Chicken wings were invented by mistake in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. This is Buffalo’s claim to fame, along with the infamous snow each winter and our sports teams’ inability to win a championship. In fact, I own a t-shirt that states, “We call ’em wings.”
A Western New Yorker can be identified at a restaurant with two phrases: “I’ll have the wings” (not Buffalo) and “with blue cheese.” We don’t eat wings with ranch.
I haven’t lived in Western New York since 2001, and I’ve made it my mission to find the best wings wherever I’ve lived. I’m proud to say that all of my kids love wings, and while their flavor preferences differ, they only eat wings with blue cheese. We are fortunate to have many great wing spots in and around Fairfield County!
Brookfield
The Stacks Mobile is the mobile version of the previous brick-and-mortar, “JJ Stacks” in Brookfield. You can find the Stacks Mobile at area farmers’ markets and breweries, and they also cater to many private parties. These wings are the closest to “from Buffalo” you’ll find around these parts.
Newtown
Cover Two Sports Cafe is located in Sandy Hook. Tuesday night wings are half off! They come in 23 possible flavors in a kid-friendly environment with sports games on every screen. General Tso’s, Medium (Buffalo), and Lemon Pepper are our family favorites. Wings are also free on your birthday, quickly becoming a family tradition in our home!
Station 25 is on Rt. 25 (South Main Street) in Newtown. What started as a food truck, “Firehouse Grill,” a brick-and-mortar family-friendly firehouse-themed restaurant, opened to serve the truck favorites and other popular dishes, including wings. Offered breaded or non-breaded in 11 flavors, Lemon Pepper and Buffalo are our family’s favorites. After being closed for a while, they’ve recently reopened and are now better than ever!
Ridgefield
HooDoo Brown BBQ is located on Rt. 7 in Ridgefield. Parking is limited partly because the smoker is parked out front. They offer smoked wings in the following flavors: Buffalo, BBQ, Garlic Parmesan, RyThai, or Naked.
Redding
The Redding Roadhouse makes a mean buffalo wing, and offers a few other flavors, including BBQ, Chipotle, Dry Rub, Ranch Dry Rub, Thai PB+J, Gold Rush, Gochujang, and Hot Honey BBQ. If you’re eating with a vegetarian, I wholeheartedly vouch for the buffalo cauliflower. It’s delish!
Danbury
TK’s American Cafe is located on White Street in Danbury. TK’s offers 76 wing flavors ranging from “no spice” to “really hot” in a sports bar environment. They follow the most traditional “Buffalo Style” I’ve found and even offer the Buffalo spiciness with their “suicide” wings.
New Fairfield
Icon’s Sports Bar is located on Candlewood Lake in New Fairfield. Icon’s opened in 2016 and offers 22 flavors of sauced wings and eight dry rub flavors. You can also order boneless wings with any sauces or dry rub flavors.
Multiple Locations
The Blind Rhino has two locations in South Norwalk and Fairfield. The Blind Rhino is a family-friendly American sports bar offering 21 flavors of wings. They recently added two food trucks to their fleet, located full-time at Half Full Third Place in Stamford and Tribus Beer Co. in Milford. Their wings have won 25 awards, including seven at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, NY!
Archie Moore’s started as a hole in the wall in New Haven that started serving “Buffalo wings” in 1982. There are now five locations throughout Connecticut, including one in Fairfield County. You can also find their famous sauce in grocery stores throughout the state if you prefer to try your hand at wings.
Just Outside of Fairfield County
Dew Drop Inn is located in Derby, CT. What looks and feels like a hole-in-the-wall dive bar has the best wings in CT (awarded multiple times). The flavors offered take up an entire front and back of a menu ranging from “Basic” flavors such as Naked, Hot, Medium, etc., and dry rubs (Imperial Coffee Stout, Lemon Pepper, Candied Bacon Siracha) to “Basically Ridiculous” including Cilantro Lime Tahini, Ranch BLT, Peanut Butter & Jelly, and Cheesy Garlic Bread, to name a few. Please note that anyone under the age of 21 will not be seated after 8 p.m. It’s a great lunch location for families.
