Wingaddicts BLOG
Connecticut has become a hot spot for great chicken wings over the past few decades and we’ve created three state “Wing Trails” to share some of those amazing destinations with the world. We sliced the state into three sections - North/ Central/ South - and featured 18 of the best wing joints in each subsection.
No, we didn’t research the internet to find these locations. We ate at least six different wing flavors at every one of them. Wink.
If we somehow missed YOUR favorite spot, let us know! We’ll be shocked, but we’ll check it out! With that I bring you the Central Connecticut Wing Trail.
We never play favorites, but if you're given the choice to get wings at only one restaurant in Southington, then it has to be Groggy Frogg. With nearly 80 to choose from on the menu, this spot wins multiple awards for its wings every year and also wins awards for "Best Dive Bar." If you want to have a few drinks, eat awesome wings and laugh with great people then visit Mark & Nancy Montana's establishment "Where everyone is welcome until they're not." You decide which flavor(s) to try! Oh, and their homemade bleu cheese has a reputation as one of the very best in the state as well!
CT restauranteur Mike Miller opened Hop Haus in Southington in 2014 and has since added this rockstar location in Berlin. This modern gastropub has amazing food on its menu, a super relaxing atmosphere and the wings menu seems to get better every time you visit. Try the Ghost Buffalo wings!
Hands-down the most popular wing spot in the surrounding area, O Joe’s, as it’s affectionately called, is an old-school dive bar in Oakville on the outskirts of Watertown. One of the largest wing selections on this trail (more than 50 flavors on the menu) the wings are consistent and 5-star all the time. You’ll end up staying longer than you planned. This place is a national wing treasure. They have a new (second) location in Torrington too!
Opened in the winter of 2022 by Mike Miller (owner of the Hop Haus) this fully renovated restaurant brings you the full sports bar feel over in the Plantsville section of Southington. Intentionally focusing on the wing game (you can even get a selfie on a wing wall) this place is an instant wing classic with flavors on the menu that you won't find anywhere else. Try the award-winning Apple Jerk wings, the "Steph" Curry wings, Miso Honey, or go big with their special "buffalo wing" version, John's 5-day Pepper. Don't forget that selfie! (Take a Selfie over by the Chicken wings in the back)
We simply are NOT huge fans of takeout wings, nor do we normally advocate fast-food-style or franchise wings, but we've made the exception in this case. Waterbury son, Matt Ensero couldn't find good enough takeout wings near his house so he dropped out of the insurance industry and opened a wing joint. WingItOn was such a huge sensation that he decided to open another one. Then another. Today, he's stretching out across the US and his Classic Buffalo wings won 1st Place at the 2022 National Buffalo Wing Festival. Huge menu, lots of flavors, and . . . though it's a takeout joint, you CAN eat in if you like. We did!
If you're looking for wings in Meriden, this is the spot. John and Sandy Arnold's spot is a classic local dive bar with pool tables, dart boards, breakfast, lunch and dinner and 15 award-winning wings on the menu! It might be hard to resist that lobster roll, but we recommend the Sweet Chili Raspberry wings. After all, wings are the new caviar! The motto on the wall says "There are no strangers here. Only friends we haven't met yet.”
We had been hearing things about the wings at Jerry's Pizza in Middletown but weren't super motivated to try them out because the name sounded like your every-day pizza joint. Boy were we wrong about that! In addition to being THE restaurant responsible for actually bringing NY-style pizza to Connecticut, this family-run establishment serves up outstanding wings! Carmela Schiano and her son Antonio Lockwood have 30 flavors on their wing menu including some we promise you've never tried. We only managed to eat eight flavors in our visit and we are anxious to get back in there for more. We guarantee you'll love Jerry’s.
World famous US industrialist Andrew Carnegie once said that "several tons of dirt must be moved to find one ounce of gold." He wasn't talking about wing joints, but we definitely struck gold when we walked into Inishmor. Alex Levere spent a few years in Ireland before coming to Colchester and opening this popular Irish Pub. You'll fall in love with everything about this place and when you see the food coming out of the kitchen you'll want to order it all. But be strong. The wings. They're called "Unlucky Wings" because they come in orders of 13, but they're anything but unlucky. Pick from a dozen flavors. You WILL be impressed.
Tuck's Tavern (short for Nauga-tuck) is an area favorite to be sure. Owned by an awesome family of brothers and cousins and in-laws, this little spot on Rubber Ave has 15 flavors on the menu including the "Basics," a selection of mouth-watering "Honey Kissed" wings and finally the "Specialty Wings" which are to LIVE (not die) for! We loved every flavor on the menu, but if we could only suggest one it would be the "Red White & Bleu.”
One of the absolute great wing spots to have come onto the scene in the last few years has been The Hub "Wood Burning Pizza Bar" which opened on Church St in Naugatuck in 2020. Former employee Krystal Chapman, her fiance Ryan Staples and her brother Cody Chapman purchased the restaurant and took over this thriving spot in 2023. It's unique to most others because the wings are cooked in the wood pizza ovens and the sauces are masterful. There are a handful of delicious flavors on the "all the time" menu, and every week they dream up some insanely magnificent wing special. One of our favorite spots in the state.
