Where To Find The Best Chicken Wings In Every US State

Chicken wings might be a strong contender for the best finger food of all time. They are a source of protein, satisfying pub-goers and casual snackers alike, yet also serve as mini sauce carriers. A chicken wing is an opportunity for a cook to showcase their seasoning- and sauce-making skills, which should be savory and smoky, spicy, or sticky with caramel-y BBQ sauces. Much like burgers, chicken wings reveal how regional flavors can shape the story of American comfort food, from each state. TV shows like "Hot Ones" only add to the lore of this universally love food, appealing to celebrities and Regular Joes alike. 

A good chicken wing is memorable; a mediocre one is just fuel to fill you up. A basket of well-executed chicken wings, we dare say, is worth driving out of your way for, or swallowing those DoorDash delivery fees. While it's impossible to appease all local wing lovers, with strong opinions and loyalties to certain spots, we've chosen what we believe to be the best in each state after much deliberation. Grab some napkins — or better yet, a wet nap — and take notes of our picks.

Kicking off our list with the great southern state of Alabama, our pick for the best wings is Baumhower's Victory Grille. Now, if you're from 'Bama reading this and shaking your head, saying to yourself, "My favorite restaurant has better wings," well, that's fine — you're entitled to disagree. Baumhower's calls itself the king of wings, having won multiple awards for them, and has been around since 1981.

Baumhower's Victory Grille

(205) 409-9922

Multiple locations

Winky's Wings in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, routinely came up in conversation for the state's best wings. The restaurant really goes for it when it comes to chicken wing flavors, executing more than a half dozen sauced and dry rub options for patrons. It serves bone-in or boneless wings, and in Thai red curry or garlic sriracha, this would be the perfect warm respite from Anchorage's coldest February day.

Winky's Wings

9191 Old Seward Hwy, Anchorage, AK 99515

(907) 279-4647

With old school diner vibes that have new school wing preparation, Valley Wings' two locations have won the hearts of locals. The wing menu contains all the classics like Buffalo, Cajun, and hot honey, but it also seems to have an artisan spirit, offering garlic parm (with real grated parmesan on top) and mango habanero flavors — something you don't see at most wing spots. Bone-in, boneless, dry rub, or sauced-up are also options for your order.

Valley Wings

(480) 687-9006

Multiple locations

Fayetteville, like most towns in the South, has some seriously tasty food going on, whether in the kitchens of locals or at eateries. When it comes to chicken, fried chicken might be more synonymous with Southerners, but some pretty stellar wings can be found here. Lucky Luke's award-winning wings come in three flavors: BBQ, Buffalo, or naked, and on Wednesdays, it has a $0.99 wing special!

Lucky Luke's BBQ

(479) 521-7550

1220 Garland Ave #1, Fayetteville, AR 72703

With a 4.7-star average out of over 4,000 reviews on Google Maps, it seems like the public has spoken: Howlin' Rays Nashville hot chick — with two SoCal locations — is the bomb. You could call this establishment a more elevated execution with its wings, and if you're going to call them Nashville style, you'd better come with the goods. For what it's worth, Howlin' Rays does.

Howlin' Ray's

(213) 935-8399

Multiple locations

Ollie's Pub & Grub has a sports bar meets industrial-style brew pub vibe with contrasting wood and metal accents, but what about the wings? With its own proprietary saucing technique, its wings get a thick lacquered caramelization going on, and they are offered baked (yup, amazing wings can be baked if you know what you're doing) or fried. 

Ollie's Pub & Grub

(970) 423-6284

180 Jefferson Ave, Breckenridge, CO 80424

Connecticut might not get the most love, but the wings at J. Timothy's Taverne certainly do. With over 5,000 Google Maps reviews — bringing its average to 4.6 stars — many come for the "dirty" wings, scoffing them down in a heritage building dating back to 1789.

J. Timothy's Taverne

(860) 747-6813

143 New Britain Ave, Plainville, CT 06062

The move at Southeast Kitchen is to order the salt and pepper wings, which it apparently executes expertly. It also nails the fry, according to reviewers, and be warned: the wings are hot! The restaurant has a Southeast Asian influence, hence the name, drawing influence from Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, and beyond.

Southeast Kitchen

(302) 691-7728

1901 Delaware Ave, Wilmington, DE 19806

Riding high off a mention in "Tampa Magazines" for best wings in 2024, Hattricks is a large sports bar replete with so many TVs you might need to bring some Visine. It has over 4,000 reviews on Google, averaging out to 4.4, with some saying Hattricks is worth driving from out of town for! 

