We're here to help. Use this blueprint when you're hankering to chomp into an order of fried or grilled chicken beauties. From Buffalo-style classics to fresh Vietnamese and Indian takes, here are 15 of our favorite wing orders in metro Phoenix.
Angry Mustard Wings
Zesty Zzeeks PizzaMultiple Locations
This place may seem like your typical three-location, strip-mall style pizza joint, and in many ways it is. But when wings are on your brain, you're in for a nice surprise here. Zzeeks offers 18 different wing styles, from a simple salt-and-pepper coating to the borderline-hallucinatory Gunslinger Mega Diablo. A flavor called Angry Mustard is pleasant and unique. It has heat and a tinge of mustardy goodness, its sauce slathered over meaty yet crispy wings and drums. Zzeeks' wings come in increments of 10, 20, and 30. The chain has locations in Ahwatukee, Chandler, and Tempe.
ATL Style Wings
ATL WingsMultiple Locations
If you love chicken wings, ATL Wings should be one of your go-to spots. With 16 locations across metro Phoenix, from Queen Creek to Paradise Valley to Litchfield Park, you should be able to find a spot near you. And if you love a good dry rub, ATL Style should definitely be your order. ATL Style consists of flats and drums (mostly drums in some orders) covered in oil and tossed in a colorful array of herbs and spices. The dryer take gives skin and edges nice crispness. Hot chicken meat is juicy, if not drippy. We recommended the traditional-style wings (bone-in), which come in orders of six to 96.
Honey Hot Wings
Santisi Brothers2710 West Bell Road
These are your quintessential sports bar wings. The Best of Phoenix-winning establishment is home to the "Wide Wall of Sports" — meaning one wall has more than 60 televisions including several 65-inch screens — as well as a wall of wing options. Well, 12 ... but still. And while house specialties like Giovanni's or Dino's barbecue sauce are great, we always come back for the honey hot. Each heavily coated, petite wing has the right amount of sweetness with the right amount of tinge. But be careful — it's very dark and those things can be slippery. Santisi Brothers wings come in orders of 12, 24, or 36.
Casey’s Chipotle Chicken Wings
Casey Moore's Oyster House850 South Ash Avenue, Tempe
The wings at Casey Moore's Oyster House are worth braving the crowds even if you aren’t a regular at this well-loved Tempe eatery and watering hole. Wings come flavored in chipotle, barbecue, teriyaki, or Buffalo — of course — and with your choice of ranch or blue cheese and side of celery and carrots. The wings themselves pack a lot of meat. Go for the chipotle-flavored sauce, smoky with just a little bit of heat. Casey's doesn't skimp on sauce. It's plentiful, but not slopped on too heavily, avoiding the slimy texture that often comes right around wing number eight.
Chili Salt Chicken Wings
Asian Café Express1911 West Main Street, #3, Mesa
Located in a strip mall on the southeast corner of Main Street and Dobson Road in Mesa, Asian Café Express is a fan-favorite lunch spot and Hong Kong-style cafe. If you order the restaurant's Chili Salt Wings, you'll get a small plate of five extra-crispy drumettes, which come with a little spoon you can use to pile on green onions, garlic, spices, and chili oil. The toppings seep into the nooks and crevices of the crackly chicken skin, which crunches away to juicy meat. These Asian-style wings may not be the most traditional route, but they're pretty much a steal.
Golden Wings
Zipps Sports GrillMultiple Locations
Zipps Sports Grill has fourteen locations in metro Phoenix (Ahwatukee, Arrowhead, Arcadia, and elsewhere) The sports bar's standard wing order numbers 10 wings covered in a honey-tinged sauce in either mild or hot, or even extra hot. The hot comes with a hard kick. Each bite brings a mouthful of spice and meat. These babies have been considered an essential appetizer in the Phoenix area. Zipps also offers daily specials so you may be able to get them on the cheap. Pro tip: if you like wings crispy, ask your server for an “extra three minutes."
Hot Vings
The VigMultiple Locations
The Vig has several locations in the Phoenix area, and all serve sweet Thai-style wings. The flavor is a sticky, delicious mess. Sweet-yet-mild sauce comes studded with chili flakes, the tender meat nicely coated. For $11, the grilled appetizer comes with 10 wings. You can go with Thai chili, traditional, or barbecue. Wings come with an ample cup of blue cheese and half a dozen pieces of celery.
