Many people have already discovered that OIP pizza is very good. But their wings are exceptional. We enjoy regular Buffalo wings, but they’re everywhere now. OIP’s char-grilled wings are a very nice alternative, and they are what we prefer nowadays. Getting twelve for dinner has become a frequent meal for us, and it’s right over in Eastwood Plaza, so we can easily walk over, a big selling point for us. At this time, it’s our favorite “walk-to” Eastwood meal. If we’re especially hungry, we’ll supplement it with pizza slices.
The staff is quite friendly. The lighting is somewhat lurid fluorescence, so it’s definitely not a dating spot. For the sports freaks out there, they have a huge TV. For us, the lighting and TV aren’t our preferred decor, but the dining room is still nice enough that we like eating there.
Don’t just take it from us. My brother is from Buffalo and lives about a mile from the famous Anchor Bar, home of Buffalo wings. After having the OIP wings, he said, “I like these better”.
There are several OIP’s in central NY, and I’ve heard vague rumors that they differ in quality. This can happen with any chain. While we think the Eastwood one is great, I’d be curious to hear more about this.
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[...] in Sunnycrest Park July 5: Homecroft to Plymouth July 12: Plymouth to Eastwood Plaza (OIP) July 19: Sheridan Park (Nichols near Burnet) July 26: Peck/Cook to Grant August 2: Forest Hill to [...]
I agree with your brother that OIP’s wings are definitely better than the Anchor Bar’s, but I attribute most of that to the uniqueness of the char-grilled wing, as opposed to the standard fare buffalo wing offered by Anchor Bar (Note: Change of Pace is the best place for buffalo wings in Syracuse).
However, my wife and I stumbled across Laci’s Burger Joint tonight, and although we previously dined at the cafe that used to be in the Palace, we found the outdoor patio and live music combination to be a very welcome addition to the neighborhood.
I don’t know how long the live music has been going on at Laci’s for, but that combined with the “dog-friendly” patio setting puts it at the top of my list for places to dine in Eastwood.
Anthony,
Thanks. I also like Change of Pace.
We definitely like Laci’s, too – we enjoyed a nice burger in her outdoor dining area, and I may very well ask Laci if I can play some music there myself. Dogs have been known to enjoy my guitar playing
But what if I LIKE going on dates under lurid fluorescent light? That allows my date and I to see each other in the worse possible light – literally – and after that things can only get better (unless we have already run from each other screaming in abject terror).
I just tried OIP’s char-grilled wings recently and they’re terrific. Haven’t had their pizza. They are different than Anchor Bar’s wings but I had hot wings at Anchor Bar several weeks ago and will guess that they’re equal to if not better than OIP’s regular hot wings. I have heard that Duff’s are the best in Buffalo but we passed on the 45 minute wait and went to Anchor instead.
Owen, you brute!! Actually, I like the way my skin looks more pasty and white under fluorescence, but L does not.
Thanks for the tip on Duff’s. For other cuisine in Buffalo we like the Left Bank for French, and we really like Toro for Tapas and a fun atmosphere. But they don’t have fluorescence, so forget it, buster!
I did notice that their wings were not as good when I had them at the OIP location by our new house in Tipp Hill but I thought maybe they were just having an off night.
Hi Melsky,
That’s interesting. There may be some training or staffing issues at other branches.
I forgot to point out one other enjoyable feature of the Eastwood one – they play music with singing in Italian and Spanish. This is a nice change from the usual tedious Clearchannel crud music that you get at other places.
OIP in Tipp Hill area is very hit or miss,slices are always good but when you order a whole pizza,quality suffers,8 out of ten we get good wings and an ok cheese steak,twice though the wings and sandwich were not even edible,when ordering wings there ask them to double dip
lived in bflo 12 years,Anchor was ok as well as Duffs being ok(plus duffs is just to long of a wait)best wings for the money is a little family place in east Aurora called Bar Bill tavern,each wing is individually brushed(plus best beef on weck)
left bank was always my favorite for a very nice dinner,the location was scary though
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the note. I wouldn’t have even known about beef on weck, except that I just saw the fun “Sandwiches You Will Like” on PBS, fun, unique sandwiches from all over the US.
hello Melsky-
don’t know how familiar you are with Tipp Hill,live near Wheelers myself,just a lil info-Blarney Stone burgers rock and are only about three dollars,wings are very tasty also,get there early,fills up with a young crowd at night
Hi Dave
My favorite sandwich is beef on weck,have not found one in Syracuse that matches the best ones in Bflo.(bar Bill tavern,eckyl’s or Schwabbells)the closest I have come is the Wegmans in Dewitt,they just set up a cutting booth for beef and Turkey only in the middle of their food court(cannot believe I am sending people to a grocery store)Ask them to ‘dip’the top of the roll in au jus,put plenty of horse radish on it and enjoy(some people like the plain roll vs the weck roll
Great, Tom,
Directions and almost the whole recipe! That sounds very appetizing.
Hi Tom,
Wheelers is my favorite Tipp Hill bar and they have great food, especially the prime rib. I have heard the wings are very good at Blarney Stone, I’ll have to try them some afternoon before it fills up with rowdy young hooligans!
Food-savvy reader Jim has pointed out the merits of Dr. Pepper Wings at Ponchito’s. The non-standard ingredient definitely caught my attention.
Despite our very regular patronage of Ponchito’s, I have not tried those wings yet, usually opting repeatedly for 4 or 5 favorite items. I will be trying them, and will pontificate about them here sometime soon!