Five Chicken Wing Destinations Across America, From Portland to Buffalo
A new ranking highlights standout wing spots in Oregon, Utah, Kansas, Indiana and New York, tracing how a Buffalo invention became a nationwide obsession with sauces ranging from raspberry habanero to ghost pepper.
Chicken wings have traveled a long way from their origins in Buffalo, New York, where they were popularized in the 1960s. Today the dish is an American staple, especially during football season, and inventive variations have appeared at restaurants across the country. A recent ranking of the best wings in every state, compiled from customer reviews, reader polls, local news coverage and wing competitions, singled out five destinations that show how far the humble wing has come.
In Portland, Oregon, Fire on the Mountain has operated as a locally owned and operated eatery since 2005. The restaurant is known for freshly made, inventive sauces in flavors such as Spicy Peanut, Raspberry Habanero and Jamaican Jerk. Its Buffalo Lime Cilantro sauce took first place in the Creative Spicy category at the 2018 National Buffalo Wing Festival, and the same year the restaurant placed third in the Craft Wings category. Fire on the Mountain also offers a rotating sauce of the month and vegan wings.
Scovilles in Salt Lake City takes its name from the Scoville scale, which measures the spiciness of chili peppers, and the restaurant leans into that reputation. Guests can choose from a range of sauces and dry rubs, including Scotch Bonnet, Ghost Pepper and Carolina Reaper. Diners who prefer less heat can opt for milder flavors such as Cajun Honey BBQ and Buffalo Cilantro Lime. Scovilles earned the title of Best Wings in Salt Lake City Weekly's 2025 Best of Utah awards, with the write-up praising the wings for their crispiness and sauciness.
In Topeka, Kansas, Wings Etc. is no stranger to the wing spotlight. Its wings were named Best Wings by the Topeka Capital-Journal's Community Choice for five consecutive years, from 2020 through 2024. In 2021 the restaurant also claimed the title of Twisted Wing King at the Topeka Wing Fling, thanks to a hybrid of Buffalo sauce and lime-pepper rub. Customers have responded especially well to the Hot-Honey Garlic and Tweener sauces.
Ale Emporium has served Indianapolis since 1982, and one of its most popular items is the Hermanaki wing, a crispy, sweet and spicy jumbo wing coated in a secret spice blend along with the restaurant's special house sauce and teriyaki. The restaurant handles the classics well too: its Buffalo wings drew praise from Axios Indianapolis in 2024.
No roundup of chicken wings would be complete without Buffalo itself, the city that gave the dish its name and where places to get a wing fix are plentiful. Bar-Bill Tavern is not where the Buffalo wing was originally created, but locals and Visit Buffalo Niagara consider it a spot that holds its own and serves some of the best wings in the area. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen told Barstool Sports Radio in 2019 that Bar-Bill Tavern was his favorite local place to get wings.
Taken together, the five destinations illustrate how a regional specialty became a national canvas for experimentation. The sauces range from mild to extreme, the preparations from fried to smoked, and the settings from neighborhood taverns to award-winning kitchens. For travelers and football fans alike, the list offers a coast-to-coast map of where to find some of the country's most celebrated wings.
