flavors with foil and even labeled each one so we knew which flavor is which, which was really nice. They even gave me a large box to carry them in which is just so thoughtful!! The chicken wings were well cooked. Tender and moist. Not dry at all. Actual skin was crisp and well seasoned. I tried several of their flavors including thai chili, mango habanero, lemon pepper, garlic parmesan, honey garlic and buffalo garlic. Flavors were all solid. Mango habanero was spicy but not as hot as the ones at wingstop. The honey garlic was really good as well, lemon pepper slightly too salty. Thai chili had a nice kick to it. Overall, this is a solid wing place, and it doesn’t hurt to have some boba and tea drinks to go with it too. Wouldn’t mind coming here again for my chicken wing fix. Solid place here in the heart of Rancho Cucamonga!!!

Wings Empire – Menu with Prices – 263 E Orange Ave, Chula Vista

I ordered the wing combo with French Fries. Well I should have known something because my order was done to fast. The French fries were hard and not fresh. The wings were not fresh and over cooked barely with any sauce. The wings were obviously cooked in advance because there was no way that the wings could have been cooked that fast. They were very dark and not edible. I ordered the food to go so I didn’t realize it until I got home. I called and asked to speak to a manager and the girl that answered said the manager won’t be in until tomorrow. She didn’t bother to ask if she could help me with anything. The customer service here is terrible. The quality of the food here is awful. I’ll never visit this store again. This is not a real “Wings Empire.”

Wings on Fire – Menu with Prices – 9040 E Valencia Rd Ste 100, Tucson

This is a new wing place that opened right by my house so I thought I’d give it a try. Honestly the wings were pretty good. I ordered a combo of 10 boneless wings with lemon pepper and parmesan as well as a combo of 10 traditional wings with lemon pepper and hot. Both combos came with a smalldrink, fries, and some celery and carrots. I give this a four star because it’s pretty pricy. Both combos cost almost $30 ($27 to be exact). Also the wings felt a little bit under cooked. However, I would visit again. Update: 5 stars. This is my go to wing place since it’s very conveniently close to my house. The staff are extremely friendly and I love the wings.

Crave Wings – Menu with Prices – 13633 Warwick Blvd #1, Newport News

Crave Wings is what I consider a chicken wing gem in Newport News. The location is off Warwick in a small shopping center around other international stores. The inside is decorated with simple decor and decent seating for a casual restaurant. A few TV’s are on the walls and the place is always clean. The restaurant has a moderate sized menu of both American fare (Burger & Sandwiches) and Korean food, but the main attraction is the chicken wings (bone-in). The chicken wings are pretty large as compared to Wingstop or Buffalo Wild Wings. They are unbreaded, flash fried wings, that are coated in your dry rub or sauce of choice. They have plenty of sauce/dry rub options from honey BBQ, to garlic pepper, to traditional hot. A 10 wing combo with french fries and drink will run you about $14 which is still comparable to other chicken wing restaurants. The food is cooked to order so you’ll have wait, usually about 10 minutes, but the wings are worth it. The chicken wings and the sauces are flavorful. The chicken wing meat tastes as if it’s been brined or marinated before it was actually flash fried. Once fried, the wings have a slight exterior crunch. The french fries are just your basic crinkle cut fry and I’m pretty sure they are unsalted unless you ask. You could probably skip on those and use your money to get another side or more chicken wings. The fries can’t be substituted out of the combo though so you’ll have to buy the side separate. Beyond the traditional wings and a few sides, I can’t speak to much of the other items on the menu. If you are going to a place called Crave Wings, I can’t imagine you’d be looking to get anything other than the wings anyway. They are the star.

Tony’s Pizza and Wings @South Blvd – Menu with Prices – 4200 South Blvd, Charlotte

Came in for a pizza one night and was pretty impressed compared to my expectations. It won’t knock your socks off but you won’t be disappointed. However, they said to try the wings because they were among the best in town, so on another night I came back. I’m not sure which flavor wings they were resting their laurels on but I was a big fan of the Lemon Pepper and do think they were the best I’ve had for that flavor. The Buffalo wings, I’ve had better but they were still an excellent wing. No complaints. However, what puts these a notch above, is they are baked wings. So you get all that flavor and none of the oil that tends to make wings as unhealthy as they are. In addition, they were a pretty big wing compared to other places that have gone smaller. I enjoyed the pizza and the wings and while I wouldn’t drive across town for either, I’m fortunate enough that it’s just up the street so I can, and will, come back.

