Whether restaurants serve them as a shareable board for game night or as a humble pub bite, chicken wings are a constant on menus from coast to coast. All you have to do is decide your preference-will it be deep-fried and tossed with a sticky Asian glaze, or smoky, with a side of Alabama white sauce? Everyone loves to enjoy America’s iconic finger food their own way, and we searched the entire country to find the best of the bunch in each state.
New Hampshire: chicken wings, Wing-Itz, Dover, Hampton, and Newmarket
Slicing its wings by hand every day out of a block of quality chicken, Cool Spot’s Wing-Itz takes some serious pride in its “wing butchery.” It also touts 30 proprietary rubs and sauces from tamer options all the way up to super-duper hot varieties. Regulars prefer its Sweet Sin, which is bold in the taste and spice categories - and comes with a blue cheese or ranch dressing to round things out. You can visit locations in Hampton, Dover and Newmarket.
New York: World Famous Wings, Anchor Bar, Buffalo
To get a true taste of winged history, you cannot miss a visit to the place where the Buffalo wing was born: Anchor Bar. Originally opened in 1964, Anchor Bar is the very place that claims to have concocted the sticky, spicy delight. The juicy, tender wings served there still go through the same recipe and are accompanied by a variety of sauces from mild (and smoky) chipotle BBQ to seriously, “extreme heat.” Although Anchor Bar has branched out and established itself in several other states, nothing beats heading out to the original in Buffalo where it all started.
Michigan: Gucci Gang wings, Side Biscuit, Ann Arbor
Side Biscuit, the in-demand Ann Arbor eatery, attracts locals who’ll have the gigantic wing plates, no questions asked. Sauce flavors range from gochujang Korean Caesar to Buffalo, but Gucci Gang-the name says it all, with a sweetly spicy gochujang sauce and a cup of kimchi made in-house-is your best bet. And naturally, given the joint's name, ordering a biscuit is a requirement.
Kansas: Buffalo chicken wings, The Peanut, various locations
For an authentic dive-style sport’s bar experience with some killer wings, check out the six The Peanut locations scattered throughout Kansas. They slow cook the wings (at least 20 minutes) because the wings are freshly prepared on a order basis but if you have a little patience you’ll enjoy fall off the bone delicious wings perfectly seasoned and crispy, crispy as in some like their “sticky,” but we don’t argue it is the truth.
Montana: Sissy Sauce wings, Desperado Sports Tavern, Missoula
Desperado Sports Tavern the Award-winning Desperado Sports Tavern fries their wings and then coats them in their special house-made sauces. Their best-seller, Sissy Sauce, is mild and sweet and can even come extra crispy. You also can ask them to throw a sports bar into the mix. According to their most avid fans, they sell the best wings in town and are the best spot in the house to watch a game.
West Virginia: wings, The Bucket, Dunbar
Cheap wings and even cheaper beers? You’ll find that at The Bucket, a sports bar that embodies this spirit. For $150, you can score a mountainous share platter of 100 wings—perfect for groups—fried and smoked, and accompanied by a couple of delicious dipping sauces like Carolina Reaper, Buffalo ranch, and spicy honey. Make sure to slather those wings with the restaurant's popular house-made ranch for the ultimate flavor experience.
Delaware: Pineapple Express wings, Crooked Hammock Brewery, Lewes, Middletown, and North Myrtle Beach
The Crooked Hammock Brewery is a chic watering hole that offers a delightfully different chicken wing experience. This atmospheric watering hole, featuring an extensive beer list, makes a wonderfully unique kind of chicken wing. The Pineapple Express, which comes slow-cooked and battered with coconut breading, arrives served in a flavorful pineapple and jalapeño sauce. It's no surprise that locals rave about it, describing it as to die for. The menu also caters to traditionalist wing-eaters, providing plenty of classic flavors to enjoy.
Maine: Buffalo wings, The Great Lost Bear, Portland
Portland’s The Great Lost Bear also offers some of the more playful flavors of wings - like Thai and PB&J - but if you're not feeling so adventurous, classic buffalo guarantees to please the crowd. The wings here come whole (rather than chopped at the joint) and are crispy with a sweet, subtly spicy sauce. They arrive in gigantic portions with a side of blue cheese dressing. Vegetarians don't miss out; they serve amazing buffalo cauliflower wings too.
FAQ's
1. Which U.S. state is considered the birthplace of the chicken wing?
New York holds the undisputed title. The modern chicken wing was invented in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, when co-owner Teressa Bellissimo flash-fried chicken wings and tossed them in a cayenne pepper hot sauce.
2. What is "Dirt Style" and which state is famous for it?
"Dirt Style" wings are the pride of Connecticut, popularized by spots like J. Timothy’s Taverne in Plainville. The wings are fried, sauced, thrown back into the fryer to let the sugars caramelize and char slightly, and then sauced a second time for maximum flavor density.
3. Which wing style or flavor dominates the United States?
While regional favorites exist—like Georgia’s obsession with Lemon Pepper—classic Buffalo (Hot) remains the most frequently ordered wing flavor across the vast majority of U.S. states. Additionally, traditional bone-in wings consistently outsell boneless variations nationwide.
4. What are some unique regional cooking methods found across the country?
Wing preparation varies wildly by region. In California, spots like San Tung in San Francisco are famous for Chinese-style dry-fried wings battered with garlic, ginger, and peppers. Meanwhile, in Southern and Midwestern states like Illinois, pitmasters opt to smoke the wings over wood chips (like applewood) before finishing them on a flame grill for a deep, smoky crunch.
5. How are the "best" wing spots typically determined in national rankings?
Major culinary publications, travel sites, and food apps (like Yelp, LoveFood, and Food & Wine) rank the best spots by tracking a combination of regional awards, historic legacy, and high density of positive user reviews focusing specifically on crunch, sauce-to-meat ratio, and texture consistency.
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