This wing guide was first published in 2016 and was last updated on September 29, 2022. Axios Charlotte food guides are updated frequently, so if you have any wing feedback, send a note to [email protected]
Football season is just as much about the food as it is about the game.
Here’s a quick guide to 14 must-try wings spots in Charlotte — and what to order from each.
Note: The wings spots below are listed in no specific order (this is not a ranking).
- We repeat: This is not a ranking.
- Also: Please note that some of these restaurants may have limited availability due to food shortages, and wing prices may be slightly higher than normal.
(1) d.d. Peckers
Charlotte wing lovers know d.d. Peckers. It’s widely considered the city’s No. 1 wing spot. Inside, you’ll find a dark bar-type vibe — but don’t be mistaken, the employees and the wings are fantastic.
Location: Pineville – 10403 Park Rd.
Flavor options: 25+. All sauces are made in-house, and if you’re nosy, you can look into the kitchen and watch the cooks toss the chicken wings in large silver sauce bowls.
Must-try flavors: Hot and honey hot
Price: Starting at $8 (5 wings)
Background: Owner Justin Holland bought d.d. Peckers in 2004 and has been running it ever since. He told Axios Charlotte that their secret to success is that they’ve had the same core staff for more than a decade.
Photo: Maxwell Millington/Axios
(2) Ty’s Wings & Tings
Ty Noble owns this no-frills strip mall restaurant in east Charlotte. Known as the “Home of Henny Wings,” Ty’s has been open since 2014. In that time, he’s seen high-profile visitors like the former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Fantasia Barrino of American Idol fame.
Location: East Charlotte in the East Town Market shopping center – 5708 N. Sharon Amity Rd.
Flavor options: Seven. Hennessy BBQ, teriyaki, Jamaican jerk, mild, fireball hot, lemon pepper and fried.
Must-try flavors: Hennessy BBQ (a.k.a. “Henny Wings”) and Jamaican jerk.
Price: Starting at $8.99 (10 wings)
Photo: Maxwell Millington/Axios
(3) Moosehead Grill
Moosehead is the epitome of a neighborhood watering hole — a casual, old Pizza Hut atmosphere with heavy drinks and excellent bar food.
Location: Montford – 1807 Montford Dr.
Flavor options: 11. Feeling crazy? Do Moosehead’s PB&J Wings — Thai spices, peanut butter, and apple jelly; or try Hemo-Goblin wings with blood orange and ghost pepper.
Must-try flavors: Uncle Donnie’s Famous Blackened Wings and Bee Stings. Be prepared for some heat from the Bee Stings (or try the Killer Bees if you really want to get crazy).
Price: Starting at $8.25 (5 wings)
Photo: Maxwell Millington/Axios
(4) Chex Grill & Wings
With nine locations and more than 35 wing flavors, Chex has been a go-to wing spot for the Charlotte area since 2014.
Locations: Freedom Drive, South Tryon, Pineville, The Plaza, Davis Lake, University, Gastonia, Mount Holly and Sardis Road
Must-try flavors: Strawberry hot and Hawaiian blaze.
Price: Starting at $6.99 (5 wings)
Photo: Maxwell Millington/Axios
(5) Lebowski’s Neighborhood Grill
This Dilworth hangout may have the closest thing to real Buffalo wings you can find in Charlotte.
Location: Dilworth – 1524 East Blvd.
Must-try flavors: Gold Rush and blackened tossed in Stinger.
Sauce options: Eight. Buffalo-style (medium or hot), Gold Rush (tangy-sweet BBQ), Jerkiyaki (jerk & teriyaki), Stinger (sweet-heat), blackened (cajun rub & charred), garlic-parm (dry rub – mild), Bang Bang (creamy sweet chili) and Willie’s southern fried.
Price: Starting at $9 (6 wings)
Photo: Ted Williams/Axios
(6) Bobbee O’s BBQ
Good ole Southern barbecue and wings in a casual setting.
Location: Northwest Charlotte – 9401 Statesville Rd.
Must-try flavors: Order sizes are by 10; you can do five of one flavor and five of another. Definitely don’t leave here without trying the house-made barbecue on at least five. The other options are spicy barbecue, hot or mild. Just choose based on how sweet or hot you wanna go.
- Or order 20, like we did, and get all four flavors.
Price: Starting at $7.99 (6 wingettes, 3 wings)
Fun fact: The owner, Bob Roberts, grew up in rural North Carolina and served in Vietnam. He worked several jobs in the service, then came to Charlotte as a chain restaurant manager in the early 1990s. He retired in 2008 and started his dream of owning a restaurant after that.
Choose among four flavors at Bobbee O’s BBQ, or get them all. Photo: Ted Williams/Axios
Bobbee O’s owner Bob Roberts served in Vietnam and lived in several places around the country. He likes to know where his customers are from, too. Photo: Ted Williams/Axios
(7) Bisonte Pizza Co.
