The Best Chicken Wings In Austin

Most people probably know Delray Cafe as “that little food truck outside of Nickel City,” and while it’s technically correct, it’s really not giving enough credit to the folks slinging some of our favorite sliders and wings in town. The wing menu only leaves you with a few options—buffalo mild, buffalo hot, barbecue, and lemon pepper—but our not-very-scientific poll of five friends told us that roughly four out of five people would have ordered one of those flavors anyway. Wings here are sold by the pound—if, like us, you’re not much of a chicken mathematician, that’s about six wings per pound. At Delray, they’re not trying to do anything fancy. Just simple wings, done well.

Tucked in a strip mall next to the Hancock H-E-B, Wingzup looks kind of like a generic sports bar from the outside. Finding wings here isn’t much of a surprise, but finding out how well they do them sure is. The sauce and dry rub menu reminded us a bit of Austin wing mini-chain Pluckers—with similar flavors displayed on a color-coded, sliding scale of spice. But the wings here come in six different styles—original, grilled, smoked, golden (marinated then fried), country (battered then fried), and boneless (if you even consider those wings). We usually go with the original, grilled, or smoked, but you can mix and match styles and flavors for just a few extra dollars.

The sinigang wings at this great Filipino restaurant regularly flit in and out of our dreams. They’re perfectly fried, then tossed in a caramelized tamarind fish-sauce glaze that’s sticky and a little sweet. The small dusting of siningang powder adds a tart finish to each bite. Squeeze some burnt calamansi over the top and you have a nearly perfect piece of poultry. 

The wings at Tommy Want Wingy have developed an almost cult-like following in Austin, with people clamoring for their distinct, frenched chicken wings. There’s no debate about flats vs. drums here—all the wings start as a drumette before being cleaned into a lollipop-like shape with a little bone handle. It makes them easy to eat, which probably comes in handy when you’ve got the munchies after a long night out. There are two locations: one at Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden, the other at Barton Springs Saloon on South Lamar.

We never understood the hype around Old Bay seasoning until the first time we tried Old Bay wings—a Baltimore classic—and realized just how well chicken pairs with the celery-salt-heavy spice blend. The Marylander’s wings come in three varieties that share the same signature base, plus either butter, honey, or buffalo sauce. We like the honey variety—they’re tender inside, crispy to the bite, and coated in a sticky glaze that complements the hint of spice. 

We’d make a trip to Lao’d Bar for the wings alone, particularly the ones tossed in caramel fish sauce with crab fat. They’re savory, a little sweet, and perfectly fried with tender meat and a crispy finish. Throw in an order of coconut escolar ceviche and lahb to round out a meal here, but just know that chicken is the star of the show. 

There’s an element of surprise when you order wings at The Potluck, a 24/7 trailer in South Austin serving wings, po’boys, and fries. The wings are huge, with a very fine breading that adds a little extra crunch. While a few of the options like “pineapple sunrise” or “supreme sriracha” give hints about the flavors, most of the wings have names like “hot girl” or “star dust” with emoji descriptors that only offer a vague indicator. Our favorite is the “loose cannon,” topped with a thick dusting of (probably) cajun and ranch seasonings. If you’re OK with just a little mystery, tell them what you like—spice level, and wet or dry—then sit back and enjoy a surprise at any hour of the day. 

Hi Wings makes some of the best intensely crispy Korean fried chicken wings in town. The menu is, as you could probably guess, all about chicken. You can get whole chickens, thighs, drumsticks, tenders, and, of course, wings. The wings come naked or battered, but you’re definitely going to want to try the latter here if you’re going for ultra-crispy. Our favorites are the honey garlic parmesan and the sweet-and-spicy, but there are over a dozen sauces and dry rubs to choose from.

The oak-smoked wings at the barbecue spot Stiles Switch are flash-fried and then tossed in one of their sauces—either Alabama white, buffalo, or honey barbecue. These used to be a special only available on Sundays—to go with pro football games. And that’s exactly what they’re aiming to be: classic sports bar-style wings, with the requisite ranch for dipping and some celery sticks for good measure. Lucky for you though, because these wings are now available six days a week.

In a lot of ways, The Cavalier is the perfect neighborhood pub, with plenty of parking, cheap drinks, and, perhaps most importantly, excellent wings. The wings at Cavalier are some of the biggest we’ve encountered, and with some fun sauces like Twisted Tea BBQ and Jamaican Jerk, you can keep coming back to work your way through them all. We usually end up with the Korean BBQ—they’re sweet and sticky in all the right ways, with nice crispy edges that make them almost fun to eat.

The jerk chicken wings at Winston’s, a Jamaican trailer in South Austin, have quickly made their way into our monthly rotation. They’re smoky and tender inside with bits of char on the skin. These wings are a little more focused on flavor and tenderness than ultra-crispy skin, but when they’re coated in an intense layer of spicy jerk seasoning like this, that’s a compromise we’re willing to make. They’re also priced by the wing, so you can make a full meal out of them, or just order a couple to accompany your oxtails.  

There’s a good chance you’re already familiar with the wings at the Tavern. Their signature “white wings” are of the boneless variety—bacon-wrapped and jalapeño-stuffed—but this isn’t a boneless wing guide (so we can only say unofficially that these should be part of your order as well). Fortunately, their classic wings are just as good—juicy on the inside with a crispy, almost-charred exterior tossed in everything from lemon pepper to ghost pepper. They’ve also got over 30 TVs inside, making this a great spot to come and watch some sports to accompany your wings.

The wings at Hold Out Brewing are brined and fried, then tossed in one of three seasonings—house buffalo, lemon pepper garlic cotija, or our favorite, the Thai PB&J. It’s basically a Thai-style satay wing with peanut sauce and chili jam—it’s spicy, a little sweet, and it’s one of the most unique combinations of flavors we’ve come across in our chicken wing research. Whatever you decide, you can get it with a side of miso ranch that adds a little savory punch to an already great dip. 

The chicken wings at CM Smokehouse spend some time on the smoker, followed by a quick dip in the fryer before getting tossed in one of their sauces (we like the sweet chili sriracha), resulting in some large wings that are really tender with a crispy outside. And if chicken wings aren’t really your thing (first off, why are you reading this?), they’ve also got smoked cauliflower and baby back rib “wings.”

Sazan is primarily a ramen restaurant, but you’d be doing yourself a great disservice if you didn’t also order their “indomitable” chicken wings. The wings are fried and then seasoned with a salty, spicy, and umami-laden curry rub—with the crispy skin reminiscent of a Dorito. We wish there were indomitable wing-flavored Doritos, but we’ll just stick with the wings, for now.