Wing Bar has officially taken over Taco Bar in Jersey City’s McGinley Square. Located at 684 Bergen Avenue, Wing Bar has quickly become the go-to place to satisfy late-night cravings. The staple chicken wings are made to order and the dipping sauces are freshly housemade. Wing Bar is more than just a place to grab a bite — it also has a full bar with plenty of bar seating. And, there is even entertainment throughout the week. Read on to learn more about Wing Bar Jersey City.
Opening in McGinley Square
Wing Bar was opened by Jersey City residents Morgan Kulessa and Bryan Lewis, who were friends from Seton Hall University. The opportunity came to them from the owner next door at Carvao BBQ and it was an opportunity they “had to hop on.” Morgan has worked with the nearby restaurants for years and Bryan used to consult with the restaurants. After working together for the first time to open Wing Bar, they learned that they were compatible as a team. Each wears many hats when it comes to operating a small business.
The pals took over the lease of Taco Bar in September and have come a long way since opening day. The interior is still a work in progress since the owners plan on redecorating the wall to get rid of the “Taco Bar” graffiti. Bryan told The Hoboken Girl: “This place is unlike any other. I’ve never experienced a place like this before. It’s very different. I think it adds a little element of the local [community] that we’re at.”
Morgan added: “Everyone’s just been so kind to us and I can’t believe how much wonderful support we’ve gotten. I’m so grateful to the community and we love this community so much and I’m so proud to be a part of the McGinley Square community and Jersey City and beyond.”
Read More: A Guide to the Best Chicken Wings in Hoboken
About The Menu
Wing Bar’s menu is simple with a selection of chicken tenders (three to eight pieces), chicken wings (six to 20 pieces), a single or double smashburger (a top seller), birdie’s grilled cheese sandwich, and a crispy chicken sandwich. The sides are seasoned waffle fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, or buttered Texas toast. Then, there are two delicious dessert options: chocolate chip cookies topped with sea salt and a fudge brownie.
The business partners had a good reason to keep the menu simple: “Number one is to keep the quality as high as possible without having to please every single pallet. Number two is buying things in bulk and making sure that things can stay as fresh as possible moving forward. Lastly, with food costs being crazy, we’re trying to keep our food costs under 30 percent to keep it as profitable as possible.”
Morgan and Bryan work with multiple distributors, including getting buns from The Bread Gal Bakery, a popular women-owned business in Paterson. The sauces, however, are freshly made in-house and the owners say that they are all made with five ingredients or less.
Photo Credit: @wingbarjc
The flavors include buffalo, Honey Old Bay, garlic parmesan, lemon pepper, sweet Thai chili, Hudson Heat, sweet Vidalia BBQ, and Yard Bird. The inspiration behind Yard Bird, for example, came from Bryan’s childhood in Maryland where he first learned to cook at three years old.
Bryan shared: “We put our hands on everything. We use fresh garlic. Everything’s high quality. We’re putting our own stamp on things…We use organic agave, we’re using organic apple cider vinegar, just quality stuff, and that’s where it comes into play.”
The owners shared their secret to what sets their chicken wings apart from the others: “I think our twice fried system is what really differentiates us as well as we have 350 degrees to start and we finish it at 400 to get that rock solid crispy wing that really puts us over the top.”
Experience The Wings
Wing Bar is open Tuesday through Friday from 5PM to 2AM and Saturday and Sunday from 12PM to 12AM. Like other restaurants nearby, it is closed on Mondays. The daily happy hour is 5PM to 8PM and that includes $6 beer and $8 well drinks. The weekly events include Tuesday night trivia at 8PM and Thursday night karaoke at 10PM.
The owners say that each night can come with a surprise such as having three DJs in one night since they want to give their friends the opportunity to play for a crowd.
“It’s an incredible thing that people travel to come here. And we have live music and we have people come in for trivia and karaoke,” Bryan said. “So, we’re thinking about pushing this wall out a little bit, having more space and just making it a bit more accessible for some people who don’t want to be a sardine, packed into a bar.”
See More: Where to Get the Best Wings in the Montclair Area
The owners added: “It’s a beautiful mix of locals, regulars as well as people who live in Jersey City, Edgewater, Hoboken, who are nearby, who are willing to make that trek out here for live music, damn good food. It’s like we’re not just making good food, we’re making good enough food to travel for the drinks, the vibe which is amazing, and it’s a chance for them to experience something that’s fun and light and awesome.” For more information, visit the website.
