Dallas may not be the first city that comes to mind when you say "wings" — but it should be. We've birthed major wing chains like Wingstop, founded in Garland in 1994, as well as smaller outfits like Wings World and Wing Boss, the delivery spinoff of Dickey's Barbecue. When Bonchon Chicken from Korea wanted to expand to the U.S., where did they pick for their HQ? Dallas.
Wing lovers have it pretty good here, from classics to Korean-style, from bone-in to boneless (which is not even a wing). If variety is the spice of life, then Dallas has it spicy.
In this roundup, we've listed some of the most popular options broken into category. Here's 14 wings worth checking out:
BIGGEST BONELESS
For boneless, we've gone for bang for the buck. Both of these places do hefty portions.
Frankie’s Downtown jumbo boneless wings
Downtown Dallas sports bar with an underground speakeasy offers jumbo boneless wings and a pretty good portion size: 8 to 10 ounces each. Named Best Wings in Dallas by Dallas Observer two years in a row.
Wing Bucket's 12 nuggets
Dallas chain with four locations is known for jumbo size, both bone-in wings and boneless, with good deals like 12 boneless wings in three flavors for $11.29. The three flavor option means you can mix and match from choices like spicy honey garlic or PB&J.
CRISPIEST
If crispy is your benchmark, these places are the ones to try.
Cosmo’s crispy chicken wings
East Dallas bar features primarily Vietnamese dishes from chef Jackson Tran — pho, banh mi — but lots of people come for the crispy chicken wings dusted with a Cajun dry rub. Served with a spicy ginger-soy dipping sauce.
No. 1 Plus Chicken sampler platter
Small Korean fried chicken restaurant in Richardson achieves next-level crispiness by removing extra fat and skin and marinating in spices before frying. A $29 sampler features their four most popular flavors: fried original, yangyum, soy, and garlic.
DRUMS AND FLATS
Which is best, drums or flats? Only one place is famous for having both.
Pluckers
Austin-based chain has become a wing staple in Dallas since it debuted here in 2002 with drums and flats. It's a hot topic of debate as to which is best. Pluckers will let you combine so you can compare yourself. An order of five wings is $9.
DRY RUB
Saucy wings are more popular, but wings with a dry rub have a certain elegance.
Will Call's Recycle Rub
Deep Ellum sports bar pickle-brine its wings for 24 hours then dusts them in a coating. The Recycle Rub steal the show: It's a dry rub made from leftover, finely ground vegetables. 5 wings are $9. There's also a cauliflower option.
MOSTEST BESTEST FLAVORS
All wings places have lots of flavors — it's part of their DNA. These two have something special going on.
Duff's Famous Wings
Small chain from upstate New York has six locations — five in New York and this one outlier in Southlake. The authenticity of their jumbo wings is worth the trip alone. These are no reheat: Take-out orders take 25-30 mins to prepare (and longer during busy times). 6 wings are $9.50.
Wings World
Dallas-based restaurant chain has 33 flavors, perhaps more than any other wing place and some are pretty unique. How about Hawaiian BBQ or oxtail season. An order of 6 wings starts at $10.
HOTTEST
Every wing place brags about how hot their wings are. These two are on fire.
Angry Dog's super hot wings
Deep Ellum staple does super hot wings with an in-house sauce made with habanero, ghost pepper, and Carolina reaper peppers. A plate of 10 wings runs for $15.
Bad Chicken’s buffalo atomic wings
Recently opened wing shop has buffalo atomic wings that are hotter than regular buffalo. When they say hot, they mean super hot. 5 wings are $8.75.
ODD SAUCES
Sauces are a wing staple. Both of these places have offbeat options.
bb.q Chicken Galbi wings
Korean fried chicken chain with 6 locations in DFW has 14 flavors including the Galbi, a sweet and smoky sauce with sesame seeds and green onions; and the cheesling, dusted with a blend of sweet cheeses.
Lord of the Wings spicy elote wings
Online-only wing concept (you order through Instagram and they text you where to pick up) does spicy elote wings, featuring Mexican street corn toppings: queso fresco, cilantro, lime juice, butter, and mayo. 8 wing combo is $16.50.
VEGAN WINGS
Wings are about the sauces and seasonings — making it easy to sub in alternatives for the chicken.
TLC Vegan Cafe's buffalo cauliflower wings
Richardson vegan cafe from award-winning chef Troy Gardner does buffalo cauliflower wings, fried then doused with a buffalo sauce and sprinkled with vegan feta cheese, $16 for an order.
Vegan Vibrationz cauliflower wings
Plano Legacy Hall restaurant known for its vegan version of Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap does vegan cauliflower wings in 3 flavors: original, BBQ, or Buffalo.
