Written by Amanda David
We’ve tried high street chicken shops and foodie favourite restaurants, dine-in and takeaway – hell, we’ve even had wings biked across town by Deliveroo – to bring you our suggestions for the best chicken wings in London. Some are bargainous, some are bougie. Ready to play chicken?
Fried Chicken Shops
Let’s take a moment to say RIP The Orange Buffalo, but luckily there are still plenty of places to get top-notch wings in town.
Chick ’n’ Sours
Top pick: Kung Pao disco wings, with Sichuan chilli and peanuts
Messy, sticky, quite sweet and gently spicy, these pair well with one of their signature sour cocktails or a craft beer. The heat level is lower than you’d think, but watch out for the garnish of fresh and dried chillies.
Like it hot? You can opt to have the disco wings hot – or indeed with a Korean glaze, or naked. (That’s the wings, not you. Behave.)
Unlimited wings for £24.00 on Wing Wednesday; also, check out the Icons set menu for 2+ people at the Seven Dials branch.
Haggerston, Seven Dials
Website
Thunderbird Fried Chicken
Top pick: Chipuffalo wings: chipotle-buffalo sauce with a blue cheese dip and coriander
These smoky chilli-buffalo wings are crowd pleasers but we also like their Korean Yuzu wings; the citrussy zip of yuzu really lifts them.
Like it hot? Go for the Habanero wings: described on their website as having ‘a borderline sadistic quantity of Habanero chilli’. Challenge accepted.
Canary Wharf, Charing Cross, Clapham Junction, The O2, Stratford, Wimbledon
Website
Coqfighter
Top pick: K-Wings, served with Korean hot sauce and a sweet soy glaze
If you’re not sure which flavour to order, go for the K-Wings; these are the only ones that come with the sauce on the side, so if you add a couple of the additional dips you can create your own mix and match combo. It’s also a good choice if you are taking them away or getting a delivery, as the wings stay crisp.
Like it hot? Opt for the Nashville Hot, served with pickles and ranch dressing. from £9.00 for 6 wings
Soho, Kings Cross, Finsbury Park
Website
Wingmans
Top pick: Shanghai Oriental wings with soy and sesame, topped with Kewpie mayo, spring onion, red chilli and ginger
They have a branch in Soho if you’re central, but the wings are cheaper at their OG Kilburn branch plus they have some great Cheapo deals – see below. They also have a larger selection of flavours than most, including K-town Peanut Butter Crunch and Truffalo with truffle-laced hot sauce and truffle mayo.
Like it hot? Try their Jamaican’ Me Crazy: carnival-inspired, with Scotch bonnet hot sauce, spring onion, red chilli, ginger, coriander cress & lime. Best left to the chilli pros; you have been warned.
Deals:
Kilburn branch only: Wing Wednesdays: buy one, get one half price on all signature wings – and there are happy hour drinks until 6pm.
Kilburn, Soho
Website
Randy’s Wing Bar
Top pick: Garlic Parmesan wings, in a garlic butter glaze, sprinkled with Parmesan herb mix and then drizzled with creamy garlic sauce
Yes, everyone bangs on about buffalo wings and, while they’re undeniably good here, we recommend trying something a little different. Garlic and cheese has always been a natural pairing, and it’s a touch of genius to throw chicken wings into the mix.
Like it hot? You need their Nashville Hot wings; served with house ranch dressing and pickled gherkins. £10.00 for 8 wings
Hackney Wick
Website Cheapo Top Tip: If you’re a die-hard wing fan, don’t miss Wingfest in July – 45 restaurants, street food traders and BBQ teams will cook a staggering 500,000 wings in the world’s biggest chicken wing festival, here in London.
Morleys
Top pick: BBQ wings
You can’t mention London and fried chicken in the same sentence without immediately thinking of Morleys. The iconic OG shop was founded on Sydenham High Street in south London in 1985 and is now one of over 100 in London.
Like it hot? Go for the spicy option.
