Chicken wings: the ultimate bar food for sports fans, those who want to test the limits of their spice tolerance and people who desire meaty accompaniments to their celery and blue cheese dippers. If you’ve been looking for at least one place to eat chicken wings in Cincinnati, we have provided you with that and more in this saucy poultry round-up.
Knockback Nats 10 W. Seventh St., Downtown Wings are king at Knockback Nats, whether they’re dry-drubbed or tossed in one of Knockback Nats 12 sauces — including their award-winning bourbon-pineapple barbecue and spicy garlic ranch. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Northside Yacht Club 4231 Spring Grove Ave., Northside Northside Yacht Club is a Rock & Roll gastropub that specializes in house-rubbed smoked wings in a range of flavors from classic buffalo and tangy barbecue up to hot habanero garlic. Cauliflower “wings” are available for non-meat-eaters, too, with all the same tasty sauces so you don’t have to miss out on the wing experience. Photo via Facebook.com/NorthsideYachtClub
The Hi-Mark Bar 3229 Riverside Drive, East End Named in honor of the great flood that washed over Cincinnati in 1937, this bar keeps its patrons afloat with a selection of Vietnamese and Mexican-inspired dishes. The bar pours a solid variety of beer, wine and spirits and there’s plenty of seating inside and out. If you’re hungry, try their pulled pork bánh mì made with Eli’s BBQ or chicken wings with gochujang sauce. Fries, salads, creamy tomato bisque and Lang Thang Chili, a Vietnamese style beef stew, are some local favorites. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Mt. Carmel Brewing 4362 Mt. Carmel Tobasco Road, Mt. Carmel This East Side brewery brings offers more than just some crispy cold ones. Folks rave about the drinking establishment’s wings, which are dry-rubbed and smoked and then slathered in five different seasonings of your choosing, including the Pterodactyl, a sweet chili and soy sauce, or the Denzel, a serrano, jalapeno and habanero. Photo via Facebook/MtCarmelBrewing
Oakley Pub & Grill 3924 Isabella Ave., Oakley Oakley Pub serves your choice of bone-in or boneless wings with 10 classic and signature sauces like garlic, Nashville hot and Korean BBQ. Go big with the Blue Plate Special: a bottle of Dom Perignon and 20 wings any way for $275. Photo via Facebook.com/OakleyPubandGrill
Knuk-N-Futz 5468 Taylor Mill Road, Taylor Mill This independently-owned eatery is a Northern Kentucky gem when it comes to top-notch wings, or as they are referred to on the Knuk-N-Futz menu “SchWINGzzz.” Order sizes range from five to 50 wings (or small, medium and large for their boneless variety), and are available in 14 sauces and four dry rubs. Guests can then decide what level of heat they desire ranging from mild to “solar flare.” Photo via Facebook/knuk.futz Photo: facebook/knuk.futz
Wild Mike’s 4498 Harrison Ave., Green Township; 5043 Delhi Pike, Delhi Township; 7587 Bridgetown Road, Miami Heights This chain’s three locations boast a full menu with lots of tasty dishes, but Mike’s raved-about signature wings are always a great option. The wing ordering process is threefold: choose boneless or traditional, flavor and temperature. Can’t decide on one flavor? Try Mike’s Mix for a unique blend of them all. Photo: Wild Mike’s Facebook
The Pony 1346 Main St., Over-the-Rhine This Over-the-Rhine watering hole’s menu ranges from subs and salads to beer cheese and fries, but if you walk into the Pony looking for wings, expect a variety of options that draw on flavors from several cultures, like their Indian-inspired tikka masala and Asian chili or keep it classic with Cajun. For something super hot, opt for Sriracha white pepper. Photo via Facebook/ThePonyOTR
Mr. Gene’s Dog House 3703 Beekman St., Millvale This seasonal favorite — open mid February to October — has been in the business nearly 60 years and is known for its incredible smothered hot dogs and thick milkshakes. But don’t let these two favorites distract you from the delicious wings. Grab five for $6 or 10 for $10. Photo via Facebook/Mr.Gene’sDogHouse
The Oak Tavern 3089 Madison Road, Oakley You can always come for one of the craft beers on tap at Oak Tavern, but most come for the “jumbo” wings, smoked, grilled or even deep-fried with your choice of sauce on the side. Keep it cool with teriyaki garlic or spice it up with their customer favorite BuffalOAK sauce. Photo via Facebook/OakTavernOakley
Mt. Lookout Tavern 3209 Linwood Ave., Mount Lookout This sporty sister bar to the Oak Tavern has been serving Cincinnati for over 40 years. Wings come classic or smoked and you can pair them with sports-centric flavors like Xavier Tangy and Bearcat. Photo via Facebook/MtLookoutTavern
Pontiac BBQ 1403 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine This OTR eatery features a quirky coupling of barbecue and Tiki-style cocktails along with more than 100 bourbon varieties, draft beers and an assortment of popular bottles and cans. Their smoked wings are just $1 each on Sundays. Photo via Facebook/pontiacbbq
O’Bryon’s Bar & Grill 1998 Madison Road, O’Bryonville; 736 Washington Ave., Newport This popular pub has made a name for itself in two Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods; O’Bryonville and Newport. Many folks head to either of the bars for their juicy chicken wings – or their Flying Pig Wings, made with pork shanks. They offer 12 flavors of wing sauce including habanero ranch, honey mustard and buffalo. Photo via Facebook.com/OBryons
Quan Hapa 1331 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine One of the biggest showstoppers at Quan Hapa is their wings, which are half-off on Tuesdays. The Hapa wings feature flavors like honey Sriracha and gochugaru dry rub — they’re everything you expect out of a wing, with an Asian kick. They also offer twice-cooked and battered Korean fried chicken wings, slathered in housemade gochujang sauce. Photo via Facebook/quanhapa
