jimswside wrote:I used to go to a place out in St. Charles on North Avenue, I think it was called Wings and Rings(I could be off on the name, but they had decent wings).. They were/are located in an old strip mall that used to have the one of my favorite childhood restaurants Tin Cup Pass, which I think is now a chain pizza place.. yuck..

Jim -

You're referring to a place that was once a Wings N' Things (now with one location on Roosevelt Rd.) and became an independent wingery called Frantastic Wings. I posted about it earlier in the thread, before their unfortunate demise.

I have yet to find wings that can compare to theirs. The pizza place in that strip mall is a particularly poor Geno's East outpost.

Best Chicken Wings...

1. The Abbey
2. Amarind's
3. Bangkok Inn
4. Best Western Hillside
5. Black Beetle
6. Buddy Guy's
7. Buffalo Joe’s
8. Beef and Burger
9. Bird’s Nest
10. BW3's
11. Casey Moran's
12. Chicken Bowl
13. Chicago Rib House
14. Cobra Lounge
15. Crew
16. Franks for the Memories
17. Frantastic Wings Closed!
18. Gator's Wing Shack
19. Great Seas
20. House of Wing
21. Horseshoe
22. Japonais
23. JJ Fish
24. JT's Porch
25. Kendall's
26. McGee's
27. Mr. Spots
28. Muskies
29. Nevin's Pub
30. Schoolyard Tavern & Grill
31. SportsPage
32. Sweet Baby Rays
33. Taste of Siam
34. Twisted Spoke
35. Village Tap
36. Wingstop
37. Wings round The World
38. Whole Foods
39. Yak-Zies Bar-Grill

black beetle huh? i've always been underwhelmed but haven't tried the wings....

I had a really good Cream of Tomato with Chipotle soup there. I love soup!

The burger wasn't bad either. Not a steakhouse burger but not bad for a pub.

Hands down, Great seas has the best chicken wings ever! it's sweet, spicy and easy to eat -- it's lollipop style where they remove the meat around the end of the drumette. Great Seas is opening a take out version in Pilsen on 18th street called "Take me Out", which will also serve chicken wings.

queenisabella wrote:Hands down, Great seas has the best chicken wings ever! it's sweet, spicy and easy to eat -- it's lollipop style where they remove the meat around the end of the drumette. Great Seas is opening a take out version in Pilsen on 18th street called "Take me Out", which will also serve chicken wings.

We know.

Regards,

I am waiting to have a CVS one time use digital camera developed so I didnt want to make this post until I had my pictures to go with it. That being said it seems like my favorite LTH thread has gone the way of "dont eat here" reviews, so I am going to point out a place to try.

The chicken wings at Budacki's drive-in are damn good. It seems that the main complaint's of wing slangers like BJ's that has taken topic of late is the fact that 1) the wings are to small and 2) they dont offer or charge extra for bleu cheese and celery. Budacki's has large wings served like "Gator's" mentioned above thread and they are larger than most. Here's why I am a fan...five wing's, thin crisp fried french fries, garlic bread, celery, bleu cheese and can of pop cost $6.00/tax included. Now the price is right but the reason ive gone back at least 5 times since I tried them since last month is b/c they are good, not the best ever but without a doubt worthy of a spot on PITD's list above.

Bear with me here, is it bear or bare?!?!? always wondered, anyhow, I tried the fried wings at crisp and thought they were some of the best I had tried, however those wings are more of a Harold's style, fried fresh served whole with sauce on the side. I have been saving my post about Crisp's wings for the crisp thread but when the co-owner at Crisp told me that there wings were developed from a family recipe that they use at Budacki's, I knew that I had to try Budacki's buffalo wings. I had always seen the picture inside Budacki's but could never pass on the ribeye sandwich, now I cant pass on the wings.

For those of you fed up with small fling's and an upcharge for everything give Budacki's wings a try. Pictures to come.

Budacki's Drive In
4739 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 561-1322

Da Beef wrote:...Bear with me here, is it bear or bare?!?!?...

Bear w/me. I couldn't bear it any longer, bear down on it, etc...

whiskeybent wrote:

jimswside wrote:I used to go to a place out in St. Charles on North Avenue, I think it was called Wings and Rings(I could be off on the name, but they had decent wings).. They were/are located in an old strip mall that used to have the one of my favorite childhood restaurants Tin Cup Pass, which I think is now a chain pizza place.. yuck..

