Wings Over Downtown!

For the past few months I have been taste-testing Buffalo wings in downtown Orlando to see who had the best ones. This was a non-scientific study based on a single visit and with just me doing the tasting and eating. The requested flavor was always buffalo medium. We began with Ember where you can dine inside or outside on their patio. The french fries were not tested here. Having watched DJ's play at Ember and having sizzling plates of wings pass by, I knew they'd probably be good. And they were. Deep fried crispy and a really good wing sauce. The presentation was nice as well. GRADE: A-

Elixir Bar is a popular location for lunch and Buffalo wings are on the menu. The fries were of the coated variety which is a downer for me. And while I had heard good things about their wings, I didn't quite figure them out. To be good, wings should be deep fried but I couldn't tell with Ember's wings whether they were deep fried or baked in an oven like you do boxed Tyson wings from the grocery store. They tasted pretty good though. GRADE: B-

I never knew the bar Harp & Celt had a restaurant but someone mentioned it to me so I needed to check them out. The wings were decent as were the frozen but not coated fries. GRADE: B

Ace Cafe used to have something called Mahogany wings which were blackened and carried a unique flavor. During a recent visit I did not notice that name on the menu and just requested "wings". The flavor was good but some of them were still a bit gooey. The fries were of the coated variety so that was disappointing. GRADE: B-

Harry Buffalo is a Cleveland-based restaurant chain that has a location downtown on Church Street. With a name that includes "Buffalo", you'd think they'd have good wings. They do. These were the best I experienced downtown. The fries did not appear to be fresh cut but some did have skins on them. GRADE: A

Sly Fox added food to their drink menu during the bar/club closures this past spring which allowed them to remain open. The order size is ample and came soaked in medium sauce. They were crispy and good; did not try the fries. Worthwhile. GRADE: B+

Not included in the downtown contest are my favorite wings in the Orlando metro and that's Wings of Winter Garden on Colonial Drive in Winter Garden. They have a unique sauce I've not run into anywhere else and their curly fries are cut right there from fresh potatoes. Pappa Bees in Longwood also has great wings and they use fresh cut fries. So there you have it; the best wings in downtown Orlando IMO is: Harry Buffalo.