Buffalo Shack – Menu with Prices – 1512 Tunnel Blvd, Chattanooga

This is a staple hot wing joint for the city. It’s been here since I was in high school (16 yrs ago) so I’m surprised there’s only one review for them. They offer a few different flavors but hands down the mild and hot are legit the best tasting wing sauce I’ve ever had in life. I compare all other wing sauces to this one. They also sell French fries and I think can sodas (I only ever get the wings). The wings are deep fried then tossed in sauce. There are 2 drawbacks on this place: the wings are small and the location is a bit sketchy if you aren’t familiar with the area. But, I just recommend to order more wings and go during the day if you’re worried about the location. They taste so good that I don’t even deduct stars. Now, this is literally a shack; a basic food truck with absolutely zero frills, so keep that in mind if you’re needing the extras. But if it’s amazing wings you’re after, then this is the spot.

Buffalo Ranch Wings & Things – Menu with Prices – 4315 E Shields Ave, Fresno

Went with the wifey for boneless wing Monday $0.50 Wings (Min 6 per order / flavor). We got the Medium, Garlic Parm and Spicy Seasoning. Along with an order of Potato Skins. The Potato Skins were AMAZING!!!!!!!!! Will defiantly be getting those again. $6 for 6 Skins with a good amount of potato let on them with cheese (assume its cheddar) bacon and green onions. The boneless wings. They were large in size and cooked good. very crispy outside and tender, juicy inside. The Spice Seasoning, well, still not really sure what it is… Obviously a dry rub. Didn’t notice any “spicy”… The Garlic Parm, well… It was dry garlic and parm on top of a naked wing. The medium, well… Tasted like any generic “hot” wing. Butter and generic hot sauce (flavor wise very similar to the well know brand FRH). I asked them about trying other flavors. They said they did not have a sampler plate (WHY NOT?!?), but I could try the sauce by them selves for free. I tried the three hottest sauces. Hot, well. Seemed identical to the Medium, but with less butter. Making it well, hotter! Suicide, well. This flavor should have been the hot flavor. It was a little grainy, probably from added dry spice (Red Pepper?). I liked this flavor!! Then the Atomic!! Compared to the Suicide, I didn’t find this flavor hotter, just a different flavor. I preferred the flavor of the Atomic over the Suicide. Why 4 stars? The food and service was great! The Boneless Wings, just seemed to be missing something.. Not sure what it was. Will be back to try out the Traditional Wings. While we were eating, they took several to go orders by phone. This seemed to be a popular way for locals to pick up orders. All in all, this is a great little mom and pop wing place in an old Taco Bell building. There is not much in the way of tables (4 total inside). However, they do have free refills. Mondays are $0.50 Boneless Wings and Wednesdays are $0.60 Traditional Wings. They are well worth checking out.

That Wing Place Menu with Prices 360 Boniface Pkwy, Anchorage

Tonight I decided to branch out from my normal wing place (Buffalo Wild Wings, sue me), and try a local wing joit. To be fair, the biggest motivators for this decision was that they delivered, and that they offer a different selection of sauces (I’ve gotten into a baaaad Spicy Garlic habit and needed some change.) I’m a boneless wing girl, and like my wings very crispy! Now, onto the review. I placed an order for delivery and the man that took my order was polite and to the point, a trait that I really value in wait staff. One weird thing was that when asked if I could do four flavors for a Double Portion (20 wing) order, I was told I could only get 2 flavors unless I wanted to “mix” flavors. Alright, whatever, I’ll go with two. They quoted my order at 60-75 minutes for delivery, with the actual delivery time coming it at about 45-50 minutes. The driver was nice, too. No problems with staff. My order consisted of two flavors: Buffalo Blue Cheese, and Buffalo Ranch. I was excited to try them as they are not usually flavors found on my long worn BBW menu. Upon opening the containers I was met with some, er, disappointment. To say the least. With no exaggeration there were probably two tablespoons of sauce in each container. Okay…. I guess we will just need a little extra ranch to dip these in. Nope! Turns out not only were the wings underwhelming in flavor, they were soggy! Wish I could say I’m coming back, I really do want to support a local business, but that is just not the case. ?

Wings & Bowls – Menu with Prices – 515 N Main St Ste C, Santa Ana

As a huge wing fan, I get excited anytime a new wing spot opens up in Downtown Santa Ana. This place definitely hits the spot with its Korean style wings. I tried the Spicy Korean and it had good flavor. I have a high tolerance for spicy, but I can imagine it being really hot for some. I’d stick with the soy garlic if you think the spicy wings will be too much for you. There’s a lot more I want to come back for, especially the galbi bowl. I’ll be back often because I don’t want to lose another wing spot in Santa Ana. It’s always heartbreaking. Wing fans, check this place out, support it, give them feedback. We can’t let this place die like so many restaurants in McFadden market tend to do.

