The chicken wing has become an iconic appetizer in American cuisine and a staple of game day grub.  The Rampage set out to find the best wings in the surrounding area, sampling buffalo wings and one other flavor unique to the restaurants, to find the best chicken wing spot for RHS students. Each restaurant was judged on the quality of their wings, flavorful-ness of the sauces, overall atmosphere and price.

Urban BBQ

Urban BBQ is the closest restaurant to RHS, located 0.7 miles away in Rock Creek Village. Customers seat themselves and food is served in less than 15 minutes, with great service. The standard flavor, buffalo, was solid with good flavor, but the sauce was a little watery. The dragon honey wings were superb with a sweet, barbecue flavor and a nice tang. The drumsticks were pleasantly surprising as they had little to no fat on them which doesn’t happen often. But, they weren’t consistently crispy on each wing. It cost $11.99 for 12 wings.

Overall the restaurant received 3.5/5 wings.

Outta the Way Cafe

Outta the Way Cafe is the farthest option for students 6.1 miles away and also the weakest of the four establishments that were reviewed. The sampled flavors were “Chesapeake Bay” and buffalo. The bay wings had a decent flavor, but the buffalo was seriously lacking. The service was lackluster because the food takes a long time to come out even with few customers in the restaurant. Also, the wings are listed as “market price” for a pound of wings which is both inconvenient and unclear. The crispiness of the wings were sub par, even feeling rubbery at times.

Overall the restaurant received 1.5/5 wings.

Full On Craft Eats & Drinks

Full On Craft Eats & Drinks is a short 3.1 miles from RHS in the Norbeck Center at the intersection of Norbeck Road and Georgia Avenue. The restaurant is small, but the atmosphere and staff make everyone feel calm and welcome. They are known for their sandwiches, but the wings are a hidden gem. The two sauces sampled were a standard buffalo flavor and their mumbo sauce which is a mix between buffalo, thai and barbeque. Both flavors were consistently crispy with well-distributed sauce. However, some wings had a lack of meat on the bottom half of wing, and others could have been more tender. The price for one pound of wings is $10, which is about eight wings, but the eatery does offer a super bowl special of five pounds of wings for $40.

Overall they were very impressive, bringing in 4.5/5 wings.

Wingstop

Wingstop is located 1.3 miles away in the Wintergreen shopping center off of Rockville Pike. Unlike other restaurants, Wingstop is mostly for “to-go” wing orders along with limited dine-in seating. Even though it is marketed as a fast-food restaurant, it took about 15 minutes for food to arrive. For an eight-wing combo meal, it was $11.59, which included a drink and a side of fries. While the wings were crispy, they were slim and showed some bone on some of the flats. The buffalo sauce was adequate, but the speciality hickory smoked sauce was below average and tasted like a generic barbecue. The presentation of the wings was atrocious. The box was painted with sauce on one side, but the wings were only slightly coated.  

Overall the restaurant received 1.5/5 wings.

Winner: Full On Craft Eats & Drinks 

Full On Craft Eats & Drinks was the winner due to its great flavors and consistent crisps. It’s the second closest restaurant to RHS which makes it easily accessible for students. The wings are fairly priced and the restaurant has a lively atmosphere. The buffalo and mumbo sauces were great. Service was friendly and inviting, and the food came out in a reasonable amount of time. Full On Craft Eats & Drinks is a great place for any RHS student to get an after school snack or for a family sized order of wings.