The definitive 10 best chicken wings in Detroit, ranked

By Metro Times editorial staff on Fri, Aug 4, 2017 at 2:42 pm

We wanted to know what the city's wing masters are doing with their birds, so we traveled all 142 square miles of Detroit in search of the city's best chicken wings, sifting through the salty, the fatty, the greasy, the gristly, and the delicious to compile a list of our best finds.

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10. They Say
267 Joseph Campau St., Detroit; 313-446-4682,
Photo courtesy of the Metro Times

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They Say, which runs out of a historic building near Chene Park, lathers its wings in its sauces. That could be a mark against it when it starts to feel like you've got a mouthful of sauce that overwhelms the bird's attributes, but They Say's wings don't reach that point — the sauces are solid enough that it works. Most memorable are the tangy zesty variety, though we also enjoyed the sweet chili. They Say avoids all the wing pitfalls and fry up around solid wings.
Photo via IG user @west_warren_big_o

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9. Common Pub
5440 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-285-8849
Photo via Common Pub Facebook page

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Perhaps the most interesting and complex wings we encountered on the safari were the spicy orange wings made by Common Pub chef Zach Stotz. He makes the orange sauce by reducing orange juice, adding red wine vinegar, then tossing the bird with chile, sesame oil, garlic, sesame seeds, and ginger. His cornstarch batter complements instead of dominates the Amish wings' texture and flavor. A great example of what can be done with wings with a little thought and creativity.
Photo by Tom Perkins

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8. ZamZam
11917 Conant St., Hamtramck; 313-893-9902
Photo via Google Maps

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The Bangladeshi tandoori chicken wings are stained bright red from the mix of masala, cayenne, and other spices, and the meat falls from the bone after an extended stay in the clay oven.
Photo via ZamZam Restaurant Facebook page

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7. The Block
3919 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-0892
Photo via IG user @detroitsidedish

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The Block has the best buffalo sauce in Detroit, and arguably far beyond the city. It's preferable to have the wings tossed in the sauce instead of it receiving it on the side. The Block trades in some of the bigger birds in the city, and they are a bargain during happy hour.
Photo via IG user @motorcityeater

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6. Gather
1454 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 313-638-1893
Photo via IG user @gather.detroit

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These are the type of wings that leave a little sting on your tongue, but not too much so — Gather achieves the perfect heat level. What sets the deeply flavorful, green onion-studded wings apart is the dimension added by cooking them above open flame on a wood-fire grill. Served with plenty of green onions and a celery-yogurt sauce — it's the best wing accompaniment in Detroit.
Photo by Tom Perkins

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5. Kuzzo's Chicken & Waffles
19345 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-861-0229
Photo via IG user @mals27

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Kuzzo's wings radiate heat but not to an unbearable level and they are balanced by some unusual sweet notes. Its approach makes sense that you consider when they're typically served next to waffles, and there's lots of good flavor interplay to enjoy. These are top five wings made by pros.
Photo by Tom Perkins

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4. City Wings
2896 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-871-2489
Photo via Yelp user Abe F.

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You might be skeptical when you open your box of City Wings and find a small-ish pile of what could be the tiniest wings in Detroit. But City Wings proves that size doesn't necessarily matter in the wing game. The medium buffalo wings are perfectly seasoned and soaked in a vinegary hot sauce, and the spice blend pushes them to the top of the "best wings" discussion. The menu is 18 varieties deep, and offering the customer something to think about with options like sweet chili or Caribbean jerk earns C.W. a bump in the standings.
Photo via Tom Perkins

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3. Sterling's Old Style BBQ
18241 Plymouth Rd., Detroit; 313-493-9495
Photo via IG user @_sosbbq

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Sterling's wings — some of the biggest that we encountered — hang out for several hours on the smoker behind the west side barbecue shop, and the moist meat slips from the bones when owner Quentin Pearson pulls them from the grill. The smoky flavor is accented with the pop of the gritty rub and spice that drives the flavor. But, as we previously noted, there's more to love about Sterling's than just Pearson's grillwork.
Photo via IG user @_sosbbq

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2. Slows Bar BQ
2138 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-962-9828
Photo via IG user @guitarnathan

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Far and away the best plate on Slows' menu is one that doesn't seem to get a lot of attention — its wings. That's because the deep flavor profile is unlike anything we've encountered in chicken wings, which chef Mike Metevia says is the result of a two-day marination and preparation process. A hot vinaigrette leaves its prints and plays well with a mellow smoky flavor — no sauce is needed. There's no fryer in the equation, but the large Amish wings sit on the smoker for two-and-half hours, and the meat falls from the bone. This is the only recipe that never changed when the Slows team developed its menu years ago — they nailed it on the first try.
Photo by Tom Perkins

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1. Sweetwater Tavern
400 E. Congress St., Detroit; 313-962-2210
Photo via IG user @chelsea_frison

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There's reason to be skeptical of old-school Detroit restaurants considered to be the best at certain dishes. Oftentimes, what passed for good for decades is now mediocre. But Sweetwater, a perennial favorite for wings, doesn't disappoint. These are what wings should be. Vinegary, spicy, and charred but still moist. Where mere mortals will pack wings with too much salt or rely heavily on cayenne and heat, the wing gods at Sweetwater know about balance and how to produce a piquant wing that lives up to the hype.
Photo by Tom Perkins

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