The humble wing is the ultimate litmus test of a kitchen’s prowess. It takes masterful skill to achieve the delicate alchemy of a crisp exterior, juicy interior, and perfect sauce ratio. To ensure you’re always enjoying the best chicken wings Central Jersey has to offer, we’ve put together a list of The Best Central Jersey Chicken Wings.
This lineup isn’t just a random assortment of neighborhood pubs pulling frozen bags out of deep freeze. Instead, we’re showcasing the true culinary craftsmen who treat bar food like high art. Keep reading to find a curated list of dedicated pitmasters meticulously smoking meats over wood fire, no-frills counter-serve institutions dealing out 100-piece platters of medium-spicy perfection, and masterful chefs executing the notoriously difficult double-fry technique for authentic Korean flavor.
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The 10 Best
Central Jersey Chicken Wings
1911 Smokehouse Barbeque
Where: Trenton
Details: Fans of smoked wings have a home at 1911 Smokehouse Barbeque. This popular spot has a robust BBQ menu full of smoked meats and appetizers. Their wings are available in traditional or boneless options, with choice of grilled or fried. 1911 has over 15 sauces and seasonings, including favorites like Lemon Pepper, Harlem Shake, Sriracha Bourbon, Jamaican Jerk, and Atomic. Vegan wings are also available, all in orders of small, large, or 50 wings at a time. We recommend a side of candied yams with any order.
Boom Boom Chicken
Where: Edison
Details: Boom Boom Chicken specializes in Korean fried chicken and a few other favorites. The menu includes popcorn chicken, fried shrimp, dumplings, and even chicken Katsu. But they are most popular for their wings. Patrons can order drums only, wings only, or a combo that also includes fried chicken breast. They only offer two sauce options, Mild or Spicy, plus a Half & Half option. Likewise, the choice of sides is White Rice or Sweet & Sour pickled radish. For Korean chicken fans in North Jersey, Boom Boom also has a location in Rutherford.
Chuck’s Spring Street Cafe
Where: Princeton
Details: This no-frills counter-serve spot in Princeton will likely be the biggest surprise on this list. Their serve bone-in wings in staggering amounts, including orders of 14/21/28/35/50/64/75/100. (Don’t ask us about where those number came from!) They also serve boneless wings in orders of 20 at a time. These fan favorite buffalo wings come in a single sauce — Medium Spicy — accompanied by the classic blue cheese and celery. But one sauce is all they need for locals to name Chuck’s Cafe the best wings in town.
The Extra Pint
Where: Manville
Details: This popular game day spot is known for their Bang Bang Shrimp, beers on tap, and signature wings. This includes their fan-favorite Bucket of Wings, an order of 21 classic wings with bleu cheese and celery. Available wing sauces include Garlic Buffalo, Sesame Hot, BBQ, Mango Habanero, and BoomBoom. Likewise, The Extra Pint offers dry rubs including Lemon Pepper, Old Bay, Cajun, and Jamaican Jerk. Vegetarian boneless wings, buffalo tenders, and grilled chicken strips are available as alternatives to wings.
Finnagel’s Restaurant
Where: Clinton
Details: Open daily from Noon – 11pm for first-come, first-serve patrons, Finnagel’s serves wings by the pound. Customers can select between mild, hot, BBQ, Teriyaki, or their signature in-house Finnagel’s sauce for their wings. The latter is a sweet and spicy sauce that uses a decades-old recipe (since 1981, to be exact). Seasonal craft cocktails, draft options, and bottles of beer are all available to pair with any wing and sauce combo. Ask about their seasonal handcrafted cocktail menu to see what pairs best with your wings.
