A staple of backyard parties, family gatherings, and watch parties, chicken wings have brought family and friends together for decades with its hot sauces, sweet coatings, and ever-so-satisfying bites.
These days, if you do a search for chicken wings in restaurants, you’re likely to come up with a choice of sports bars, sandwich shops, food trucks, Korean restaurants, and Southern shops. It’s clear that the wings have transcended cultural barriers, which is why when we talk about origins, there are many to investigate.
Buffalo wings are the first to come to mind. This popular chicken wing style was born (where else?) in the city of Buffalo. The prevalent story is that Italian-born Frank and Teressa Bellissimo first served these sauce-covered avian parts to their son in 1964 and eventually in their restaurant, Anchor Bar. But another story says that John Young, a Black Buffalonian, was there serving wings on a busy Jefferson Avenue way before then. Young’s wings were served with a mombo sauce that Buffalo city council member James Pitts called the “lip-smacking, liver-quivering sauce (that) titillated our taste buds down to our toes.”
Korean fried chicken is another style that’s captured the hearts of many with midnight cravings. Crispy, messy, and perfect with a glass of beer, these chicken wings are the stuff of dreams that got its start thanks to the popularity of cheap cooking oil in Korea and a sweet and spicy yangnyeom seasoning. Chain stores like KyoChon and Bonchon serving these delectable wings quickly opened, introducing innovations like soy fried chicken, garlic chicken, and even curried fried chicken. As these shops have made their way overseas and onto our plates, they’ve also inspired local chefs to elevate the humble bird on a plate.
So, where should you go to find the perfect finger-licking bite? Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants for chicken wings in San Diego using data from Yelp. The rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Read on to see where you can satisfy your next craving.
Yelp
#17. Pizza Hut
– Rating: 1.5/5 (133 reviews)
– Price: $
– Adress: 2931 Market St San Diego, CA 92102
– Categories: Pizza, Chicken Wings, Fast Food
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#16. Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen
– Rating: 2.0/5 (17 reviews)
– Adress: San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Food Delivery Services, Burgers, Chicken Wings
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#15. Domino’s Pizza
– Rating: 2.5/5 (208 reviews)
– Price: $
– Adress: 1350 6th Ave Ste 185 San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Pizza, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#14. Papa Johns Pizza
– Rating: 2.5/5 (119 reviews)
– Price: $
– Adress: 1001 Broadway San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Pizza, Chicken Wings, Fast Food
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#13. A’s Pizza and Grill
– Rating: 2.5/5 (76 reviews)
– Price: $$
– Adress: 1008 Broadway San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Pizza, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#12. KFC
– Rating: 2.5/5 (51 reviews)
– Price: $
– Adress: 100 B Ave Coronado, CA 92118
– Categories: Fast Food, Chicken Wings, Chicken Shop
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#11. MamaMia Kitchen
– Rating: 2.5/5 (14 reviews)
– Adress: 2707 Boston Ave Ste 23 San Diego, CA 92113
– Categories: Pizza, Food Delivery Services, Chicken Wings
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#10. Broadway Pizza & Grill
– Rating: 3.0/5 (16 reviews)
– Adress: 1008 Broadway San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Chicken Wings, Pizza, Sandwiches
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#9. Tony’s Pizza
– Rating: 3.0/5 (314 reviews)
– Price: $
– Adress: 433 E St San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Pizza, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#8. Gaslamp Tavern
– Rating: 3.5/5 (408 reviews)
– Price: $$
– Adress: 868 5th Ave San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Sports Bars, Burgers, Chicken Wings
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#7. Bub’s at the Ballpark
– Rating: 4.0/5 (1314 reviews)
– Price: $$
– Adress: 715 J St San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Sports Bars, Burgers, Chicken Wings
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#6. North Park Beer Company – Bankers Hill
– Rating: 4.0/5 (33 reviews)
– Price: $$
– Adress: 3095 Fifth Ave San Diego, CA 92103
– Categories: Breweries, Chicken Wings, Burgers
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#5. Carbon BBQ
– Rating: 4.0/5 (57 reviews)
– Price: $$
– Adress: 2318 30th St San Diego, CA 92104
– Categories: Barbeque, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#4. Taste & Thirst
– Rating: 4.0/5 (923 reviews)
– Price: $$
– Adress: 715 4th Ave San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Sports Bars, Chicken Wings, Breakfast & Brunch
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#3. Lefty’s Cheesesteaks
– Rating: 4.5/5 (206 reviews)
– Price: $$
– Adress: 528 5th Ave San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Sandwiches, Cheesesteaks, Chicken Wings
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#2. Chef Budda Blasian Soul Food
– Rating: 4.5/5 (91 reviews)
– Price: $$
– Adress: 1619 G St San Diego, CA 92101
– Categories: Soul Food, Chicken Wings, Food Trucks
– Read more on Yelp
Yelp
#1. Pizza e Birra
– Rating: 4.5/5 (1043 reviews)
– Price: $$
– Adress: 3625 India St Ste 101 San Diego, CA 92103
– Categories: Pizza, Beer Bar, Chicken Wings
– Read more on Yelp
