Buffalo Wild Wings Appetizers, Ranked From Worst To Best

Buffalo Wild Wings, or B-Dubs as it's affectionately known, is a fast casual restaurant known obviously for its boneless wings fried in tallow; in fact, Buffalo Wild Wings coined the phrase boneless wings. That section of its menu has many options for the discerning wing connoisseur like myself, but for this article, I am going to migrate past its specialty dish and land on its array of appetizers.

One could argue that a basket of wings is already an appetizer and not a main course, but for a company whose claim to fame is literally pitching the finger food as a meal of its own, it's no surprise they want to also provide guests with a list of starters. The company generously provided The Takeout with the opportunity to taste test its entire appetizer menu, and now that my stomach is full, it's time to rank them from worst to best.

Before I start my list, it should be stated that Buffalo Wild Wings feels more like a sports book than a restaurant; it's as fast-paced as the games playing on their many hanging TV screens, and although they aren't a gambling facility, you can bet on a wide selection of menu options beyond their staple dish. From burgers to salads to cocktails, this popular eatery is almost always full, catering to sports lovers and casual diners alike, but it's more kinetic than your average restaurant dining room.

When you read the words "ultimate nachos" on the Buffalo Wild Wings menu, you expect something extraordinary: a dish full of chips loaded with cheese and toppings, a meal in and of itself. Unfortunately for me, what arrived at my table wasn't as ultimate as what I had envisioned. This dish costs $10.99 and has a calorie count of 1770 – but surely most of those calories are coming from the generous pile of chips on the platter. Where it fell short was its presentation; the toppings-to-chips ratio was incredibly uneven.

Although the house-made chips were alright, I wanted a little more dippable power — in other words, something to scoop up — but it just wasn't there. The menu states the dish includes the chips plus hatch queso, cheddar-jack cheese, house-made pico de gallo, pickled hot peppers, crema, cilantro, and salsa. The items were tasty collectively, but there were barely enough toppings there for one person — let alone two — to feel satisfied. 

When all was said and done, there were still a lot of chips left — and for the price, it felt like the ultimate in shrinkflation. I advise not being fooled by the ultimate nachos' hyperbolic description, and ordering something else.

The thing about mozzarella sticks is that they are a standard appetizer menu item that isn't particularly exciting. Maybe they were at some point in the '80s, when fast casual restaurants like Applebee's and TGI Fridays included them on their menus.

The words "fried mozzarella" have always appealed to me, and there might be no establishment where I pass on them if they are offered as an appetizer. They can be hit or miss depending on the restaurant. Sometimes they are frozen from a food supplier, sometimes made fresh. Either can be good, but they can also be bad. Thankfully, Buffalo Wild Wings' sticks are right in the middle, and serve as a sustainable precursor to what might be a giant meal. They cost $9.49 and are only 520 calories per serving – not only affordable, but easy on the waistline.

Fried in panko crumbs, these mozzarella sticks are nothing to write home about, especially with the generic marinara sauce that accompanies them. But they have a better-than-average cheese pull when served warm, and the cheese doesn't separate from the bread crumbs like some other establishments. The cheese tasted like a quality brand, and the panko wasn't too heavy. They aren't the main character on the appetizer list, more like a suitable extra that fills in the background.

I can guarantee almost nobody from Wisconsin is going to approve of these small cheese offerings. In fact, my husband, who was also my dining partner, is from that state and considers himself an expert. He seemed offended when this dish hit the table, and he reluctantly tasted them. However, since it's my job to subjectively review food and I'm not from the Midwest, I dug in with the same energy as I would with anything considered fried cheese. A plate of these tiny nuggets costs $10.99 and will add 1,320 calories to your daily intake.

Despite my husband's biased opinion, I enjoyed these snackable tidbits. They come with the restaurant's signature B-Dubs sauce, which isn't really a great pairing since, in my opinion, white cheddar cheese has a palatable savoriness on its own and doesn't need a sidekick.

Already getting full from my tasting, I was surprised that I ate as much of these battered curds as I did. It might have been a matter of proximity bias, but I can't deny that they are sufficiently delicious and have as much vanishing caloric density as popcorn.

