Wing Review: Mr. Wings

The Basics:

Name: Mr. Wings

Where: 275 W Wisconsin Ave Suite 100, Milwaukee (3rd St. Market Hall)

MKE Wings Crew Present: Frank, Amber, Ross, Molly, Jeremy

Review Date: January 18, 2024

Wing Special (as of date published): N/A

The Review:

I love when something old can become something new. Watching the old Grand Avenue Mall in Downtown Milwaukee transform over the years has been nice to see, with the addition of the 3rd St. Market Hall being a really great use of the space. I first discovered and fell in love with the food hall concept in Amsterdam in 2022 (had some not great wings, stick to the bitterballen) and I've been excited to see food halls have exploding in popularity ever since. Milwaukee's 3rd St. Market Hall opened in January 2022 and features a variety of food and drink options, but today's we're only really concerned with one vendor, Mr. Wings!

The crew stopped in on a Thursday night to dine-in at the Market Hall, but you can also order online for take out if you wish. An order of 10 wings will run you $14.99 and can split between two sauces or rubs. At the time of our visit and of this writing, Mr. Wings does not have any weekly specials. *As always, prices/availability of menu items/prices and/or specials are subject to change at the sole discretion of the bar without the knowledge of Milwaukeewings.com and may not be updated accordingly.*

Mr. Wings offers sold but not overly large listing of sauces and flavors: OG Buffalo, Gold Digger (mustard based BBQ), SOCO (tangy sweet and spicy BBQ), Honey BBQ, Jamaican Jerk, Lava, Lemon Pepper, Buffalo Lemon Pepper, and a flavor of the month.

The wings were lightly breaded and mostly crisp, though some were not a crisp as I would have cared for. They were generously sized without being overly large and were liberally sauced. With a good-sized crew and the ability to split orders, we were able to try just about everything.

OG Buffalo: A very buttery Buffalo sauce with a bit of a tangy zing and bite. I found this Buffalo to be on the mild side, but Molly felt it was pretty spicy, but of course spiciness is quite subjective.

Gold Digger: This was by far my favorite sauce of the night! This tangy and sweet mustard based BBQ sauce balanced sweet with a mustardy bite. Mustard based BBQ sauces are becoming, if not already, my favorite style of BBQ sauce, great for pulled pork and wings!

SOCO: Described as a tangy, sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, this seemed really similar to the Gold Digger, but without the sharpness provided by the mustard, that said, I certainly preferred the Gold Digger, but if you don't like mustard, this could be a good alternative for a sweet and tangy sauce.

Lemon Pepper: Solid lemon pepper, bright and tangy citrus flavor with the sharp and warm taste of black pepper.

Jamaican Jerk: This sauce had the blend of warm spices that you expect in a Jerk seasoning, but had a bit of a odd tomato or molasses like sweetness that I didn't' care for too much.

Lava: Tangy and hot, but not overly hot, every member of the crew except Molly ate this one and nobody found it overly spicy. Pretty tasty, but if you're a heat seeker looking for a challenge, this isn't not it.

BLP (Buffalo Lemon Pepper): This was my second favorite of the night. This was a good marriage of the buttery and slightly spicy buffalo with the bright tangy flavor of the lemon pepper. I've seen this flavor elsewhere as Lemon Pepper Wet, and it needs to be a thing at more places.

Flavor of the Month: I'm not divulging what it was...because we're not quite certain. Both Ross and Jeremy ordered it, and Ross' lacked any taste, and Jeremy's was just a bit sweet. So, this one will remain a bit of a disappointing mystery.

The MKE Wings Crew's Favorites:

Frank: Gold Digger

Amber: BLP Ross: Soco

Molly: Gold Digger

Jeremy: Gold Digger

Conclusion:

Later this year, this site will turn 15 years old, we've had a lot of wings at a lot of places. And while the crew members have changed over the years, I cannot recall any review where the crew was more divided in their opinion, and I think it really came down to the flavors we ordered. I found my BLP and Gold Digger sauces quite tasty and our lemon pepper enthusiast Amber enjoyed her Lemon Pepper wings. Ross and Jeremy really didn't care for their wings, and Molly was somewhere in the middle.

So was it a certified wing joint? While I was leaning that way on my two flavors alone, I don't think I can bestow that title to Mr. Wings given the fact our crew was so divided on this one. The 3rd St. Market Hall is awesome, you should all check it out, whether it be Mr. Wings or one of the other vendors, certainly something for everyone!

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