The Basics:
Name: O'Lydia's Bar and Grill
Where: 338 S 1st St, Milwaukee
MKE Wings Crew Present: Frank, Amber, Molly, Jeremy, Rachael
Review Date: November 22, 2023
Wing Special (as of date published): Wednesday $0.95 Wings
The Review:
We here at MilwaukeeWings have a bit of a tradition, we start our Thanksgiving holiday a day early on Wednesday night for some tasty wings! This year we found ourselves at O'Lydia's Bar and Grill for our pre-Thanksgiving celebration. I've been to O'lydia's many times over the years; I love taking their shuttle to Summerfest, Brewers games, or concerts at the amphitheater. However, I have always said O'Lydia's was in the 5th Ward/Walker's Point, which is apparently wrong! Seems that anything East of 1st St. is technically Harbor View, so, there's some fun Milwaukee geography trivia for you.
But enough geography, Wednesday's at O'Lydia's is $0.95 wing night! That is quite the deal as the normal menu price is $18 for an order of wings, which is pretty steep. It does seem that wing prices are starting to come down a bit at some places, hopefully we start seeing this at more prices. *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.*
The wings themselves were cooked very nicely, really big meaty wings with a nice crispy exterior. Word of caution, as these wings were so big, I could not finish them all. On wing special night you cannot take home the leftovers, which is a bummer, but I understand it. So, keep that in mind when you make an order.
O'Lydia's wings come tossed in one of their thirteen sauces/rubs: Firey Arbol, Spicy Caesar, Hot Dry Rub, Mango Habanero, Spicy Pineapple, Honey Sriracha, Buffalo, Korean BBQ, O'Lydia's BBQ, Sweet and Spicy BBQ, Garlic Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan, and Jameson Brown Sugar.
With a decent sized crew, we were able to partake in many of O'Lydia's flavor offerings, thoughts on the flavors below:
Spicy Caesar: This sauce was super creamy and pretty darn spicy; however, it didn't have much else going on for flavor which was disappointing. Was hoping to get more of that tangy and savory flavor you'd find in a Caesar salad dressing.
Spicy Pineapple: This flavor is a great mix of heat with a really sweet and bright taste from the pineapple, a really good balance of sweet heat.
Korean BBQ: This was super close to being my favorite sauce, super savory flavors balanced with a bit of sweetness and a bit of heat to go along with that unique flavor you'd expect in a Korean BBQ sauce. This one is a go-to for me.
Garlic Buffalo: As much as I loved that Korean BBQ, a good Garlic Buffalo is hard to beat in my book. Nice tangy Buffalo sauce with a bit of heat and loaded with tons of garlic that you can see. Tastes good, probably bad for the breath.
Garlic Parmesan: I've had this flavor on multiple occasions and I'm not sure if it's bleed over from other flavors, or this Garlic Parmesan actually has a touch of spice (I actually think once I got spicy Caesar by mistake lol)
The MKE Wings Crew's Favorites:
Frank: Garlic Buffalo
Amber: Lemon Pepper Jeremy: Korean BBQ
Rachael: Lemon Pepper Molly: Garlic Buffalo
Conclusion:
O'Lydia's has been and continues to be one of my favorite spots for wings. Certainly, a MilwaukeeWings Certified Wing Joint, bordering on Hall of Fame territory, they are really close. Whether it be Walker's Point, 5th Ward or Harbor View, O'Lydia's is definitely worth a stop in for some tasty wings!
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