Listed Restaurants
Being a native of Buffalo, NY I have been blessed with the opportunity of consistently being around great chicken wings. In this article I am going to rank them based on my personal experiences. Other ranking factors are the sauce, crispiness, size, tenderness, and more. I have not eaten wings at every single place that sells them in Buffalo, but I have had plenty. So if any of your personal favorites were left off then there’s a chance that I haven’t eaten their yet.
Overrated: Anchor Bar
Though this article is about the best wings I thought it would only be fair if I criticized a couple of spots that I feel don’t deserve the hype. The main place that I feel doesn’t deserve the hype is Anchor Bar. It disappoints me that outsiders always mention Anchor Bar when they mention chicken wings because they genuinely might have some of the worst wings that I ever had. It’s a shame that they will always be associated with chicken wings due to the fact they created them. I have tried two locations (the original & Transit road) and was disappointed each time. My problem with their wings is that they lack flavor, can be very tough, and are dry.
Overrated: Gabriel’s Gate
Gabriel’s Gate is another one of those places that gets brought up whenever there is a conversation about who has the best chicken wings in Buffalo. I am here to tell you that they in fact do not have the best wings and should not be in that conversation. The best way for me to describe Gabriel’s Gate would be mid(average). I came to this conclusion after I tried their medium and barbecue wings. They were decent chicken wings, but the sauces were generic and the wing itself wasn’t special. Knowing that I can get a better wing from almost any pizzeria or bar in Buffalo, I can’t class Gabriel’s Gate with other elite wing spots.
#5: Fat Bob’s Smokehouse
Fat Bob’s is known for having fantastic smoked barbecue food and one item that stands out are their smoked chicken wings. They aren’t your traditional fried wing (though they have great fried ones) that you find in Buffalo because they are smoked. They still have a nice crispy skin, but since they are smoked the tenderness and flavor are off the charts. So if you’re looking for delicious juicy chicken wings that fall off the bone, then Fat Bob’s Smokehouse is the place for you. The only negative to Fat Bob’s is the parking, but the food makes the bad parking 100% worth it.
#4: Wingnutz
I have only had Wingnutz once and had very mixed feelings. I didn’t enjoy the two sauce (Wingnutz Medium & Honey Garlic) I tried and had to wait a very long time, but at the same time it was the best chicken wing that I ever had. My problem with the sauces isn’t that they lacked flavor, but that the flavor they had was missing something and had an overpowering cinnamon taste. The wing itself was amazing because it had the rare combo of size, crispiness, tenderness, and juiciness. Even with a sauce holding them back I was able to appreciate how good these wings are. Next time I go I will be trying their plain medium sauce, but until then all I can say is that it was a phenomenal wing that was held back by the sauce.
#3: Barbill-North
Coming in at #3 is the second location of the legendary Barbill Tavern. I have this version of the restaurant listed because I have never been to the East Aurora location. With that being said, the second location in Clarence isn’t like most restaurant’s second location where it’s usually a downgrade. I know I haven’t been to the East Aurora location, but the Clarence location can’t be much of a downgrade because every experience I’ve had their was top-tier. The restaurant is often busy because they don’t do takeout (and have great food), but that doesn’t stop them from providing great service and consistently good wings. At many restaurants the quality of their wings usually goes down when there are a lot of orders, but at Barbill-North each wing is cooked perfectly and is neatly presented to you. It may seem silly to some, but even the way they arrange their wings around the blue cheese shows that they pride themselves on quality and consistency. All of their wings are phenomenal, but a personal recommendation would be their “Cajun-Honey Butter BBQ” wings.
#2: Duff’s Famous Wings
Duff’s is always brought up when there is a conversation about who has the best wings in Buffalo, and they deserve to be in that conversation. Their wings check all of the boxes when it comes to what makes a chicken wing great which includes; size, skin, sauce flavor, etc. Just like Barbill they have excellent service, but what’s even more impressive is that Duff’s also does takeout. Like I said before about quality decreasing when there are more orders, Duff’s is able to do the opposite with an even greater magnitude of orders due to takeout. As someone who works in a restaurant I know first-hand how busy takeout can be, but I can only imagine how busy such a beloved restaurant like Duff’s can get.
#1: Elmo’s Bar and Restaurant
This list wouldn’t be complete without Elmo’s coming in at the top spot. Elmo’s is a place whose wings truly exceeded my expectations. I was often told that I needed to try their wings and more in particular their double dipped wings. My two favorite flavors are “Cajun-Medium” and “Honey Mustard-BBQ”. Their wings are already delicious on their own, but these combinations of sauces take them to a whole different level which is why I have them ranked the highest. The only negative to Elmo’s is that it’s small on the inside and very dark (I feel it adds to the vibe). On that note, it’s always a great time at Elmo’s due to good customer service and that it feels like home. It’s the type of place where the employees and other customers will talk to you like you’ve been friends your whole life.
