Westside Wingery Wins the Wing (and Taco) Game

A couple of weeks ago, a new wing joint opened up in Athens, Ohio. After hearing virtually nothing about the opening, except via word of mouth from Fluff, the new restaurant had me intrigued. Their social media presence is minimal, there’s no website, and no place to find a phone number. Is this place actually real or is it simply another ghost story created in Athens?

After dreaming about my two favorite combinations–wings & tacos, I decided to give Fluff a call and see what was up. The cute girl behind the phone gave me an enthusiastic response and told me it was officially open and it is located where 9 Tables used to be on Shafer street. I was so excited I almost dropped my phone. Tacos have finally made their way to Athens.

See I’m a taco guy. I perfect smaller bites filled with delicious flavor rather than stretching my mouth around a huge layered burrito. Athens is famous for its burritos having Chipotle, Big Mama’s Burritos, and the Burrito Buggy right on court street. Burritos just don’t do it for me. When I bite into mexican food I want to taste it all together, not a bite of lettuce, a bite of rice, then meat. The lackluster experience with burritos just doesn’t cut it with me. Hence my love for tacos. And now they have finally arrived in my town.

I am also a huge fan of chicken wings. My go-to wing joint was The Overhang on court street but due to cutbacks they have stopped serving food. My heart and stomach were crushed because they had the best wings in Athens. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Buffalo Wild Wings is overpriced, Wings Over Athens quality is subpar at best, and the Pigskin just doesn’t have that BBQ taste that I crave. I decided to go the the West Side Wingery as soon as my wallet would allow me.

As you can probably tell my expectations were set extremely high. Hey, I like Fluff Bakery so I can’t imagine this place will disappoint. Walking into 9 Shafer st made me a little worried. There was no signage out front except a tiny chalkboard sign. Remnants from 9 tables were still on the door and outside wall. There was no one else in the tiny establishment and the display of crappy off-brand Cheetos and bottled sodas made me uneasy. Was this all that this place had to offer? But immediately I had to remind myself of my favorite places to go in Youngstown and Akron. The crappiest place on the outside is usually the best place to eat. Dive bars are my home, so this place doesn’t have to be any different. The food rules all.

Modest Mouse playing in the background and the awesome graffiti art made for a great experience. Their menu was limited, but I just took that as a positive because I could literally try everything that they had to offer. Their express menu changed every week and this item was a breakfast burrito. Previously it has been loaded pork fries, which is something that I am very upset I missed. I ordered 3 tacos, one Carolina Pork, one Black Bean, Sweet Potato & Pork, and one Bombay shrimp. I also ordered some of the normal BBQ wings.

Their pork is absolutely fantastic. It’s very juicy and perfectly cooked. The Carolina Pork Taco tasted like a pulled pork sandwich, I enjoyed it but it wasn’t enough for me. The BB, Sweet Potato & Pork taco was the perfect amount. The mixture of flavors from the beans and potato added enough ingredients that was missing from the Carolina Pork. I highly suggest the BB pork taco for a more hearty taco experience. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better I took a bite out of the Bombay Shrimp taco. Filled with cilantro, mangos, and a perfectly seasoned shrimp, this taco was easily my favorite of the three. The spicy shrimp and cilantro combo had a perfect amount of spice that was balanced out by the sweet and juicy mango. I could eat three more of these tacos all to myself. This taco was literally so perfect for me it’s as if God himself constructed all of my favorite flavors and wrapped it in a golden corn tortilla.

But then the wings came out. The smell of the wings must have attracted outsiders because 8 more people came in to dine. After one bite I was smitten. It was like that scene in Ratatouille where you have flashbacks of your childhood. But instead of your childhood, it’s a fantasy of diving into a Scrooge McDuck-sized pool filled with BBQ Chicken. The wings were literally falling off the bone, they were steamy, juicy, and perfect for a caveman like myself. The thing I loved the most about them was that they were the entire wing, with the drummette & wing attached. It felt that you were getting more bang for your buck and also for your appetite. It was truly a romantic experience making love to these wings with my mouth. My mouth is watering just thinking about when I can make love to them again. Now that I’ve conquered their BBQ I cannot wait to try out their spicier options.

Sadly the West Side Wingery does not deliver (or have a bathroom for that matter). If you are in the mood to have an out of body & sexual food experience take a trip to 9 N Shafer St in Athens Ohio. You can call ahead and place an order at 740-541-5544.