Don’t worry, KO Sports Bar & Grill. I won’t penalize you for being closed on Sundays despite the internet claiming you’re open. It’s a lesson I learned the hard way after an Orchard Park to North Buffalo early Sunday evening drive to KO was wasted. But hey, I got to see some interesting characters strolling around Delaware Avenue plus, I came back a few days later on Tuesday with my buddy, Casey to bang out two styles of wings on the advice of a few blogger community buddies. Immediately I was impressed by the interior of what I’d consider a very old school sports bar that’s way bigger than it looks from the outside, filled with friendly people.
I love the bars where everyone knows each other and this definitely feels like one. However, it doesn’t mean the wings are any good and this isn’t a review about the friendliest bar locals in Western New York. Were the wings any good?
PROS: The KO Spicy wings are insanely good. If you racked up the best non-traditional wing flavor choices: Elmo’s Cajun Hot Double Dipped, Dalmatia Hotel’s Chiavetta’s Hot and La Nova’s Hot BBQ immediately come to mind— the KO Spicy gems can hold court with any and all. Seriously, these were outstandingly tasty and cooked perfectly too.
CONS: The traditional medium wings were equally pedestrian –and I’m possibly being generous here. They were not very good, at all.
QB COMPARISON: Ryan Fitzpatrick. One of the most exciting yet inconsistent quarterbacks I’ve ever seen. Go the traditional wing route these borderline suck but spice them up and you’re getting MVP caliber play.
IF KO SPORTS BAR & GRILL PLAYED A FULL NFL SEASON: 9-7 and a quarterback away from contending.
OUTLOOK: First and foremost, when it comes to overall power rankings I can’t have these very high. From day one my rule has always been traditional (medium or hot) wings come first and need to be considered heavily while other items (signature wings, price, vibe, service, etc.) play a slightly lesser role. Honestly speaking, had I walked in here and gotten only the regular medium wings I’d consider putting KO on blast. They just weren’t good, man.
That being said, if I’m power ranking the best specialty sauce wings this joint would be extremely high—possibly even top five.
I cannot recommend KO Sports Bar & Grill if you only like traditional wings but if you desire more spice in your life, I can’t recommend them highly enough. Truly a tale of two cities.