The Infamous Randy’s Wings Bar
Established in 2013, Randy’s has two London locations serving up wings, burgers and fries with a side of blues. On Thursdays live music from 7-9 p.m. is accompanied by a 4 pound Hennessy special cocktail. Well-lit and tasteful decorated with plants and wood paneling (and a less than tasteful Washington Redskins ski cap), Randy’s is best for smaller groups. We had five and our fifth was siting on a stool drawn up to the end of the table. It’s advisable to book ahead for Thursday’s live music because the seats fill up and it’s not a huge space.
There are seven styles of wings on Randy’s menu. I love a good wing. I know they’re a cheap cut of meat that are often more mess and work than the few bites of meat on them are worth but they’re also a novelty that’s just as much about the sauce as the wing itself. Far from their Buffalo, New York roots, I tried to manage my expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Buffalo wings were “invented” in 1964 at Anchor Bar when Theressa Bellissimo prepared deep-fried wings for her son Dominic and his friends. He added them to the bar menu and eventually went on the road to promote the new food and sell hot sauce. While I’ve never been to Anchor Bar, the buffalo wings at Randy’s are as spicy and flavorful as those at any American sports bar I’ve been to.
The Stats:
Randy’s Wing Bar
What we ordered
To Drink:
Two beers and two cocktails
• Freedom Four Lager
• Freedom Four IPA on tap
• Two Hennessy and Ginger’s
To Eat:
6 wings each and two sides to share
• Casablanca Wings - Harissa infused, slow cooked and grilled with sumac onions, honey, pomegranate seeds and mint dressing
• Gangnam Wings- Korean inspired, friend, sweet and sticky
• Pickled salad with carrots, cucumbers and cauliflower • Bacon Dust Fries- with lime, tabasco mayo, spring onions and chives.
Cost: £45
What was fun about Randy’s were the unusual flavors on the menu. I ordered the gangnam style Korean wings dusted with peanuts and green onions and slathered in a sweet Korean barbecue sauce. The real stand out winner though were Craig’s Casablanca wings. Having spent a few weeks in Morocco this summer and not seeing a single stand-alone chicken wing, I was skeptical. The flavor explosion of harissa, onions, pomegranate, honey and mint was wonderful and put the mediocre bacon fries to shame.
It was the music, even more so than the food, that I thought made Randy’s special. Craig had dined here solo a few weeks ago when a guitarist and harmonica player were performing. This week a guitarist was singing old blues standards next to the bar and a small platform greeting new diners as they enter. The music was great, easy to listen to and ended too soon for my liking.
I would recommend attending on blues Thursdays, the music and Hennessy on anger ale really ties together an otherwise simple but satisfying dining experience.