Hattricks

(813) 225-4288

107 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602

Atlanta is synonymous with fried chicken — like other big cosmopolitan centers in the South — but you can also find incredible wings there, too. Our pick for the best wings in the Peach State resides in northeast Atlanta at The Local. This bar's wings are stellar, with hundreds of people on Reddit upvoting them on the Wings Subreddit.

The Local 

(404) 873-5002

758 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

The Pig and the Lady is a Vietnamese restaurant, offering its own elevated — and utterly delicious — take on an American bar staple: the humble chicken wing. Other food publications have already sung the praises of this restaurant's wings, but regardless, they still reign supreme on the island.

The Pig and the Lady

(808) 585-8255

650 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816

In rugged Idaho, the best wings are found at Barbacoa Grill, where patrons get a bit of show as its wings are served on a mini portable hibachi grill. Over 5,000 reviewers have chimed in on Google Maps to give it a 4.6-star average, and its wings have already made other best-in-country lists online.

Barbacoa Grill

(208) 338-5000

276 Bobwhite Ct, Boise, ID 83706, United States

Thanks in part to television shows like "The Bear," Chicago's Italian beef sandwiches seem to be having a moment, but let's not forget about Crisp, which makes the best wings in the city/state. Crisp does Korean-style jumbo whole wings, with never-frozen and hormone-free chicken, with sauces of your choice. In one of America's biggest cities, standing out isn't easy, but Crisp certainly does.

Crisp

(773) 697-7610

2940 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657

The Hoosier State's best wings are found at Ale Emporium, which has multiple locations. The restaurant claims its wings are world-famous, while its "Herman" sauce is award-winning, one of five sauce options for the wings. Notably, the restaurant has a respectable 4.6-star average on Google (via 5,000 plus reviews) with over 1,000 mentions of the wings. In the conversation for Indiana's best wings, it begins and ends here.

Ale Emporium

(317) 842-1333

Multiple locations

Iowa City is home to Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack, which serves the best wings in the state of Iowa. Chowhound isn't the first food publication online to catch wind of Jimmy Jack's world-class wings, which smokes its wings over wisps of hickory first. Then, it fries them to order, locking in that smoky BBQ flavor customers love.

Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack

(319) 354-7427

1940 Lower Muscatine Rd, Iowa City, IA 52240

With a local newspaper putting RBar in the spotlight for its wings, bestowing first place on the eatery for its smoked chicken wings, Lawrence locals can find Indiana's best wings there. Wing enthusiasts online appreciate the time and attention RBar puts into its wing prep — with a red pepper-brown sugar brine followed by a smoking, and then char grill finishing. This takes them to the next level. 

RBar

(785) 856-2277

610 Florida St, Lawrence, KS 66044

With a name like Chicken King, the expectations might be high for its chicken wings. Luckily, Chicken King walks the walk and serves up Kentucky's best wings. This is no small feat, considering how many fried chicken spots exist in the Bluegrass State Reviewers online appreciate the thick double batter — which isn't the most common wing style — and quality of the meat it uses.

Chicken King

(502) 589-5464

639 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202,

New Orleans is one of America's greatest food cities, and the state of Louisiana has some of the most unique and distinguished regional cuisines to boot. Locals love Cajun-style dishes, and Bayou Hot Wings delivers with the goods, serving up the Pelican State's best example of the humble wing. Pandering to spice lords with over 14 different sauce options, it has been in the spotlight for some time now.

Bayou Hot Wings

(504) 865-9464

6221 S Claiborne Ave, New Orleans, LA 70125

With over 20,000 followers on Instagram, this Portland eatery serves up hot wings with a Southeast Asian flair, making our list here as Maine's best. Covering wings in red curry and Thai-Chinese numbing spices is a refreshing approach to the usual run-of-the-mill BBQ sauce most places use. Crispy Gai is lauded online by foodies, with many happy customers to vouch for its exception wings. 

Crispy Gai

(207) 536-1017

90 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101, United States

Maryland has banging seafood, with crab and trout spots peppered all over the state. However, not everyone finds solace in fish shacks, and pub-goers in Baltimore who prefer chicken can find Maryland's best wings at Kisling Tavern. A photo of a plate of sauce-drenched wings served at Kisling's bar posted on the Wings Subreddit garnered 967 upvotes. It left many drooling and jealous, with one Redditor claiming they were the best wings they had ever had. 

