By: Staff Writer Jay Pennell
Fuel Pizza – Charlotte, NC
A local pizza joint in Charlotte known as Fuel Pizza has some of the best slices around town – something hard to find in this town – but is also known for its chicken wings. Boasting three styles of wings that are Charlotte Wing Fest Award Winners, I stopped in earlier this week to try them out.
Fuel Pizza has eight locations across the Charlotte area, but I stopped into their place at the intersection of South Blvd and East Blvd. All the restaurants are done up to look like old service stations (hence the name) and have a great atmosphere inside of them.
Proud of their pizza, Fuel also has no issue boasting their “Charlotte’s best” title, indicated by the multiple signs in the windows, along the line to order your food and on the menu board itself.
You can order wings in three sizes, a nine-piece for $7.49, an 18-piece for $14.49, and 45 wings for $33.49. They have numerous flavors of wings, but three of which won the Charlotte Wing Fest Award – the Hot Honey BBQ, Medium Buffalo, and Inferno (which they put “Yikes!” next to on the menu).
I opted for a nine-piece basket of the Hot Honey BBQ, while my three-year-old daughter Abigail went for a slice of cheese pizza
When the girl brought the nine-wing basket to the table (two drums, seven flaps, first thing I noticed was the delicious smell of the sauce covering the wings. With steam coming off them, it was clear these were freshly made, as advertised. I also got four celery sticks and a cup of blue cheese dressing – both of which went right to Abigail.
The wings had a crispy skin to them, with hot and juicy meat in each bite. The sauce complimented the meat and crispness of the skin very well, was not overwhelming or carrying the taste. I even found myself dabbing the wings in the extra sauce at the bottom of the basket, not because there wasn’t enough on the wings, but because the sauce was that good.
Overall, I was more than happy with my decision to go with the Hot Honey BBQ. They were tasty, fresh and the sauce was what set it over the top. I will have to go back and try the other award winners, as well as the other flavors. These go perfect to compliment one of Fuel’s great pizzas or simply on their own.
Now, the big question, did they live up to the title of Charlotte’s best wings? Not in my opinion. While they were very good, I still feel there are better wings out there.
WWW.FUELPIZZA.COM
1801 South Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28203
704-335-7375
