Wingmans

Fried chicken restaurants have multiplied across London over the past decade, and Wingmans has built a genuinely loyal following on Old Compton Street by keeping its focus tight: wings, chicken burgers and beef ribs, cooked with flavour influences borrowed from Chinese, Thai, Szechuan, Korean and Jamaican cooking rather than sticking to one style.

The wings are the dish worth ordering regardless of what else you get, crisp skinned and coated in sauces that range from a straightforward hot to more layered, spiced combinations that change up the usual American style wing format. About half the wings on the menu and a third of the sides are gluten free, and there’s a solid range of halal options too, which widens who can actually eat here comfortably compared to a lot of comparable spots.

The room itself is small, loud and unapologetically casual, exactly what you’d expect from a Soho spot built around sharing plates of wings rather than a formal sit down meal. It gets busy fast on weekend evenings, and conversation over a full table isn’t really the point, this is food you eat with your hands while the room hums around you.

A meal of wings, fries and a drink comes to roughly £23 a head, which is reasonable for central Soho and puts it firmly in the casual, repeatable dinner category rather than a special occasion spot. It suits pre-drinks with friends, a quick dinner before a show, or anyone who wants proper wings without travelling out to the newer spots further from the centre.

The honest note is that it can get properly crowded and loud once evening service picks up, and the small footprint means waits for a table are common without a booking. If you want a calmer meal, go earlier in the evening or aim for a weekday lunch instead of a Friday or Saturday night.