Multiple sites across London
Website
El Pollote
Top pick: Dulce de Leche wings, with caramel sauce, Parmesan cheese, chicken skin and chilli dust
This is a Latino/South American twist on fried chicken. We like the sweet and salty Dulce de Leche wings but the Buffanero, below, are also good.
Like it hot? Opt for the Buffanero wings: buffanero and habanero sauce, with queso fresco. £11.00 per portion
Soho, Camden
Website
Dave’s Hot Chicken
Top pick:
This cult US Nashville-style hot chicken brand is known for having seven levels of spice, ranging from No Spice to Reaper – the last of which requires a signed waiver. You can also get a ‘Hot Box Roulette’ of 10 tenders: 4 mild, 5 medium and 1 Reaper. If you survive that, they have a ‘Frequent Fryer’ loyalty app so you can do it all over again. NB: these aren’t all that cheap and also aren’t actually wings, but tenders; however, Eater LA raved about them so we thought you should make your own mind up.
Like it hot? Sign the waiver.
Shaftesbury Avenue
Website
Peck Peck Chicken
Top pick: Gruffalo Blue wings
Peck Peck Chicken is from the same people behind the successful chain of east London fish and chip shops, Sutton & Sons. The award-winning Gruffalo Blue wings come with a gochujang-buffalo sauce and dried chilli as well as the more traditional blue cheese ranch dressing. These were a delivery and arrived still crispy.
Like it hot? The Miso Butter Magic sauce has the flavours of Thai red curry, scotch bonnet chilli jam, spring onions and red chilli. £8.90 for 5 wings
Hackney
Website
Insider tips for other restaurants
Here’s the thing; some of the contenders for the best chicken wings in London are not actually from specialist chicken shops but from bars and restaurants serving up a wide range of cuisines, from Thai to Chinese and Indian to Mexican/Korean. IYKYK – and now you do.
Smoking Goat
Cuisine: Thai
Wings: Vietnamese-style Fish Sauce Chilli Wings
Smoking Goat is basically a Bangkok drinking den in the middle of Shoreditch. Their legendary wings are a strong candidate for the best chicken wings in London: sweet, salty funky umami bombs with a shatteringly crisp fish sauce caramel coating and utterly addictive. £3.90 each
Shoreditch
Website
Mexican Seoul
Cuisine: Mexican/Korean
Wings: Gochu-Gang wings
Buffalo wing fans, try the Honey Buffanero wings: double-fried free range chicken wings coated in an award-winning buffalo sauce, topped with chipotle blue cheese dip and micro coriander. Alternatively, dial up the heat with our pick, the Gochu-Gang wings: double-fried wings with Gochu-Gang sauce, topped off with sesame seeds, spring onions and gochu-mayo.
Bethnal Green
Website
FKABAM (Formerly Known As Black Axe Mangal)
Cuisine: Hard to pin down – think Turkish meets Asian flavours meets flavour bombs
Wings: Mission Spiced fried chicken
Okay, these are chicken thighs rather than wings, but try them and you’ll see why they absolutely need to be on this list. Ridiculously crispy, crunchy, spicy coating with the juiciest chicken inside; served with house-made pickles and aioli. Jaw-droppingly delicious. £17.00 for 3 pieces
Highbury & Islington
Website
Ling Ling’s
Cuisine: Chinese
Wings: Spicy Sichuan
With a new permanent residency in The Bluecoats pub in Tottenham, you should now be able to get your fix of Ling Ling’s legendary spicy Sichuan chicken wings on a more predictable basis. One note of warning; currently you will only find them on match day, when there is a different menu. If you have your heart set on their addictive, tingly, numbing wonderfulness – and why wouldn’t you? – you might want to call ahead and check they are available.
