Wingaddicts BLOG
When we started Wingaddicts back in 2020, we made the decision not to put “ratings” on chicken wings à la Dave Portnoy (and all his imitators), but instead to highlight restaurants and their commitment to the wing game.
But people love lists.
So instead of a “best of” list compiled on a computer by AI, I figured it was time to unleash history’s only genuine “best of” list from somebody who has actually eaten all the wings. What a concept.
My boys Doni, Ryan and I have eaten 1,150 different flavors of wings from nearly 500 different restaurants and I’ve personally eaten good old fashioned Buffalo wings from 217 wing spots in Connecticut. Was it tough to narrow it down to ten? Not really. Tough to rank my top ten? Impossible. So here are my faves in alphabetical order. Sorry. Haha.
Disclaimer: Before you start whining about the omission of some of CT’s best wing joints (ie Dew Drop, Groggy Frogg, TK’s, OJoe's etc), when I visit those Hall of Fame spots I never order simple Buffalo wings. Too many amazing flavors on those menus!)
Here’s my personal Top 10 Best Buffalo Wings in Connecticut:
Fittingly, Archie Moore's starts with “A” so comes up first on this list. I say fittingly, because Archie’s is the OG of chicken wings in the state. Bob Fuchs was the first to serve wings when he opened the original New Haven location in 1982. He was a visionary, and his Buffalo wing recipe has stood the test of time. There are five Archie Moore's locations around the state and I’ve eaten the Buffalo wings there more than a dozen times over the years. Always perfect. You can also find it bottled in the grocery store. The wings themselves, oil fried from fresh, also perfect.
Unlike Archie’s, Blind Rhino is a relative newcomer to the wing scene. Owners Casey Dohme, Matt Koch and Jamie Pantenella opened their first restaurant in South Norwalk in 2016 and have since opened up two more Rhinos in Black Rock and Milford. They offer a great flavor selection, but their proprietary Buffalo sauce is to live for. They’ve won dozens of awards for their “Spicy Buffalo” at local and national competitions including the BIG ONE, the National Buffalo Wing Festival. As near to perfection as you’ll ever find. Go next level and order Cherry Pepper Buffalo for dessert. Oh, mommy!
Corner Tavern is a lesser known wing destination, but not for the locals of Naugatuck. Opened as Behlman’s Tavern in 1911, it’s the first bar in Connecticut history to serve cold draft beer. Tara Mirto took over the bar in 2012 and serves four wing flavors, cooked from fresh in the fryer. This Buffalo wing is insanely good and, while I’m not normally a dipper, the house made blue cheese here is also among the best in the state.
John Acanfora took over this local institution in 2001, named it Hard Hat in honor of the construction workers that built up the town of North Haven. As legend has it, an Alaskan fisherman (nickname, Doob) started talking about these crazy wings he had eaten that were oil fried, sauced and then crisped back up on a charcoal grill. These “Doob Style” wings were added to the menu and have become the bar’s calling card. Additional locations have since opened in Wallingford and Durham, all (of course) offering those Doob-style Buffalo wings. Professional tip: ask for them to be sauced a second time after the grilling or just grab a side of Buffalo.
Ideal Tavern opened its doors Southington in 2016, almost directly across the street from one of the Top 5 best wing joints in the entire state, Groggy Frogg. Phil Parise took it over in 2024 and while this newer-age gastropub has never really been considered a “wing joint,” he upped the game. Ideal also puts a light dredge on their wings (normally a no-no for me). So how did they make this list? We blind judged three wing competitions where Ideal had entered its Buffalo wing. Three big trophies later, it’s officially confirmed. This Buffalo wing is a must-try for any wing lover. Definitely one of my “10 Best."
There isn’t a more famous wing joint in all of CT. J Tim’s, in Plainville, is literally world famous for it’s Dirt-style Buffalo wings, which are oil fried from fresh, sauced, and fried and sauced a second time. They’re served in a bucket at your table (or to go) and also available in bottles online or at local supermarkets. There isn’t a restaurant in Connecticut that sells more wings than J.Tim’s. And they’ve been nothing short of perfect every time I’ve ordered them. These wings make everybody's Top 10 list.
