Comfort food comes in many flavors: tomato soup and grilled cheese. Chocolate cake. Spam musubi. Poke. But for me, the ultimate comfort food is buffalo wings.

My wings have gotta be spicy and they’ve gotta be crispy. Since moving to Oahu I’ve been disappointed in the wings I’ve tried: either too soggy or downright gross.

Then, I met Dirty Lickins’ in Aiea.

Now, we’re in a relationship. A sweet, sweet love affair of red sauce and garlic and mac salad and crispy chicken. And I’ve never been happier, thanks for asking.

The five different hot sauces, from mild to “fire in the hole!” are surprisingly accurate. I usually order hot, and get stiffed with a medium flavor. But no, when the dudes at Dirty Lickins’ say “hot” they mean hot. I got that lovely, pleasant lip tingle—but only after I was nearly done. Next time, I’m trying Volcanic. With the large Coke this time.

Try the 4- or 8-wing plate lunch. Forget buffalo wings’ usual nutritious companions, celery and carrots. Dirty Lickins’ offers up rice and mac salad, so you don’t forget where you are. And at five bucks, I was full without an empty wallet.

My final surprise was the bleu cheese. I’m a wing purist. I never use bleu cheese on my precious wings. Why would I want to let something get in the way of the spice? But the owner insisted I try their signature bleu cheese. “Some people come here just for this,” he said, thrusting a tiny cup of the stuff onto my plate.

The garlic taste hit me square between the eyes. If you’ve never had tangy garlic in a smooth bleu cheese sauce, you’re missing one of the few gustatory joys in life. It is genius.

This hole-in-the wall joint is wing heaven. I dare you to disagree…

Dirty Lickins’ Aiea Shopping Center, 3rd Floor #303 / PH: 808.486.8500
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays

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Categories: Food
Tags: Aiea, Aiea Shopping Center, buffalo wings, Dirty Lickins, Features, Hawaii, Oahu, spicy wings, wing heaven