Soul Cal Smokehouse – Menu with Prices – 38 W Victoria St, Santa Barbara

Met some friends at the SB public market for dinner Wednesday night, and decided to eat here. I’m a sucker for smoked bbq, and been wanting to try this place out. I ordered a half pound of smoked baby back ribs, and 20 wings (Wing Wednesday special, $1 per wing) spoke with one of the workers there, and he said they use oak to smoke their meats. He also said that they brine the wings first then smoke them. As an amateur bbq smoker myself, I was excited to try the goods! First up, the baby back ribs. The meat was very tender, one bite and fall off the bone kind of ribs. They dont sauce the ribs up, and have them offered on the side. I chose the spicy bbq and coffee bbq sauces, both were good, but I preferred au natural for the ribs, can get a better taste and smoke flavor, and the ribs didnt disappoint. The smoke wasnt overwhelming, but present. The meat had a good meat/fat ratio which made it tender and succulent. Overall, They were tasty! The only knock I’d have to point out, was that they weren’t hot(temp) enough and was just warm. The wings. Wow. Very delicious and on wednesdays, just $1 per wing! As usual, I opted to have the sauce on the side and glad I went that route! These wings had a slight crisp to it, not too fried crispy, but still a very slight crunch to it. The meat was tender, juicy and HOT(temp) I waited a few mins before I could touch them. The wing sauce on the side was ok, tasted more on the spicier side, and a good compliment to the wings. I ate more than half the wings dry, with no sauce. Overall, I’m Pretty stoked to have this place near my house, and will be back next wednesday for these delicious wings!

Carolina Wings & Ribhouse – Menu with Prices – 1120 Washington St #3215, Columbia

We had dinner here before catching a movie at the Nick. Carolina Wings occupies a building that was formerly Tony’s Pizza, which has been defunct for years. They have done a lot with the space, but the front entrance into the building is a little weird. You’re going to feel sketchy walking in. When we arrived on a Thursday night around 6:30, the place was deserted except for employees. A hostess greeted us, but we chose to sit at the bar. The bartender was really cool and had good taste in music. We ordered some beers and started with Fried Mushrooms as an appetizer. The mushrooms are awesome! The batter is zesty without being too salty, and the mushrooms inside are fresh and not watery or slimy. In our opinion, these are in the Top Three Best Fried Mushrooms in Columbia. For supper, I had the Carolina Salad with fried chicken and ranch dressing, and had them toss the chicken in BBQ sauce. It was amazing. The salad was huge, the chicken was crispy, the sauce was good, and their ranch dressing is very good. My SO got an order of TeriCajun wings. They are billed as Jumbo Wings, so that description on the menu scared me off because we both actually prefer smaller crispy wings. However, these wings were smaller and crispy and delicious. They resemble the wings at Publick House, which is our favorite wing place. Carolina Wings has a ton of wing flavors and sauces. My SO didn’t really care for the fact that the Cajun dry rub on his wings was a little too salty, so he said he’d get a different flavor next time. Overall, this is a great place for a meal. The Bartender said they do a lot of lunch business, but not as much traffic at Dinner. The food is excellent, the menu is large, the beer is cold and the people are friendly. We will add Carolina Wings and Rib House into our Main Street rotation! If you haven’t been, go!

Empire Wingz II Menu with Prices 9402 Burbank Dr, Baton Rouge

I’m oddly picky about wings, y’all. Like they can’t be greasy, they can’t be too gooey, I like sauce but they can’t be dripping in it unless it’s hot wings OR these. This place is definitely low key and you must be committed to wings to stop in because there’s no drive thru and you must get out of your car to pick up. They do accept phone orders but I would still expect to wait a bit. The wait, is SO worth it. So you must get the BBQ ranch fries. Don’t faux soul search and talk yourself out of it. Yes, they are fried and not healthy, but you’re eating wings for god sakes, why stop now? Crispy crunchy fries, drizzled in ranch and wing sauce? You’re going to effing love them. When you get to the wings, don’t pass up the spicy garlic Parmesan. There’s a ton of butter and cheese and they are SO crunchy on the outside and juicy in the middle. Beautiful. We also did the double dipped OG and honestly, I thought they would be saucier. If you do these, get extra sauce to dip. Good flavor, but I was left wanting more. If you want a real authentic non chain wing, this is your spot. It tastes like you’re having wings in your backyard with your crew – all you need is a nice cold beverage to wash it down. And some Zantac. Lots and lots of Zantac.