Randy's Wing Bar
Rich plus Andy makes Randy, which is how two friends who brought buffalo wings back from the States named the place.
Why go
The Here East unit has been running wings on the canal since 2016 and the sauce list is the work: Buffalo, Korean, Kansas BBQ, hot honey, black garlic and chilli crunch, mango habanero, piri piri chipotle, plus a vegan wing. One thing has changed since the reviews that made its name. The venue's current menu states that all our wings now come grilled,
offered as a lighter alternative to fried
(Randy's). That is a real difference at the plate: a grill browns the skin by radiant heat without the fat exchange of a fryer, so the skin sets thinner and the sauce sits on it rather than in a crust. Mondays from 6pm are all-you-can-eat wings at £12. The Hackney Wick site is the flagship; there is a second at Aldgate.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Korean wings, which Time Out described as
sweet, sticky glaze that's hard not to get all over your chops,
and the Buffalo with blue cheese dip.1 The Gravy Train potato puffs are the side to get. - Avoid: arriving expecting a deep-fried wing. The kitchen grills them now.
What locals & experts say
- Time Out (4/5, Laura Richards, August 2016):
It's like a modern ranch in here: industrial ducts on the ceiling meet weathered, wood-panelled walls,
andThe service is so welcoming. Staff at Randy's want to ease you into having a good time.
1 - Square Meal:
this canalside Here East resident does what it says on the tin in lip-smacking style.
4 - Great Taste (3 stars): claimed by the venue for its Korean sauce, without a year attached.3
Good to know
- Timing: noon to 10pm Monday to Wednesday, to 10.30pm Thursday, to 11pm Friday and Saturday, to 9.30pm Sunday. The kitchen shuts an hour before the room.
- Booking: online, and worth it on Monday wing night and on event days at the park.
- Price: about £70 for two with drinks and service per Time Out; £12 for all-you-can-eat wings on Mondays from 6pm.
- Dietary: the menu marks the Gravy Train potato puffs gluten-free and describes the grilled wings as gluten-free, and it carries vegan wings with vegan bacon bits on request. No cross-contamination statement is published, so celiac diners should ask.
- Location: Here East on the canal in the Olympic Park, a ten-minute walk from Hackney Wick station. The Aldgate site is a separate kitchen.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Best wings in London? Multiple recs." REAL.
Verdict
could-visit — Solid, and it does one thing. A wing specialist that has run a decade at Here East with a rotating flavor list and its own sauces is worth a stop if you are on the canal or at the park. Time Out's 4/5 is real but old, and the kitchen has since switched the whole program to grilled, which is a different dish from the one that built the reputation.