Fifty restaurants, street food traders and chicken wing specialists went head-to-head to win wing titles across three categories - Best Buffalo Wing, BestBBQ and Best Wild Wing - with winners chosen by both an expert judging panel and thousands of festival-goers.
In the Judge’s Choice Awards Greidy’s Wings & Strips took home the title of Best Buffalo Wing, with Best Wild Wing going to Peck Peck for its The Guv’nor, a fish chips inspired wing made in collaboration with the fish and chips shop Sutton & Sons.
Best BBQ Wing went to trader Jus’ Wingin It for its Sweet Carolina wing.
Thousands of festival-goers at the three-day event also cast their votes to crown this year’s winners in the People’s Choice category. Peck Peck picked up two awards, its The Guv’nor also being named Best Wild Wing, and its Liquid Gold, made with rendered chicken fat folded into its signature buffalo sauce, named Best Buffalo Wing.
Best BBQ Wing as voted by the people went to Djangos Smokehouse for its When Pigs Fly, a chicken winge topped with crispy pork chicharrón.
This year’s runners-up across both the People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice Awards included Ginger Wings, Mollis, Mexican Seoul, KYR Kitchen and Kell’s Kitchen.
“Every year the standard reaches new heights, and 2026 was no exception,” says Richard Thacker, founder of Wing Fest.
“From perfectly executed buffalo wings to bold, creative flavour combinations, the level of talent on display was incredible. The Wing Fest Awards recognise the very best chicken wings in the UK, and we’re proud to celebrate the traders and chefs who continue to raise the bar year after year.”
This year’s judging panel featured some of the UK’s leading food figures, including Michelin-starred chef Andy Beynon of Behind in Hackney; Restaurant editor Stefan Chomka; chef and restaurateur Ed McIlroy, founder of Four Legs, the group behind The Plimsoll, Tollington’s and Bar Etna.