Best Wings in Memphis: The Verified Hot Wing Map

Memphis takes wings as seriously as it takes barbecue, and the proof is a whole vocabulary other cities don't have: honey gold, seasoned, whole wings, wet or dry. Nearly every neighborhood has a counter where the sauce recipe is somebody's grandmother's business, and the argument over the best one has been running on local radio and in group chats for decades.

So here's the current, honest map: 20 wing spots across the whole 901, re-checked at their own sites in October 2026 — with addresses, the hours venues actually publish, what to order off each menu, and a closed list, because a few of the most famous names in the conversation are gone and plenty of lists still send people to them. (For the citywide table, start with best restaurants in Memphis.) — Josh

How to read a Memphis wing menu

Party or whole. Party wings are the split drums and flats; whole wings keep the joint on and eat like a meal. Ching's prices both (five party wings are $7.61, three whole wings $8.25 on its October 2026 menu), and Supreme Hot Wings runs party wings only but will do all flats or all drums for $3.50 more per ten.

Dry or wet. The dry side is seasoned, lemon pepper, and dry hot. The wet side is where Memphis gets specific: honey gold first, then honey hot and honey extra hot, then straight hot and the dares (Ching's calls its top shelf Suicide). Best Wings of Memphis splits nearly every flavor by heat, so Seasoned Hot, Honey Glazed Mild, and Lemon Pepper Mild all sit on the same board.

The house specials. At Ching's on Getwell it's the Kam Special: seasoned plus lemon pepper plus dry hot, finished with a honey-hot drizzle. At Supreme it's the Supreme Hot. At The Wing Factory in Orange Mound it's the April Special Sauce. At Central BBQ the wings are smoked first, then go wet, naked, jerked, dry spice, honey gold, or sweet heat. Our advice for a first trip: one honey gold, one house special, and let the table argue.

The legends

The names that come up first in every Memphis wing argument — re-checked October 2026 (Alex's Tavern has no website, so call ahead).

• Ching's Hot WingsGetwell, 1264 Getwell Rd

  'The best wings in the city... Period.' is the house tagline, and half of Memphis agrees. Open since 2003, with every seasoning and sauce still hand-crafted by the founder. The board runs Seasoned, Lemon Pepper, and Dry Hot on the dry side; Honey Gold, Honey Hot, Honey Extra Hot, Hot, Extra Hot, Suicide, and two garlic parmesans on the wet. Order the Kam Special (all three dry rubs plus a honey-hot drizzle) if you only get one. Wed–Sat 11am–7pm, Sun 12–6, closed Mon–Tue — plan around it.

• D'Bo's Hot Wings & MoreWhitehaven, 4407 Elvis Presley Blvd + Riverdale, 7050 Malco Crossing

  First place at the 2011 National Buffalo Wing Festival and a Men's Journal top-15 U.S. wing destination in 2016 — plus 25+ years of hometown 'best wings' wins, per the Memphis Business Journal. Party wings, whole wings, and daiquiris next door to Graceland's neighborhood.

• Alex's TavernVollintine-Evergreen, 1445 Jackson Ave

  Memphis' oldest family-run tavern — pouring since 1953 — and the late-night wing of record: drummies only, in Greek, Buffalo, or BBQ, with the Greek seasoning the stuff of legend (it's the founding family's recipe; Rocky still runs the room). No website, cash only — that's the charm. Call 901-278-9086 before a special trip.

• Uncle Lou's Fried ChickenWhitehaven, 1725 Winchester Rd

  The 'Sweet Spicy Love' honey-dipped wings ride the same great-grandmother's recipe that put Uncle Lou on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives in 2008. Open since April 2001; dining room daily, drive-thru until midnight Mon–Sat — the answer to a specific kind of question. (More of the story on our soul food guide.)

The barbecue-smoke lane

Memphis' real contribution to the national wing argument: put the bird in the smoker first.

• Central BBQMidtown, Downtown, Summer Ave + Poplar

  Smoked hot wings in six ways — wet, naked, jerked, dry spice, honey gold, or sweet heat — at all four Memphis locations. The dry-spice bird is the Memphis move. Hours vary by location; check their site. (Their ribs anchor our best BBQ guide.)

• Cozy Corner BBQUptown, 735 N Parkway

  The Robinson family's room has fed Southern Living, Saveur, and Bon Appétit writers, and the barbecue wings ($12.75 for a three-wing plate, $16.76 for five, or $14.57 for two ribs and two wings) share the menu with the famous Cornish hen. Tue–Sat 11am–8pm, closed Sun–Mon.

• Elwood's ShackSummer Ave, 4523 Summer

  Smoked jerk wings out of a trailer-turned-institution in a hardware store parking lot — the kind of place that does breakfast, barbecue, and pizza and somehow nails all three. Mon–Sat 7am–9pm, Sun 8am–3pm.

The neighborhood counters

Where the honey gold actually gets judged — counter service, no pretense, wings by the piece.

