Five stand out LA spots to score wings for Super Bowl Sunday

According to the National Chicken Council, Americans will consume 1.45 billion wings this Super Bowl Sunday. As a result, wing joints across the region will have their own physically intense competition this week, busting themselves to fulfill our massive orders.

While the standard chains hit the spot if needed, we like to patronize places that go the extra mile in terms of quality, flavor and innovation. Here's a few of our favorite spots.

Wings2Go

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Wings 2 Go is a small but mighty wing shop in a tiny strip mall along Crenshaw Boulevard, attracting fanatics far and wide looking for a fiery bite. Although Wings' menu isn’t huge by most standards, it still offers a variety of flavors. Select mild, spicy, jerk BBQ, green aji, or the ATL special (hot with lemon pepper seasoning). Choose from a simple ten-piece to up to 100 if you want to feed an entire team.

Pijja Palace

A spread from Pijja Palace

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Courtesy of Pijja Palace

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What better place to score wings than Pijja Palace, the beloved Silver Lake Indian sports bar? There are three different versions to choose from: Achaari buffalo, made with cayenne and achaar masala; Hari Mirch masala, containing pickled green chili with coriander; and Palace BBQ, made with jaggery (unrefined sugar) and tamarind for a sweet and tangy bite. Each order comes with a side of house pickles and your choice of curry leaf ranch or yogurt stilton, which provide a cool dip to complement the heat.

Plant Power Fast Food

Are you seeking quality plant-based wings? The vegan fast-food chain, with nine locations throughout California, delivers. The large chicken finger-sized wings arrive practically dripping with a spicy buffalo sauce and come with your choice of any of their plant-based signature dipping sauces. We recommend trying their ranch and "honey" mustard (it is vegan after all) to round out each spicy bite.

Shlap Muan 

If you travel down to Long Beach, you’ll find some seriously delicious Khmer wings (the first in L.A., they say) from Shlap Muan, who also regularly post up at Smorgasburg LA, near downtown L.A., every Sunday. These wings double down in flavor combos with dry-rubbed seasonings and wet sauces that include Spicy Cambodian Dirt, Jalapeno MSG, Orange Habanero, and Water Buffalo. For a few dollars more, try their Dirty Elvis flavored wings, made with their signature wok sauce that brings richly sweet caramel flavors, or my personal favorite, Tamarind Tiger, which contains tangy umami notes and a pop of fried garlic.

Howlin’ Rays

From the people who brought Nashville Hot Chicken to Los Angeles with outposts in Pasadena and Chinatown, here’s a way to spice up your life. There are seven spice levels to choose from, starting at country (no spice) and going up to howlin’ (extra, extra, extra hot), which I haven’t tried because I value my insides too much. Order a three-piece for $12, perfect for a solo snack, or larger groups can opt for the Batter’s Box, containing a dozen for $44; each comes with bread and pickles to help cool off between bites.