Wing Zone Ipoh — Restaurant in Perak

I was hungry after shopping at Ipoh Parade and this is one of the places around the area that was still open past 10 pm.

Ordered the 10 pc boneless chicken wings with 2 flavours; Garlic Parmesan and Smoking Q and 1 dressing; ranch. We also got a side of mozzarella sticks.

Verdict:

Garlic Parmesan: I don't know if it's supposed to taste THAT tangy, for a sec I thought it was spoiled. Got the tang, garlic taste and the heat but don't know where the cheese has gone to. Never again.

Smoking Q: Truly the superior one! Good heat with a kick and some sweetness.

Ranch: Recommended by the staff. Good call. A nice pairing with the Smoking Q chicken.

Mozzarella sticks: Taste ok. The crust coating the cheese is quite thick for my liking. Kinda bready. Luckily, the marinara sauce that came with this saved it. It tasted really good!

Boneless chicken: It's chicken breast. I personally love white meat but might be good if we can get options with a mix of both boneless and wings.

I ordered mine to go. Wait time is not that bad. Some staff are kinda doing their own thing, not that I mind that much since it was already so late. A bit dark but a nice decor overall.

The price tho. As much as I love that Smoking Q chicken, I have to think twice to come here again. It's not exactly cheap. And I have so many...

Look, they used to be special.

Probably the only wing specialist place in Ipoh, I was a customer since the pandemic, and looked forward to their wings, burgers and wraps freshly prepared in a plethora of flavours. Although a bit pricey, the uniqueness of the menu sort of justified it.

However, since the change in management last year (see their Facebook page), I detected a significant drop in quality in almost all aspects, and they're still spiralling. The choices of flavours have reduced to less than half; the chicken wings are small, dry, tough, and not fresh; and worst of all, the flavours themselves are not tasty anymore.

Smokin' Q was the best flavour. Sweet, salty, spicy and smoky all rolled into one. But today, just the richness of the sauce remains. The sauce is curiously bland and tasted worse than your generic barbecue sauce. For "flavourholics" this is not.

The restaurant is also in a mediocre state. The air-conditioning isn't working and it's warm even in the evening. The soft drinks aren't ice-cold. Gone too are the plastic gloves to wear while eating to keep your hands clean. And I can't even choose between blue cheese or ranch anymore!

Wing Zone has become a shadow of its former self, and it's painful to see. I guess it's back to Korean chicken wings...

I've been to Wing Zone a few times and I love it. The food is overall good. The chips and mozzy sticks are heavenly. But other selections depend on whether you chose the right combination to suit your taste or not. That said, the tortillas and burgers are always a safe bet.

One big reason I go is because of the pricing. I know, I know. It's a bit high for Ipoh, but the bang for your buck is better than at other places. Maybe you pay 10-30% more compared to some other places but you can get 2 to 3 times more in terms of portion.

My salary is not enough these days, but as a human trying not to go insane, I still have to treat myself from time to time. So Wing Zone is a good balance of tasty food and great value.

My biggest gripe would be the lack of parking around the area. That's stopped me from going there a few times, if I'm honest. They're also a cook-to-order place, so there's a bit of waiting time before receiving the food vs a fast food place where everything is pre-cooked and simply heated/assembled.

Overall, I've enjoyed my visits...