Wing Heaven (Portage)
6005 S. Westnedge AvenueWings! Oh man, do I love wings. I’ve actually found a lot of good wings from bars in Kalamazoo during this whole pandemic thing.
CJ’s Pub and Waldo’s Tavern had been my go-to’s in the before time. Online ordering and curbside pickup have switched to Main Street Pub and Jac’s Pizza being my go-to places. And sure, there’s Buffalo Wild Wings and Wing Etc. but those places only get the call when I’m being lazy….which can be quite often.
I have always loved the wing options in Grand Rapids. There have been multiple Wing Heaven and Wing Kingz restaurants at different spots and I’m pretty sure I’ve hit them all. The wings are always crispy, juicy, and super delicious.
I’m told there was a Wing Heaven in Kalamazoo before we moved here in 2009. It was on Douglas Avenue in the spot now occupied by Cookie’s Creole ‘n’ Soul (previously Cookie’s Five Star Grill).
Now, Wing Heaven has made a return to the Kalamazoo area.
The new Wing Heaven location is actually in Portage on the corner of Westnedge and Milham Avenue. The building was previously a Scholtzky’s Deli. They closed back in February right before COVID shut everything down.
Wing Heaven has only been open for a couple of weeks now. I’ve tried two or three times to stop after work but there’s always been a pretty big line. I gave it a go again last night after work and found the wait much more manageable.
The restaurant is pretty large for what is right now a take out only spot. There is an order counter straight back from the door when you walk in.
There is a menu board hanging above the order counter…..and that’s really the first chance you’ll get to see it. It has been stupidly hard to get a menu out of this place. On their Facebook page they linked to a Wing Heaven in Grand Rapids which is pretty close but this location has more options…including burgers. There’s also an online ordering system….but no way to select your sauces when you click on it. There’s also no paper menus anywhere in the building. So, here’s the best blurry pictures I could get of the menu due to the blue LED screens it’s on. I would have called my order in or used the online ordering but it just wasn’t that easy to do.
Having past experiences with Wing Heaven, I had a pretty good idea what I wanted but I still took a minute to look at the menu just to make sure. I ended up with an order of 10 traditional wings with Garlic Parmesan sauce and 1 lb. of fries with seasoning salt. The meal set me back just over $14.
There is A LOT of room to wait inside the restaurant and once indoor dining reopens, they will have a pretty sizeable space to put tables while keeping a comfortable distance. There were a handful of people in the store waiting as well but we could all space out pretty well.
It really only took about five minutes for my number to be called out which I found pretty surprising. Past experiences have left me waiting 15-20 for food at times but they have had a pretty steady flow of business I’m sure they just always have wings going. There’s a pick up window near the kitchen where a woman bagged up my meal before handing it to me.
I was a little surprised to see everything in one box. I thought 1 lb of fries would warrant their own box but they had the wings and the fries in the same container separated by a piece of wax paper.
I started in on the fries first. They were simple frozen fries with a dusting of seasoning salt. You actually have a few seasonings to choose from but this is the one I usually get. It’s adds a little more than just a basic salt flavor to the fries which really aren’t the start of the show anyway.
I polished off the fries pretty quickly then turned my attention to the wings. Wing Heaven wings have always been better than most places. They’re super crispy, but not burnt, and just drowning in the selected sauce.
The ten wings in my box were all crispy. There was a really good crunch with every bite yet the meat inside was still nice and juicy. The sauce on the outside had a really strong garlicky flavor but the Parmesan was a little light. The wings themselves were a decent size. They weren’t huge but they also weren’t BWW’s small.
I can’t tell you how much I love there’s a Wing Heaven in Kalamazoo. I’ve been yearning for one for years and now it’s here. The location in Portage is a little too far away from both work and home to make it a regular stop but those nights that I crave wings, it will be hard not to make the trip.
SW Michigan Dining 