First N Ten
Where: Trenton
Details: First N Ten will be turning 30 in 2027. But in the meantime, this popular sports pub is busy perfecting the art of wing sauces and dry rubs. Even after a few decades, their menu is still introducing limited time wing sauces to keep regulars on their toes. A recent example is the Area 51 (Danger Zone!), a combination of mango habanero and Nashville hot sauce. Meanwhile, menu mainstay flavors include Honey BBQ, Mild/Hot/Killer, and traditional BBQ. It’s also worth noting First N Ten serves top-tier Buffalo Shrimp as well.
River Road Tavern
Where: Piscataway
Details: Outside of a Facebook page, River Road Tavern doesn’t have much of an online presence. Which means all the talk about their menu is genuine word-of-mouth. Locals and first-time customers alike are always blown away by their wings. These classic fried wings come in a variety of sauce options, including their popular Buffalo and signature Fat Cat sauce. (They also do a great Garlic Parm sauce.) The wings here are so good, River Road Tavern is the neighborhood’s preferred Superbowl catering option.
Seoul Fried Chicken
Where: Edison | Somerset
Details: Seoul Fried Chicken, or SFC to regulars, specializes in fast-casual Korean chicken. Founder/Chef Hansong Kim uses an authentic, Korean-style double-frying technique to make his wings, tenders, and chicken sandwiches. Everything is made in-house daily, from the top-secret chicken batter recipe to the sauces; including the fan favorite honey garlic, sweet and spicy, soy garlic, devil hot, and wasabi pepper options. Plus, the chicken is never frozen, certified halal, non-GMO, and without hormones or antibiotics.
The Station Bar & Grill
Where: Garwood
Details: The Station is a go-to spot for “famous Brian’s Brothers” wings and craft beer. They sell their jumbo, crispy wings in 10, 20, and 50-piece options. Available sauces include mild, medium, and serious, as well as teriyaki and shotgun dry rub. But we recommend the Honey BBQ, which pairs great with bleu cheese. There’s no shortage of drink options to wash down their wings with, as The Station has a large tap list. Patrons can pick between a selection of IPAs, lagers, ciders, stouts, brown ales, pilsners, and hard seltzers.
Tap And Growler Bar & Grill
Where: Sayreville
Details: The award-winning wings at Tap and Growler are famous for their harmonious blend of flavor, quality, and heat. With over 80 sauces and dry rubs to choose from, the menu variety attracts wing lovers of all kinds. There are obviously too many to name here, but a few standout sauces include Mississippi Hickory Honey, Bangkok Spicy Peanut, Pineapple Jalapeno, and Blues Hog Smokey Mountain BBQ. On the dry rub side, we recommend the Maple Bourbon and Pink Peppercorn Lemon Thyme. (Say that three times fast!)
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Central Jersey Chicken Wings FAQs
Seoul Fried Chicken in Somerset uses a top-secret batter and authentic Korean-style double-frying technique for non-GMO, halal chicken. Over in Edison, Boom Boom Chicken is a highly popular destination specializing in mouth-watering Korean fried drums and wings.
First N Ten in Trenton is a fan favorite sports pub that has been perfecting its sauces and dry rubs for nearly 30 years. Likewise, The Extra Pint in Manville is a game-day sanctuary. They’re famous for their 21-piece “Bucket of Wings” and stellar draft list.
If you like to experiment with wild flavors, visit Tap And Growler Bar & Grill in Sayreville. They boast an astonishing 80+ sauces and dry rubs, ranging from Mississippi Hickory Honey to Pink Peppercorn Lemon Thyme.
For wood-fired flavor over a traditional deep fry, 1911 Smokehouse Barbeque in Trenton is a must-visit. They offer incredible smoked wings (available grilled or fried) tossed in bold flavors like Sriracha Bourbon and Jamaican Jerk.
Chuck’s Spring Street Cafe in Princeton is a legendary, no-frills spot that sells their fan-favorite wings in staggering amounts. (All the way up to 100-piece orders!) Meanwhile, River Road Tavern in Piscataway is widely known as the neighborhood’s absolute preferred Superbowl catering choice.
Top (Hero) Photo: © Seoul Fried Chicken / Website
