Food + Drink
FOOD: Wing Night at 10th and Willow -- Hoboken [NJ]
When I move to a new town, there are certain dishes that must be scouted out immediately. With my most recent move to the Hoboken area I have begun my quest for my favorites, and a certain happy hour icon found itself first on my list. This tasty cuisine even has restaurants and bars devoting entire nights to it. What delectable finger-licking food am I speaking of? None other than: the buffalo wing.
My buffalo wing mission is not only to find the best tasting wings, but also to pinpoint the spot that offers them with the best deal. This mission brought me to 10th and Willow for my first Hoboken wing night experience. What drew me to this spot was their Monday night special of $5 dollar all-you-can-eat wings.
When you enter 10th and Willow, you must purchase a wristband at the door to participate in the all-you-can-eat special. There are high-top tables you can grab a seat at, or if those are full (which they usually are by 8 p.m.), you can venture into the back rooms to search for a table. To be honest, you don’t even need a table to stuff your face, as many people linger around the bar while basking in all their chicken wing glory.
Once you’ve found a place to post up, the wing binge can begin immediately, as they are conveniently available buffet style with plenty of blue cheese dressing, carrots, and celery to accompany the main attraction. There are three types of wings: honey barbecue, teriyaki, and traditional buffalo. I had been warned ahead of time that I would fall madly in love with the teriyaki, but I quite literally ignored that statement as I thought nothing could interfere with my love for buffalo sauce. Boy, was I wrong.
The teriyaki wings were nothing short of delicious. They were very meaty with a perfectly crisped skin and a teriyaki sauce that is actually capable of making my mouth water at the mere thought. You can ask for their sweet chili sauce to dip them in, and it makes the experience that much more enjoyable (though the wings are truly amazing on their own). It seems to be a crowd favorite as that tray was replaced much more frequently than the other two options.
Although the teriyaki was my absolute favorite, the other wing options did not disappoint. The honey barbecue sauce was thick and tangy and actually my second favorite of the bunch. The most surprising part of the evening was admitting that my beloved buffalo style was my least favorite of the three. The buffalo sauce was good, but pretty standard, and did not stand out between the other two contenders. These were also less crispy than the others, which was another contributing factor to my usual preference ranking in last.
10th and Willow’s wing night is something I plan on taking advantage of again. It should be noted that with the all-you-can-eat special, there is a two-drink minimum—but when I was chowing down on wings I found this quite easy to accomplish. One thing I would do differently next time is arriving a little earlier (before 7 p.m.) in order to secure a good table. The atmosphere is lively with big screen TV’s all around, making this a great spot to watch Monday night football or just hang out with friends. I look forward to future Monday nights filled with their delicious wings, beer, and good company. Until then, all I have are teriyaki dreams.
10th and Willow
935 Willow Avenue #1
Hoboken, NJ
