Archie Moore’s

Archie Moore’s has been a New Haven landmark bar & grill since 1898, though they only introduced Buffalo wings to Connecticut in 1982. Since then, they’ve opened stores in Wallingford, Derby, Milford, and Fairfield and continue to sell approximately twenty tons of wings each month. Bottles of their famous wing sauce are available in grocery stores statewide, but the best way to enjoy their spicy wings is at their flagship restaurant in New Haven.

Located two blocks off Whitney Avenue, this neighborhood bar features half-price wings every day during happy hour. Available in multiples of seven, the wings are very meaty and perfectly fried to crispy goodness. Each wing is tossed in sauce that clings tenaciously to every joint—but not so much to your fingers as you eat. The wings also come in a honey BBQ variety that is just as sweet as it is savory.

For appetizers, the Pulled Pork Nachos remain a favorite of ours. Tender pulled pork, moist with a slightly sweet, tomato-based sauce, and lots of cheese top crunchy chips, and the whole plate is put in the oven (not microwave) and browned for extra crispiness. The pork’s tangy sauce allows the shredded meat to stick to each chip, and the flavor combination tastes so wonderful that the plastic ramekins of salsa and sour cream included are not needed.

Some of the stores have slightly different menus, and we visited the Wallingford store to sample other appetizers not offered in New Haven. The fried artichoke hearts were disappointingly flavorless, despite their being fried in a spicy Buffalo batter. The Bottlecap Sliders, however, were a landslide victory: six mini hamburgers topped with fried jalapeño slices, pepper jack cheese, and a spicy sauce. The small buns were steamed and pillowy soft, and the taste explosion of all the ingredients—spotlighted by the crunchy fried jalapeño peppers—was phenomenal enough to warrant a second plate!

A few cakes and pies are offered for dessert, and the Kentucky pecan pie piqued our attention. A large slice of pie with a hardened and browned top cloaked a medley of bittersweet chocolate chips and toasted pecans, served warm with our choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. The description sounded much better than the taste, as it didn’t pass muster as a must-have. However, their wings have won local and state awards since their inception, and coupled with a few exceptional appetizers, Archie Moore’s takes bar fare to a new level of Roadfood.