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. 10 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, Spicy BBQ, Garlic Parmesan, House BBQ, Ranch, Bleu Cheese, Herb Vinaigrette or Grand Slam Sauce. They’re also served with a choice of ranch or bleu cheese and celery and carrots.
No. 9 Best Wings: Northside Yacht Club
4231 Spring Grove Ave., Northside
The Wings: Smoked wings or cauliflower wings with the choice between six homemade sauces: Buffalo, Tangy BBQ, Sesame Ginger, Habanero Garlic, Parmesan Garlic and Cilantro Honey Lime.
No. 8 Best Wings: Barleycorn’s
1073 Industrial Road, Cold Spring; 8544 US-42, Florence; 2642 Dixie Highway, Lakeside Park; 402 Licking Pike, Wilder (Brewhouse)
The Wings: Choose between regular bone-in wings or boneless. If you’re feeling bold, you can get your wings “Doc Style” — dipped in Buffalo sauce and double-fried, adding more flavor and crispiness. Wing flavors include Bourbon Sauce, Homemade BBQ, Honey Sriracha, Parmesan Garlic, Spicy Garlic, Mild Buffalo Sauce, Medium Buffalo Sauce and Hot Buffalo Sauce, and wings are served with your choice of ranch or bleu cheese.
No. 7 Best Wings: Dead Low Brewing
5959 Kellogg Ave., California
The Wings: These wings are made from locally sourced chicken that’s marinated for 24 hours and then deep-fried. Pick from 13 sauces and rubs: Parm Garlic, Sweet Thai Chili, Mellow Buffalo, Carolina Dry, Carolina Kick, Chipotle BBQ, Jamaican Jerk Dry, Middie Buffalo, Spicy Garlic, Rozy Red Cajun, Fire on the Mountain, Cincy Fire Dry and Friend of the Devil.
No. 6 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.
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: Rub-A-Dub, Lemon Pepper, Smoky BBQ and Kellz Hell!!!!). Finally, pick your heat from six levels ranging from Mild to Solar Flare.
No. 4 Best Wings: Wings and Rings
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, cauliflower and Southern fried. There are eight “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 five dry rubs (Lemon Pepper, Cajun, Sweet Smokin, Buffalo Bleu and Nashville Hot) and four levels of heat, ranging from Mild to Xtra Hot.
No. 3 Best Wings: Catch-a-Fire Pizza
9290 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash; 511 N. Broadway St., Lebanon; 3044 Harrison Ave., Westwood (in West Side Brewing); 5920 Hamilton Ave., College Hill
The Wings: While Catch-a-Fire’s pizza is awesome, don’t overlook their wings. The wings are wood-fired like the pizza and beer-brined. Rubs and sauces include Cincy Spice Rub, BBQ Sauce, Buffalo Sauce, Garlic Parm Rub and Jerk Dry Rub.
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.
No. 1 Best Wings: Knockback Nat’s
10 W. Seventh St., Downtown
The Wings: Smoked chicken wings that come in servings of 8, 12 or 16. Sauces include: Mild, Medium, Hot, XHot, BBQ, Honey BBQ, Hot BBQ, Bourbon Pineapple and Spicy Garlic Ranch.