Craving: Chicago’s best wings — for football watching and election results obsessing

There’s never a bad time for chicken wings, and, in fact, football season is a pretty good time to enjoy some saucy drums and flats — not to mention stress eating through election results on Tuesday. In that spirit, we’ve collected 18 of our favorite places for wings. It’s called public service journalism, and you’re welcome.

Bird’s Nest

Bird’s Nest is a classic neighborhood pub near DePaul with plenty of seating and TVs for taking in the game, plus some pretty hot wings. Bird’s Nest offers several wing sauces, but its self-titled hot sauce is the most popular option. Much like a traditional Buffalo sauce, the Bird’s Nest hot sauce is strong and vinegar-y enough to clear your sinuses in one whiff, even more so than your average hot sauce. Combined with a healthy dose of black pepper, it made for a lingering, satisfying heat. The sauce would be overwhelming for some folks, but even if you choose a milder option, the wings are moist and a good size. $13, basket of 10. 2500 N. Southport Ave., 773-472-1502, birdsnestbar.com

Bonchon

Chicken wings don’t get much crunchier than the ones served at the Korean fried chicken chain, which landed in Chicago’s Chinatown in mid-2017 and caused a scene when long lines showed up before the doors opened. It’s easy to understand the enthusiasm. The wings are preternaturally crispy. Doesn’t matter if you dig in immediately, or box them up for a quick snack later, the crunch remains even when drenched in sauce. The mild soy garlic sauce has a satisfyingly tangy profile, salty with a funky garlic base, while the spicy sauce does not fool around. The heat builds and builds, until you realize your forehead is covered in sweat. $9.65 for 10 pieces. 2163 S. China Place #1F (also 1732 W. Division St.), bonchon.com/korean-fried-chicken-chicago-s-china-pl-il/

Budacki’s

If you’re a fan of Crisp (below), know that the same family also owns this Ravenswood hot dog stand. It initially looks exactly like dozens of other hot dog stands scattered throughout Chicago, with a menu stocked full of burgers, hot dogs and fries. But keep scanning through the long menu, and you’ll run into a fried chicken wing section. The only difference we could spot between the two is that Budacki’s wings are served on a bed of fries, which soak up the Seoul sassy sauce and taste better than they have any right to. $7.50. 4739 N. Damen Ave., 773-561-1322, facebook.com/pages/Budacki’s

Crisp

Folks who like a well-breaded wing need to look no further than Crisp’s Korean fried chicken wings. The fried batter offers not just texture, but adds a bit of savory, starchy flavor to each bite, even after the wings have been tossed in sauce. This effect can be polarizing for wing-eaters, but, if that’s your style, Crisp does it very well with crunch and flavor. These wings come as whole chicken wings, not lollipop style, and are available in several sauces, but the lightly sweet Sassy Seoul is the way to go. $9.95 for five pieces; $18.95 for 10. 2940 N. Broadway, 773-697-7610, crisponline.com

Dak

Dak has long been heralded for its Korean-style wings, and it’s worthy of the praise. These wings are made to order, so they always come out piping hot, and everything is just right: healthy amount of sauce, light batter, crisp fry, juicy finish. In terms of style, Dak’s wings are very similar to Crisp’s, but we prefer the soy-based house sauce at Dak, as well as the amount of batter on the wings. But it’s hard to go wrong between the two, especially if Korean-style is what you’re looking for. $9.95 for five pieces; $18.95 for 10. 1104 W. Granville Ave., 773-754-0255, dakwings.com

Emerald Isle

This is your basic Far North Side Irish pub, decorated with pictures of Ireland and some framed Guinness ads, and there are enough TVs to make catching a game an appealing prospect. The Buffalo-style wings are good, and even the mild version has an appreciable kick. But what knocks me out are the garlic Romano wings — extra crispy and very garlicky, with a dusted-Romano finish that puts the wings over the top. There are barbecue wings and grilled teriyaki-citrus wings as well. (There’s an Emerald Isle restaurant, also a pretty good wings destination, in Edison Park, but the two are unrelated.) 2535 W. Peterson Ave., 773-561-6674.

The Fifty/50

The Fifty/50 sports bar has long been known for its wings, which do not disappoint. Drum or flat, they’re always jumbo and juicy with a light, borderline-flaky fry, then topped with a tangy sauce of your choice. Consider the Buffalo style: Fifty/50 does its own hot sauce by roasting four kinds of peppers, then making them into a mash that’s “seasoned, strained and aged,” according to its website. The resulting slather is truly unique, worthy of the wings wearing it. $12 to $13 for six pieces, and on up. 2047 W. Division St., 773-489-5050, thefifty50.com

Great Sea

Korean-style lollipop wings are another way to do wings, and Great Sea’s are a local classic. While the wings only come in one size, you get nearly 20 per order, swimming in a delicious soy-based sweet-and-sour style sauce. The fry was a little hard for our liking, but the meat comes right off the bone, and they’re fun to eat. A word of caution, though: You might wind up wanting to drink the sauce at the end. $16.99. 3254 W. Lawrence Ave., 773-478-9129, greatsearestaurant.com

