South Africa is a vibrant country brimming with culinary delights, and one dish locals and visitors alike cannot seem to get enough of is chicken wings.
From classic buffalo style to more adventurous flavours, you will find a variety of restaurants serving delicious bites.
Our curated list of the best places to satisfy your chicken wings cravings in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg:
Cape Town
Banana Jam Café
Banana Jam Café opened in 1999 as a small 45-seater restaurant in the parking lot of Kenilworth Station. It serves traditional Caribbean food alongside burgers and pizza.
In 2010, it moved across the road and expanded to a 200-seater restaurant, with the same Caribbean feel as before.
It boasts a beautiful garden, an open-plan interior and its famous rum bar, which offers 30 beers on tap.
In 2014, it started renovations on the kitchen and expanded to house its brand-new brewery, Afro Caribbean Brewing Co. Banana Jam Café has an upstairs brew pub and private function venue and makes some of the best beer in Africa.
While sipping on a beer, indulge in buffalo wings (free-range chicken wings tossed in chilli butter and served with a blue cheese dip) or honey rum wings (free-range chicken wings tossed in honey, rum, soya sauce and sesame seeds).
Located: 157 2nd Avenue, Kenilworth.
The Fireman's Arms
Fireman’s Arms is one of the finest and oldest pubs in Cape Town, providing fine beers and wines, as well as exquisite food and light meals.
The pub has undergone renovations and improvements over the years while keeping the original building and ambience. It offers high-definition viewing and big-screen events and exceptional service in a relaxing and traditional setting.
Fireman’s Arms has home-made meals that take you from starters to mouth-watering desserts that will tantalise the taste buds. On their menu, for R99, is the delicious Tennessee “Hot or Not” wings that are marinated in yoghurt and secret spices.
Located: 25 Buitengracht Street and, Mechau Street, De Waterkant.
Durban
Hooters
If you are looking for the perfect spot to catch a game with the guys, start a lady's night on the town or enjoy a family brunch on a lazy Sunday afternoon, Hooters has established itself as the ideal venue to cater to your dining and entertainment needs, with a unique All-American twist.
The restaurant has all the favourites – ice-cold beer, craveable wings and the world-famous Hooters Girls. The chicken wings are a hit from coast to coast.
Various offers include boneless wings, which are hand-breaded boneless wings served with your favourite sauce, and the Hooters Daytona Beach Style Wings, which are naked wings tossed in their signature Daytona Beach sauce.
After they are done, they are thrown onto the grill to sear in the flavour. They take just a little longer to cook, but like most things worth waiting for, you won’t mind a bit.
Located: 2 Lagoon Drive, uMhlanga.
Food City
The café offers perfectly cooked burgers, delicious shawarmas, bunny chow, good pizza and succulent wings.
For R55, you get six wings and for R160, you get 18 wings. A tub of sauce costs R10 and on offer are the peri-peri, per-mayo and sweet chilli flavours.
Patrons note that the staff are warm and welcoming. Google users have rated it 4.4.
Located: 123 Sparks Road, Overport.
Johannesburg
Blind Tiger
The Blind Tiger is a place to get away from the rat race. Choose a small corner for two or a larger table for 15.
The cosy neighbourhood café and bar in Parkview serves fresh Californian-inspired fusion cuisine, classic cocktails and an interesting wine offering.
The menu is a collection of fresh California-inspired fusion cuisine. There are Korean-style spicy chicken wings (free-range chicken, made with a secret recipe) served with a honey-lime Sriracha drizzle.
Located: 62 Tyrone Avenue, Parkview.
The Wing Republic
The Wing Republic is one of Gauteng’s premium chill spots. Established by Tlhompho Mokoena as a pop-up restaurant in 2014, the booming business became operational in a brick-and-mortar location in November 2017.
The restaurant specialises in buffalo-style chicken wings. It aims at providing a friendly and pleasant atmosphere for customers in a well-designed, and productive environment in which people can work happily while providing superior service and quality food.
The Wing Republic is sensitive to the look and taste of good chicken wings and to high-quality ingredients. It aims to provide the best possible value to its customers who desire great-tasting chicken wings.
Located: 6 De Beer Street, Braamfontein.