The best wings in Nashville.

TennFold Brewing sits on Lebanon Pike in Donelson, a brewery with a big dining room and a covered patio where live music plays some evenings. It is only minutes from the airport, which suits travelers. The wood-fired dough is what separates it from a typical taproom menu, and diners say the crust holds its own even when it is dipped in the Cajun cream sauce from the shrimp and grits.

The Smoke Show pizza is the one to start with. The bacon pizza, the white pie and the margherita come up often too, and diners who need gluten-free options report that the gluten-free crust and the cauliflower crust are both good. Starters matter here: the meatballs in fire roasted tomato sauce and the fried cheese curds with green goddess dressing are the two most praised. Burgers and a blueberry chicken sandwich suit groups that do not all want pizza.

Service gets steady praise, with servers who suggest dishes and check in. The patio is pleasant, though one diner noted flies at the table, so inside may suit some visits.

Hattie B's on 19th Avenue South in Midtown is a counter-service hot chicken restaurant that visitors plan a trip around. The line forms outside and moves steadily, and a weekday arrival before noon keeps the wait short. Parking in the surrounding streets is tight, so many diners take food to go.

Wings and tenders are made to order, with a crisp coating and juicy meat inside. The heat scale runs strong: mild tastes like medium elsewhere, and the hottest level hits like a fire that only mac and cheese can calm. A sauce of hot butter on the chicken keeps the skin crunchy. Diners also like the quarter chicken, the sandwich and a Sweet and Smoky grilled sandwich for those who want less fire.

Sides do much of the work. Pimento mac and cheese, southern greens, baked beans, potato salad and crinkle-cut fries all appear on trays, and waffles and banana pudding finish the meal. The greens get praise for balance, while the slaw and comeback sauce get mixed opinions. For wings, medium is a safe place to start.

The Stillery on 2nd Avenue North sits near Broadway, a lively room that fills with visitors and locals at lunch and dinner. Service is quick and friendly, and one diner who was told to expect a long wait on a holiday was seated in a fraction of that time. The room is loud, so it suits groups more than quiet dates.

The Nashville hot wings are the headline, with real heat and a flavor diners like. The mac and cheese topped with hot chicken is the second order people mention, because the creamy base cools the spice. A hot chicken pizza, a hot chicken sandwich and jalapeno bacon rangoons all have fans. The menu is wide, with pretzels and queso, deviled eggs, steak sandwiches, burgers and pizza, so groups that do not all want chicken do well here.

Mild heat on the chicken still has a kick, so spice-shy diners can ask for it milder. Portions are large enough that a table of kids and adults left full from a mix of tenders, steak fingers and pizza.

Chex Grill & Wings sits on Illinois Avenue in the Nations, a clean dining room where the wing list stretches past forty flavors. A neighbor who had waited years for a real wing spot nearby called it a blessing. Service gets praise again and again, and staff will hand out sample wings, so choosing a flavor is easy and fun.

Strawberry hot is the flavor named most, and diners describe it as sweet, spicy and tangy at once. Cajun ranch is the second favorite, with raspberry hot, honey gold, regular barbecue, red tang and Sparky's Delight also earning approval. Wings come crisp and fresh, though one diner who likes them fried hard might ask for that. Tenders and boneless wings take the same sauces, and the grilled Caesar wrap and loaded salads give lighter choices.

A special with twenty wings arrives with a heap of fries and a half gallon of lemonade or tea, which makes it a good order for a group. The place stays busy, but the line moves, and onion rings are an option on the side.

Outlanders Southern Chicken sits on Nolensville Road in Nolensville, a small old-style building with fun decorations and a hometown feel. Diners who had passed it many times and finally stopped in often say it beat the bigger chicken names. Service is welcoming, and staff ask first-timers if they have questions about the menu.

Tenders are the main event, juicy and large, and the Nashville hot chicken has real heat. Wings are a solid second order, in bone-in and boneless forms with a long list of sauces. Diners rave about cali-gold and honey mustard, and the honey boom boom wins over some diners although other sauces divide opinion. The fried buffalo mac and cheese balls, the fried pickles and the loaded cheese fries make it easy to build a shared table.

Portions run large for the price, and a combo called the Yard Bird can feed two. One diner noted a faint oil taste once, so asking for fresh from the fryer helps. Takeout and catering are options for groups.

