Chicken Wing Guide

First off, to anyone reading this that isn’t from the Buffalo area, when you place your order, it’s Chicken Wings and not Buffalo Wings.  I understand that due to certain chain restaurants, you may be confused due to the “craze” of Buffalo-something going on everywhere.  But in Buffalo, we just call them Chicken Wings.

Making a guide of the best Chicken Wing places in Buffalo is a challenging task.  People have irrational feelings towards wings in Buffalo (one of the dilemmas with a small town); they can love/hate restaurants because of owners or some personal reason and everyone in Buffalo has a slightly different idea of what exactly is a perfect wing.

But I can assure you that these restaurants serve great wings and certainly are probably much better then anything you have had outside of the 716.

• DUFF’S FAMOUS WINGS
• Locations: 3651 Sheridan Drive, Amherst, NY‎ 3090 Orchard Park Road, Orchard Park, NY 550 Dick Road, Depew, NY
• Phone: (716) 834-6234‎ (Amherst)  (716) 674-7212 (Orchard Park) (716) 683-3090 (Depew)
• Official Website: nothing for the Buffalo location, only a Canadian website.
• Hours: Open 7 Days a Week, 11am to midnight, closes earlier on Sunday.
• Buffalo Eats Notes: I had this first on our list before President Barack Obama visited the Depew location (the newest and least impressive visually) and before they beat Anchor Bar (See below) on Travel Channel’s Man vs Food.  Duff’s is probably my number one choice in Buffalo to eat Chicken Wings. Their sauces are top notch and their wings are generally more crispy then anywhere else (without sacrificing their juicy meat).

• ANCHOR BAR
• Location: 1047 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14209
• Phone: (716) 883-1134‎
• Official Website: http://www.anchorbar.com/
• Hours: Mon-Fri 11a-midnight, Sat 12-12, Sun noon-6p
• Buffalo Eats Notes: The original creator of the Chicken Wing, this place has been featured on Travel Channel and Food Network more then any other Buffalo restaurant.  Lately the destination has become almost more popular with tourists then actual locals but that doesn’t mean they still don’t serve a great wing.  It was just ranked #16 on the Top 100 Places to Chowdown in the United States by the Travel Channel.  Also they have Genny Cream Ale on tap!

• GABRIEL’S GATE
• Location: 145 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY
• Phone: (716) 886-0602
• Official Website: http://www.allenstreet.com/gabriel/index.html
• Hours: 7 days a week, Lunch to midnight
• Buffalo Eats Notes: If you are looking to grab some wings at a location that has some history but also is “hidden” to the average tourist, Gabriel’s Gate is a great location.  The building is located in the historic Allentown district of Buffalo and dates back to 1864.  Aside from a really cool building, they have awesome wings! Usually really big in size and cooked to a perfection that can only happen in Buffalo, NY.

• BAR BILL TAVERN
• Location: 185 Main Street, East Aurora, NY
• Phone: (716) 886-0602
• Official Website: http://barbill.com/
• Hours: 7 Days a Week, Lunch to Late at Night.
• Buffalo Eats Notes:  Heading south of the City, you can find yourself in the hidden suburb known as East Aurora.  About 10 minutes East from Ralph Wilson Stadium, this tiny Bar serves a fantastic Chicken Wing and maybe the best BBQ Chicken Wings I’ve ever had.  Normally, I liked to keep it simple and stick to the medium sauce (usually a wonderful combination of butter and Frank’s) but Bar Bill Tavern changed my opinion on the matter.  Go and grab a pint, enjoy the intimate atmosphere of the tavern and try their Beef on Weck too!

• NINE-ELEVEN TAVERN
• Location: 11 Bloomfield Ave
• Phone: (716) 825 – 9939
• Official Website: Nine-Eleven Tavern doesn’t have a website.
• Hours: Tues – Sat 4:30p to close
• Buffalo Eats Notes: We finally made a trip to Nine Eleven this year and were blown away by their chicken wings.  Their hot sauce basically has a cult following, rumor is the owner was offered $10,000 + for the recipe….  Make sure you bring CASH and if you really love the hot suace you can order a Mason Jar of the stuff.

There are probably hundreds of other places you can go to grab a good Chicken Wing in Buffalo, and virtually every Pizzeria has great wings in addition to good pizza.  But I wanted to focus on places that didn’t serve Pizza and where known for just their wings (in the case of Bar Bill their Beef on Weck is also great).  This is a good start to any Chicken Wing newbies out there.  I’ll be adding to this list as I experience more places that deserve to be considered.  Feel free to let me know what I forgot/missing out on in the comments below.