When I told my friends that I was going to review Buffalo Wild Wings, their reaction was one of shock. Most of my friends couldn’t believe that BW3 hadn’t been reviewed yet. Isn’t it considered the default place in town for wings, beer, and Wake sports (professional too), they asked? I thought so. I thought there were a number of givens that most students were surely aware of. Namely, Tuesday = Wing Night and, secondly, a “gazillion” = the number of BW3 wing sauces.

But the review of Buffalo Wild Wings still had to take place. So a dinner of wings and beverages we partook. We met at 6:30 p.m. and were pleasantly surprised to easily find a table for 6. I have been to BW3 in the past hoping to watch some NFL or Wake football and been told it would be a 3 hour wait.

For a place that is often reduced to its delicious wings, their menu is an extensive one—full of appetizers, sandwiches and wraps as well as rib, chicken and shrimp entrees. Our table mostly stuck with the basics though— baskets of fried food. It turned out to be boneless wing night (50cents/piece), so some of us ordered the wings with honey BBQ and teriyaki sauce. The boneless wings are tasty, but they tend to have a disappointing chicken-to–fried-batter ratio (although if you can’t get enough fried goodness, it’s probably the perfect ratio for you). And for people who don’t care for fried chicken at all, BW3 offers naked tenders: skinless tenders that you can dip in your choice of fourteen sauces. For vegetables, we ordered potato wedges and onion rings. The potato wedges are very good, not too soggy, not too crispy, and well seasoned. The onion rings, on the other hand, are just ok.

The food and drink at Buffalo Wild Wings is definitely good. But, to be sure, the atmosphere is what makes people camp out all Sunday during football season and crowd in during spring to watch March Madness hoops. The restaurant and bar are decked out with five massive televisions as well as several normal sized screens. The atmosphere turned out to be surprisingly dull the night we went, though. Wake was playing a critical ACC game against Maryland but most of the place didn’t seem too concerned. It was almost like the electronic trivia was getting more attention. I’ve decided to chalk that night as an exception rather the rule, though. All in all, Buffalo Wild Wings is a good choice if you are looking to eat wings, hang out with friends and watch sports. I’ll end with a few Pros and Cons.

Pro: crazy atmosphere for big sporting events, Con: showing up crazy early to get a seat for big sporting events. Cons: distance from campus and smoke. Pros: Wing nights, lemon drop martinis, potato wedges, trivia game, witty advertising, cheeseburger dippers, karaoke, a “gazillion” tasty wing sauces and baskets of fried food to share amongst friends.