Dallas–Fort Worth, TXChicken Wings

This downtown Dallas sports bar on Main Street took the Dallas Observer readers' choice wings award in 2023, one of several years it has landed the title. The wings anchor a from-scratch bar-food menu that keeps the downtown lunch and late-night crowds coming.

A Korean fried chicken specialist in Richardson that trims excess fat and skin before marinating each wing for a lighter, crackling crunch. The four-flavor sampler is how most first-timers order, mixing fried original, sweet-and-spicy yangnyeom, soy garlic, and garlic, and it holds up well as takeout.

This East Dallas bar on Skillman Road fries its wings until crunchy, then dusts them with a Cajun dry rub and serves a spicy sesame-ginger-soy sauce on the side. The Cajun-meets-Asian combination is a quieter, less-hyped pick than the wing chains nearby, and regulars treat it as a neighborhood secret.

Hawker's adds cornstarch to the batter and twice-fries its wings for a shatter-crisp shell, then tosses them in garlic gochujang and finishes with peanuts, sesame, and cilantro. It is a Deep Ellum staple for a Korean-style wing that leans sweet-and-spicy, usually ordered alongside the kitchen's other Southeast Asian street-food plates.

This Thai-Vietnamese kitchen, with an Uptown location and other DFW spots, fries its wings then wok-sears them in a lemongrass-chili glaze with Red Boat fish sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and sesame seeds. They pair well with one of the restaurant's own house-brewed beers.