Where to find the best lemon pepper wings in Atlanta
We blind tasted eight of Atlanta’s most popular wings in the city’s favorite flavor, and one stood above the rest.
The AJC’s Monti Carlo leads a taste test of Atlanta’s best lemon pepper chicken wings. (AJC)
Atlanta has deep feelings about chicken wings.
Ask a group of people where to get the best lemon pepper wings in this city, and you’ll start an argument that will last half an hour: flats versus drums; extra-crispy versus “don’t fry them too hard”; lemon pepper wet versus lemon pepper dry.
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Monti Carlo leans in to catch the first hit of lemon pepper from J.R. Crickets during a blind taste testing at the AJC headquarters in Midtown on Friday, March 20, 2026. (Matt Gannon/AJC)
How we chose the best lemon pepper wings in Atlanta
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- International Cafe
- Magic City
- G Town Wings & Fish
- Hungry AF
- Wing Factory
- J.R. Crickets
- Tandoori Pizza and Wing Co.
- Sunnyside Pizzeria
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What makes the best lemon pepper chicken wings
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A takeout order of lemon pepper wings, one of eight tested by the AJC Food & Dining team in search of the best in Atlanta. Over a dozen very serious journalists took eating and reviewing wings very seriously for three hours. (Matt Gannon/AJC)
How Atlanta made lemon pepper seasoning its own
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Georgia lawmakers consider lemon pepper as the official state wing flavor
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Eric Bell, pictured here after winning a special election to represent House District 75 on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, introduced legislation in February of this year to recognize lemon pepper as Georgia’s official wing flavor. (Facebook)
The 8 best lemon pepper wings in Atlanta (finalists ranked)
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- J.R. Crickets — 4 votes (WINNER)
- G Town Wings & Fish — 3 votes
- Wing Factory — 3 votes
- International Cafe — 2 votes
- Magic City — 1 vote
- Hungry AF — 0 votes
- Tandoori Pizza & Wing Co. — 0 votes
- Sunnyside Pizzeria — 0 votes
Where to order the best lemon pepper wings in Atlanta
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Greg Bluestein, chief political reporter for the AJC, and his daughter taste test wings to help find the best lemon pepper wings in Atlanta. (Matt Gannon/AJC)
The best chicken wings in Atlanta for March Madness: J.R. Crickets wins
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Monti Carlo is the AJC’s Senior Editor of Food & Dining and a Telly Award-winning TV host, cookbook author and special events chef. She covers culinary culture, spotlighting the people redefining Southern food today. Her cookbook, Spanglish, a love letter to bicultural Puerto Rican cooking, publishes May 19, 2026. Email her at [email protected]
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