Wings Etc. (Sturgis)
111 W. Chicago RoadWhy not take a last minute trip to the lake on a nice day?
We spent all day a couple of Saturday’s ago doing work around the house. Later in the afternoon, L complained that we should have went to Nana and Grandpa’s to go swimming.
It was around 3:00 when she said that and J told her to call Nana and ask if we could come out. Nana said yes so the kids got their stuff together and we headed out to the lake.
We hadn’t eaten much all day. We were actually planning on stopping in Centreville at a food truck that said it was going to be parked there until 7:00 but when we got there a little after 4:00, they were already tearing down due to lack of business.
We wanted to get the kids out to the lake and we’d figure out dinner later.
I wanted to do something quick and easy. Online ordering would be the best option and there was one place in Sturgis that came to mind.
I picked Wings Etc on Chicago Road/US-12 in downtown Sturgis. The restaurant has a very prominent storefront near the intersection of Chicago Road and Nottawa Street/M-66. The restaurant looks much more like a sports bar than the typical Wings Etc. The restaurant is in a 3 story 125 year brick building that was previously an appliance repair shop. The current owners actually had to do a major renovation when they bought the building which included replacing the whole front facade.
There is street parking along Chicago Road but the majority of parking is behind the building in the municpal lot between the police department and the downtown businesses. There is an entrance from this lot as well as a beer garden/patio for nice days….like this day actually was.
We put our order in online and I timed it out so I’d get to Sturgis right about the time it was ready. I walked in to the pub through the front door (you know….I had to get pictures) and came in to a bar area. The restaurant feels like a typical sports bar but not necessarily a Wings Etc. Many Wings Etc locations have a pretty generic feel in a new construction stand alone building. This one takes advantage of the historic elements of this downtown space with the exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and wood floors. The pub tables and plethora of TV screens bring back in the Wings Etc. aesthetic.
I headed to the bar and they asked if I was there for pick up. My bags were just coming out of the kitchen so I grabbed them and headed back to the lake.
I’ll admit, I used to not like Wings Etc. because I didn’t like the way they sauced the wings. I always remember them kind of just drizzling the sauce on top and not completely coating them. I don’t know when that changed but the last couple of years they’ve been coming completely coated.
I ordered the 10-bone in wings. I got half of them with hot Buffalo and half with garlic parmesan.
I started with the Garlic Parm wings first so I didn’t destroy my taste buds right away. The five wings were a mix of drums and flats but you can order just one or the other for an upcharge. I like both equally so I kept with the cheaper mix. The Garlic Parm sauce is a little bit of a thicker garlic butter type sauce. It’s not the thick creamy mayo garlic parm sauce the other guys do. The garlic is really strong in these wings and even sitting outside, everyone around me could smell it.
The other five wings were Hot Buffalo. The wings are hot but not overbearingly hot. I do like spicy foods though. They’re just hot enough that they make me sweat a little bit but it’s not a chore to eat them. I’m always surprised at the size of the wings from Wings Etc. They’re much bigger than their chain competitors. I ordered 10 wings but probably would have been just as full had I only ordered the 6.
I added on a side of fries to my order out of habit. The fries are pretty simple with a little bit of a salt an pepper seasoning. There’s not a lot of flavor to them on their own but I usually soak up the extra hot sauce with them to add a little kick.
J ordered the Buffalo Chicken Wrap. This comes with crispy chicken, lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, choice of sauce and choice of dressing. She picked BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. The wrap is pretty large and cut in to two pieces. There were several big chunks of crispy chicken tenders wrapped up in the lettuce. She ate half of the wrap and some of the fries that came with it and saved the rest of another meal. It was quite a bit of food.
We went easy on the kids. B just wanted the Bavarian Pretzel Bites. These tiny pretzel bites come with choice of cheese (nacho, beer, or queso). We picked nacho and he ate pretty much all of the appetizer with a little bit of help from his sister. Neither of them are big cheese with pretzel fans so I took the cheese and dipped some of my fries in it.
L really likes the curly fries so we got her an order of those. They’re pretty standard curly fries with a little bit of seasoning but L really likes them and polished off most of the order leaving just a few that I ate a couple of days later after a quick trip in the air fryer.
We also got L an order of Mac ‘N Cheese. She’s eaten this mac many times in the past but wasn’t really hungry this night. I don’t think she even touched it. The side dish is a creamy white cheddar mac ‘n cheese. Again, I ended up eating this a few days later so nothing went to waste.
Our bill for dinner was right around $45 before tip.
I’ve really come around to Wings Etc. over the past couple of years. My first few experiences with the restaurant dating back to the late aughts left something to be desired. It was always “fine” but I always preferred Buffalo Wild Wings because of the way they sauced the wings. Now that they sauce the whole wing, Wings Etc is a much better option. Bigger portions, bigger wings, and it’s even a little bit cheaper. This location is Sturgis really stands out just because of it’s non-traditional location. It has a real sports bar feel to it and not the typical chain casual dining restaurant.
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