Kislings Tavern

(410) 327-5477

2100 Fleet St, Baltimore, MD 21231

Buff's Pub is considered a beloved neighborhood wing spot, serving up classic crispy wings to Boston area wing lovers for years now. With multiple awards stacking up for its chicken wing execution, some fans are so loyal they've been eating them for a decade now and refuse to go anywhere else. If you want to find the best chicken wings in Massachusetts, you must go to Buff's. 

Buff's Pub

(617) 332-9134

317 Washington St, Newton, MA 02458

Michiganders are lucky to have Detroit Wing Company in the state, which serves up the very best. The eatery has been known for its quality for some time now. Other professional food-related websites as well as food fanatics online have shown love for the option to have all-flat wings in your order, completely drenched in sauce — the way it should be.

Detroit Wing Company

(313) 332-5412

18743 Mack Ave, Detroit, MI 48236,

Minnesota winters are renowned for being long, and as such, there's plenty of time to hang inside. Runyon's is a Minneapolis spot that helps locals get through winters, making what it claims to be addictive Buffalo wings, with a "Best of Minnesota 2025" reader's choice award for some serious clout.

Runyon's

(612) 332-7158

107 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401

In his own search for the best wings in America, YouTube personality Sam Reid landed upon Fairley's Wings during his visit to Elvis Presley's home state of Mississippi. With over 10,000 followers on Facebook supporting the restaurant, it has a 96% recommend rating per 570 reviews. One fan went as far as to have Fairley's wings served at his daughter's wedding reception.

Fairley's Wings & More

(601) 336-9352

631 Main St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Missouri's best chicken wings are made by Wings Etc., with the state's Wingapalooza competition giving them first place twice, and runner-up once. Springfield locals who've expressed love for its wings online appreciate that patrons can choose from eight different flavors in an order of eight wings. This allows wing enthusiasts to try most of the menu in one shot. 

Wings Etc.

417-869-4425

2651 N Glenstone Ave, Springfield, MO

Chicken wings are great when they're gussied up and treated in a high-level, more refined execution for the die-hard foodies out there. At the end of the day, they feel more authentic when served in a local bar devoid of all the pageantry, which is exactly what Desperado Sports Tavern does. Montana's best wings are enjoyed by YouTubers and locals alike there.

Desperado Sports Tavern

(406) 549-9651

3101 S Russell St, Missoula, MT 59801

The American Heartland might not have an original regional wing style, but Everett's in Omaha serves up the best in Nebraska. The eatery has come up before in best-in-the-country lists by out-of-towners, while locals online also get behind the sentiment that Everett's is simply the best. The bar has a cozy vibe to sit and enjoy your hand-sorted wings — after they've been brined for 12 hours and heavily caramelized on the grill. 

Everett's

(402)-237-7820

8807 Maple Street, Omaha, NE 68134

In Vegas, you really can have it all with a side of debauchery. When it comes to Sin City food, however, not everything should be green-lit. Q-Bistro definitely gets a green light for its chicken wings, which are the best in Nevada. The restaurant has an authentic Korean flair, with locals raving over their approach to wings, in addition to blogs and social media mavens getting behind it as the very best. 

Q-Bistro

702-685-9876

3400 S Jones Blvd #12, Las Vegas, NV 89146

With a local ABC affiliate viewer's choice award already under its belt for New Hampshire's best wings — for five years running, as of writing — Stark House Tavern appears to be riding high. This spot defines cozy New England pub vibes, offering 12 different wing flavors to satisfy local patrons. Tucked away in the tiny town of Weare, even YouTuber Sam Reid was willing to journey to Stark House for a taste.

Stark House Tavern

(603) 487-6002

840 S Stark Hwy, Weare, NH 03281

While New Jersey is known for its epic pizza, right up there with New York and New Haven, truly exceptional chicken wings are also on the menu. The best in the state are made at Krug's Tavern in Newark, which makes it easy for residents of the Garden State, as the city is well-traveled and hardly remote. With a recent mention in "Best of NJ" and the famous boxer Jake La Motta's family running Krug's since 1932, this is a killer wing spot to try.

Krug's Tavern

(973) 465-9795

118 Wilson Ave, Newark, NJ 07105

Chicken and waffles are amazing, but sometimes, you want to skip the carbs and just tuck into a basket of piping hot, just-out-of-the-fryer wings. While Frank's Famous Chicken & Waffles is obviously known for its namesake, the restaurant actually makes the best chicken wings in New Mexico bar none. This funky eatery is renowned for its hot Buffalo wings and their texture, in addition to seven other flavors. 