You might drive right past this classic local dive bar without even knowing. Heck, we were trying to get their multiple times and had to turn around every time. But it's SOOOO worth it. Sparrow's has an excellent menu, live music at night, Karaoke and Trivia, and puts out some of our favorite wings. Owners John and Tara Miller, as well as the patrons, will make you feel like a regular. Be sure to try the Jerk wings which are, by all accounts, the best we've ever had. This spot is featured on RELAPSE and in the Wingaddicts Hall of Fame.
In it's brand new location in the center of Wallingford, Knuckleheads is something special when it comes to the wing game. Owner Anthony Morgillo does some creative things with his flavors, does smoked wings periodically and even offers "Pig Wings" and Duck Wings which are a must-try. They're wings, after all. But those chicken wings are where we focus. They come in 15 different flavors (and some interesting ones) and you can get them naked with sauce on the side as well. Wash them down with one of 20 beers on tap. We think the Glazed & Infused wing was special. There's a Coconut Curry, Habanero Jerk, and that Smoke & Fire Dry Rub will satisfy the heat lovers out there!
A beautiful hidden gem near Candlewood Lake, Icon's has a selection of about 30 wing flavors. Oil fried with a light breading, these wings hold their flavor like none other in the area. Owner Dave Bernardini has created a fun family environment centered around sports and great food. Our recommendation is to try the Smokehouse Bacon wings or the Hot Bleu Cheese. You really cannot go wrong.
On the outskirts of Southbury, tucked in neatly behind the building on the intersection of Rt 188 and Rt 67, The Lodge has been a local staple for decades. Drink a beer, shoot some pool, have a burger and get yourself an order (or two or three) of wings. Owned by Ken Messenger and Chris Thompson, this hometown dive bar and restaurant is a must-stop for the wing enthusiast. Grab an order of Hot Garlic!
Former Newtown High School football player and coach, Tyler Tarantino took this one-time Sandy Hook dive bar and turned it into an always-hopping sports bar with an excellent menu and some of the area's best chicken wings. Try the Lemon Pepper wings or the famous "Mistake" wings. Oh, and go on your birthday and get free wings to match your age. Nobody does that anymore!
Sometimes the most magical restaurants are the ones that you drive past a thousand times and never thought of stopping at. Rose's is one such place. But once you do stop, you'll never stop going back! Brothers Agim (OG) and Izet (EZ) Mamadov own this Oxford gem (right next door to the Quarry development) and are two of the most generous and hospitable restaurant owners you'll ever meet. Oh, and their food is out of this world. Most people go for the buzz-worthy steaks or the gourmet pizza, but those "in the know" hit the wing menu. Yes, they actually have a "WING MENU!" There are 20 flavors on it, and you wont' go wrong. But try the Gorgonzola Hot Pepper Cream wings or the Carbonara for something you've never had before and won't ever forget!
This CT Hall of Fame wing spot was the FIRST in the entire state of Connecticut to feature "WINGS" as a separate menu category. Today, TK's slings upwards of 70 wing flavors with TV's at virtually every table and hard core wing fanatics every day of the week. One of the ELITE wing destinations in all of Fairfield County without question and if you ask any living breathing human in the Danbury area who has the best wings the answers will be unanimous. Try some of the fun flavors (explained on the menu) like Jerkadactyl, Tumbleweed, The Charlie or Ugly Elf. And you'll probably see owner Tom Kennedy (TK) making the rounds. He's been the hands on owner, supporting the local community for over 30 years.
One of Hamden's finest dive bars, owned by Dave DiNicola, this place is almost a step back in time. You'll love the sports and music memorabilia all over the walls and you'll definitely love the award-winning wings. Though the half-dozen flavors on the menu are the basics, you won't be disappointed. The Screamin' Demon wings are some of the most-solid spicy wings around and you'll want one of the 16 beers on tap.
Some restaurants with great wings didn't quite hit the "wing joint" criteria to make the trail. We obviously couldn't include everybody on the list so if a wing menu was limited or if a restaurant focused more on other foods (like pizza or BBQ) we may have left them off the official list. But that doesn't mean they don't serve binge worthy wings. If you drive past one of these restaurants on your journey, get in there and be wowed. Honorable mention spots include Pippa’s, Notch 8, Hindsight BBQ, Roosters Chicken & Waffles, Cheshire Pizza, 75 Center, Fire Place Pizza, Smokin' with Chris, Sam the Clam’s, Sitting Duck, Marlborough Tavern and Stacks Mobile, the new food truck version of the former jjStacks (which would have easily made this trail).
Did we miss your favorite wing joint? We'd love to know. And we'd also love to know what you think about each of these spots after you've tried them out yourself! Leave your personal reviews on the Wingaddicts App which is 100% free in the App Store! You can also send any questions or comments to me personally at tommy@wingaddicts.com. I promise to answer them all.
And remember . . . there are TWO MORE amazing Connecticut Wing Trails (North and South)!
Wings up!
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