There are a lot of places to enjoy a nice order of chicken wings in State College. However, just like picking your favorite child, it isn’t easy to choose the best place.

With the Super Bowl rapidly approaching, we took it upon ourselves to definitively rank the best wings in Happy Valley.

Staff Consensus

Below, you’ll find the average placement of the nine restaurant’s wings we sampled. Keep on reading to find out how each of our staffers ranked their wings.

1. Federal Taphouse — 1.78
2. Wings Over — 2.44
3. DP Dough — 3.22
4. Are U Hungry — 3.89
5. Primanti Brothers — 4.33
6. The Corner Room — 6.00
7. Champs Downtown — 7.00
8. Chick 2 — 8.00
9. Canyon Wings — 8.33

Frankie Marzano

1. Federal Tap House: I only have one word to describe these wings — “sophisticated.”
2. DP Dough: This one came as a little bit of a surprise. DP Dough obviously specializes in more than calzones. These wings had great taste and the perfect amount of heat and sauce overall.
3. Wings Over: These wings were very close to being second on my list. They had the perfect amount of heat and texture. Wings Over successfully lived up to its reputation.
4. Are U Hungry: This was basically a chicken nugget with a tiny bone in it, but they were still pretty darn good. These had the best sauce by far.
5. Primanti Brothers: I was also surprised with these wings. They are just your stereotypical solid bar wings that would never let you down.
6. Champs Downtown: The wings were very bland and too dry. There’s nothing special about these.
7. The Corner Room: I was disappointed by these wings. They are served with a sweet and sticky sauce that adds plenty of flavor, but they were way too dry to enjoy for a football game.
8. Chick 2: These were not good. Even though Chick 2 makes a great chicken sandwich, it can surely step up its wings game.
9. Canyon Wings — Just like Canyon Pizza, this isn’t sober food.

Colleen Nersten

1. Federal Taphouse: I really enjoyed these wings. They looked beautiful, and the IPA hot sauce provided a unique twist to normal hot sauce. Plus, they were very meaty. They were on the more expensive side, so save these for when your parents come to town.
2. Are U Hungry: These wings were much better than I expected. But they’re not what you think of when you picture a wing. They were ultra chicken-y, which is a positive because sometimes wings are fatty. I’d recommend these.
3. Wings Over: I was pleased. The skin was crunchy and the skin didn’t fall off, which is important to me. The sauce was perfectly mild, but it could’ve used some more sauce overall.
4. Primanti Brothers: These wings were pretty good, but lacked hotness. They were messy but held the sauce in the wing. I would eat these again, but you should stay away if you dislike chewy wings.
5. DP Dough: DP Dough was soggy, messy, and slippery. The skin came off when you bite into them. However, the sauce was very hot and tangy, which is great.
6. The Corner Room: The Corner Room is great, but not for wings. They were sticky and tough to get through the skin. I wouldn’t order them, but they tasted fresh.
7. Chick 2: I was immediately nervous because they were green in color. I have no possible explanation for this. They were greasy and tasted like they were frozen beforehand. But they were gigantic and filling.
8. Champs Downtown: I was extremely disappointed with these wings. They were wet, smelled bad, and the taste was just…off.
9. Canyon Wings: These wings literally didn’t even taste like chicken. I wouldn’t eat this drunk or sober. They were super slimy and wet on the outside yet bone-dry on the inside.