Less than a mile away from arguably the best wing spot in Connecticut (Dew Drop Inn), Porky’s is a roll up your sleeves local dive bar that has been serving up Buffalo wings since Paul Piccirillo and Mark "Porky" Anderson opened the doors in 1987 on Center Street in Shelton. There aren’t a lot of flavor choices on that menu, but you don’t need a menu. Buffalo wings are the specialty of the house at Porky’s. Always consistent. Always perfect. This is what Buffalo wings look like in the dictionary. (If dictionaries still existed). Haha.
On the shoreline in Old Saybrook sits this little dive bar attached to a takeout spot named Jack Rabbit's, both owned by chef and restauranteur Jack Flaws. There isn’t a huge wing flavor selection (I’ve eaten them all), but this Buffalo wing entry is unique and excellent. Excellent because it's a house-made recipe slathered over perfectly cooked wings. Unique because you can your wings in “movie-style ratings” (G, PG, R, and XXX). We had the “R” rated and then moved right up to the “XXX.” Both were excellent. Rabbit Hole has been voted Best Wings in Middlesex County for about 14 years in a row. Believe the hype.
Another of Connecticut’s early wing adopters, Sliders opened its doors in Plainville (literally three tenths of a mile from J.Timothy’s) in 1993. Owner Fred Marcantonio didn’t have wings on his mind when he opened this sports bar on New Britain Avenue, and actually got his sauce recipe from his insurance agent only days before the grand opening. Well it stuck. Sliders hot Buffalo sauce is probably in my Top 3. And you can get it in a bottle. Today, Sliders is famous state-wide for its wing game with four additional locations now in Southington, Wallingford, Middletown and Berlin.
Like with Ideal Tavern (above), Wing it On breaks some of my personal rules when it comes to rating great wing spots. It’s a takeout joint. It’s not a bar. It's a franchise. But oh man, are these Buffalo wings near perfection. Local Waterbury kid, Matt Ensero (not a kid anymore) couldn’t find a wing joint close enough to his house where he could order wings on football game day. So he left the furniture business and opened his own on Frost Rd on the East End of Waterbury in 2011. Customers flocked in, frequently asking if WiO was a franchise. Well, today it is. WiO has won the Big trophy for Best Buffalo Wings three years running at the National Buffalo Wing Festival. Rumor has it, they know about Buffalo wings in Buffalo. Today, there are dozens of WiO locations nationwide. I can’t speak for all of them, but the OG spot in Waterbury puts out Buffalo wings that make my Top 10. Full stop.
So there you have it. THE most legit Top 10 list ever created. Are there other great Buffalo wings in CT that didn't make this list? OF COURSE! I’ve eaten over 200! But these are 100% my most-memorable. And when I go to these restaurants, I might opt for a different wing flavor, but I’ll always be ordering their Buffalo wings. Every single time.
Who did I miss? Who makes your list that I didn’t mention? I’d love to have that dialog. My email is tommy@wingaddicts.com And I love to talk wings. And of course I have four or five that "just missed" the cut. Maybe I should have done a top 20?!
* This list is my own personal list. My partners Doni and Ryan may have different opinions. Wink.
________________
Tommy Wyatt is co-founder of Wingaddicts and author of this “Under the Wingfluence" blog. He can be reached directly by email at tommy@wingaddicts.com
Join Facebook’s largest private group of wing enthusiasts "Wingaddicts Community" , check out nearly 500 YouTube videos and shorts, and follow them on all social media platforms @wingaddicts. Also, don't forget to download the most-inclusive chicken wing app in the world, for FREE in your app store or by clicking this link!
/wingaddicts/images/wingaddicts_finalTM_Logo-q080b.png "wingaddicts Logo TM"){kind=logo}
/wingaddicts/Wingaddicts_cartoons-z18e6.png "Wingaddicts cartoons")
/wingaddicts/WingaddictsAppPic_1.png "wingaddicts App")
/wingaddicts/images/BlogLogo-2.png)