N.J.’s 20 best wings, just in time for Super Bowl 50

It’s no secret that Super Bowl Sunday is Super Chicken Wing Day; about 1.3 billion will be consumed in the United States this weekend, according to the National Chicken Council.

Most bar wings, though, are nothing special, gooped and gunked with the same old Buffalo wing sauce found the world over. Add Frank’s RedHot or Louisiana Hot Sauce and stir. For goodness sake, you can do this at home.

Which is why I laugh — or cringe — when I see a bar proclaiming “world famous Buffalo wings.”  I already know what they’re going to taste like, and usually the wings are scrawny besides. And keep that silly celery and blue cheese away from me.

Buffalo wings as we know them started with the Anchor Bar in Buffalo in 1964; co-owner Teressa Bellissimo cooked leftover wings in hot sauce for her son and his friends. Hot sauce maker Dick Winger — I am not making that up ‚ and Teressa’s son Dominick went on the road selling the sauce, and a legend was born.

The Twitter comment below notwithstanding, Jersey is not a wing wasteland (it is a barbecue wasteland, though). There are only a few traditional Buffalo wings  on my lisst of N.J.’s best wings. Again, Buffalo wing sauces are boring and predictable. Anyone can make them. Maybe I’ll even open my own Buffalo wing joint and make a quick million, who knows.

The places on my list make wings that stand out, and they’re all over the map — sports, craft beer and neighborhood bars, barbecue joints, Korean and Thai restaurants. There’s a Golden Nugget, but it’s not the A.C. casino. A Hat City Kitchen and a Chicken Kitchen. And I’ll explain why Wharton is the wing capital of N.J.

What’s your favorite NJ wing spot? Let me know in the comments section below. Tell me who I missed!

NOTE: The list is not ranked; the places are in alphabetical order. 

1. Broadway Bar & Grill, Point Pleasant Beach.

Probably my favorite Shore wings — plump and crispy, first deep-fried, then finished off on the grill. The building housed Nelly’s Long Bar for 50-plus years; the funky, houseboat-like interior, and those wings, set the Broadway apart. 106 Randall Ave., Point Pleasant Beach; 732-899-3272.

2. Chicken Kitchen, Shrewsbury.

Bare-bones, strip-mall chicken wing joint open 30 years. Get them sauced or just plain fried; the latter wings are fat and crunchy; I could eat them all day. And night. 420 Shrewsbury Plaza, Shrewsbury; 732-542-8030.

3. The Chicken or the Egg, Beach Haven.

Legendary LBI hangout with decor ranging from Norman Rockwell prints to crab traps. Wings come in 14 sauces, from mild to ludicrous. Don’t try the ludicrous unless you feel really stupid, or have EMTs nearby. Closed for the season; re-opens in April. 207 N. Bay Ave., Beach Haven; 609-492-3695.

4. Coconut Grove, National Park.

The wings I ate here may have been the best of our entire N.J.’s best bars mission, and that’s saying a lot. Nothing fancy, just good meaty wings. Skip the buffalo and get them cajun style, you’ll thank me later. 150 Riverview Ave., National Park; 856-579-4065.

5. Dolsot House, Cherry Hill.

It’s not a house but a small, popular strip mall restaurant specializing in Korean food. You can do an order of 10 wings half one way, half another; the soy ginger and spicy wings are equally tasty — big, crispy, crunchy. And if you’ve never tried Korean fried chicken, you haven’t lived. 404 Marlton Pike East, Sawmill Village; 856-216-0090.

6. Doyle’s Pour House, Barnegat.

“Captain Morgan’s Back on the Grill.” Whisper that to your waitress, and you’ll be in wing heaven. You can get wings seven ways, including Widow Maker (hot), BBQ and spicy garlic, but go with the Captain, and on the grill. While you’re waiting for your order, enjoy a brew from Pinelands Brewing, as I did. There’s another Doyle’s in Tuckerton. 345 E. Main St.; 609-660-8300.

7. Fink’s BBQ Smokehouse, Dumont.

Down-home roadhouse-like bar/restaurant in Dumont, with some of the state’s best barbecue and not-so-ordinary items (Texas lollipops, beer cheese, and don’t forget the atomic onions). The wings are smoked, and oh-so-good. 26 W. Madison Ave.; 201-384-3210.

8. Golden Nugget Tavern, Berlin.

Lively neighborhood bar that takes wings seriously; check out the Wing Wagon in the parking lot. They sell a ton of wings every week; for a Buffalo wing-type sauce, it’s different, more peppery than most. Try the honey jerk wings. 433 New Freedom Road, Berlin; 856-809-2695.

9. Hat City Kitchen, Orange.

Fun, funky bar/music club housed in one of Orange’s oldest buildings. Plenty of Southern standards on the menu — shrimp and grits, Southern buttermilk fried chicken, jambalaya, and more. Recommended: the honey pepper wings. 459 Valley St., Orange; 862-252-9147.

10. Hot Rods BBQ, Wharton.

Wharton must be the state’s wing capital, with Hot Rods and Knotty Pine Pub (see below) both in town. Hot Rods recently moved into larger quarters, but the barbecue — and wings — remain, with a pumped-up craft beer selection. The smoked wings are available in sweet and spicy; Buffalo spicy, or naked. 175 N. Main St., Wharton; 973-361-5050.

