Aug 5, 2022 - Food and Drink

Des Moines' Asian restaurants have the best chicken wings

Linh Ta

Fried chicken wings from Pho 888 — Canh Ga Chien, aka chicken wings from Pho 888. ($4.99 in 2021). Photo: Linh Ta/Axios

We can argue all day about who has the best wings in town, but there's a secret contender in Des Moines— your neighborhood Vietnamese or Chinese restaurant.

State of play: Unlike many of the American restaurants in town, you get little choice. What's placed in front of you are crackly, fried wings laid bare in their golden glow. Bite in too fast and some hot oil may dribble down.

They're often served dry with no sauce toss. Most places offer either sweet and sour sauce or a fishy, sweet chili to dip in.
And they don't need to hide behind blue cheese or buffalo. The juicy chicken is the star.

Some of my favorites: The fried wings with sweet and sour sauce from Pho 888 and Pho 515 in DSM.

The heavily-breaded wings from Wong's Chopsticks in Johnston
The wet wings with Honey Sriracha at Pho Real in downtown DSM.

Of note: We're still taking your suggestions for the metro's best wings.

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Des Moines' Asian restaurants have the best chicken wings

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