I’ll be perfectly honest with y’all—I’m not a craft beer guy at all. I’m not a fan of paying $6-7 or more for a pint of beer and I don’t care what the alcohol content is, type of craft it is or where it was brewed. Plus, finding quality wings at breweries is far from a given. With that, I went to Belt Line Brewery & Kitchen with precious expectations. I taped a podcast there with my buddy Lance Lysowski and my expectation was we’d give the wings we tried (716, All Dressed & Jamaican Jerk) some glossed over praise and highlight other things about the bar that would entice people to come in. BUT, about those wings……
PROS: Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and suggest the All Dressed wings are one of the premier specialty sauce wings I’ve had anywhere in Western New York. Absolutely tremendous. I don’t even know what ingredients are in them and the cook wasn’t willing to spill the beans (beans aren’t one, for the record). All I know is their BBQ-based with tons of different seasoning and spices on them. The 716 wings are their version of medium/hot, which of course I always put the most stock in when doing these. They’re advertised as “Buffalo Hot” but they’re not that hot, which is why these can skate by being labeled medium. Anyway, they were tasty and I actually felt like I was having a version of a Bar Bill wing, which goes without saying that’s a good thing. Crisp and tenderness wasn’t a problem with any of the wings and lastly, everyone knows I don’t do blue cheese but my bud Lance does and he said it was really good.
CONS: I wouldn’t go as far to say the wings were small, but they flirted with it. Certainly not among the meatier wings I’ve had. The Jamaican Jerk wings were just “ok” but to be fair, I may be judging them lower because the 716 and All Dressed set the bar so freegin’ high. Lastly, this isn’t a con but the All Dressed are lot of taste to take in. I absolutely loved them however, if you’re getting an order I’d mix it up between those and the 716. I feel like 10 (or more) All Dressed wings in one sitting may be a bit much on the ole’ taste buds.
RECORD IF BELT LINE BREWERY & KITCHEN PLAYED A FULL NFL SEASON: 12-5. This place is going to surprise you if the expectations were low, such as were mine. They’re playoff caliber wings and deserve to get seen in prime time.
OUTLOOK: Word on the street is this place may have the best wings of any brewery, something Lance attested to. I can’t really say that, only because I’ve barely had wings at breweries. In some cases I literally didn’t even know wings were an option. These and Sports City Pizza Pub are both breweries with very (very) good wings and I’m pleasantly surprised to say that because I always likened to these places to brews and burgers. This place is far more than that.
Beyond the wings the service was great, the prices perfectly reasonable with some cool daily food and beer specials, the vibe was outstanding, the bar (and outdoor seating) comfortable and clean. I really like everything about this place. I don’t consider many places destination wing spots, meaning I’d drive a half hour or more just to get their wings but I’ll tell you what, those All Dressed wings got me thinking about heading right back the next day as I type this, 40 minutes or so away.
TIER: “All-Pro Wings”