Pluckers Wing Bar — Restaurant in Killeen

Our excursion to Pluckers, a restaurant not native to our town in Waco, was a venture driven by the persistent recommendation of a co-worker of my wife's, who had insisted that we try their renowned giant mozzarella sticks. Eager to explore this much-praised delicacy, we embarked on a 45-minute drive to the Killeen location, accompanied by our children.

The day we chose for our visit happened to coincide with a significant event: a Cowboys game, which undoubtedly contributed to the bustling atmosphere of the establishment. Surprisingly, we were seated without much delay, despite the crowded conditions. However, our proximity to fellow diners was noteworthy, as we found ourselves seated in close quarters with other patrons, creating a somewhat cramped dining environment.

Our order consisted of three varieties of flavored wings, a serving of giant mozzarella sticks, and a selection of margaritas. It's here that the story takes an interesting twist. While our expectations were high, the margaritas, unfortunately, did not align with my wife's discerning taste. The mozzarella sticks, although impressive in size, didn't quite live up to the anticipation. They were, as she put it, "alright" but lacked the uniqueness and flavor profile she had expected.

The wings, however, were a bit of a letdown. They seemed to be lacking in flavor and failed to leave a memorable impression. The one silver lining of our visit was the chance to enjoy the game, as Pluckers provided a vibrant atmosphere for sports enthusiasts.

Reflecting on our experience at Pluckers, it appears that it may not be the first choice for us in the future. While the giant mozzarella sticks and the allure of watching the game were enticing, the less-than-stellar margaritas and the somewhat underwhelming wings were not in line with our expectations. Based on this particular visit, we might lean more toward other establishments, like Wingstop, which have consistently met our preferences and expectations in the past.

In addition to our dining experience at Pluckers, it's worth mentioning that our server's attentiveness left much to be desired. Throughout the course of our meal, she seldom checked on our table, which resulted in a lack of drink refills and a feeling of being somewhat ignored. The absence of regular service attention was a notable aspect of our visit, and it did impact our overall impression of the establishment. This lack of attentive service added to the list of factors that may influence our decision regarding future visits...

During day light hours, it's a couples and family kind of place. As the evening wears on, it turns out to be a go to hangout for those of age.

The food and non-alcoholic beverages are a little bit bland. It will suffice if you're drinking alcohol I guess. Got some chips and queso, cheese sticks, and wings. Nothing stood out. Kinda disappointed in the wings. From what I gathered, wings are baked or fried in large batches then tossed or coated in whatever flavor was your fancy. Sadly only one side of most of my wings were coated. The teriyaki sauce didn't coat the chicken. It was beading off the chicken like rain-x on a car. I'm to believe the sauce wasn't heated up to where it would stick. Maybe just a problem that day.

Seating, ask for a booth and wait for it. The tables clumped together is kind of a nightmare. Literally chair backs are touching another parties chair. Maneuvering through the tables and chairs in a packed day is something else. Hopefully you won't need to go to the rest room.

Restrooms were as expected. Cleaner than I thought they would be. The location of the restrooms are opposite of the main dining area. I guess for the attendees at the bar who are drinking more and eating less.

Staff, friendly hosts and hostesses at the front. Wait staff overall they worked well as a team and it seemed like they supported one another. The waitress we had seemed to be ready to get off of work or her mind was else where. Her crew compensated for her so service was a non issue.

Parking... good luck.

Too many tables in one area, bathroom in the opposite side of the world, kids like the multiple TVs, food was so so, atmosphere was fun and really pleasant. Didn't go out on the patio but the folks out there seemed to be having a lot of fun. I would go back, but maybe without the kids during later hours.

Update:

It's been a while. We were seated outside on the patio. Wait staff was a bit willy-nilly. The waiter that seemed to check on us the most often went with the flow. Food was slow to get out the kitchen. Took over an hour but it was peak hours. I didn't partake of the adult beverages this evening but my company did. They said on a scale of 1-10, it was a 6. The wings went from okay to ehh. Bought a few home for the children and they described them as crusty- dusty wings. I can't disagree with that. 😬 Overall a great place to hang out and socially drink with your buddies. The food is that of the drunken delicacy. It's only good cause...

Pluckers is a place I heard a lot about with the best wings. They will not seat anyone in a group if st at least half the group is there. Our waitress was awesome and ready to help with anything you needed. Our drinks were always filled. The appetizer i had was the breaded cheese. If you love cheese. Tgese things are very good. Pluckers has tvs everywhere. The main TV behind the bar is 4 huge screens. Sadly, they are not sinked up well. So it gives a weird image. Now for the wings. We were given a sample of many sauce flavors. Which many were very tasty. I was really looking forward to these. I ordered all you can eat. Some of them were good, but the vast majority of the wings were overcooked. They were hard to get off the bone, hard on the outside, and the meat was dry. This was a major disappointment when spending $30 bucks for wings. We still had a good time, and again, the service was great.

• Update 12/12/2023 We gave Pluckers a second chance after being contacted by the GM of the Killen store. He was great and gave me a replacement for my last meal. The wings were much better this time. We had a group of 10 and all loved their food. This time our service was not the best; Shawn was very slow coming to take our order and it was slow to receive our food. He did not check on us we would have to stop him as he went by since we were sitting near the entrance to the kitchen. I didn't get a refill on my water until we were about to leave. Another crazy thing was when you order wings he asked if I liked Ranch or blue cheese with them. I chose blue cheese. They give you 20 wings to start with when you order all you can eat. I order more and asked for another blue cheese. Shawn said they don't supply additional dipping dressing. I would need to pay for any additional ones. This is crazy that you only get 2 little containers for all you can eat wings. Another server brought out my next order and I asked her if I could have another dipping sauce. She said sure and brought me one right away. I am not sure who is correct and maybe Shawn was having a bad day. We did have a good time watching the 2 Monday night...