If a bell dings and you think “Wings!” you might not be watching It’s a Wonderful Life. You’re probably just a dyed-in-the-wool Berks Countian walking into a pub’s front door, looking forward to a cold beverage with a basket of amazing fried chicken wings. That’s a year-round occurrence here — with good reason. Nearly all Berks bars, bistros and restaurants compete passionately in the “best wings” wars!
1. Flanagan’s Pub
“Are wings popular?” Chris Flanagan smiles. “Wings are probably our bestselling item! That’s been a mainstay for years.” Flanagan’s is an Irish pub, for sure, but flavorful wings will always be in demand — and this owner explains why. “First, there’s the variety of flavors. And we don’t skimp on the size — not too large, but not ‘pigeon’ wings.” Jumbo wings and boneless wings are both on the menu, as are 18 traditional sauces plus 10 signature flavors, with names like Angry Canadian and Sriracha Blue Cheese.
“We’ve built on the flavors over the years, with a ‘featured wing flavor’ offered every so often — that’s how our list got so big. When people love them, we keep that flavor,” says Flanagan. Keeping service foremost, he says, “When we do wings by the dozen, we can do six one way and six another way. Doing fewer than six doesn’t make sense, since we don’t pre-fry them. They’re all made to order.” For football-andwings fans, and all sorts of wings lovers, “We run discount wing specials on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.”
What Flanagan clearly enjoys is how comfortable everyone feels at his Shillington haven. Downstairs, at a particular wooden table, one group of four to six people comes in almost every Thursday night. “They sit here, play cards, eat wings, drink beer — or one lady might get a soda — each week.”
It’s a good-time formula that works: Wings + People = Satisfaction.
41 W. Lancaster Avenue, Shillington | 610.777.6401 | flanaganpub.com
2. The Pike Café
Amy Kern, manager at Reading’s Pike Café, and Corey Hartman, bar manager, know why their wings are dubbed “World Famous.” Kern points first to the source: “Because they’re Bell & Evans air-chilled, all-organic; they’re the best wings you’re gonna get!” Being all-organic, size-wise, they’re smaller (not the huge wing size), Kern explains. She adds, “People also come for our sauces. Our hot and mild sauces are creamy, and we make them right here, every day.” Most folks do favor mild, but many others like ’em hot. Nodding his head, Hartman confirms, “We’ve even mailed a gallon of our hot sauce to a guy in New York.”
Wednesday is Yuengs and Wings Night, featuring Yuengling Lager, of course. The Pike also makes Chicago-Style Wings, served over French fries. “You can also get Tot-Style Wings,” says Kern. “I love tots, and I love tots with wings,” she confesses. “They just go together. I mean, who doesn’t love tots?” she asks, smiling broadly.
For 36 years, the Pike has been selling wings, described by Hartman as “crispy, but not super crispy,” culinarily speaking. Sold in batches of six or 12, some patrons do tell Hartman, “All I want is wings today!” Other customers? “They’ll order an entrée, but then they order the wings anyway — because they just have to have our wings.”
930 Pike St., Reading | 610.373.6616 | pikecafe.com
3. The Westy Bar & Grill
Kerry Mengel, manager and part owner of The Westy, says he’s worked here for 25 years, starting at age 14. “People order our wings big time,” says Mengel. Whether they’re bone-in or boneless, the price is the same, and “the number of flavors is a draw.” Award-winning and offering “the largest wings in Berks,” this hoppin’ hangout has ample dining and bar areas, staffing 48 workers to serve everyone smoothly.
At least 21 flavors are available, but Mengel says that on any given night, “there might be more.” From Chipotle to Mango Habanero, Asian to Sweet Chili (“a little spicy, sweet with a kick!”), there’s something for everyone. Kickin’ Bourbon shines with a bourbon glaze, imparting a lovely, warm taste of bourbon on the crispy skin. Says Mengel, “The most popular wings for our customers include mild, mediumhot, BBQ and Honey-Mustard.”
Size-wise, Mengel describes their wings as “meaty — definitely on the bigger side.” The chefs half-bake them in the oven: then the wings get deep-fried when the order comes in, catering to varying degrees of desired crispiness (within reasonable parameters). “To be honest, we do tend to get people who like extra crispy. And I like them like that myself,” says Mengel. Also, he sometimes gets requests “for either all wings, or all drumsticks” — which is fine. They aim to please.
Wing Specials are every Tuesday and Sunday year-round for the dine-in crowd and with the purchase of a beverage. Wings come with baby carrots, celery and a choice of blue cheese or Ranch dressing. “We do a lot of Christmas parties,” says Mengel, even on the heated patio outside.
279 W. State St., Hamburg | 610.562.3777 (Reservations) | westybarandgrill.com
