By: Saúl Berríos-Thomas | Layout Editor
Nestled in the heart of Bridgeville with an instantly recognizable sign, Burgh’s Pizza & Wings is a great place for all different kinds of dining experiences. This haven is the next stop on the search for the best chicken wings in Pittsburgh.
When I entered the restaurant, located at 533 Washington Ave., on my left was a large dining area with plenty of large tables and comfortable booths. Behind that, an arcade area to keep kids entertained. My dining companion and I sat in the bar area off to the right. There was also a beer store at the far end of the restaurant past the bar. We sat at a high top table against the window that looked out onto Washington Avenue. For a mid-Sunday meal, the restaurant was very busy and it took us a while to be seated.
We ordered three different types of wings: hot, garlic parmesan and honey barbecue. The wing quality was excellent. The meat was fresh and high quality as they have bold taste and great flavor.
The sauces were a mixed bag. The garlic parmesan was excellent. The sauce was strong, but not overpowering. On top was freshly grated parmesan cheese, which was an important part of what made these wings so good. They were not caked in sauce or cheese and the consistency of the sauce allowed it to flow through the wing rather than just sit on the skin. The hot wings were top notch as well. The spice was less than I expected. I thought it could have been a lot stronger. The flavor of the sauce was good because it incorporated spices with a hint of seasoning to make the flavor pop.
The honey barbecue was a huge let down. The sauce was not sweet enough and the honey was barely detectable. The sauce also tasted too mesquite and was overdone. Another problem with this sauce was the consistency. It was too thick and it just clustered around the wing, which was overpowering.
The cook on the wings was right where I wanted it to be. The initial crunch was there. The temperature was consistent and judging by the time from order to arrival I would say that they were cooked to order.
Although their wings are great, there were some subpar things about Burgh’s, including the service. I believe that it was only our server because the table next to us was served by a different waitress and they seemed to receive perfect service, but that was not the case at our table. Some of the issues were the long waits for placing our order and getting drink refills as well as the empty plates that sat at our table for a while after we had finished. While these issues could be due to a busy day, we never received an apology from our server and their attitude towards us did not help matters.
We decided to get nachos for an appetizer. I only mention these because they were also bad. The cheese sauce was awful and the chips were very plain. Even the
jalapenos were old. Though the focus of this series is wings, the rest of the restaurant should also be up to par as well.
Another issue with Burgh’s is that because it is trying to be so many different things at once the atmosphere inside is very chaotic. There are kids running around and drunken people yelling at televisions behind the bar. Again I stress that this series will not punish the wings for the dining experience, but I will still tell the full story of the experience at each place. Another part of the experience is the price. The wings were very affordable. My order of five garlic parmesan was $4.50, my order of five hot was $4.50 and my order of 10 honey barbecue was $8.
Burgh’s is a very good place for wings. They have some great flavors and some that are not. The price makes it worthwhile and, as long as you don’t have the server we did, the experience is good too.
