Every year, CityBeat publishes the Best Of Cincinnati®, wherein readers and staffers alike pick which bars are the booziest, which people are the coolest and which shops are your best bet for dropping a pretty penny. Whether you’re craving chicken that falls right off the bone, boneless bites packed with flavor or saucy cauliflower substitutes, Cincinnati is a great place to be when those wing cravings strike. From restaurants specializing in wings to breweries with them as standout starters, here are the best places in Cincinnati to get a tasty basket of wings, according to our readers.

No. 5 Outdoor/Patio Dining: Dead Low Brewing 5959 Kellogg Ave., California Photo: facebook.com/DeadLowBrewing
No. 9 Best Wings: Lucius Q 1131 Broadway St., Pendleton The Wings: Pick between a dry rub or Korean BBQ, Mild BBQ, Hot BBQ or Buffalo sauce for these jumbo wings. Photo: facebook.com/luciusq
No. 8 Best Wings: Smoke Justis 302 Court St., Covington The Wings: A pound of wings coated in Smoke Justis’ rub, slow-smoked and flash-fried. Sauce options include Sweet & Spicy, Buffalo, Gold and House BBQ. They’re also served with a choice of ranch or bleu cheese and celery and carrots. Cauliflower wings are also available. Photo: Provided by Smoke Justis
No. 7 Best Wings: Nine Giant 6095 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge (Brewpub); 6111 Ridge Ave., Pleasant Ridge The Wings: Wings are featured as Thursday night specials in varying flavors. Recent specials include Smokey Sambal hot wings, Bacon Pineapple Habanero wings and smoked wings with fresh Fresno Chile Buffalo Sauce. Photo: facebook.com/ninegiant
Northside Yacht Club 4231 Spring Grove Ave., Northside A little bit naughty nautical, a little bit rock ‘n roll, Northside Yacht Club is the perfect, chill spot to kick your feet up with a drink and a plate of something greasy and delicious. The landlocked yacht club serves up classics like sandwiches, burgers, wings and fries, as well as vegan and gluten-free options. They also have an extensive craft cocktail list – including their infamous peanut butter tequila shooter – as well as brunch during the weekend. Photo: facebook.com/NorthsideYachtClub
No. 5 Best Wings: Knuk-N-Futz 5468 Taylor Mill Road, Taylor Mill The Wings: Choose between the “Bonez” or “Bonelezz” wings, then choose a sauce or dry rub (14 sauces, including Sweet Teriyaki, Kajun Garlik Parmezan, Honey BBQ and Spicy Sriracha; and four dry rubs: Kevin’Z Heaven, Buffalo Lemon Pepper; Smoky BBQ and Kellz Hell!!!!). Finally, pick your heat, six levels ranging from Mild to Solar Flare. Photo: facebook/knuk.futz
No. 4 Best Wings: Oak Tavern 3089 Madison Road, Oakley The Wings: Wings are BBQ-rubbed, slow-smoked and grilled or stoked. Sauces include Teriyaki Garlic, Memphis Sweet BBQ, Carolina Gold BBQ, Spicy BBQ, Spicy Garlic, Buffaloak, Spicy Berry and Jamaican Me Crazy. Photo: facebook.com/OakTavernOakley
No. 3 Best Wings: Wings and Rings Multiple locations The Wings: Pick your wing style, flavor and heat to order the perfect customized basket of wings. Wing styles include traditional, smoked traditional, fried boneless, grilled boneless and cauliflower. There are six “Chef Inspired” sauces, including Blueberry Chipotle BBQ, Koren and Ghost Pepper Ranch, as well as eight “Classic” sauces, like Buffalo, Bourbon BBQ, Garlic Parmesan and Lemon Pepper. There are also three dry rubs (Lemon Pepper, Cajun and Nashville Hot) and five levels of heat, ranging from Mild to Atomic. Photo: facebook.com/wingsandrings
No. 2 Best Wings: Wild Mike’s 5043 Delhi Pike, Delhi Township; 7587 Bridgetown Road, Miami Township; 4498 Harrison Ave., Green Township The Wings: Pick between traditional and boneless wings, choose your sauce (seven kinds, including Mike’s Mix, Carolina Gold and Ginger Teriyaki) and finally your heat — five levels ranging from Mild to Stupid Hot. Photo: facebook.com/Wild Mike's Delhi
Knockback Nats 10 W. 7th St., Downtown Come early for this bar’s daily happy hour between 3 and 7 p.m., where you can enjoy a few beers while eating their popular smoked wings and burgers. Enjoy darts, video golf, video bowling and a jukebox for extra fun. Popular menu items include the aforementioned smoked wings, nachos, chicken tenders, quesadillas, waffle fries and the Knockback Burger, with ground beef, cheese, onion, bacon, fried egg, coleslaw, bbq sauce, smoked brisket or pork. Photo via Facebook/KnockbackNats Photo: facebook.com/KnockbackNats

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Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...