Jim -

You're referring to a place that was once a Wings N' Things (now with one location on Roosevelt Rd.) and became an independent wingery called Frantastic Wings. I posted about it earlier in the thread, before their unfortunate demise.

I have yet to find wings that can compare to theirs. The pizza place in that strip mall is a particularly poor Geno's East outpost.

thanks for the clarification/info regarding wings n things, I had not been up that way in a while, and am sad to hear they are no more.

I was very surprised to find out that Pete's Pizza on Western has awesome wings. I've only had them once, so maybe it was a fluke, but they were awesome!

Darren72 wrote:

dddane wrote:

fastfoodsnob wrote:it appears that the preparer also squirts a liberal dose of extra sauce on the pile of wings as well, so there's extra sauce on there, too
...
Blue cheese would be the way to go if you're being authentic, but if ranch means more people can enjoy your wings, I don't see that as necessarily a bad thing. (

hmm, extra sauce does not a hot wing make...

so you ruin authenticity of your wings by only stocking one sauce? it's amazing that so many bars out there somehow find room in their refrigerator for blue cheese... (and i guess carrots are *totally* out of the question at this place too).

I haven't been to Buffalo Joes in a while, but I grew up in Evanston and ate there all of the time, years back.

My recollection is that they had four distinct sauces: mild, medium, hot, and suicide. The sauces varied in their heat level. It was not the case that you simply got more sauce if you ordered suicide. I also have no recollection of getting jalepenos on the side of a suicide, though I wouldn't be surprised if this was something new.

My original quote, with emphasis on the part of the paragraph not quoted: "When I've watched them prepare my suicide sides (and I always order suicide at BJ's for myself), it appears that the preparer also squirts a liberal dose of extra sauce on the pile of wings as well, so there's extra sauce on there, too (though I don't know whether it's hotter than normal). As far as I know, suicide has always had the added jalapeno slices."

As I so rarely have ordered anything but suicide-sauce wings from BJ's -- and the exceptions have only been when I had to order for other people or when I didn't have wings -- I didn't want to categorically state that the sauce alone was what differentiated suicide from merely hot. What I can say, however, is that I can remember the extra jalapenos for as long as I've eaten from there, which admittedly only goes as far back as the early- to mid-90s or so. (My documentation back then isn't as thorough as it is these days, but that's my best estimate for my first taste.)

dddane wrote:hmm, extra sauce does not a hot wing make...

As can be inferred from my ordering tendencies, I don't feel that the suicide sauce there is all that hot (I munch on a pepper or two when I need a kick), so this statement is quite true, though skimping on the sauce is another matter. I'm not here to apologize for Buffalo Joe's -- just making sure their side of the story's represented (to the best of my knowledge), as I still manage to enjoy their wings on occasion. Now is that "extra" squirt of sauce I saw merely the addition of the right and proper heat level that naturally goes with each order (versus the tossing of sauce and butter in the big round pans after the completion of frying)? Possibly. Call it what you will, that's simply the imagery that stays with me when my latest order's just about done.

Cheers,
Dan

Da Beef wrote:The chicken wings at Budacki's drive-in are damn good.

Budacki's Wing's

Da Beef wrote:I tried the fried wings at crisp and thought they were some of the best I had tried, however those wings are more of a Harold's style, fried fresh served whole with sauce on the side. I have been saving my post about Crisp's wings for the crisp thread but when the co-owner at Crisp told me that there wings were developed from a family recipe that they use at Budacki's, I knew that I had to try Budacki's buffalo wings.

Crisp Wing's w/ sauce on the side

Budacki's Drive In
4739 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 561-1322

Crisp
2940 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL 60657
(877) 693-8653
http://www.crisponline.com

I have been on a two month wing binge trying everywhere deemed worthy by myself and others. I am ready to say that Bird's Nest has the best wing's in Chicago. I have had them all and I live down the block from BN and only been making it over a few times a year (not anymore). Based on the fact of how consistent they are, I give them the title. I actually prefer the teriyaki to the buffalo but always split the order down the middle with each. They give you ranch and bleu cheese which is also a big plus.

BN has perfect sized wings that are fried to a perfect crispness on the outside with the inside still being juicy and they are always the same, never any difference in visits.

