Where to get just about every kind of Super Bowl wing in Hampton Roads
The Super Bowl is like the, uh, Super Bowl for chicken wings — the day America strips its bones.
Each year, the National Chicken Council spits out statistics that take the form of math-teacher poetry. We will eat enough chicken wings that day, they say, to circle Earth three times. Enough to travel 19 times between Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
And during a pandemic that has turned us into a nation of couch-bound stress eaters, the takeout numbers might be bigger than ever this year: an estimated 1.42 billion wings.
Recent evidence backs this up. Though restaurants suffered one of their worst years in recent memory, our nationwide wing haul only accelerated last year. Forget GameStop: Wingstop stock is soaring. (And so is the price of wings, as suppliers tap their inventories.)
The buffalo wing reigns supreme, of course — the Anchor Bar innovation of butter and Frank’s Red Hot that took drums and flats nationwide. But this year, with your home Super Bowl spread likely culled to a party of five or fewer, you might also want to take the opportunity to diversify your wing portfolio.
We’ve taken the liberty of compiling a shortlist of our favorite local wing spots that’ll be serving during the Super Bowl. We didn’t limit ourselves to the basic hot wing, instead branching out to smoked and Korean and tandoori, an all-American rainbow of wing.
Some of our favorites will be closed Sunday, like the splendid Ghanaian-spiced chicken and turkey wings at Yendidi in Norfolk, which should still be a treat for another time. And so should the sweet-sour Filipino-style wings served off and on at Maymar Poke and Grill on 130 Maple Ave. in Norfolk.
Other favorites, like Dave’s BBQ in Virginia Beach, had already nearly exhausted their stores of special-order smoked wings by days before press time — citing, in part, increased wing prices as demand went nuclear.
And if you just wanted some basic Southern-fried chicken, we’ll leave that to you: You know where to find Moseberth’s, Pollard’s, Chick A Sea, and Feather and Fin.
But if you want heat, sauce, smoke or off-track spice, here’s where to go to get some excellent wings. Just be prepared to wait for them: Wherever you go, they’ll be busy.
The classics
Lendy’s Raw Bar and Grill
1581 General Booth Blvd., Suite 101, Virginia Beach, 757-491-3511, lendysvabeach.com. Open till 9 p.m. Sunday
On Super Bowl Sunday in southerly Virginia Beach, Lendy’s is ground zero for the wing explosion. The restaurant churns out as many as out 50 dozen wings every 15 minutes, and often parks a cooler truck out front to handle the extra inventory they need to keep up with demand. Well, there’s a reason: Lendy’s is a palace of good sauces and startling consistency; indeed, it was our favorite classic buffalo wing in the region in a taste test two years ago. It’s a high-volume wing spot where the “skin is always just at the edge of crisp, and the meat just the right side of tender.”
The Dirty Buffalo
4012 Colley Ave, Norfolk, 757-226-7851; 4213 E. Little Creek Road Norfolk, 757-321-7242; 2080 S. Independence Blvd., Virginia Beach, 757-937-1171. Order online for pickup at thedirtybuffalo.com. Open till 10 p.m.
Founded nine years ago as the hot-wing fever dream of upstate New York native Russell Gilbert, local mini-chain The Dirty Buffalo makes buffalo sauces so good they win prizes in Buffalo, against wings from Buffalo. And if you want a classic-sauced hot wing, from a kitchen dialed in to handle the massive volume of game day, this is one of the easiest decisions you’ll make all week. While sauces come in a panoply of styles from “margarita” to sriracha, perhaps the most perfect we’ve tried is the earthy-hot-vinegary Cajun Buffalo.
The Brickhouse Tavern
141 Herman Melville Ave., Newport News, 757-223-9531; 755 Scotland St., Williamsburg, 757-345-6060, brickhouse-tavern.com. Open till 10 p.m.
If you’re calling the Brickhouse, ask for Jose. Specifically, ask for their Jose Charred wings, a grill-kissed take on wing mixing barbecue and jalapeno for a sweet-hot kick. Though the Brickhouse is ostensibly a pizza spot, it’s arguably those wings that have done to most to make Brickhouse famous on the Peninsula. That said, this is one spot that won’t make you choose between the two game-day staples.
J & K Style Grill
6557 College Park Square, Virginia Beach, 757-965-4783, jandkstylegrill.com. Open till 6 p.m.
The Dooleys have a habit of winning blind-judged wing trophies at the annual War of the Wings festival in these parts — and they won the all-round prize the last time the competition was held in 2019. Smart people have already ordered their game-day catering in advance — with ordering available till Friday — but the restaurant is also opening its takeout kitchen specially for game day, until 6 p.m. J & K is known for their madcap stuffed wings, sure, and they definitely have some hot wings. But for Super Bowl-style consumption, might I suggest the Georgia Red? It’s a masterwork of a sweet sauce, just a little kick to let you know its there, lightly sweet but never syrupy or cloying.
My Mama’s Kitchen
7943 Shore Drive, Norfolk, 757-233-0433, facebook.com/MyMamasKitchen. Technically closed, but the chef’s in the kitchen. Call or message on Facebook for wings.
In Ocean View, Moe Stevenson makes some of the best wings you’re likely to find anywhere near — tender, crispy, lightly charred, meaty, and doused in sauces that are both complex and deeply personal. But it’s a small restaurant, so if you want wings on Super Bowl Sunday, the smartest move is always pre-order. But a lucky few stragglers will still be able to pick up wings to order. Try early if you’re hankering.
