Restaurants

Nine great places for wings in Northern Virginia

The Super Bowl is just two weeks away and chickens everywhere are running for cover. That’s because the National Chicken Council estimates that some 1.45 billion (with a “b”) chicken wings are eaten on Super Bowl Sunday.

With the big day approaching, we’ve got some suggestions for folks looking for good wings in Northern Virginia.

We know any list like this will be controversial —  people are passionate about their wings — but we’ve curated these picks based on our coverage area, plus online reviews, social media raves, and our own dining experiences as well.

==========
Schmidt’s Barbecue
14 Loudoun Street SE, Leesburg
Probably most famous for its BBQ, Schmidt’s is an under-the-radar spot for great wings in a variety of flavors including their unique Alabama Everything wings.

Schmidt’s Barbecue

==========
Bear Branch Tavern
133 Maple Ave East, Vienna
Bear Branch has fried wings on its menu, to be sure. But their grilled wings — dry-rubbed with a house mole seasoning, lager basted and grilled over an open flame — have loyal fans far and wide.

Bear Branch Tavern

==========
Buffalo Wing Factory
Multiple locations
This homegrown chain with five locations in Northern Virginia is extremely popular — due in great part to their wings which can be tossed in more than two dozen sauces ranging from a mild Honey Mustard or Salt & Vinegar to the seriously hot Torrid Zone.

Buffalo Wing Factory

==========
Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern
697 Spring Street, Herndon
Jimmy’s may not have the fanciest wings or the most sauces, but people love ‘em and make special trips to Old Town Herndon just to get them. Plus, where else can you have your wings with a side of gravy-laden poutine?

Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern

==========
Spanky’s Shenanigans
538 East Market Street, Leesburg
You can get your wings breaded or unbreaded at Spanky’s and then topped with a variety of sauces, including one simply called “Danger.”

Spanky’s Shenanigans

==========
badd pizza | wings
Multiple locations
This local brand got started back in 2019 and per its website now has four NoVa locations. It was originally called just badd pizza (yes, lowercase), but their wings proved so popular they added “wings” to the name.

badd pizza | wings

==========
bb.q Chicken
Multiple locations
Enough with the lowercase letters, but if your love of wings bends towards the east — as in the Far East — there are lots of Korean chicken joints in NoVa offering wings. The one that seems to get the most attention from local fans is the national chain bb.q Chicken with flavors that include Spicy Galbi and Gangnam Style.

bb.q chicken

==========
Anchor Bar
1609 Village Market Boulevard SE, Leesburg
The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York claims to be the original home of the Buffalo wing, so the brand generated a fair bit of excitement when it opened its first NoVa outpost in Leesburg in 2023.

Anchor Bar

==========
Glory Days Grill
Multiple locations
With 16 restaurants in the Commonwealth, Glory Days has long been a neighborhood staple. Nothing particularly fancy about the wings — just classic Buffalo wings done right.

Glory Days Grill

==========
(Image at top: badd pizza | wings)