I tend to stray from chains. That being said, Wingstop has become one of my favorite places in Waco, and for a few very simple reasons: Small-ish restaurant with excellent food at a moderate price, in a non-hole-in-the-wall setting. That "setting" part is key. I'm getting tired of the "card table and folding chairs" setups that make up the bulk of the local Waco food scene. Yes, the food at those places is great and cheap, but I feel cheap being there. And you don't have to be "upscale" to be, for lack of a better word, "classy." There's a serious lack of options between the Diamondbacks end of the spectrum and the Crucero end of the spectrum. Wingstop is a great place for a low-key, weeknight date-night.

Enough ranting. On to the review: We shared 4 different flavors and all were excellent, particularly the Louisiana Rub. They take a little while to come out (10-15 minutes) but if that means we're getting something made-to-order rather than having been sitting under a heat lamp for an hour, I'm all for it. And with a couple of TVs to watch the game and draft beers at $2.50 or $3.00, you won't notice the wait time.

FOOD: Excellent; perfectly cooked wings
SERVICE: Friendly, attentive, fast enough
AMBIANCE: You can tell they actually care about what their store looks & feels like. Very refreshing in comparison to a lot of the "card tables and folding chairs" setups in Waco
VALUE: 9 out of 10. $3 Shiner draft is hard to beat.

We'll be back soon.