Frank's Famous Chicken & Waffles

(505) 261-9458

400 Washington St SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108,

When it comes to chicken wings, and specifically Buffalo-style wings, where better to find the best of the best than within the city of Buffalo itself? Bar Bill North, on the outskirts of East Buffalo, is an uber-cozy tavern dating back to 1967 with epic chicken wings that do the namesake style justice — and then some. Redditors lust over its flawless execution and plating for dine-in patrons, while TikTok food maverick lukefoods also co-signs on the quality of these wings. 

Bar Bill North

(716) 710-9464

8326 Main St, Williamsville, NY 14221

In a state renowned for pulled pork, perhaps many restaurants in North Carolina may not focus as much on classic pub fare like chicken wings. This isn't the case at Moosehead Grill, who cook up the best wings in the state, in Charlotte. With over 1,600 Google Map reviews averaging out to 4.6 stars, its blackened wings are heavily lauded. Some locals have been frequenting the bar for two decades now, opting for the signature Uncle Donnie's flavor as a top pick.

Moosehead Grill

704-525-4088

1807 Montford Dr, Charlotte, NC 28209

Parrot's Cay comes highly recommended with an impressive 94% positive rating from over 1300 Facebook reviews, and its sauce-slathered wings are the best in North Dakota. Its shark sauce proprietary recipe is so good that many locals online try to reverse engineer it, while others pine over how good the wings are after leaving Grand Forks. Sam Reid mentioned Parrot's Cay in his own search for America's best wings, further adding to the allure of coming here. 

Parrot's Cay

(701) 795-4053

1149 36th Ave S, Grand Forks, ND 58201

Cincinnati locals are lucky to have Wild Mikes at their disposal, where they can find the best chicken wings in Ohio. The eatery doesn't hold back on the sauce, appealing to those who aren't afraid of staining shirts or pants while chowing down. Locals stand by the fact that Wild Mike's are the best game in town, and it has 31 years of experience behind it. The menu includes boneless and traditional wings with a renowned blue cheese dipping sauce to boot. 

Wild Mike's

513-467-9464

7587 Bridgetown Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45248

Wing Supreme is a bold name choice for a chicken wing spot, and thankfully, it lives up to the namesake, delivering supremely delicious wings to OKC locals. Sam Reid of YouTube fame has also chosen Wing Supreme as his top pick for Oklahoma, while local wing enthusiasts on Reddit have affirmed its distinction as the best around. 

Wing Supreme

(405) 493-9560

3921 N Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Portland is such an epic food city; the competition couldn't be any higher with a true artisan spirit driving the city's culinary scene for years now. Since 2005, Fire on the Mountain has been serving PDX residents, and easily hangs with the city's finest, whipping up the best chicken wings in Oregon. Locals especially note its delicious sauces that really push the envelope. 

Fire on the Mountain

(503) 230-9464

1708 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214

Out of all the chicken wing spots in our list of America's best, Odis 12 might have the most impressive and widely varied menu. The number of options on its wing menu is staggering, with flavors like PB Jammin (peanut satay sauce with sweet chili grape drizzles) and Trinity (Buffalo, hot blue cheese, and Cajun parm), indecisive wing fans might have trouble picking something here. 

Odis 12

(814) 452-6347

3702 W 12th St, Erie, PA 16505

In the small and unassuming city of Cranston, Rhode Island, we found the best chicken wings at PJ's Pub. Local foodies on the web have been championing PJ's for years now, and on Google Maps reviews its wings have the highest amount of mentions over any other food item on the menu. 

PJ's Pub

(401) 383-5885

1139 Pontiac Ave, Cranston, RI 02920

Driving for long periods of time to find a standout food spot is a risky proposition, and you have to be sure of your intel. Such was the case for YouTuber Sam Reid, who sought out Local Cue when choosing his own best-in-the-state wings list, and we couldn't agree more. It pops up at the top of best wing threads online, and has a fun board game collection to boot. 

Local Cue

(864) 288-6873

30 Orchard Park Dr Suite 7, Greenville, SC 29615

In case you couldn't tell already, TC Referee is a sports bar and, as it happens, it cooks up the best chicken wings in South Dakota. Serving locals since 1991, it has refined its self-proclaimed famous wing recipe to now encompass eight different flavors with bone-in or boneless options as well. Stellar reviews online combined with pre-internet word-of-mouth, making for an institution of sorts. 