• Best Wings of MemphisSummer Ave, 2390 Summer + Whitehaven, 3995 Elvis Presley

  The name is a dare — 'Food So Great, You Will Scrape Your Plate!' is the house line. Twelve flavors, most split by heat: Hot, Mild, Seasoned Hot, Honey Glazed (mild or hot), BBQ, Lemon Pepper (straight or mild). Wings from $9.35 for a 3-piece ($10.38 with fries) up to 100-piece party platters, plus catfish combos. Tue–Sat 11am–6:45pm.

• The Wing FactoryOrange Mound, 2280 Park Ave

  Orange Mound's wing room, wired into the neighborhood — Melrose High and U of M ties are all over its walls and its site — with the April Special Sauce as the signature, heat from mild to 'XXtra hot,' and wings from $7. Tue–Sat 11am–8pm.

• Crumpy's Hot WingsUptown/Pinch, 336 N Dunlap St

  A Memphis wing name with real history; the downtown room by Le Bonheur runs Mon–Wed 10:30am–9pm, Thu–Fri to 9:30, Sat 11–9:30, closed Sunday. Bone-in, boneless, and Philly steaks. (Other Crumpy's locations float around town — call before driving to one.)

• Don Don's Hot WingsSouth Memphis, 2926 S 3rd St

  South Memphis' counter of choice, open late by wing standards: Mon–Thu 11am–10pm, Fri–Sat to 11pm, Sun 12–8.

• Adline's Hot WingsRaleigh, 2736 Warford St

  Raleigh's honey-gold and seasoned-wing specialist. Mon–Thu 11am–9:30pm, Fri–Sat to 10:30, closed Sunday.

• All Star Hot WingsSummer Ave, Union + Kirby

  Whole wings are the calling card at all three locations. Summer Avenue runs Mon–Thu 10:30am–9pm, Fri–Sat to 10, Sun 12–8.

• Supreme Hot WingsWhitten Rd, Bartlett edge

  The northeast-Memphis answer, at 1674 Whitten Rd. Eight flavors: Mild, Regular Hot, the house Supreme Hot, Honey Gold, Honey Hot, Honey Barbecue, Seasoned, and Lemon Pepper. Party wings only, ten for $15.99, and you can ask for lemon pepper or seasoning on top of any sauce.

• Dixie QueenAll over Memphis

  The burger-and-shake institution moonlights as a serious wing stop: honey gold ('not too sweet, not too spicy — just pure gold,' by their own menu), lemon pepper wet or dry, classic hot, all tossed heavy. Locations across the city; details on their site.

Sit-down rooms, downtown, and the suburbs

Wings with a table, a bar, or a shorter drive from the county line.

• Gus's World Famous Fried ChickenDowntown, 310 S Front St

  The fried chicken legend is also the easiest wing order downtown: the 3-piece wing plate comes with baked beans, slaw, and white bread, in the same spicy crust that made the place famous. Daily 11am–9pm, Fri–Sat to 10. (The full story is on our best fried chicken guide.)

• SageDowntown, 94 S Main St

  Six jumbo party wings for $13, served seasoned, sticky, lemon pepper, or hot, from the fusion-soul room on Main. They're on the regular menu Wed–Sat and the late-night menu after 9pm Friday and Saturday.

• Bayou Bar & GrillOverton Square, 2094 Madison Ave

  Zydeco Wings — 'a Memphis original,' says the menu — from the Cajun room that's anchored Overton Square since 1987. Daily 11am–10pm, patio included.

• Mr. P's Buffalo WingsGermantown, 2075 Exeter Rd

  The family-owned east-metro pick for a proper Buffalo wing: party, whole, or boneless, tossed in the classic tangy Buffalo or the crowd-favorite Buffalo Garlic Parmesan, with hot tamales and fried fish on the side. Order ahead on their site.

• The Wing GuruCollierville + Arlington (+ East Memphis HQ)

  The suburb-friendly small chain — Collierville's room sits on West Poplar, Arlington's on Airline Rd, with per-location hours posted on their site. Check the location page before driving; the lineup has been shifting in 2026.

What changed — so you don't drive to a locked door

The wing map moved in 2026: New Wing Order — four-time grand champion of Memphis' hot wing festival — closed its Beale Street room when Ghost River's taproom shut in May 2026, and its own site signed off with 'We love you Memphis, goodbye.' Bosses on Poplar, the East Memphis honey-gold favorite, has also closed, and the 'Wings Guru' on Elvis Presley Blvd (no relation to The Wing Guru above) went with it. Three more worth a call before a drive: Crumpy's Midtown; The Wing Guru's Mt. Moriah room, which is back on the chain's own location list but which we haven't confirmed independently; and All Star Hot Wings, whose website was down when we re-checked in October 2026. Everything else on this page was re-verified at its own site in October 2026; when the map moves again, this page moves with it.

The honest answers