The original Yak-Zie's location shut down and BJ's can be quite inconsistent with size and the quality is different at each location. I go to the one on Howard and the wing's are much better fresh out the fryer at that location compared to the downtown Evanston spot, where I find them rubbery like they have been sitting.

House of Wing has great in house wings but the place is small and not ideal for dining in, its all about takeout or the party trey's delivered but the party trey's are smaller wings like the size of BW3. At HoW I prefer the regular sized done "crispy" and those delivered dont hold up well at all.

http://www.birdsnestbar.com/

Da Beef-
That picture of Budacki's wings made me put on sunglasses.

There arent many that eat/make more wings than me. Those of us that live in Lincoln Park and love us some chicken wangs are very lucky to have two of the best.

As discussed throughout this thread House of Wing on Clark st. may have the best wings in the city and they definitely have the best party platters for large football parties for pick up or delivery. But wings are one of those foods associated with beer and sports so HoW is a no go if you want to go somewhere and watch the game and eat wings and drink beer.


Lucky for me I live a straight shot down 2 blocks from the Birds nest located at Southport & Altgeld. Its another one of the many Chicago neighborhood taverns that sit on a corner. This one just happens to have fended off starbucks from taking that corner. Its a popular stop for people after softball/football games at one of the many park sin the 'hood.

BN has the most consistent wings in the city, perfectly fried, crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle. They call them "tweeties" and they come in two flavors, Buffalo and Teriyaki.


Buffalo wings


The Teriyaki are addicting...my favorite wing coating after buffalo and they do a good teriyaki there.


Also mentioned upthread by me are the wings from Budacki's Drive In. This is one of the better lunch deals in the city. For $5.75 (tax included) you get 5 wings, bunch of fries, veggie stix, garlic bread, can of pop (RC) and bleu cheese dressing.

Budacki's freshly fries their wings and then tosses them in a combo of half Asian chili pepper sauce like sriracha and half Buffalo sauce. Pretty tasty and worth the $5.75 for lunch one day.

Birds Nest
2500 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 472-1502

HoW
2447 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 929-9421

Budacki's
4739 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 561-1322

These postings have been very helpful, and now I have many new places to check out.

I have three comments.........

--Buffalo Joe's on Clark in Evanston is so hit or miss that it is deeply frustrating. I have had 100+ wonderful meals there in my lifetime, but unfortunately, have had to put up with a couple dozen bad experiences (small wings, under/overcooked, etc.). I've been going there for over 10 years, and many of the employees remain the same over the years. That being said, sometimes the roster of cooks is a good tip as to whether your wings will be as wonderful as they were last time. If you don't see the same familiar faces behind the counter (especially those folks manning the deep fryer and the big wing tossing bowl), maybe that isn't your day/night at Buff Joes. I think Buff Joes hit bottom a couple of years ago, and is now returning to its former great self.

--Cobra Lounge on Ashland (near Lake) has phenomenal smoked wings. I'm not sure if they smoke 'em and then fry 'em, or what the process is, but the sauce has heat, and the bleu cheese dressing is delicious. $.35/wing night is Thursday. I may regret posting that because it seems to be one of Chicago's hidden wing gems.

--Buffalo Wings and Rings in Bridgeport (Halsted near 35th) is a big disappointment. This is a chain restaurant that is a BW3-clone, only with less flavor and higher costs. Their wing night on Tuesdays has $.50/wings (that's a deal?) and the regular cost of their food equals about a buck a wing, which might be worth it if the wings were big and the sauces were unique, but unfortunately neither is the case. The reason I'm so disappointed by this place is because I live in Bridgeport and was hopeful this would be a new hangout, especially before and after Sox games. Until then, I think I'm stuck driving to the North Side for good buffalo wings.

A new wings only (and regular and sweet potato fries) joint has opened up at 3109 N. Halsted right where it meets with Clark behind the CVS on the corner there. Its called Wings O Flavor and is run by a couple who spent 8 years living in the Caribbean and now have opened a wing shack of their own in Chicago.