The Buffalo Wild Wings appetizer menu runs the gamut of regional American cuisine. From Southwestern to Midwestern, the offerings read like an atlas of cultural domestic side dishes. Traveling a bit further to the American South, the fried pickles were a surprise. But, given how popular dill pickles are in modern culinary culture these days, it makes sense.

A full portion of this dish costs $9.49, and it contains 710 calories. It's another mindless table-picker, but I found the flavor to be an enjoyable experience for my taste buds. These little battered green circles were crispy and fresh, and had just enough brine as not to overpower the B-Dubs dipping sauce they come with. Although it's yet another basic pre-meal nibbler, the crispy fried pickles are a flavorful conversation starter where everyone has an opinion about the state of modern culinary trends.

Sonic might have cornered the fast food market with pickles on its new Grillo's collab combo meals. As for this Buffalo Wild Wings' app, pairing it with perhaps the onion rings or cheese curds might be a good starter duo if you have more than three people in your party.

Onion rings are one of the ubiquitous side dishes for any fast casual eatery, and some people judge a restaurant by them. Although it's subjective, the dish can make or break an establishment's reputation, especially if it has a tavern-driven menu selection. Buffalo Wild Wings offers beer-battered onion rings as part of its appetizer menu. Coming in at $9.49 and 1,350 calories per serving, they are a delicious and non-filling starter that will still keep you peckish for your main course.

Served on a platter of about seven, these light and crisp appetizers are served with the delicious B-Dubs dipping sauce. As is almost always the case, the small cup of sauce will most likely disappear after the first three onion rings. That could just be me, though, as I used the sauce for every bite. A simple request from my server was all that was needed to get more.

These onion rings have the perfect amount of beer batter coating to onion ratio and they aren't drenched in grease, which is a bonus for acid reflux sufferers. The onions are not too sweet, which is perfect because the dipping sauce has just enough sweetness to make up for it. This appetizer is ideal for two people who only want to stimulate their appetites and not fill up before their entree is served.

Buffalo Wild Wings offers the Chips & Dip Trio with house chips, house queso, hand-made guacamole, and salsa. The menu also offers just the chips and queso dip by itself. For the purposes of this piece, I'm going to review the trio, since it includes the queso already.

As stated before, Buffalo Wild Wings tortilla chips aren't anything special. They could use a sprinkling of salt and could be thinner, but they'll do, especially if they are warmed up. As for the guacamole, it's surprisingly bland, at least at my location. I recently visited a Mexican corner market, and the guac was loaded with onions, tomatoes, and the perfect amount of spice; a pint was about $5. At Buffalo Wild Wings, this entire flight costs $11.99 and contains 1,490 calories. For that price, the guacamole shouldn't be as basic as it tasted. It's almost like they just blended some avocados together and sent it out.

But the queso is a different story. The ingredients are so well balanced that the flavors dance on your tongue for a while, each performing a flavor flamenco on your taste buds before going down easy. The spice is there but subdued until the aftertaste, which is an enjoyable end to a fun bite. The one thing that might be a drawback is that the queso is runny. No quicker than you get some on your chip and it drains off. So hopefully you have fast ramekin-to-mouth reflexes. The salsa comes across as jarred, and it's nothing exciting. Maybe mixing it into the guacamole might be better.

Another tavern food item gets a spot on Buffalo Wild Wings' appetizer menu, and I have to say it's a welcome offering among the list. Higher-end restaurants often offer diners a bread basket as an appetizer for their diners for free. Although the Everything Bagel Knots aren't free, they might be a great substitute for guests who are a bit peckish walking in.

More like tiny loaves than knots, these soft pillow-like knoshes are incredibly tasty, and with only six to an order, you may have to fight for the last one. At a cost of $9.49 and at 890 calories, there is no excuse for ignoring these little clouds of culinary comfort.

The knots come with the delicious New Belgium Fat Tire Beer Cheese and honey mustard. Both are tasty dips that treat the knots like they're married and not just engaged. The Fat Tire Beer Cheese is incredibly smooth but is still punctuated by its signature amber ale undertones. This is one item worth the price — but again, you may have to fight for them at an open table.

The Buffalo Chicken Dip is the second new item on the Buffalo Wild Wings appetizer menu. It's a rich, creamy, and warm offering that, unlike the guacamole, is loaded with texture and ingredients. It's made of shredded chicken, Original Buffalo cheese sauce, cheddar-jack cheese, bacon, ranch dressing, pickled hot peppers, green onions, and house-made tortilla chips, and served with celery sticks. It costs $9.99 and has 1,480 calories per serving. 

