If you’ve read enough of our blog entries you have probably already figured out that we at LibertyVillageToronto.com have 2 real passions: real estate and food.
Those who know us personally will be able to verify that one of our favourite food groups (yeah, that’s right, food groups) is chicken wings. Not just any old chicken wing either…they have to be big, plump, fiery Buffalo-style chicken wings!
Chicken wings can be a highly controversial and heated topic for those who consider themselves fanatics. Seeing how this is OUR blog entry about wings we will come right out and state that our benchmark for great wings is Duff’s Famous Wings with 2 Toronto locations (one on College St and the other on Bayview Ave). Duff’s is originally a Buffalo-based wing restaurant and considered one of two of the best wing spots in Buffalo (the other being the famous Anchor Bar – often recognized as the place that first served the Buffalo-style chicken wing).
So now that we have established our benchmark for the best wings in Toronto, let’s look at Liberty Village’s offerings. I think it’s safe to say that Liberty Village is not yet a go-to destination for wings…however, it’s getting better.
Brazen Head offers a fairly typical selection of pub food which includes chicken wings. There wings are quite good and they do have an interesting selection of styles including Hot n’Honey, Caribbean Jerk, Honey Garlic, Mild, Medium, Hot and Suicide. My only issue with these wings is that they are lightly battered before sauced. I personally don’t believe that wings need to be lightly battered at all. They just don’t crisp up the right way with a batter. The texture changes…not really my thing but I recognize that people really like their wings. They have a popular $0.40 wing night on Mondays with the purchase of a beverage. I’m due back for a visit and I thing today is Monday!
Williams Landing makes a pretty good wing too. They give you a pile of big and plump wings for $12 and come in an interesting variety that goes beyond the traditional Frank’s Hot Sauce mix. Flavours at Williams Landing include house-made BBQ, fiery habanero and ancho-pepper lime rub. My favourites are the fiery habanero for sure!
The following option is really a take out place and is unlicensed but Liberty Village Rotisserie Grill does make a good wing. For me, the sports bar atmosphere is almost essential to enjoy a wing so I don’t often eat take-out wings. That being said, this Portuguese-style chicken joint serves up an all-round tasty chicken and they do offer Buffalo-style, non-battered hot wings. Give them a try!
That’s pretty much it for now but we are hoping some new wing options will be making waves in Liberty Village in the not-so-distant future. For now, it looks like we will still be heading up to College Street.
If you think we’ve missed any, please let us know!
Sloppy Joe’s is located at 3527 Lake Shore Blvd W., on the 501 Queen Streetcar line, and is in between Kipling and Brown’s Line.They have Wing Nights on Tuesday and Thursday, when their wings are 65 cents each. On Wing Nights expect big crowds!