I've been meaning to get over there since they've been opened for a month or so and finally did this wkd. I had heard that the jerk was the way to go and considering the couple spent all that time in the islands I figured they must have a good recipe for the sauce. I asked if it was really hot and she said "yes" and asked if I wanna switch flavors. I told her no and that it was a good thing since jerk should be hot and not sweet. They have about 5 or 6 other flavors including Buffalo. I was in a daze when I went in and couldn't decide on a 2nd flavor totally forgetting to make it Buffalo I went with the Thai Sweet Chili.


jerked Wings

The wings were fried but I don't think they use any batter as you can see in the pictures. I thought the jerk was some of the most authentic jerk sauce Ive had in the city or states. Not the hottest ever but it was hot and maybe too hot for some. I liked that they gave a little extra cup of it for dipping. It;s too bad they don't make whole jerk chickens b/c this guy knows his sauce/marinade.


I prefer my wings small and these wings are pretty big meaty but still very good.


Thai sweet chile

The prices are fair, and they do buckets of wings for all your football party needs. The only complaint was they charge 50 cents for ranch or blue cheese. The couple was really nice and there's free parking in the lot at CVS so this is a great spot to pick up a platter of wings or just enough for you should you live or be by the area. Ill def. be back sooner than later.

Wings O Flavor
3109 N. Halsted
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 697-7032

Mahoney's
551 N Ogden

moss8418 wrote:Mahoney's
551 N Ogden

How is the place?

Just went to House of Wing last night and I have to say they get my vote as the best wing spot in Chicago (just edging out Birds Nest). For the longest time I was oft disappointed by the buffalo wing selection in our fair town, but as of recently I've been very pleased with a few spots recommended here. Another dividend paid by the board of directors at LTH.

I Do It Daily wrote:Just went to House of Wing last night and I have to say they get my vote as the best wing spot in Chicago (just edging out Birds Nest). For the longest time I was oft disappointed by the buffalo wing selection in our fair town, but as of recently I've been very pleased with a few spots recommended here. Another dividend paid by the board of directors at LTH.

Yes HoW is an amazing little place that pumps out great tasting and perfectly cooked wings. I catch most Bears games at Glascotts on Webster and Halsted and we had a HoW party tray and a couple of thin crust sausages from Pat's for food last Sunday. As always they made sure we had tons of paper buckets for bones, so much ranch and blue cheese there were at least a couple of each left, at least 60 pieces of celery and all the napkins and wet naps we needed and about 40 peppermints. All this delivered with about 100 wings for around $50. Not only are the wings great but they do a wonderful job with service and customer satisfaction. Please note that the party tray wings are smaller than the ones from the regular menu. I actually really like them, you can eat one in one bite and they hold up ok during delivery.

If you live in the area or ever want a place to watch the game and have whatever it is your fiending for food wise then Glascott's is the spot. While they are connected to Athenian Room next door and you can order from there and eat at the bar, they also allow you to order from whereever you want so lots of people order from different pizza places and during the GB game someone brought 50 steak tacos from la pasadita and Ive seen people bringing trays of beef from Johnnies there last year.

LTHer Heather22 made some really great sticky, gingery Korean-style candied chicken wings, which she brought to the LTH picnic.

Gus, from GNR Wiener and Still Champion, tried to replicate them. I thought he did pretty well.



SteveZ tried them, too. He was less than impressed.

Andrew M wrote:--Buffalo Joe's on Clark in Evanston is so hit or miss that it is deeply frustrating...

Seriously, if Buffalo Joe's is good for you on a good day, hit the Howard St. store. It's much more consistent than Clark St and as a bonus is not only relatively near the El, but has a giant parking lot. Not my favorite wings by far, but they're pretty good - truthfully, I'm grateful: if they were stellar, I'd be there often, and I can't afford new pants.

nr706 wrote:
SteveZ tried them, too. He was less than impressed.

Actually, that's not quite true. While I found the sauce kind of one note (ginger), Gus told me that it was still a work in progress and he planned on adding some heat and possibly garlic, which would improve the sauce considerably. While I wasn't wild about the sauce, I thought the wings themselves were outstanding. I suggested to Gus that he serve them au natural and forget about the sauce; or at least offer a sauceless option.

BJ McMahon's on 95th about half a mile west of Cicero turns out some very very tasty hot wings- cooked perfectly, nice and crisp out of the fryer and super juicy, served with a side of garlic bread (my now-favorite hot wing accompaniment). I'll own up to sopping up the juices and sauce in the bottom of the basket with it when the wings are gone. Monday I believe is their wing night- 25 cents if memory serves. Nice neighborhood place staring down a TGIFriday's across the parking lot. I've seen families in there in the afternoons, but past 7 or 8 it's definitely a bar with a capital B.