The dip was served warm enough that my server, the excellent Anthony, cautioned me not to burn myself on the serving skillet. But I couldn't wait for it to cool down, plunging my tortilla chip into this molten concoction with great expectations. I wasn't disappointed. Instantly, the warmth in temperature and heat from the pickled hot peppers hit my mouth and created a hit of serotonin I could actually feel spreading through the back of my head.

Again, the chips are merely a conduit to get the dip to your mouth; they add nothing to the experience. However, the very chilled and crunchy celery sticks were the perfect combination. They cut the temperature in half on the tongue and served as a capsaicin diffuser to the spicy peppers mixed into the dip. This should be a top option when scouring the menu for a starter, although those sensitive to spicy heat might want to have a full beverage on hand to assist.

You might be thinking, when you first see this on the menu, that the Buffalo Wild Wings chef at your location just drizzled the Buffalo Chicken Dip over some tater tots — but you'd be wrong. The Buffalo Chicken Tots are a completely different profile.

The dish is made with some of the same ingredients as the dip, like shredded chicken and pickled hot peppers, but this loaded dish adds Buffalo dry rub, blue cheese crumbles, medium Buffalo Wild Wings sauce, ranch, and green onions to the mix. It costs $13.49 with a caloric intake of a hefty 2,120 calories. I believe a starchy vegetable is always better when it's loaded up with a good protein, and this dish proves me right.

There's a lot going on here, and whoever was in charge of the test kitchen that day deserves a raise. First, you get the saltiness of the warm tot, which quickly dissipates, overpowered but not intimidated by the Buffalo sauce. Then the hit of bleu cheese, which is normally strong, combines with the ranch and serves as a cooling agent for the pickled hot peppers that come in at the end. For a hearty starter, this dish is going to stick to your ribs in the best way. This might be something you want as a main dish since it's so filling. It's definitely shareable; however, if nothing is appealing to you on the entree page, this could suffice if you're looking for something different.

The second new item on the menu is a showstopper. They're called Jumbo Stuffed Tots, and I have never had anything else like them on this scale. These oversized tots, according to the menu, are stuffed with bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives, garlic, and a chipotle BBQ dry rub. They also come with a side of B-Dubs dip and ranch.

If you're a fan of apps and sides, these giant, round shredded potato bites have to be eaten to be believed. About the size of a giant marshmallow, they are going to cost you $9.49 with a calorie count of 1,180, and they are worth every penny. When you first bite into them, the salt is noticeable. If there is a criticism I have about this dish, is that it's initially salty. Beyond that, you're hit with the smokiness of bacon and the tang of sour cream.

Dip them in either sauce, and your eyes might roll back into your head with pleasure like mine did. I would have eaten them all, but because I had to save a few to taste later for my number one spot, I took the remaining ones to go. These reheat wonderfully in the air fryer for about two minutes. I was surprised at how I loved these so much. I went in thinking I'd get served an average large fast casual tater tot, but Buffalo Wild Wings subverted that expectation, so I'm paying it forward.

Buffalo Wild Wings is one of those restaurants that I visit at least twice a year. It's a special spot because my sister and I go there to talk about life. At least we do when her attention is not aimed at one of the many TVs playing a sports event. When I got the assignment to review the appetizers, I originally thought I would report on their Bottomless Apps Deal. Unfortunately, that promotion ended in early August.

Me and my dining partner (my husband, Jeff) arrived on a Sunday at our local Buffalo Wild Wings in Queen Creek, Arizona, with the sole purpose of filling up on the menu's extensive appetizer menu and ranking them from worst to best. Buffalo Wild Wings footed the bill, but my opinions are not affected by that.

You might ask why there are no boneless wings on the list. That's because, unfortunately, there aren't any on the appetizers menu. I only tasted what was listed in the app category at my location. I ranked each dish according to originality, flavor, and presentation. Our diligent server, Anthony, anticipated everything I needed and brought out three appetizers at a time. I had to sample everything quickly so as not to allow the food to get cold between tastings. Although my husband had his opinions (sometimes they differed from mine), this ranking is solely based on my thoughts. Overall, it was a fun and filling experience, with only one item falling really short.