Highest-rated chicken wings in Gainesville by diners

A staple of backyard parties, family gatherings, and watch parties, chicken wings have brought family and friends together for decades with their hot sauces, sweet coatings, and ever-so-satisfying bites.

These days, if you do a search for chicken wings in restaurants, you're likely to come up with a choice of sports bars, sandwich shops, food trucks, Korean restaurants, and Southern shops. It's clear that the wings have transcended cultural barriers, which is why when we talk about origins, there are many to investigate.

Buffalo wings are the first to come to mind. This popular chicken wing style was born (where else?) in the city of Buffalo, New York. The prevalent story is that Italian-born Frank and Teressa Bellissimo first served these sauce-smothered avian parts to their son in 1964 and eventually in their restaurant, Anchor Bar. But another story says that John Young, a Black Buffalonian, was there serving wings on a busy Jefferson Avenue way before then. Young's wings were served with a mombo sauce that Buffalo councilman James Pitts called the "lip-smacking, liver-quivering sauce (that) titillated our taste buds down to our toes."

Korean fried chicken is another style that's captured the hearts of many with midnight cravings. Crispy, messy, and perfect with a glass of beer, these chicken wings are the stuff of dreams that got their start thanks to the popularity of cheap cooking oil in Korea and a sweet and spicy yangnyeom seasoning. Chain stores like KyoChon and Bonchon serving these delectable wings quickly opened, introducing innovations like soy fried chicken, garlic chicken, and even curried fried chicken. As these shops have made their way overseas and onto our plates, they've also inspired local chefs to elevate the humble bird on a plate.

So, where should you go to find the perfect finger-licking bite? Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants for chicken wings in the Gainesville area using data from Yelp. The rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Read on to see where you can satisfy your next craving.

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MacDinton's Gainesville

1 / 13

#13. MacDinton's Gainesville

- Rating: 2.5/5 (22 reviews)
- Address: 1728 West University Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Sports Bars, Burgers, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

Gumby's Pizza - University Of Florida

2 / 13

#12. Gumby's Pizza - University Of Florida

- Rating: 2.9/5 (162 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2028 Southwest 34th St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Pizza, Chicken Wings, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

Salty Dog Saloon

3 / 13

#11. Salty Dog Saloon

- Rating: 3.2/5 (55 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1712 West University Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Dive Bars, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

HURRICANE BTW

4 / 13

#10. HURRICANE BTW

- Rating: 3.3/5 (100 reviews)
- Address: 8181 Northwest 39th Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Tacos, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

Court of Hero's

5 / 13

#9. Court of Hero's

- Rating: 3.4/5 (25 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2104 Southwest 34th St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Sports Bars
- Read more on Yelp

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Sonny's BBQ

6 / 13

#8. Sonny's BBQ

- Rating: 3.7/5 (93 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2700 North Ne Waldo Road Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Barbecue, Desserts, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

bb.q Chicken Downtown Gainesville

7 / 13

#7. bb.q Chicken Downtown Gainesville

- Rating: 3.7/5 (35 reviews)
- Address: 201 Southeast 2nd Ave. Ste 101 Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Chicken Shop, Korean, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

Manhattan Gyros

8 / 13

#6. Manhattan Gyros

- Rating: 3.8/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 490 Northeast 23rd Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mediterranean, Chicken Wings, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Hook Fish & Chicken

9 / 13

#5. Hook Fish & Chicken

- Rating: 3.8/5 (39 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1340 East University Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Swamp Religion

10 / 13

#4. Swamp Religion

- Rating: 3.9/5 (32 reviews)
- Address: 904 East University Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Burgers, Chicken Wings, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

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Mr. & Mrs. Crab

11 / 13

#3. Mr. & Mrs. Crab

- Rating: 4.0/5 (148 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3246 Southwest 35th Blvd. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Seafood, Cajun/Creole, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

V Pizza - Gainesville

12 / 13

#2. V Pizza - Gainesville

- Rating: 4.2/5 (316 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 115 Southeast 1st St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

Peppino's Pizza And Pasta

13 / 13

#1. Peppino's Pizza And Pasta

- Rating: 4.4/5 (50 reviews)
- Address: 3731 West University Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Pizza, Pasta Shops
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 223 metros.