Renegade Grille Listermann Brewing Co., 1621 Dana Ave., Norwood Renegade Grille is located inside of Listermann Brewing Co. in Norwood, so grab a pint and a pound of wings. Choose from 13 different sauces including mild, sweet barbeuce and brutal (which comes with a warning) — or go super hot and ask for them “brewer style.” They also offer a Renegade Wing Challenge for those with stomachs of steel. Photo via Facebook/RenegadeGrille
Arnold’s Bar & Grill 210 E. Eighth St., Downtown A friendly, diverse and historic gin joint, Arnold’s is the city’s oldest bar — in operation since the 1830s. The cheap (strong) drinks and almost daily live music — from Bluegrass and Americana to Jazz — complement the awesome interior courtyard, which used to be a stable and carriage house. But Arnold’s has more to offer than a good drink and neat history. They have arguably one of the most unique wing entrees you’ve ever heard of. “PB&J” wings — brined, seasoned with their house dry rub and tossed in Thai peanut butter sauce, served with a side of bourbon cherry jam. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Americano 545 Race St., Over-the-Rhine This downtown eatery brings more to the table than some damn good burgers. Their wings are simple, yet tasty, bringing in lunch-goers and sports-watchers. Order them in dry rub, barbecue or hot sauce with a side of ranch or bleu cheese. Photo: Facebook/americanoburgerbar
Taft’s Ale House 1429 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Constructed in a renovated church and serving Over-the-Rhine since 2015, Taft’s Ale House has become one of the more notable brew-pubs in the Cincinnati area. One of two Taft’s Brewing Co. locations in Cincinnati, many people find themselves coming for the craft beer and staying for the food — including the wings. Nellie’s smoked wings are beer-brined in Caribbean ale, hickory smoked and served with chipotle mayo. Photo: Jesse Fox
Hometown Heroes 640 Sixth Ave., Dayton In addition to cheap drinks, this bar is known for its great wings (both with bones and boneless), cheese curds, and ooey-gooey fries covered with goetta and queso, plus an outdoor patio. A casual, down-home place for people to meet, greet and dine on some locally lauded wings. Photo via Facebook/HometownHeroes
Haru 628 Vine St., Downtown Haru, Korean for “spring,” is a fine-dining option that offers the same authentic tactics of other eateries, serving banchan (small bowls of appetizers like kimchi and potato salad) before the meal and a wide variety of entrées such as kimchi fried rice, vegetarian-friendly tofu dishes and generously-sized chicken wings — “yangnyum chicken” — that are fried to perfection. To drink, you can try plum tea, soju and Korean beers. Photo via Facebook.com/HaruKoreanRestaurant
Lucky Dog Grille 729 Reading Road, Mason Lucky Dog’s smoked wings will have you wanting to try each and every one of their 17 sauces. The wings are dry rubbed, smoked and then tossed in a brown sugar glaze and served alongside any sauce of your choosing. Pair your beer with one of their many crafts on tap and bring your pet along — the restaurant has an outdoor patio and even a menu for your furry friend. Photo via Facebook/LuckyDogGrille
Goose & Elder 1800 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Located across from historic Findlay Market, Goose & Elder is local chef and restaurateur Jose Salazar’s comfort food eatery. Opened in the summer of 2019, the restaurant is described as “Midcentury grandma,” sourcing colors and patterns that evoke a sense of the 1970s and ’80s. The restaurant offers a menu of American comfort food ranging from traditional dishes to new takes on classics. On Wednesdays, the restaurant offers $1 chicken wings covered in Calabrian Chili sauce with a side of Parmesan dip from 4-7 p.m. Otherwise, they’re $9 per order. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Barleycorn’s 1073 Industrial Road, Cold Spring Head to Northern Kentucky’s Barleycorn’s for their famous DOC-style wings. The eatery takes their traditional wings, dips them in hot sauce and then double fries them for an extra crispy, enhanced flavor. If you’re not feeling the DOC style, you can try one of their 10 other flavors, like sweet Thai or bourbon sauce. Photo via Facebook/Barleycorns
BrewDog 316 Reading Road, Pendleton This Scotland-based brewery has expanded U.S. operations with a massive taproom in Pendleton. It’s the chain’s second-largest bar in America (with additional global spots in 60 countries including Germany, Spain, France and Finland, among others). With two dozen craft beers on tap, BrewDog is a spacious and comfortable spot to grab a craft beer, or something off of their full menu, like BrewDog’s famous “smokin hot wings,” which includes vegan-friendly buffalo cauliflower wings. Photo: Adam Doty
Bones Brothers Wings This Queen City food truck, run by brothers Jim and Bryan, serves up delectable grilled wings with carefully-crafted sauces for excellent eats on the go. The business was established in 2014 and gathered quite the following of fans along the way. They also offer chicken skewers, burritos, nachos and Mom’s Potatoes, fried red potatoes covered in a buttery parmesan sauce. Photo via Facebook/BonesBrothersWings
Fiery Hen 26 W. Court St., Downtown From the team behind Court Street Lobster Bar comes this Southern-style hot chicken eatery featuring Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, burgers, fried green tomatoes, brisket and more, including a moonshine menu and taps with local beer. Try the dry-rub wings by the pound with signature sauces, like Carolina gold and peach habanero, on the side. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Kitty’s Sports Grill 218 W. Third St., Downtown Kitty’s is well-known for being a hot downtown hangout to watch a game — the bar is totally decked out with Bengals and Reds memorabilia. Folks also flock there for their chicken wings. Most people will tell you about the Cajun ranch, their most popular sauce, but their classic flavors like spicy barbecue and buffalo aren’t to be forgotten. Photo via Facebook/KittysSportsGrill