TC Referee

(605) 361-2208

5322 26th St, Sioux Falls, SD 57106

With an infamous BBQ scene and BBQ culture, Memphis has much to offer, just like the rest of the state of Tennessee. As such, honing in on the best chicken wing spot was no easy feat, but Ching's Hot Wings comes out on top as the best in the state. Serving locals since 2003, it can handle both single orders and massive 200-piece orders for your next Christmas party.

Ching's Hot Wings

(901) 743-5545

1264 Getwell Rd, Memphis, TN 38111

The Southern states are hard acts to follow when it comes to anything BBQ-related or BBQ-adjacent, and picking the best chicken wings in Texas requires a lot of research. Dream Wings often comes up in the conversation, with locals affirming that these wings are indeed the stuff that dreams are made of. 

Dream Wings

(713) 878-3731

3451 Ella Blvd, Houston, TX 77018

Perhaps some of our readers are hip to the Scoville scale, which is used to measure the intensity of the heat of hot chili peppers. Scovilles in SLC plays into the hot chicken wing fanfare, espoused by programs like, "Hot Ones." It offers guests a wide spectrum of fiery heat, including boneless wings that are smoked in-house. 

Scovilles

(256) 801-2121

S McClelland St Suite # 101, Salt Lake City, UT 84106

While West Dover and the Valley View Saloon might not be on your radar, it should be if you're a New Englander. This restaurant actually looks like a Western-style old school saloon for a fun theme, but its wings are the real attraction. Heavily sauced up, they entice locals and out-of-towners in equal measure. 

Valley View Saloon

(802) 464-9422

131 Vermont Rte 100, West Dover, VT 05356

Buffalo Wing Factory is essentially just that: with five locations in Northern Virginia, it really churns them out. That being said, the execution, consistency, and quality remain high, with the Sterling location having the highest rating on Google Maps. Its menu is epic, with over a dozen flavorings to choose from and a spectrum of heat levels, too. 

Buffalo Wing Factory

(703) 406-0505

Multiple locations

Serving your chicken wings in a wooden bowl with a gourmet blue cheese sauce and two sticks of celery isn't required for the best wings, but it doesn't hurt. Vindicktive Wings, located in Seattle, sells the best chicken wings in Washington State. Food obsessives online agree, too — a wide range of style options like wet or dry, crazy hot (mango habanero) or zero heat (lemon pepper), help the cause. For inclusiveness, it offers dairy-free and gluten-free sauces as well. 

Vindicktive Wings

2322 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Compared to every other restaurant and tavern in our list of best wings from state to state, Drover's Inn might have one of the most charming dining rooms. Located in Wellsburg, West Virginia, it also serves the very best chicken wings in the state, expertly preparing menu options with names like "Hurt Me," "Suicidal," "Atomic," and "Sweet Hot Oriental" to try to win the arms race of hot wings. If you want to tuck into some epic wings in a frozen-in-time spot, this is it. 

Drover's Inn

(304) 737-0188

1001 Washington Pike, Wellsburg, WV 26070

Like many other locales in our list, some of the names of these establishments are asking for it. Calling yourself legendary is a tall order, but it looks like Legend Larry's, of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has the clout to back it up. It has won over 30 national and international awards for its chicken wing sauces, which can be bought on-site or online. The restaurant dominates wing threads online with upvotes for the best pushing it to the very top, and then food influencers like Sam Reid pile on to the hype train as well. 

Legend Larry's

(920) 453-9672

733 Pennsylvania Ave, Sheboygan, WI 53081

According to online food reviewers and the good folks who post on the Wings Subreddit, Weitzel's Wings, — a.k.a., Double Dubs — come out on top as the best in Wyoming. It is a food truck that sells wings around town, but also sells its proprietary BBQ sauce for which it has won awards.

Weitzel's Wings

(469) 663-5135

2523 Grand Ave, Laramie, WY 82070

If you're curious about how we compiled this list, it encompassed a ton of research to find the winners in each state. We balanced old school establishments that have bar stool scuff marks from the '80s with the new kids on the block, doing things in an updated artisan fashion. We heavily researched online communities that upvoted what they believe are the best wings, looking for a strong consensus via multiple threads. 

In addition, we sought reviews that were not older than one year to ensure accuracy and up-to-date information. We then took this intel and pitted it against Google Maps reviews, blogs, news sites, and other mentions of a restaurant, to further hone in on a consensus. If a wing spot won an award for "best wings," this factored in, too.