Founded by two brothers from Buffalo, Bisonte is known for its pizza, wings and pasta. Their recipes have been passed down in their family.
Locations: Uptown – 710 W. Trade St., Matthews – 1381 Chestnut Ln., Providence Crossing – 8133 Ardrey Kell Rd. (Opens Oct. 1, 2022)
Must-try flavors: Buffalo. Heat options include mild, medium, hot, and inferno. If you’re looking for other flavors they’ve got BBQ, sweet BBQ, teriyaki, Cajun, Teriyaki, Carolina gold, bourbon BBQ, lemon pepper and sweet chili.
Price: Starting at $8.76 (6 wings)
Fun fact: They’re one of the few spots in our city that offers a chicken finger sub tossed in buffalo sauce with homemade blue cheese. It’s a Buffalo thing.
Photo: Maxwell Millington/Axios
(8) Wing King Cafe
Wing King Cafe is not actually a cafe; it’s a sports bar with an old-school tavern vibe, friendly staff and excellent wings.
Locations: Steele Creek – 13209 Carowinds Blvd. and Fort Mill – 200 Doby’s Bridge Rd. Suite 164
Flavors: 30+. You can go traditional or try something different, like hot garlic parmesan, Cajun, or Ming’s sweet chili. Wing King Cafe has eight different types of garlic flavors alone.
Price: Starting at $7 (5 wings)
Favorite order: Their King sampler — 25 wings, five different flavors (your choice).
Photo: Maxwell Millington/Axios
(9) Seoul Food Meat Co.
It’s a Southern barbecue restaurant with a heavy Korean inspiration in a hip neighborhood. It has an urban vibe, Instagrammable cocktails and an open-air back patio.
Location: South End – 1400 S. Church St.
Must-try flavors: Spicy and soy garlic.
Price: Starting at $14 (6 wings)
Wing style: These are not your typical wings; they are Korean style, double-fried. They have a delicate, crackly crust and are smothered with sauce.
Related guide: Best Korean restaurants in Charlotte
(10) Mr. Charles Chicken & Fish
Locations: Druid Hills North – 3100 Statesville Ave., Bradfield Farms – 8006 Cambridge Commons Dr., Uptown – 413 Dalton Ave. (Coming December 2022)
Must-try: Just get the four-wing dinner and hot sauce on the side. The wings come out whole, lightly breaded with special seasoning, and crispy.
Price: Starting at $12.99 (4 wing combo)
What else: The wing dinner comes with two sides and a roll. Mr. Charles’s is run by the father and son duo of Mike and Michael Rhynes. They also offer tailgate specials (12 piece mix with three large sides and six rolls for $27.99).
The four-wing dinner at Mr. Charles Chicken & Fish comes with two sides and a roll.
(11) The Crunkleton
Sure, you go to this upscale cocktail bar and restaurant in Elizabeth for the drinks, but their wings are so flippin’ good.
Location: 1957 E. 7th St.
Must-try wings: Their charred wings are served with house-made hot sauce, celery, carrot, and Roth buttermilk bleu cheese.
Price: $19
Cooking style: Wings are cooked on a hearth, which is completely exposed to the rest of the space.
Don’t forget: The Crunkleton Charlotte is a private club, and membership will run you $10 per year.
(12) Flip-a-Lo’s
This locally owned spot, previously named Flip’n Chicken, is focused on wings, strips and sticks.
Location: Carmel Commons Shopping Center – 7629 Pineville Matthews Rd. Suite A
Must-try flavors: Buffalo (most popular), Lemon Pepper, and Garlic Parmesan.
Price: Starting at $9.75 (6 wings)
Fun fact: Flip-a-Lo’s also offers Buffalo pizza sticks (very tasty).
Buffalo chicken sticks at Flip-a-Lo’s.
(13) Red @ 28th
This lounge meets library meets hookah cafe happens to have some pretty tasty wings served with cajun-seasoned french fries.
Location: Dilworth – 1315 East Blvd. and University – 9539 Pinnacle Dr.
Must-try flavors: Honey hot and lemon pepper.
Price: Starting at $8.99 (6 wings)
Photo: Maxwell Millington/Axios
(14) Growlers Pourhouse
Just a good neighborhood spot to pick up wings on a Sunday. Our very own, Michael Graff tells us that Growlers has his favorite wings in the neighborhood.
Location: 3120 N. Davidson St. – NoDa
Flavor options: Thai chili, honey bbq, jerk, three pepper hot sauce, or super hot with choice of blue cheese or ranch.
Must-try flavors: If you’re looking for heat, order your wings with the three pepper hot sauce.
Price: $16 (10 wings, $13 on Wednesdays)
Looking for more Charlotte food and drink guides? Here’s a complete list of guides including best burgers, best bars, best new restaurants, best weekly specials, best pizza, best cocktail bars, and best brunch.