Ryen Gailey

1. Are U Hungry: Are U Hungry’s wings shocked me with how good they were. The wings were perfectly crispy but had a little bit more meat on them than I’d like for a wing.
2. Primanti Brothers: P-Mans’ wings came in a close second. They were perfectly cooked and didn’t have too much sauce. They were a little chewy for my liking, but that can be easily overlooked.
3. Wings Over: I’ve had wings over what feels like one million times by now. Wings Over never disappoints. It’s always consistently the same and comes in at third on my list.
4. Federal Taphouse: The Federal Taphouse wings were boujee. I wasn’t in love with the sauce, but the wings had a nice size and texture. 
5. Champs Downtown: Champs’ wings were not anything special. They were a little too chewy for me. 
6. DP Dough: These wings were soggy and barely had any flavor. The sauce didn’t taste like much to me. 
7. Canyon Wings: It’s the sliminess for me. I could barely even get through one bite of Canyon’s wings without wanting to put it down. They definitely deserve to be on the latter end of this list. 
8. The Corner Room: The Corner Room wings were very sticky and chewy. I was not a fan, although the sauce on them at least had an ~interesting~ flavor. 
9. Chick 2: These wings, if you even consider them that, were way too big, chewy, and had a weird color and texture. They certainly were nowhere near close to being worth the $15 that I paid for them, and as such, they’re on the bottom of my list. 

Charles Reinert

1. Wings Over: In my mind, these were easily the best. They’re just the right amount of spicy and flavorful, with a nice crispy coating that I love.
2. Federal Taphouse: A close second for me. They were flavorful and the quality of the chicken was good, but it fell just a hair short behind Wings Over.
3. The Corner Room: These wings were pretty good and the sauce was flavorful, but the quality of the chicken wasn’t as good as the first two. 
4. DP Dough:  The biggest surprise of the ranking. Messy and flavorful, these are a great option to get if you got a craving for wings.
5. Are U Hungry: The meat was good, but the coating was too greasy. I could taste it before I even got through the coating.
6. Primanti Brothers: These wings passed the eye test with flying colors. But flavor-wise, they were a bit disappointing. The crunch wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be and the sauce was a bit weak.
7. Canyon Wings: Y’know, I don’t despise Canyon. If someone gave me a slice of Canyon pizza, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it, drunk or sober. As such, the wings weren’t as bad as I thought they were going to be, though they were not great.
8. Champs Downtown: Simply bland and uninspired. They need to do something with the chicken recipe because they tasted like nothing.
9. Chick 2: I’m not sure to even call these wings. They had a greenish hue to them, and it was basically just a piece of fried chicken with hot sauce squirted on top with a squirt bottle. Easily the worst of the bunch.

Riley Davies

1. Federal Taphouse: These were classic, perfect wings, in my opinion. I knew from the first bite they were delicious. They were crispy but the chicken was still super juicy and the sauce was amazing.
2. DP Dough: This was very good chicken. The outside could have been crispier. However, the sauce they were doused in had the perfect amount of kick. 
3. Wings Over: While these were a little too crispy for my liking, it was the spice level that put them as a top-three contender for me. 
4. Primanti Brothers: These were your classic bar wings. They were a little dry and chewy but the sauce with a dunk in ranch made them decent. 
5. The Corner Room: Simply put, these were lost in the sauce. The sauce wasn’t bad, but there was just too much. The base of it was very bland all-in-all. 
6. Are U Hungry: This was a chicken nugget with a bone in it. There was no spice and it was way too crispy. 
7. Champs Downtown: These were kind of soggy but surprisingly chewy. There was no crispiness and a bit too much of a kick. 
8. Canyon Wings: There is a reason Canyon is only good drunk and it’s because you can’t quite comprehend what you are eating. These were slimy and did not taste too much like chicken. 
9. Chick 2: Upon the first impression, these were the nastiest looking of the bunch. It went downhill from eating it too. These were very bland, oversized, and the chicken was slimy. 

Otis Lyons

1. Federal Taphouse: Now this is what you call the Alabama of the State College wing game. I assumed it would mirror the sophistication and success of Nick Saban’s football program, and oh boy, did Federal Taphouse deliver.
2. DP Dough: I’m not a fan of the spicy stuff, so DP Dough clutched up in that regard. 10/10 recommend for those who enjoy less spicy food.
3. Are U Hungry: It was a glorified chicken nugget, but is that a bad thing?
4. Wings Over: Too hot for me, but I definitely saw the appeal. Hit or miss. Call it Penn State basketball against Wisconsin.
5. Primanti Brothers: There was some inverse recency bias here. I tried P-Mans first, at the point where my chicken wing tasting skills weren’t mature. P-Mans is the big wildcard, and I would look at my colleagues’ reviews for more information on this one.
6. The Corner Room: Ok not good, not great. The best of the C’s, so that’s gotta count for something right?
7. Champs Downtown: Stringy. Not a fan.
8. Canyon Wings: Stick to drunk pizza, Canyon. Maybe it was just a Wednesday, but these wings didn’t do it for me, and I’m going to go for strictly pizza now (if they’ll still have me).
9. Chick 2: From the color to the taste, it was all off. Vibes were not met.