Waldo's Chicken & Beer sits on 4th Avenue North in Germantown, with a patio, draft beer and a drive-thru lane. Chicken comes on the bone, on a bun, in a bowl or in a basket, cooked Southern fried or fire-roasted. Parking is free for the first hour with a ticket from the pay machine in the lot.

For wings, the picture is mixed but mostly good. Diners call the wings and tenders fresh and flavorful, and one regular orders wings, tenders and rotisserie chicken together. Lemon pepper is a popular sauce. A few orders arrived plain with sauce on the side, so asking for them tossed helps. The Fowl Mouth sandwich earns the loudest praise, a crispy thigh with jalapeno slaw, comeback sauce and cheddar. Cheddar biscuits, mac and cheese, white beans and the Chicken Scratch salad round out a meal.

Happy hour draws a crowd, and lunch can be slow when the line is long, so ordering ahead helps. Catering is available for larger events.

Ghot Wingz sits on Gallatin Pike in East Nashville, a small neighborhood shop with friendly counter staff. A visitor from Boston said the workers made it feel like home. Wait times can run long at pickup, so some diners order a bit early, and the online system gets mixed notes.

Sauces are the draw. Diners work their way through honey bourbon, gold, hot lemon pepper, lemon garlic, buffalo and Caribbean zing, with extreme heat for those who want it. Breaded wings in honey bourbon or gold are a favorite, and the wings arrive cooked well and sauced just right. A combo with wings, tenders, a side, a roll and a drink is the order many regulars recommend, and portions are big enough that one diner took leftovers.

Sides get plenty of love too. The buttery roll is soft enough to make a meal on its own, and cheese fries, onion rings, Cajun fries and baked beans all do well. A house salad and catfish dinner round out the menu. The ranch and blue cheese could be stronger, a minor point.

Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint is on 4th Avenue South, a few steps from Peabody Street, in a spacious building with seating on two floors. Orders are placed at a counter that doubles as a gift shop, and a numbered sign holder directs the food to any table. The upstairs bar offers full service and a long tap list served very cold.

Brisket and ribs are the center of the menu, and diners praise the brisket most. Smoked wings are the poultry order that returns the most, with a deep mahogany skin and a smoke flavor that builds slowly. A repeat visitor ordered them with pulled pork sandwiches, and another diner called them the best wings they have eaten. Jalapeno cheddar sausage, fried catfish, brisket tacos and a bologna sandwich widen the options.

Sides include mac and cheese, potato salad, broccoli salad and corn hoecakes. The line to order can stretch at peak hours, and popular items may sell out late at night. Visiting between lunch and dinner is calmer, and takeout orders were ready in about five minutes.

Edley's Bar-B-Que on Woodland Street in East Nashville is a counter-service barbecue room with a bar and a lively feel. Staff greet first-timers warmly and offer suggestions that diners say were spot on, and one bartender talked a table into the fried ribs. Brisket and ribs lead the menu, but a full spread of starters and sides gives it range.

Smoked wings tossed in barbecue sauce show up on the table of many visitors and earn praise as awesome and perfectly cooked. The brisket is fork tender with bark and a smoke ring, the pulled pork is praised as better than most a diner has had in a restaurant, and burnt ends with grits are a local favorite. Pimento cheese with sausage, catfish tacos, pork tacos and hot chicken add choices.

Sides vary in reception. Potato salad, slaw, green beans and fried okra score well, while some find the beans and cornbread less to their taste. Ask for moist or lean brisket by name, since a cashier may need the term explained. The portions are generous, and the room fills at lunch.

Trap House Wingz on Buchanan Street draws diners who found it online and travel from other states to try it. The counter staff get praised for being apologetic and generous when an item sells out, and one diner left a late concert night with a free swap. The place can have a wait because it is that popular.

Wings are the reason to come. Lemon pepper, hot lemon pepper and honey gold are the flavors named most, and diners call them some of the best they have had. The Kilo box packs wings, a smash burger and fries for a crowd. Chicken and waffles, tenders and a chicken sandwich fill out the menu, and four Kool-Aid flavors and two lemonades keep young diners happy.

Cornbread muffins drenched in honey and cheddar biscuits are the sides that surprise people, and one diner ate several. Seasoning can run salty on the lemon pepper, and a request for fried hard wings may not land, so ask kindly. Hours stretch into the night, which suits visitors coming from shows.