WING REVIEW: Kettle's (Orchard Park)

Great bar for music---but wings?

I originally gave Kettles a shot in the summer of 2021 for wings after previously being there multiple times to drink and watch lives music. I was surprised it took me that long to try them, considering how many times I’ve driven past the place hungry. I thought the wings were terrible the first time I tried them, but maybe it was just a bad day. After having them again I can confidently say—not really.

PROS: Plenty big and plenty cooked. Yeah, that’s about it.

CONS: Two times I’ve been here for wings, two times I’ve asked for them specifically be on the saucier side and two times the sauce has been scarce. Like I said last time, these were some of the least-sauciest wings I’ve ever had, to the point I thought their kitchen may be trolling me.  The sauce on the plate quite frankly wasn’t very good. Bland, buttery and borderline salty. Like legit—may be better off having these wings literally plain.  I don’t care about bleu cheese but for those who do, expect the ole’ pre-packaged Ken’s.

OUTLOOK: The bar is great, I love it.  Crowd’s generally a bit on the older side, which is right up my alley. They consistently have live music if you’re into that, have a nice side patio outside tucked away from the Abbott Road traffic for the nicer months. It’s very reasonably priced, good bartenders and a pretty extensive food menu beyond wings.  There’s lots of good reasons to go to Kettles.  However, I don’t at all think wings should be one of them.

TIER RANKING: “Waiver Wire”

♦♦♦♦♦

Here’s my seven tiers with a brief explanation of each.

Mt. Rushmore: The four undisputed championship wing spots of Western New York.
The Elite: The next best thing—right on the brink of being immortalized.
All-Pro: Perhaps not MVP material but categorically deserving of being discussed among the best.
Solid Starter: You certainly won’t be complaining. Exactly what the description reads—solid.
Depth Chart: You can do far worse but at this point — significantly better as well.
Roster Bubble: If left with few other options these places may suffice, but I can’t recommend them.
Waiver Wire: I’d rather eat pizza or something else.

♦♦♦♦♦

(Note: I’ve done a lot of wing reviews over the past few years, most of which appeared on my former blog. Now that I’ve started my own Substack, I’m transferring several here. Some reviews are quite dated but my takes remain mostly the same. Exceprts of these are copied from the old blog coupled with newer thoughts, especially if I’ve had their wings again since the original review.)