BJ McMahon's
5432 W 95th St
Oak Lawn, IL 60453-2355
(708) 422-3111

I'm no wing expert but the best wings I've had were at Aroy Thai. I might have to go there in the next day or two just because I mentioned them. I think they can be found in the appetizer section listed as "Thai Wings". The wings are on the large side and come out of the kitchen perfectly fried and piping hot.

Aroy Thai
4654 N. Damen
773-275-8360

Although I agree with many around here that Great Seas makes some of the best Korean style chicken wings in town, I couldn't let this thread get re-buried without mentioning one of my very favorite (but very obscure) purveyors of that style of wings, Zip'z on Howard street. Zip'z oriental wings are fine examples of Korean fast-food style chicken wings. They are sweeter and more citrusy than Great Seas wings, crunchier too. By default they are pretty hot(although I always ask for them spicy). They are not shaped into those little drumettes either (but they are cheaper). I know there are those around here that dislike the Korean sweet and fruity crispy fried approach to fast food chicken, but if that is your thing, Zipz wings are definitely worth checking out. Personally, I find them totally addictive. It should be noted that on the Zipz menu 2 pieces is actually one wing broken in two, so 20 pieces is really 10 wings (though they are pretty big ones).

In the Carton

On a Plate


Zip'z Ice Cream and Chop Suey
(773) 465-8868
1635 W Howard St,
Chicago, IL 60626

d4v3 wrote:Zip'z oriental wings are fine examples of Korean fast-food style chicken wings. They are sweeter and more citrusy than Great Seas wings, crunchier too.

Haven't tried Zip'z, though they sound and look great. In the same style Dong Ah on Touhy is solid choice. Drumettes and flings (middle joint), and skew slightly sweet Dong Ah is a small Korean grocer with a limited, but tasty, selection of prepared foods.

Dong Ah Korean style Chicken Wings



RC Oriental Outlet, a Filipino grocer directly next door to Dong AH, offers prepared foods as well, with a wider selection on the weekends.

In the same Korean chicken wing vein sit down restaurants V.I.P. on Montrose and Great Beijing in Lincolnwood offer Korean style chicken wings.

Enjoy,
Gary

Dong AH
3933 W Touhy
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
847-673-3055

RC Oriental Outlet
3935 W Touhy
Lincolnwood, IL. 60712
847-674-2120

Great Beijing
6717 N. Lincoln Ave
Lincolnwood
847-673-5588

V.I.P. Chinese Restaurant
3254 W. Montrose Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618
773-588-2727

While Toon's has taken the title of my favorite wings in city, I'm still a big fan of House Of Wing. Especially their party platters which can be delivered and comes with EVERYTHING you need. From both the bleu cheese and the ranch dressings to the baskets for the bones and the mints, napkins and nap wipes for after, they make sure you got it all. Including at least an entire stalk of chopped celery.


House of Wing Party Platter

It is of note that the wings in the party platter are smaller than the wings in regular orders. They're def. small wings but since I always get these platters delivered to the bar or my place, I dont mind 'cause the wings dont turn rubbery and unappetizing during the delivery. The meat comes right off the bone and I can easily put down 40+ of them. Great gameday grub delivered right to you.


House of Wing's Party Platter wings

House of Wing
2447 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60614-2717
(773) 929-9421

LAZ wrote:No one has yet mentioned that monument to Buffalo, Franks for the Memories. Crisp wings, available from mild to extra-hot, with and without blue cheese and celery, plus char-grilled Sahlens white hot dogs.

Franks for the Memories
645 E. Hawley St., Mundelein
(847) 949-9464

Places I've been meaning to visit: Stop 3

I made it here about a week and a half ago for the first time. Excellent wings with the only downer being the bleu cheese but the white dog with ketchup and all didn't do it for me. In fact I stopped at Redhot Ranch later that day just to erase the memory of it. I'm not sure what comes standard on a Buffalo white hot dog but I ordered one with everything and it came like a Chicago style plus ketchup.


Excellent Buffalo Wings


Probably an excellent Buffalo Dog...still not much compared to this


Authentic Buffalo Wings a little closer than Buffalo