The Crispy Hot Wing
Captain Groovy’s
8101 Shore Drive, Norfolk, 757-965-4667, captaingroovys.com. Open till 8 p.m.
Captain Groovy’s wings are a hybrid between buffalo and Southern-fried, soaked in buttermilk and seasoned flour, then double-fired for crispness. The mix of brown sugar sweetness and vinegared chili sauce makes the wings almost taste like Yu-Shiang Chinese sweet and sour.
WingsWay
4239 Holland Road, Virginia Beach, 757-228-3800, wingswayva.com. Open till 6:30 p.m.
The beauteously crisp buffalo wings are both tender and crispy, a Korean-made take on American southern, with a world of sauces. The Chos marinate their wings for 24 hours before cooking, then coat the drums and flats, fried fresh each time in an ever-so light dusting of flour. Order in advance: it’s a small shop, and freshness takes time.
Smoked
Bubba N Frank’s Smokehouse BBQ
15149 Carrollton Blvd., Carrollton, 757-238-2148; 299 Floyd Thompson Blvd., Hampton, 757-788-7060; 5405 Portsmouth Blvd., Portsmouth, 757-337-0359; 1920 Centerville Turnpike, Virginia Beach, 757-904-7956; bubbanfranks.com. Open till 8:30 p.m.
The many locations of local chain Bubba’s — which suffered the loss of co-founder Richard Franklin “Bubba” Christian last November — has always done very well with items you least expect from a barbecue spot, whether smoked burgers or their blessedly meaty wings. Order in advance online, and pick up their sweet-smoky, grill-charred Meega wings for a wealth of tender, chonky-thicc drums and flats.
Hank’s Filling Station
4301 Colley Ave., Norfolk, 757-351-3941, ghenteats.com. Open till 10 p.m.
Norfolk spot Hank’s might not bill itself as a barbecue spot, but they take their backyard vibe very seriously with a selection of meats smoked out back — and among them, the wings reign supreme. In specific, pick up some juicy, meaty Burn Out wings with a mix of cayenne heat, molasses sweetness and a charcoal edge. Dear lord, they’re some of the downright juiciest wings around.
Smoke BBQ
10900 Warwick Blvd., Newport News, 757-595-4320, smokenn.com. Open till 8 p.m.
In Newport News, Smoke BBQ turns out an admirable volume of their smoked wings. And alongside what you might expect from a barbecue spot — multiple variations of sweet heat and heat and molasses — you can get a smoked take on garlic parmesan that might as well be Italy amid a forest fire.
Korean-style
Choong Man Chicken
2040 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, 757-800-9893; 908 S. Lynnhaven Road, Virginia Beach, 757-800-7706; 200 Monticello Ave., Williamsburg (inside Bonanza Social Kitchen), 757-808-6032. Open till 9 p.m.
Choong Man is one of the most addictive pleasures of the past year, a twice-fried and crispy Korean take on chicken with wonderful soy-garlic wings, even better curry wings and red pepper wings that overshoot mere spice and enter the realm of the psychedelic: If you’re a masochistic Cleveland Browns fan, those hot wings should feel like home. Just order well in advance of when you’re actually hungry. Even on a normal weekend, Choong Man is so popular, and so busy, hour-long waits are normal.
Chick N Roll
5660 Portsmouth Blvd., Portsmouth, 757-956-5536, toasttab.com/chicknroll/v3. Open till 9 p.m.
If Choong Man brings the mind-bending amplitude of spice and flavor, Korean-born Hyon “Kim” LeRoy brings the tenderness and the crispness at her Portsmouth restaurant — the paper-thin, twice-fried breading that made Korean fried chicken famous all over the world. It is heaven on a drum, with garlic and a top-secret array of herbs and fruits and spices.
Tandoori
Saffron Indian Bistro
420 Monticello Ave #170, Norfolk, 757-321-7005, saffronnorfolk.com; 4532 Columbus St, Virginia Beach 757-644-6904, saffronvabeach.com. Norfolk open till 9:30 p.m., Virginia Beach open till 10 p.m.
Wings aren’t much of a thing in India. But a few of Hampton Roads’ local Indian spots, including Rajput’s multiple locations and Rasoi IV in Chesapeake, offer a “tandoori” version on their menus. Of them, the one I cottoned to most was the one at Saffron’s two locations in Virginia Beach and Norfolk: a tender take on oven-cooked wing that offered both earthy spice and lovely juiciness in the meat.
Taiwanese
Five Spice Kitchen
1949 Lynnhaven Parkway, Virginia Beach, 757-777-9889, facebook.com/FiveSpiceKitchenUSA.
Taiwan, like Korea, is also a hotbed for fried chicken, and at Taiwanese-fusion spot Five Spice Kitchen in Virginia Beach, you can land yourself a crispy-delicious five-spice wing with the light-breaded character of Taiwanese popcorn chicken. The restaurant has been experimenting with flavors off and on, but the Christmassy five-spice and sweet-savory Taiwanese BBQ are mainstays.
Pan-Asian
Alkaline Ramen
742 W 21st S.t, Norfolk, 757-395-4300, https://www.alkalineramen.com. Open 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday
Alkaline’s Korean-Japanese-American hybrid wings are what put the ramen spot on Guy Fieri’s radar, and helped owner Kevin Ordonez open his first restaurant. And they’re popular for good reason: crispy, sticky, lightly spicy and flavored with soy and togarashi and sesame, fried twice until the breading almost feels air-puffed. It is a sweet-sticky-spicy version of wing that exists pretty much only here.
Matthew Korfhage, matthew.korfhage, 757-446-2318