Tottenham
Website
Supawan Thai
Cuisine: Thai
Wings: Fried chicken wings stuffed with minced chicken, prawns, mushroom and glass noodles served with a tamarind and chilli sauce
Fancy, and a foodie favourite, technically they are wings but it’s a very different eating experience; in other words, they are about the only wings on here we would even consider eating with a knife and fork – or while wearing a white t-shirt. £12.00 for 2 wings
King’s Cross
Website
Viet Grill
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Wings: Anchovied chicken wings with caramelised fish sauce and sesame seeds
This Vietnamese barbecue restaurant cooks its dishes over charcoal on robata grills, so you’ve already got that flavour foundation before the funky fish sauce hits. If you’re looking for a side or small plate to go with your wings, try the Piggy Grilled Aubergine; you’ll be happy you did. Also the cocktails here pair well with the flavour profile of the food.
Shoreditch
Website
Brigadiers
Cuisine: Indian
Wings: BBQ butter chicken wings
Brigadiers is justifiably legendary for their butter chicken and, by extension, these butter chicken wings. The sauce is rich and creamy, with a gentle warmth of spice and the smoky BBQ kiss of the tandoor. £13.00 for 6 wings
Bank
Website
Rasa Sayang
Cuisine: Malaysian/Singaporean
Wings: Halved chicken wings marinated in prawn paste and then deep-fried
There’s so much to love at this excellent restaurant inspired by the street food hawkers in Malaysia and Singapore that these wings often get overlooked. We’re here to put that right.
Chinatown
Website
Passyunk Avenue
Cuisine: American
Wings: Buffalo wings
This Philly dive bar in the middle of London is a solid choice for good buffalo wings, and you get a generous portion for your money. If you’re pining for classic American wings these will hit the spot, as will the BBQ and Old Bay options. Feeling brave/unhinged? Their Insanity wings are tossed in their house-made hot sauce which they describe as ‘very f*cking spicy’ and delivering ‘a Balboa-esque uppercut to your tastebuds’. In what is perhaps a nod to another famous American purveyor of hot wings listed above, they add, ‘No gloves. No waiver. Just your BIG balls’. £9.95 for 6 wings
Waterloo & Fitzrovia
Website
Kachori
Cuisine: Indian
Wings: Sticky chicken wings
Tandoori chicken wings with a sweet & spicy pepper glaze and green onions
With an Executive Chef hot from the Michelin-starred Gymkhana kitchens, it is perhaps unsurprising that Kachori made the list. The deliciously charred and smoky tandoori flavour of these wings provides an excellent base for the layered spicing.
Elephant & Castle
Website
Bone Daddies
Cuisine: Japanese
Wings: Sticky black pepper wings
These three-joint wings are also available in Korean and Buffalo versions, but try these and thank us later. The coating is like sticky, savoury popping candy. Cheapo Top Tip: If you’re already hooked on their Korean-style wings, you can always try recreating them at home; there is a recipe on their website. £9.50 for 3 wings
Bermondsey, Bond Street, High Street Kensington, Leicester Square, Old Street, Soho, Victoria
Website
Meatliquor
Cuisine: American
Wings: Buffalo wings
Famed for its iconic Dead Hippie Burger (read more in our Best Burgers in Soho & Covent Garden post) the wings here are also pretty good, if a bit small. £11.50 for 8 wings
Soho, Shoreditch, Queensway, Islington, Battersea, East Dulwich
Website Cheapo Top Tip: If a wing craving hits in the early hours, the Soho branch is open until 3am. Head over to our guide to Late-night Dining in London for more after-midnight refuelling options.
Best money-saving deals
The Famous Three Kings Pub
I don’t think you’ll find a better deal in London than this; on Wing Wednesdays, wings are just £0.40 each. Choose your sauce from BBQ, Korean BBQ, Frank’s hot sauce with garlic & herb sauce, or inferno hot.
£0.40 per wingFulham
Website If you’ve starved yourself and plan to go hard, then check out the unlimited wings for £24.00 deal at Chick n Sours and the ‘buy one get one half price’ at Wingmans – details in the listings above.
Tag us on Instagram with your messy chicken wing pics and let us know if we’ve missed any of your favourites!
