Athens is known for a lot of things: the beautiful campus, fest season, and the food! There’s no denying that a Bobcat will never go hungry with all of the delicious options we have. In the war of all Athens’ food, each restaurant must first win the battle. This is the battle of Athens’ best wings (excuse me as I drool).
I’m going to immediately start by saying Buffalo Wild Wings and Wings Over will not be fighting this battle. I know how much people love their wings. I mean, The Athens News has given Wings Over Athens and BWW their honor of “Best Chicken Wings” plenty of times, but I’m breaking the norm.
That being said, I’m a little alarmed at how many Bobcats don’t fully appreciate the wings Athens has to offer. Hopefully I can uncover some hidden gems for you all.
Broney’s Alumni Grill
While most people know Broney’s for its nightlife, their food is always a crowd pleaser. Broney’s offers both bone-in and boneless wings with 11 different sauces options. OU senior Elyse Kassel tried their boneless wings in Medium sauce. “The sauce and the wings had good flavor,” she says.
Arielle’s Advice: Come to Broney’s when the weather is nice. Their patio is a great spot to eat, have a drink (if you’re of age), and people watch.
Courtside Pizza
Don’t let the name fool you. Courtside has far more than just their delicious pizza. “Once you try these, you’ll be hooked,” Courtside bolsters about their wings on their website. Their jumbo wings are great for sharing or to enjoy all to yourself. They have six different sauces that can be combined to create your own favorite flavor. Their wings are available as boneless and bone-in.
Arielle’s Advice: Try the sauce combination of Teriyaki + BBQ and thank me later.
Miller’s Chicken
It should be an academic requirement for every Bobcat to have Miller’s Chicken before they graduate (except vegetarians of course). Miller’s offers good ol’ fashioned fried chicken. I have yet to meet an Athens resident who doesn’t love it. Randi Bennett says she stopped buying Tyson brand chicken after having Miller’s. If it’s a nice day, and you’re in the mood for crispy chicken, take a walk down West State Street (or for the lazy people, like myself, drive down there) and grab this Athens staple.
Arielle’s Advice: Try the chicken livers. If you have to, don’t tell yourself that it’s livers. You won’t be disappointed with the flavor.
The Pigskin Bar and Grill
Pigskin is well versed in bar food. Everyone knows about their extravagant burgers. Another favorite is their wings. Offering the popular choice of boneless and bone-in, Pigskin fries their wings so they’re crips, then tosses them in their homemade sauce. Pigskin’s sauces range from “Smooth & Easy” to “On Fire!”
Arielle’s Advice: Get Pigskin’s wings on Wednesday. They offer a special called “Pounder Wednesday” when diners can get 1lb. of boneless wings for $5.99.
West Side Wingery
Recently opened in February, not many of heard of West Side Wingery on North Schafer Street. West Side specializes in three things: wings (duh), meatballs, and tacos. West Side is a little gem with food that packs a flavor punch. They offer some pretty unique wing sauces such as Vietnamese Fish Sauce and Sweet Chili.
Arielle’s Advice: Try a chicken wing taco. It’s the best of both worlds at West Side.
And the winner is…
Let me tell you a story about the day my life as a wing eater changed. A professor of my class freshman year said he was bringing us a treat. I was expecting cookies or something small. No, the treat was Miller’s Chicken’s glorious wings.
I’m going to anger a lot of people when I say that boneless “wings” AREN’T ACTUALLY WINGS. A real chicken wing has a bone and crisp skin. Miller’s is just that.
Coming from a Southern background, if there’s one thing I know, that would be good chicken. Miller’s knows what they’re doing and brings a taste of the south to Southeastern Ohio.
Have a favorite place to grab wings? Let us know @HerCampusOhioU!