Another food article? Ok, I’ll just wing it.
When it comes to chicken wings, you can pretty much find them anywhere. Most bars offer them. Gas stations sell them. The deli at Wally World has them. Chicken wings aren’t a rarity here in the dirty burg, but if we’re talking about where someone can find “the best” in town, that is when people’s ears perk up. Who’s got “the best” chicken wings in the Burg? What factors are we basing this on? Are they breaded or naked? Do you eat your wings with ranch or bleu cheese? What about sauces? (Why are you asking so many questions?) Some local wing spots boast a list of flavors that take up an entire page. Much like the numerous choices of sauces, there are an abundance of places to order wings from here in town. Battle lines have been drawn and allegiances have been made.
Here are a few of my favorite places to get chicken wings in Hattiesburg:
Fairley’s Wings – 631 N. Main St.
Hattiesburg is embracing one of the newer places on the block in downtown. The Oaks Café, Hub City Diner, Mrs. Buttabeans, Morgan’s on Main and Jazmo’s Bodega have all come and gone, and now Fairley’s Wings is attempting to defy the odds. Many of these establishments had hard times trying to meet people’s lunch needs in downtown. Fairley’s started off only opening at night and on certain days of the week (Thursday-Sunday). They have just now started offering lunch. Fairley’s has some amazing sauces from which to choose. I loved the garlic sriracha and the spicy garlic. They also serve their wings with crinkle fries, and I love me some crinkle fries. FW’s is gaining traction as a place to watch football and munch on flavorful wings (and possibly play in a Madden tournament). The place is decorated with local high school team’s jerseys and helmets, as well as college banners.
Keg and Barrel – 1315 Hardy St.
As I may have previously stated, Keg and Barrel has great food. If you haven’t checked out the wings here, you really should. Keg doesn’t really do the drumettes or flats thing. Keg brings you whole wings. That’s right. Whole wings. It’s the best of both worlds. Keg also lets you choose from five different types of sauces. Of all of the places I’m writing about this week, Keg has the least amount of sauces they offer on their wings, but don’t get it twisted. The sauces that K&B has are money. Some of my favorite sauces at Keg and Barrel are the Korean BBQ and the Soy Ginger Glaze.
Murky Waters BBQ – 1605 Hardy St.
Murky Waters is known for great barbecue, and they don’t slouch on their wings either. They smoke their wings and then flash fry them for crispiness. They rock many of the flavors to be expected, but some of their hotter sauces are made with habanero peppers. I went with the Blazin’ Asian sauce and it was pretty spicy. The smokiness of the wings really shines through and they taste amazing. On Wednesdays, MW runs a special on wings, so if you want to check them out on a discount, go try them on hump day.
Winged It – 207 40th Ave.
Winged it is definitely on my list for places to get wings in Hattiesburg. The torch was passed from a place called Coop Deville that used to do pretty good back in the day. Winged It revamped the Coop menu and has been going strong ever since. The amount of sauce flavors is quite impressive. When I say impressive, I mean, the list of sauces is astonishing. So. Many. Flavors. Winged It is a grab and go type of place and doesn’t put off the “let’s hang out here” vibe. I called in my order and chose to kill time at Home Depot. I went with the traditional hot wing flavor and was not disappointed. Winged it seriously brings it and it is no surprise as to why a lot of my friends claim them as their favorite spot for wings.
Places on my radar:
Nellies Chicken and Daiquiris – downtown across from Benny’s Boom Boom Room
American Wings Café – in the Jr. Foot Mart right by campus
Original Wing King – out in the OG near the high school
Did your favorite make the list? Hit me up on Twitter @massivej and let me know some of your favorite restaurants.