Gators Wing Shack Grill and Pizzeria

The pizza might be good here. The half-pound Angus burgers might be worth a try. But we head to this northwest suburban spot for the wings. Original Buffalo and garlic Buffalo are the big sellers, there are barbecue versions available and you can even order them plain. $11.99 and up. 1719 Rand Road, Palatine, 847-705-0555, gatorswingshack.com

Harold’s Chicken Shack

Harold Pierce opened his first fried chicken restaurant in 1950, which he eventually started to franchise into a mini-empire of freshly fried chicken. Not only does Harold’s serve the most popular fried chicken in Chicago, by visiting you also get to experience the wonder that is mild sauce — the unique sweet but tangy condiment essential for Chicago fans. Locals fiercely debate which Harold’s is best. $5.99, with fries, bread, slaw. Loop location: 612 S. Wabash Ave., 312-362-0442, haroldschickenshacktogo.com

Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap

Jake Melnick’s is another longtime purveyor of wings, and their quality hasn’t declined. The wings remain a good size and fall somewhere in the middle of the hard-to-soft fry spectrum. The sauces are admirable, both in terms of quality and creativity. Some PBJ-style wings are the wildest option, tossed in a Thai peanut and served with raspberry chipotle jelly, but our favorites were the Firecracker and Poncho’s wings. The former was a hard-fried batch of wings topped with a sweet Thai-chile-and-Sriracha sauce and sprinkled with scallion, while the latter were very simple: grilled wings finished with garlic and cayenne pepper. Maybe this was wing fatigue speaking, but the grilled Poncho’s option was a favorite here — squeeze a little lemon on top, and you’re deliciously transported to a backyard barbecue. $12.95 to $16.95. 41 E. Superior St., 312-266-0400, jakemelnicks.com

Joong Boo Market

You can also find lollipop chicken wings at the Korean grocery store crammed between the Kennedy Expressway and the Metra tracks in Avondale. If any wings compete on the crunchiness scale with Bonchon, these are the ones. And that’s even though the wings are cooked ahead of time, stuffed into to-go containers and then placed under heat lamps. Any normal wings would steam into a limp mass after just a few minutes. Not these. They are also coated in a fascinating sauce, which initially tastes slightly too sweet. Then a wave of chile heat rises up from the background, along with a trippy citrus note. $9. 3333 N. Kimball Ave., 773-478-5566, joongboomarket.com

Palmer Place

This west suburban restaurant is mostly known for its burgers (Palmer Place has done very well over the years at Chicago’s annual Hamburger Hop), of which there are more than 30 varieties on the menu, but the restaurant offers very good wings as well. Among the options are good and vinegary Buffalo-style (made with blue-cheese dip in mind) and sweet, almost maple-y barbecue wings. There’s also honey mustard and, for the spice lovers, a General Tso version. $13.95 full order. 56 S. La Grange Road, La Grange, 708-482-7127, palmerslagrange.com

Pearl’s Place

Pearl’s Place is a sit-down soul food spot that might not be the first place you consider for basic hot wings, and while it’s not the place to watch the game, the wings will work for any occasion. Classic Buffalo is the only sauce option, but, thankfully, it’s not the only thing giving these wings flavor. The wings are notable for the well-seasoned outer skin. While the fry may have been a little soft, the wings were sizable and the flavors balanced. $9.99. 3901 S. Michigan Ave., 773-285-1700, pearlsplacerestaurant.com

Timothy O’Toole’s

Though these wings are popular with Bears fans, you needn’t wait until game time to dig in here. There are more than a half-dozen styles available — keep an eye out for the maple-bourbon barbecue wings, which are as delicious as they are sticky. $13 for 10. 622 N. Fairbanks Court, 312-642-0700, timothyotooles.com/chicago

Toons Bar & Grill

Another neighborhood spot, Toon’s Bar & Grill does great seafood events like crawfish boils during the warmer months, but locals know they can get good wings year-round. The bar offers several sauce options, but at a pub-style space like this, Buffalo wings just feel right. Toon’s certainly doesn’t skimp on the sauce, nor the celery or ranch, if that’s your thing. They’re not the biggest or most creative wing offering you’ll find in Chicago, but they’re a dependable, tasty bet. $10. 3857 N. Southport Ave., 773-935-1919, chicagotoons.com

Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken

Uncle Remus deservingly soaks up some real estate on this list. All three Remus locations serve up pretty similar product. The wing special here comes in a familiar format: whole wings not tossed in sauce, but with sauce drizzled on top (including on the fries), plus a roll. The fry is also familiar: crispy in a lighter golden-brown color, making for a bite that doesn’t feel as hefty as larger wings, but certainly just as tasty. Drizzling the sauce keeps the fry from getting soggy, but you won’t be lacking for that sweet, sweet mild sauce, as Remus leaves plenty of excess on the bottom. $7.51 for four wings, plus fries. 737 E. 47th St., 773-966-6838, 5611 W. Madison St., 773-261-7311, 1801 Roosevelt Road, Broadview, 708-681-4105, uncleremususa.com

Zip Z Express

This spot in Roger’s Park has dozens of dishes listed on its window yet fails to mention the Oriental wings, which is what you’ll want to order. The petite offerings are tossed with a genuinely spicy and very brown, Korean-inspired sauce. The mighty pile of white rice on the side will help calm the heat. $6.67 for eight. 1635 W. Howard St.