11. Jersey Shore BBQ, Belmar.

One of my favorite BBQ joints in the barbecue wasteland that is New Jersey (another favorite, Local Smoke, is minutes away in Neptune). Jersey BBQ has some of the plumpest wings you’ll find anywhere; try the jalapeno honey, Kayla, or habanero apricot; the latter packs some nice fruity heat. 811 Belmar Plaza, Belmar; 732-894-9009.

12. Jimmy Geez, Haledon.

A sports bar legend, where Yankees and Mets  memorabilia provide the decor and wings are consumed in prodigious amounts.  There are a dozen varieties, from Wimpy (you don’t want to go there) and Medium to Hot and Nuclear. Eat 40 nuclear wings “down to the bone” in one sitting, get inducted into the bar’s Nuclear Wall of Fame. 436 Belmont Ave., Haledon; 973-790-9729.

13. Jug Handle Inn, Cinnaminson.

Popular neighborhood bar, opened in 1912, once known as “the hole in the wall.” It’s bigger now, and the outdoor Creekside Bar & Grill bar is the place to be in warmer weather. You can’t split up a 10-wing order by sauce unless you get the wings naked with sauce on the side, but no matter; they’re supremely crispy/crunchy wings, although the hot sauce is your basic Buffalo. Get ’em naked; they’re that good. 1018 S. Fork Landing Road, Cinnaminson; 856-665-8696.

14. Knotty Pine Pub, Wharton.

One of my favorite dive bars anywhere, with a horseshoe pit and tables out back. When it comes to wings, the word to know is WD40. No, they don’t spread motor oil on the wings; the name comes from the sauce’s thickish, sweet-hot nature. Also give the KPP (hot) wings a try. 242 E. Union Turnpike, Wharton; 973-361-3789.

15. Marley’s Gotham Grill, Hackettstown.

No one takes wings more seriously than Bruno Pascal, co-owner of Marley’s. “I don’t sleep at night: I’ve got to keep coming up with new flavors,” says Pascal, who has a mere 133 wings — and counting — on the menu. They are big, fat, creatively if not wackily seasoned and spiced. Recommended: the Kickin’ Chicken (crushed red garlic, orange peel, red bell pepper, onion); Bang Bang (sweet Thai and sriracha sauce), the Bea Irish Man (Baileys, Jameson’s, butter, brown sugar). 169 Main St., Hackettstown; 908-852-2446.

16. Paragon Tap & Table, Clark.

Eric LeVine is head chef both here and at Morris Tap & Grill, in Randolph. Paragon is in an offbeat location — practically next to a Target — but the craft beer selection, and wings, are spot on. Get the Voodoo wings, eminently crispy. If you’re brave, the Ghost Pepper wings. 77 Central Ave., Clark; 732-931-1776.

17. Pic-A-Lilli Inn, Shamong.

I’m a bigger fan of the place than the wings; this Pine Barrens roadhouse is a great place to hunker down in any kind of weather. The history of the “Pic” begins in 1927, when Thomas Snyder opened Snyder’s Luncheonette on State Highway 39, a dirt road that would later become Route 206. 866 Route 206, Shamong; 609-268-2066.

18. Peck Peck, Teaneck.

My favorite Korean fried chicken joint; I picked them as my favorite restaurant of 2013. It’s a charming little place, with a handful of tables, compact menu and an elderly couple at the helm. The drumsticks are prehistoric-sized; bring a Neanderthal appetite. 250 Degraw Ave., Teaneck; 201-530-5858.

19. Sharky’s, Clifton.

Cozy, popular neighborhood bar, and a wing legend; they go through about 20,000 a week. Twenty kinds of sauces; my favorite is the blackened, a no-nonsense type. A must-try: the homemade bleu cheese. 545 Highland Ave., Clifton; 973-473-0713.

20. Spice Thai, Bloomfield.

Small, colorful restaurant with maybe the crunchiest wings anywhere. The spice Thai wings — not on the menu but available every day — deliver a delayed, delicious heat. 26 Belleville Ave., Bloomfield; 973-748-0056.

Other personal favorites:

Gyp’s Tavern, Sandyston; Jack’s Goal Line Stand, Long Branch; Local Smoke BBQ, Neptune; Michael’s Roscommon House, Belleville; MOGO Korean Fusion Tacos, Asbury Park; Old Causeway, Manahawkin; Pattenburg House, Pattenburg; Plank Road Inn, Secaucus; Robert’s Place, Margate.

Places recommended by readers:

Carpe Diem, Hoboken; Charlie’s Bar, Somers Point; The Boathouse, Belmar; Buffalo’s Chicken, Wood-Ridge; Court Jester, Freehold; Dinosaur BBQ, Newark; Dominick’s Tavern, Bellmawr; The Farm & Fisherman, Cherry Hill; Front Porch Pub, Hawthorne; Green Rock Tap & Grill,  Hoboken; Harvest Moon, New Brunswick; Ivy League, Howell; The Lobby, Elizabeth; 101 Pub, Bogota; The Station, Garwood; Stone Fire Grill, Beachwood.

Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram.