Tracy & Scott’s quest to find the Philly area’s best Buffalo Wings

Kelliann's Bar & GrillAddress: 1549 Spring Garden Street Philadelphia, PA 19130
Price: 10 Pieces for $5.75

Tracy’s Overall Review: When we go out for these wing reviews Scott and I keep our expectations low. Even though I read about people loving Kelliann’s wings on the Internets I didn’t have my hopes up. I looked at the menu and read “Our Famous Buffalo Wings” under House Specialty. Scott and I gave each other a skeptical, “we’ve read that before,” look. When the wings were placed in front of me they were fresh out of the fryer and super hot. The steam and smell gave me that intense Buffalo wing sauce sting in my nose. When I took my first bite it was a perfect crispy to tender ratio taste sensation. And after that I think Scott and I barely said a word to each other except the occasional “these are delicious.” When I eat wings I usually stop and take notes, but I was enjoying eating them so much I didn’t take any. Simply put these wings were great; no nonsense, delicious, authentically prepared Buffalo Wings. My only complaint is mine did not have enough sauce on them. I got mild and Scott got hot and his were all saucy while mine started to dry up so bad I had to ask for more sauce. But that’s OK, because these wings made my day and gave me faith that good Buffalo Wings could be found in Philly.

Scott’s Overall Review: The atmosphere at Kelliann’s was rather eclectic from the afternoon morose drunk old man to the friendly and kind young server. The visit was a little different but a nice old bar all the same. The wings came out and at first seemed a little small to me. After biting into them I noticed my initial impression was wrong. They may have looked a little small but they were really meaty and not all bone like most places. The sauce was perfect to be honest. I had no complaints the “Hot” was the right amount of spicy and there was no hints of other add ons. I was pleasantly surprised by these wing and would definitely go back. I liked the sauce so much I ordered the buffalo tenders to go. The tenders were extremely moist, tender and drenched in that perfect sauce. Go Kelliann’s!

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Authenticity: Perfectly authentic.

Wing size: Medium to small.

Sauce: They offer 2 varieties of sauce, mild and hot. Both sauces were very good, however the mild wings did not have enough sauce on them.

Accouterments: It came with Celery and Bleu Cheese dressing. The dressing had too much mayo, but it was decent.

Atmosphere: We got there are 11:30AM and it was surprisingly crowded (all dudes) and drunk in there for a Wednesday before noon. We also, unknowingly, sat near the crazy old guy at the bar having an animated conversation with his PBR. We got a little scared every time he got up, because it looked like he might fall over. The place itself looked like it could have been an old Irish corner bar in NYC. The ornate antique tile, tin ceiling tiles and beautifully detailed wooden bar spanning the length of the front room were obviously very old and worn in, but taken well care of. The service was very friendly and after the morning crowd left a more mellow, diverse and less alcoholic lunch crowd came in. We say come to Kelliann’s but avoid the old crazy guy.

Rating: ★★★★★½

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Address: 2000 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Website: www.fairmountpizzaandgrill.com
Price: 10 Pieces for $6.45

Tracy’s Overall Review: After a little hiatus from wing reviews we wanted to start off with something good. This place was emailed in as a recommendation from a Buffalo Wing lover, so I went in feeling optimistic. This place did not disappoint, the wings were tasty and satisfying. They were crispy and tender. My only complaint is they were small and the medium sauce was thin so it didn’t stick to the wings. I kept redunking the wings in the sauce and it would just run off. The nice, unpretentious, atmosphere makes Fairmount Pizza & Grill a great place to curb a wing craving. We couldn’t help not getting a slice of the Buffalo chicken pizza too, it was also tasty.

Scott’s Overall Review: The atmosphere was a little busy and chaotic and for some reason I felt right at home. The service was very good, nice and hardworking girls at the front made sure everyone was taken care of. The wings took a little while to cook but it was good to see that they were freshly made. At first glance the wings looked a little small and meager in size but smelled and looked really good. The sauce was pretty good and the wings weren’t dry. Tracy’s Medium looked a little mild and drier but I think the hot had the perfect amount of sauce. The wings came with a decent amount of celery and carrots. I still think the carrot addition is a weird Philly thing. The bleu cheese was okay, It had a bit of a mayo consistency with large chunks. All in all Fairmount was a pleasant surprise and my only real negative is that they were a little small.

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Authenticity: Passed the authenticity test.

Wing size: On the small side.

Sauce: The sauce was decent, it comes in mild, medium, hot and x-hot. Tracy got medium and Scott got hot, both were a little less hot than advertised. The medium sauce was thin, but the hot was a nice consistency.

Accouterments: We got 4 stalks of celery and 2 carrot sticks. The bleu cheese dressing was a little gelatinous, but tasty with a lot of nice chunks of blue cheese.

Atmosphere: Fairmount Pizza & Grill is a better-than-average Philly Pizza place. It has all the makings of a quintessential pizza joint, but the service is so nice it makes the place special. We went there at a busy, bustling lunchtime and our orders were taken quickly and efficiently. It is also bigger than your typical corner pizza shop with plenty of table seating. It’s at the corner of 20th and Fairmount, a good location to grab lunch if you’re visiting the Eastern State Penitentiary.

Rating: ★★★★★☆