Favorite Wings in Jersey City

As the Super Bowl comes closer and we're bombarded with wing imagery, recipes, and deals, it becomes pretty hard not to develop at least a slight craving to rip into some crispy, chewy, tangy, hot wings. So what better time to talk about some of my favorites in Jersey City?

When it comes to wings, I will admit that I'm not a connoisseur (meaning I haven't tried every wing at every bar and eatery in the city or even close), but I know what I like which is crisp skin, juicy chicken, and sauce with a big hit of flavor and heat that doesn't require the wing being drowned in it.

Although I wouldn't quite say Jersey City is a destination spot for wings and there aren't any real stand-outs miles above the rest, we do have a lot of solid and reliable options. Here are some of my favorites:

1) JC Wingery - unfortunately not an actual restaurant in Jersey City and in fact, closed for the season, this local wing maker was a fixture at a lot of markets around town last year and I can't wait until they return. Offering a variety of sauces to choose from including honey mustard and sweet thai chili, these wings are well-cooked, crisp outside and tender inside, and very flavorful. They also make fantastic buffalo brussels sprouts and cauliflower which is what pushes them to number 1 for me. This is also the only place where I will not only use but empty out the blue cheese sauce on the side.

2) Buon Appetito (10 for $7.95) - a local delivery favorite, Buon Appetito is a neighborhood pizza spot that happens to be turning out some great wings. What I like about them is that you're really getting a bunch of super crispy, super juicy, plain fried chicken that you then get to dip in their buffalo sauce which is a few degrees past mild. I have full control over how much hot sauce I want (a lot) and how much blue cheese (almost none) while the chicken stays nice and crispy instead of getting soggy from soaking in all the hot sauce.

3) White Star Bar ($9/order which is usually 7 or 8 wings)- White Star is not afraid to make liberal use of their buffalo sauce considering you can get buffalo chicken fingers and a buffalo chicken sandwich as well as their wings. They also offer bbq sauce, but the buttery and tangy buffalo sauce is my preference. Although I wish the sauce was just a little hotter, they do add a lot of black pepper to the wings, really amping up the seasoning. As with most things at White Star, eating in is vastly preferable to take out or delivery.

4) BonChon Chicken (10 wings for $11.95)  - focusing on wings, this Korean fried chicken is a somewhat different style than the rest and when they first opened up, I wasn't blown away in comparison to other similar spots I'd been to. However, they've really improved since then and now their wings are among the best in town. They aren't traditional buffalo to be sure, but they are wings and the spicy version is actually spicy although it's a quick- lived heat. Because these are made by double-frying the chicken, it can take a bit longer and it's a little more expensive, but it's extremely crisp so much so that the external layer almost shatters in your mouth.

Honorable mentions go to Light Rail Cafe for their excellent wings and creative sauces (I really liked the Caribbean Jerk), but I've only tried them once so can't speak to consistency although I'm looking forward to going again and LITM for their tasty buffalo tofu wings.

Here's some more info on where to go and what to eat for the Super Bowl.