There's really no two ways about it: chicken wings are messy.
But man, when they're good, they are so worth it. In fact, eating chicken wings might just be the most fun, messy time you can have while eating a meal. Lucky for all of us wing lovers, Austin is home to no shortage of finger-lickin' good places to chow down. Here are some of our favorite places in Austin to get chicken wings.
Contributed by Arielle Avila
Various Locations
At one time, Tommy Want Wingy was an establishment that claimed to be South Austin's coolest food trailer. These days they're serving up wings at three locations around town, but all food trailers still boast the same delicious made-to-order chicken lollipops and friendly attitude. Their lollipops—aka chicken wings—are available in flavors like Sweet Chile, Ranch on Fire, Garlic Parmesan, and more. Having tried their food numerous times ourselves, we can unequivocally state that we want Tommy Want Wingy.
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photo via instagram
2027 S Lamar Blvd
There's nothing like eating 6 wings all to yourself while watching your favorite team play. CM Smokehouse is located at one of our favorite sports bars in town, Bouldin Acres, where you can also play pickleball *before* stuffing your face with some insanely good BBQ. Their menu makes it hard to choose what to get, but trust us and get the wings that are smoked and fried and then tossed in your favorite sauce. You can choose between BBQ sauce, Buffalo, Garlic Parm, Hot Honey Lemon Pepper, Habanero Garlic, Lemon Pepper, Sweet Chili Sriracha, or White BBQ.
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photo via instagram
1000 E 41st St
If you're looking for wings in just about every possible form, Wingzup will have something for you. You can order their wings multiple different ways: traditional (original or boneless tossed in sauce), country (crunchy southern-style bone-in, battered, with sauce on the side), golden (bone-in, soaked in secret marinade, fried, with sauce on side), grilled, and smoked. If you're more of a tender fan, there are options for those as well: fried, grilled, or country. Oh yeah, and 30 different sauces to choose from, like garlic parmesan, lemon pepper, buffalo, raspberry chipotle bbq, and so many more.
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2525 W Anderson Ln, Suite 135
With four different styles and twelve sauce options, Hi Wings has the Korean chicken wings market cornered. There are wings for carnivores of all preferences here: you can get them naked or battered, tenders or boneless, and always with an optional slathering of sauces ranging from sweet orange to jalapeno mayo.
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5301 Airport Blvd. #100
Turn up the heat with the wing choices offered up at Komè. The Komè wings, available for lunch and dinner, are served with a choice of their dynamite sauce, or salt & pepper.
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photo via instagram
1133 E. 11 St.
Housed at the infamous Nickel City, Delray Cafe serves up some of the best late-night snacks. Their Buffalo-style wings are no exception. The food truck offers mild, hot, lemon pepper, chef's sauce, and Franklin Barbecue options and has also done collabs with local spots like Better Half and Uchiko.
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922 W. 12th St.
This Austin neighborhood staple has been around for over a century, so they’ve had some time to perfect their menu. Their classic white wings are a product of just that. They come wrapped in bacon, covered in jalapenos, and slathered in wing sauce. For the less adventurous, try the equally delicious Buffalo wings or BBQ wings.
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9070 Research Blvd.
Serving up Vietnamese street food since 2013, Le Bleu has made a name for itself for their Banh Mis and Pho. Little do most people know that this spot also offers some of the best wings in the city. They’re served crispy with a side of passionfruit garlic-chili sauce (make sure to ask for a little extra!)
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2108 S. Lamar Blvd.
Another go-to pick if you’re wanting to spice things up is Black Sheep Lodge’s wings. The eight wings come served on a bed of coleslaw and with a side of bleu cheese dressing. A milder version of these is available, but if you can take the heat, definitely stick to the original.
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photo via facebook
6619 Airport Blvd
For something completely different, turn to Arpeggio Grill, a restaurant in North Austin that specializes in Mediterranean and Greek cuisine. The grill offers a mix of classic Mediterranean fares like gyros, but also veers to the nontraditional with items like burgers, pizza, and wings on the menu. Their wing varietals include nuclear honey teriyaki, spicy barbecue, garlic parmesan, and more.
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404 E. 6th St.
1523 Tinnin Ford Rd
This local dive bar gem is known for its signature drinks and burgers, but they also have a selection of spicy wings available. Their Buffalo style wings come in spice levels mild, hot, really hot, or porno hot, and their Honey Jalapeno Wings add some sweetness to offset all the spice. Their Cajun Parmesan Wings are another solid choice, adding southern flair to a classic.
Photo Credit: Pluckers
Various Locations
Pluckers offers more than just chicken wings, but the wings are undoubtedly the star of the show. If Pluckers were a rock and roll band, their chicken wings would be their "Freebird." This analogy actually works on a couple of levels and consequently must be true. Anyway, Pluckers has a startling amount of sauces available for their wings - over 20, in fact. With that level of mouth-watering choices available, their slogan "If you don't like our wings, we'll give you the bird" makes perfect sense.
Various Locations
We'll admit, Chi'Lantro is a bit of a non-traditional choice when it comes to picking one's favorite chicken wings in Austin. But we believe that a little variety is a good thing when it comes to eating habits. After all, variety is said to be the spice of life, and Chi'Lantro uses some delectable spices on their chicken wings. Their Korean Fried Chicken Wings come with a choice of Gangnam Sauce, Honey Butter, or Rooster Sauce; complimentary spicy ranch and pickles upon request. These wings may soon even surpass Chi'Lantro's Kimchi Fries as the restaurant's most famous menu item.
Photo Credit: Green Mesquite
1400 Barton Springs Rd.
9900 S I-35
Though Green Mesquite is rightly known for its brisket, sausage, ribs, and everything else that springs to mind when you think of the word "barbecue," their secret weapon is their chicken wings. This is not only because of their amazing smoked-to-perfection taste, but also because they're one of the best deals (and best-kept secrets) in town.
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MORE GREAT PLACES FOR CHICKEN WINGS IN AUSTIN:
1410 E 6th St
Various Locations
6507 Circle S Rd
Lavaca Street BarVarious Locations
3501 E. 7th St.
2529 S Lamar Blvd
2538 Elmont Dr
5700 Menchaca Rd
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