The Best Chicken Wings In San Francisco

When you think about what makes a great chicken wing, a few things come to mind: crunchiness, buttery buffalo sauce, aesthetically pleasing grill marks, the words "lemon pepper," and, inevitably, taking a shower with a small mountain of Wet-Naps. But whatever kind of wing you’re in the mood for, chances are, it’s probably on this list. Here are nine of our favorites around the city.

THE SPOTS

San Tung’s dry-fried chicken wings are some of the city’s best. They’re battered, deep-fried, and covered in a caramel-like garlic, ginger, and red pepper sauce. To be more direct—these sticky wings are phenomenal, and you will lick your fingers like a voracious wolf pack after every bite. And for wings this good, expect to wait. The Inner Sunset spot attracts a line.

Hot Sauce and Panko in Russian Hill runs a tight chicken wing to-go operation and we’re eternally grateful for it. The wings are incredible, hard stop. An order comes with five pieces for $7.89 (the $12.59 special includes a sweet Belgian waffle). They also have a ton of flavors to choose from, but some of our favorites include salt and pepper, the “green” with cilantro, and Korean-style wings slathered in gochujang. Heads up, sauces are 75 cents extra.

The chicken wings from this casual Korean spot are drenched in a thick, spicy-sweet sauce that pools at the bottom of the bowl like the world’s most delicious puddle. Even though each wing is well-coated, it still retains its crunch, which is one of the key factors to wing greatness. Another? The fact that the meat pulls right off the bone. We brave the line at this always-packed Sunset restaurant for this dish alone—and you should, too. 

Foghorn Taproom is a snug, no-fuss sports bar in the Richmond that has several dozen beers on tap. But the big draw here is that this place is chicken wing central. The wings are hefty, crispy, and well-coated in a range of sweet and spicy sauces. There is peppery-sugary dry spice, perfectly tangy buffalo, bourbon maple bacon, lemon pepper, and more. Wings are five for $8-ish, a price we can get behind, especially since we like to order multiple rounds while watching whatever game is on the big TVs behind the bar. 

The Guamanian restaurant in the Mission serves sweet rolls, beef empanadas, handmade egg noodles and coconut beef, and other excellent Chamorro dishes, the indigenous foods of Guam and the Marianas Islands. And, have you met the ko’ko wings? They’re tender and juicy, spiced with a secret house blend, and taste even better dipped in their tangy lemon fina’denne sauce. Expect to dream about these wings.

Birdbox is the casual Birdsong spin-off that’s famously home to an excellent fried chicken sandwich with an entire chicken claw still attached. But don’t let fried toes distract you from the fact that this counter-service South Beach spot also runs a mean chicken wing operation. Choose between flats and drumettes (or tenders, for the boneless crowd). We love the ones coated in nutritional yeast, which adds a mildly cheesy and extra crunch to each bite. There’s a sampler of all six of their housemade sauces, but if you’re trying to narrow it down, go creamy buttermilk ranch or spicy mayo.

This Tenderloin spot specializes in halal chicken wings and is great for big orders (30 pieces for $44.99). If your chicken wing goals are less ambitious, opt for the 6 pieces for $9.99. The menu has a bunch of different sauces and dry rubs, but there isn’t a wrong choice. Go for the honey garlic, which has the right amount of sweetness and some heat from the chili flakes, or lemon pepper all the way if you don't need your wings doused in sauce. Everything comes with a side of ranch dressing.

The Detroit-style pizzas from the Square Pie Guys are San Francisco royalty, and we'd do anything (including going up and down Mount Tam five times in a morning) to get The 6x8 with the juicy pepperoni cups. But don't overlook the Szechuan dry-fried chicken wings. Well-spiced, salty, and spicy, these wings come with a creamy cilantro lime sauce you'll want to put on everything—including on top of the 6x8, obviously.

Two words describe the chicken wings at this Chinese restaurant in Hayes Valley: perfectly balanced. The sticky goodness is a tad spicy but not in a "help, send milk now" sort of way. And the sauce is an ideal combination of salty and sweet. But the crackly skin on each wing is what keeps us ordering them every time we come here.

Ask us to tell you everything we love about Um.ma, and we'd start with, "There's just not enough time in one day." Here's the truncated version: This Inner Sunset spot has excellent Korean BBQ and seafood pancakes, a lively atmosphere, and a picnic table-filled patio that's perfect for large groups. Um.ma also serves amazing and plump chicken wings, which they offer slathered with citrus gochujang, ginger sesame soy, or honey butter.