Hope Damato

1. Wings Over: I would just like to start off with that I am not a wing girl. I don’t like wings, but I was willing to eat them for this experiment. These were warm and crispy, which made them easy to eat. The sauce had a good kick making these wings top-tier.
2. Federal Taphouse: These wings were solid. Good flavor and amount of sauce while easy to pull apart. The only reason they were second and not first is because Wings Over is just the ultimate package.
3. Primanti Brothers: I love P-Mans’ mozzarella sticks so I was excited to try these. Not bad. Very tasty with just the right amount of spice. A little chewy though.
4. DP Dough: Although they were hard to pull apart, I liked the flavor and spiciness. Definitely ~moist~ but just not amazing.
5. Are U Hungry: These wings gave me chicken nugget vibes. They were crispy but really didn’t have flavor. At least they weren’t like the next four. 
6. Champs Downton: So bad. Chewy and way too much sauce for there to be no flavor.
7. Chick 2: These wings were massive, which I thought would be good for a go-to wing place. I was wrong. They didn’t even taste like chicken.
8. The Corner Room: Really sticky for no reason. It took me 3 wet napkins to get the sauce off my hands. That made it hard to eat and unenjoyable. 
9. Canyon Wings: BAD. THE WORST. DON’T EAT CANYON SOBER. STICK TO DRUNK PIZZA. (Shoutout Riley for going into Canyon at 6 p.m.)

Ryan Parsons

1. Wings Over: Pretty great. On the spicy side for sure, but very succulent.
2. Federal Taphouse: Could be number one. The sauce was a little tangy, meat quality was incredible.
3. DP Dough: Great flavor, perfect amount of heat. Definitely on the “wet” side.
4. Are U Hungry: The meat itself had lots of flavor. They were on the crispy side but a decent amount of crisp.
5. The Corner Room: Sauce was interesting, kinda sticky. Middle of the road for sure.
6. Primanti Brothers: Slightly rubbery, okay flavor. Good go-to wing.
7. Champs Downtown: Pretty bad. Unnecessarily spicy and dry meat.
8. Chick 2: The sauce was strange, and the texture of the wings was kind of slimy and seemed frozen.
9. Canyon Wings: Just bad. I’m sorry.

Grace Cunningham

1. DP Dough: These wings were a lot like chicken nuggets, which is why I liked them. They were very crispy and easy to eat. 
2. Federal Taphouse: Classic, professional wings. The taste and aesthetics were on par. They would be number one, but there wasn’t really any crisp. Crisp is very important to me.
3. Wings Over: Pretty solid. Definitely more of a kick compared to the other wings. Not much to say, decent wing.
4. Primanti Brothers: This was the first wing I ate, and it stayed up top for a while. Pretty good wing, but the texture was kind of weird. I prefer P-Mans boneless wings.
5. Are U Hungry: These wings really weren’t bad, but they were weird. They were super crispy but in a peculiar way. The batter was so thick and almost sweet. It tasted like I was eating a zeppole from a carnival.
6. The Corner Room: The sauce was good but insanely sticky. They also had a pretty weird texture and the meat to bone ratio was poor.
7. Chick 2: Three words: yucky, slimy, weird. 
8. Champs Downtown: I honestly did not expect Champs to rank this low. Maybe they had just been sitting out for a while, but they tasted old and soggy.
9. Canyon Wings: These were disgusting and I will never eat them again. They taste like turkey. Perhaps I would have different thoughts if I tried them at 3 a.m. and I was in a different ~state of mind~.