Wings & Rice — Restaurant in Tucson

Five star review for a restaurant that is EXACTLY as advertised. If you want wings and rice, go to Wings and Rice. A no-frills counter-service restaurant serving the unique combination of chicken wings and fried rice. A real neighborhood family feel, as well.

There was nothing special about the way the wings were cooked. They were that standard fried wing--crispy, a little dry, and a little stuck to the bone. They have tons of sauce options and I'm excited to try some new ones next time I go. I like a lot of heat and I ordered Extreme which had some nice spice that built a little, but I'll be getting Dragon's Breath next time I go. The other flavor I got was spicy garlic which seemed like standard Buffalo sauce with garlic powder drizzled on it. It was fine, but nothing special. My wife got two different Asian-inspired wing sauces: Wild Spicy and Spicy Teriyaki. They were fine but not spicy enough to be called "spicy" in my opinion. I'll stick with the more traditional hot wings.

The fried rice was great and particularly the sauce that comes with it. I think it's mostly mayo but mayo is delicious and so are the other spices in there. I didn't even realize that the lunch special came with a salad, so that was a nice surprise!

If I had a complaint, my only one would be that there was... too much food? (Is this a thing?) I ordered the SMALLEST lunch special that they have, and you can see how much food it was. I was actually unable to finish it all. Next time my wife and I will split one single 6- or 8-wing lunch special.

Also, the enormous list of wing flavors almost feels like a novelty. It's a bit much. It seems like they could pare down the list and focus on making a few really strong flavors. But it's hard to complain about too many options (or too much food), I'll just eat what I want. And I'll do just that when I...

Wow. It’s good. Really good.

I ordered the “6 Wings Combo” which is served with a large order of Hibachi Fried Rice to which I added shrimp. The rice optionally comes with their special Japanese White Sauce. Definitely get that sauce as it is mildly spiced and totally delicious, but I recommend not immediately mixing it all up in the rice; leave it layered on top so you’ll be able to taste the hibachi rice on its own. The rice is fantastic with and without the sauce and you’ll want it both ways. For the wings, the cashier taking my order suggested the Spicy Orange and Lemon Pepper sauces, apparently two popular choices and both were great. (In the photo, Spicy Orange wings on left, Lemon Pepper wings on right.)

I caught a glance of the Teriyaki Chicken platter as it was served to another customer and it looked very appetizing. The Katsu will also be the target of a future visit.

The large order of rice is a good deal: the price is reasonable, and you’ll get two meals out of it.

Wings & Rice is a mom & pop’s local restaurant with an emphasis on quality. Everything is prepared when you place your order. The website and a sign on the door both remind customers that this isn’t a fast food joint. My order took about 15 minutes to come out but the wait was worth every second.

Update 2024-06-24: Went back for a second visit. Wanted another 6 Wings Combo, this time with Spicy Garlic and Spicy Teriyaki. ...

I have never tried this place, but I’ve been wanting to try it for a while as I’ve heard great things about it and the name definitely proceeds itself. However, when you first walk in, it’s a little bit interesting how they do their marketing and their signs and it appears that the daily special sign Has an IV pole which is kind of weird and off putting. When you walk in to the restaurant, it’s a very small area as well as some concerns with the overall cleanliness and atmosphere. This place could use a facelift.

They have a self service kiosk, which doesn’t appear to work and menus that are laminated which is definitely a plus. They have lunch specials and small appetites, which I appreciate.

I ordered the chicken Philly cheesesteak, which was really good and had the melted cheese with green pepper. The fries were a little bit undercooked, but overall not so shabby and the ranch is definitely not watered down if you are a ranch connoisseur.

The service was excellent and friendly.

There is a sign on the front door that is handwritten, which explains that it sometimes takes 10 to 15 minutes for your food and they are not a fast food restaurant, I feel like this could be phrased better, but I understand the point as we definitely waited a little bit for our food But it was definitely...