Cajun Monkey Wings
Monkey Pants Bar & Grill3223 South Mill Avenue, Tempe
You’ve heard about the karaoke and comedy nights, and probably the 1 a.m. shirtless shots, but have you heard about the awesome Monkey Wings at Monkey Pants in Tempe? Monkey Wings are plump, with a generous ratio of sauce to wing surface area — not dry, not dripping. Flavors include mild, medium, hot, barbecue, Cajun, Mae Ploy, teriyaki, or the signature Spankin’ Monkey Sauce. Cajun is a strong bet. If you're indecisive, you can even mix sauces for an additional $.59. All wings can be grilled or blackened upon request and come in half a dozen or a full dozen.
Our Famous Wing Drumettes
George & Dragon4240 North Central Avenue
A staple of the Valley wing scene, Our Famous Wing Drumettes (informally referred to as “Dragon Wings”) can be found at that well-loved British pub on Central and Glenrosa avenues in Phoenix. The George & Dragon appetizer has changed here and there over the years. Currently, the wings are plump, evenly sauced, and include a good mixture of drums and wings. These traditional pub wings come in mild, medium, hot, or honey Sriracha. They include your choice of double ranch or blue cheese, plus thick cuts of carrots and celery. You’ll get eight or so meaty wings.
Smoked Jalapeno Wings
Long Wong'sMultiple Locations
For some "famous" Arizona wings, Long Wong's is your answer. There are about a dozen locations throughout town, and each one is a little different, but each spot certainly has one common denominator — quality wings. There are plenty of unique wing flavors on the Long Wong's menu, depending where you are, and can include habanero, Arizona chile pepper, horseradish red-hot, smoked jalapeno, and super suicide. But to keep things simple, each one will have a plain hot flavor. And that's not to say they're plain, as the wings themselves are normally fresh, never frozen, and the sauce is flavorful without being too hot (for some). Most places offer increments ranging from an order of six to 100.
Tandoori Wings
Cornish Pasty Co.Multiple Locations
Cornish Pasty Co. has locations in Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Phoenix, and is known for, unsurprisingly, its pasties. But that doesn't mean other menu items don't impress. Wings come in Saucy Parliament and sweet tandoori flavors. The oven-baked chicken tandoori flavor have more of a dry rub than a wet sauce. Blackened edges of each wing are crispy, and meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. The tandoori flavor features a mild kick and a sneaky sweetness. The six wings come with cucumber and tomato slices, and a cup of lemon mint yogurt dip.
Vietnamese Wings
Handlebar Diner5149 South Inspirian Parkway, Mesa
Love pho and other Vietnamese specialties? Try the Vietnamese wings at Handlebar Diner, a ‘50s-style diner in Mesa that opened last year. These meaty wings are brined and double-fried before getting glazed in a sauce of soy, sesame oil, fish oil, brown sugar, honey, rice vinegar, and other ingredients. And then they're sprinkled with sesame seeds and topped with carrot sticks.
Trapp Haus BBQ has the best wings.
Chris Malloy
Philly Crack Wings
Trapp Haus BBQ511 East Roosevelt Street
This Roosevelt Row barbecue restaurant is almost unexpected, but certainly welcome. The narrow dining room and bar call for your butt to sit, and order some beer and barbecue. Owner Phil “the Grill” Johnson calls himself “the Jay-Z of barbecue,” and the soundtrack kind of matches. How many places offer you burnt ends and En Vogue at the same time? A must try at Trapp Haus BBQ? The Philly Crack Wings. Saucy yet somehow crispy, these meaty, smoky wings are simply addictive.
Honey Chipotle Wings
Half Moon Sports GrillMultiple Locations
Half Moon Sports Grill may seem like your typical neighborhood sports bar, and it is, but that doesn’t mean the kitchen is slacking. Half Moon has some pretty dang good bone-in wings. You can get them traditional or grilled style, in flavors like traditional Buffalo, spicy, nuclear, teriyaki, barbecue, honey hot, Korean BBQ, sweet chile, and honey chipotle. While each sounds amazing, we recommend going for that sticky sweet honey chipotle options. Wings are available at both the Biltmore and Chicago-inspired Moon Valley locations.
Valley Sauce Wings
Valley Wings
Multiple Locations
Editor's note: This story was originally published on July 6, 2016. It was updated on July 21, 2022.
