Jammed into a tiny space in a crowded strip mall, Wingstop launched its restaurant in Plainfield on Aug. 24. Despite the near claustrophobic exterior, the food is all that matters. 

Green and white decor make up the classic aviation theme and open up the space erasing all thoughts of being inside a strip mall. For such a small space, the tables were comfortably spread out. The two flat screen TVs were turned on to sports channels and a range of music from pop to rap was played from the speakers. 

To the right, 11 sauce flavors ranked by heat level covered the wall, allowing guests easy ordering access. The sauces start with mild flavors like Hawaiian and garlic parmesan and go all the way up to ‘atomic.’ 

The “secret menu” includes popular combinations of sauces. For example, hot lemon is a mix of hot sauce topped with the lemon pepper dry rub. 

The menu offers a variety of meal deals and extra sides. For the $9.89 six piece meal, customers are able to choose two different types of wings, three with one sauce and three with another. Side options include fries or veggies. Honey mustard, ranch and blue cheese are also offered as sauces on the side along with a small drink. 

Clear glass windows allow the customer to peer into the spotless kitchen while waiting for their order. Getting to watch food being made provides a sense of comfort regarding food handling. 

Today’s order took about 15 minutes to arrive which is far longer than it should take considering most customers are ordering wings.

Dipping into the hot lemon wings leaves one speechless and is a perfect mix of spicy and tangy. Bright orange sauce drenched the wings along with the peppery- lemon seasoning on top which caused a most unique texture by combining a wet sauce with a dry seasoning. While this might sound odd, the dry rub melts beautifully into the sauce.

The classic buffalo wings are not as impressive. Though decently tasty, they do not have a ‘wow’ factor. The spice level was on target; however, the buffalo flavor was quite bland.

In comparison to other popular wing restaurants, such as Buffalo Wild Wings, this flavor is not worth the hype.

The fries are wildly popular, and for a good reason. A blend of sweet and salty lightly danced over the generous portion of thick, soft fries. Even the most avid ketchup lover would say that these seasoned fries steal the show. 

For those who are ranch dressing junkies, Wingstop’s  homemade ranch kicked everything up a notch and is definitely worth a try. It is the absolute best ranch out there with a rich, thick consistency and a solid blend of seasoning, it is  perfect for dipping anything from wings to celery.  

Even with the star of the menu being wings, there are plenty of other options such as tenders, boneless wings and chicken sandwiches. Those who stray away from meat have side options such as cajun corn and veggie sticks to fries with options of Louisiana voodoo, buffalo ranch, and cheese.

Anyone looking for a quick tasty bite really can’t go wrong with Wingstop. The vast array of flavors and variations of chicken from boneless tenders to wings to sandwiches makes this restaurant perfect for chicken lovers. 

Open 11-12 every day 12640 Illinois Route 59, Suite 106, Plainfield, IL