Wing Review: Spitfire's on State

The Basics:

Wings at Spitfire's on State

Name: Spitfires On State

Where: 5018 W State St, Milwaukee, WI

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

Review Date: July 21, 2022

Wing Special (as of review date): None

The Review:

After 3 consecutive visits to West Allis bars for wings, we've finally moved a few miles north into Milwaukee to visit Spitfire's on State. Our original website reviewed Spitfire's years ago, and that was probably the last time I was there. This is a spot I was looking to get back to some time for some wings and I'm excited to tell you about them.

As is the state of things in 2022, wings are not cheap. Wings were $9.50 for an order of 6. You could do orders of 12 or 18 for $19 or $28.50 respectively, so no price breaks for larger quantities. Spitfire's prepares their wings by frying, saucing, and then grilling their wings. For an extra $0.50 per order of 6 you can get your wings re-dipped in the sauce (more on that later). *As always, prices/availability of menu items/prices and/or specials are subject to change at the sole discretion of the bar and this review may not be updated to reflect any pricing changes.

If it's variety you're looking for, Spitfire's has you covered with 32 sauces! Garlic Parmesan, Lemon Pepper, Ranch Parmesan, Teriyaki, Ginger Sesame, Bourbon Mustard, Honey BBQ, Blueberry BBQ, Bayou Dry Rub, Thai Peanut, Mild, Citrus Chipotle, 4B's, JD Stinger, Spicy BBQ, Spicy Garlic, Bleu Buffalo, Medium, Caribbean Jerk, Chili Lime, Asian Sensation, Nashville Hot, Hot, Tropical Heat, Raging Jerk, Peach Heat, Hurts So Good, Killer Bee, Devils Balls, Shut Up, and Make Me Reap.

While 6 of us sadly couldn't tackle all of these flavors, we certainly made a good dent. Unfortunately Spitfire's ran out of the base sauce to make many of their spicy sauces and were thus unavailable that night, I really wanted to try Peach Heat and Raging Jerk but was sadly unable to do so.

Given the number of wings we ordered and the fact that one fryer was out of service that night, we were told the wait may be a while, but we were all pleasantly surprised how quickly the wings arrived. Visually, the wings looked great, above average size with a nice grilled exterior and super meaty. The wings were cooked perfectly, a nice crispy exterior but not dried out in the slightest. The grilling gave the wings a ton of that distinctive grilled/charred flavor that was delicious, but a bit overpowering at times. While still quite tasty, the flavors of the sauces were sometimes outweighed by that grilled taste. As such,there were times where it was a bit hard to differentiate which sauce I was eating due to the strong taste of the grill. I really wish I had opted to get my wings re-dipped to really make the sauce flavor come through and would definitely try that next time. Tasting notes on the flavors we tried:

Garlic Parm: probably the overall favorite of everyone that night. Super garlicy with a ton of parmesan taste, this flavor really stood out from the rest

Lemon Pepper: this flavor was pretty muted by the grilled taste, not a ton of lemon pepper taste, didn't give me that pop of flavor I was hoping for

Bayou Dry Rub: another one of my favorites from the night, this was a Cajun seasoning with none of the heat. Salty, savory, and tangy, this flavor worked well with the grilled taste from the wings.

Thai Peanut: peanuty flavor but couldn't detect too much else here in terms of savory notes or heat.

4B's: not sure exactly what the four B's are, but this was a tasty BBQ style sauce that worked quite well with the grilled wings

Spicy Garlic: another one of my favorites that night, super garlicky but not all that spicy. Garlic lovers should try one.

Blue Buffalo: Ross and Jeremy really liked this one, but on the one wing I tried I didn't get too much taste. This is a flavor combo I love, but the grilled taste overpowered the other flavors I was hoping to get on this one

Caribbean Jerk: another flavor that managed to pop through the grilled taste, this one greeted your tastebuds with those warm Caribbean Jerk spices without much heat. Would really love to try the Raging Jerk flavor some time to get a spicier version of this one!

Chili Lime: a bit of citrus zest from the lime to balance the chili flavors, but this one was a bit lost in the grilled taste

Asian Sensation: a little sweet, a little savory, a good bet if you're looking for an Asian style sauce/wing

Nashville Hot: a tad sweet for what I normally expect in Nashville hot, but the rest of the flavor was on point, but again a bit muted by the grilled taste

Tropical Heat: this one was getting up toward the "hot" end of the spectrum, but I didn't really detect too much heat, but a bit of sweetness to balance it out.

Overall, my biggest thought across all of these sauces PAY THE ENTRA $0.50 FOR THE RE-DIP! For many of these sauces I felt they could have been great, but I just couldn't taste them enough, and I think the double dip would solve that. Overall, everything was plenty tasty, but I was left wanting a bit more.

The MKE Wings Crew's Favorites:

Frank: Garlic Parm / Caribbean Jerk Amber: Garlic Parm / Bayou

Jeremy: Garlic Parm / Bleu Buffalo

Ross: Garlic Parm / Bleu Buffalo

Molly: Garlic Parm / Bayou

Melissa: Garli Parm

Caribbean Jerk, Peanut Padang, Citrus Chipotle

Conclusion: First and foremost, I would highly recommend the double dip of the wings, I think this would have taken Spitfires on State to a place we like into a place we loved. Beautifully prepared wings and a wide variety of sauces, I just wish the flavors would have "popped" a bit more, and I think the extra sauce would have accomplished that. However, these were still some awfully tasty wings and we declare them a MilwaukeeWings certified wing joint worthy of your next wing night!

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