Watering Hole

After waiting 25 minutes to be spoken with I was informed it would be over an hour wait to get my food because the system was down. I have no problem with that… if I was told that when i first sat down and did not waste almost my entire lunch break waiting…
After returning a few times I was treated well and good came promptly. Food was alright. Wings would be the only reason i return.

A large group of us (7) came here post Husker game, looking for a place to stuff our faces and drink away our sorrows. It had been a few years between visits, and I was pleasantly surprised at upgrades since my last visit. For dinner, I ordered a Ripper «The Works» (a fried hot dog) and we split a variety of the grilled wings. In our batch of grilled wings, we got Hot, Mild and Old Bay. They were all awesome, but Old Bay was my favorite. Even though the place was busy, our server was attentive and was nice enough to put up with our pickle card shenanigans. Overall, I was glad we stopped here post-​game.

Going in, I was really excited to try the «best wings in Lincoln», but was really skeptical about the service. However, I had a great experience and the wings pretty much lived up to expectations.
It is a little weird at first, since you seat yourself so you don’t have any menus until someone brings it over to you. We were attended to promptly, but when the waitress came and we asked for recommendations on the sauces, she said she hadn’t tried any other than the original hot and mild. This is a little odd because she basically had no knowledge of the menu and couldn’t give us any recommendations. Regardless, I went with the grilled old bay and the wet sweet heat.
They say the grilled wings will take about 20 minutes, but they seemed to arrive pretty quickly (right about when we were finishing up the fries we ordered for appetizers). Speaking of which, we ordered the Parmesan garlic fries, which are just fries with a parmesan garlic dipping sauce. The sauce was good, it just wasn’t what we were expecting.
The wings were definitely really good. The grilled old bay wings had a nice flavor and a little spice. The wet wings were pretty saucy, but still cooked really well. The sweet heat was a little sweeter than I would have liked, and a little less hot. If you’re deciding between grilled or wet, definitely get the grilled wings!
We went on Wednesday, which is when they have their wing specials; On Wednesdays from 4 – 7, you get $ 1 off small wings (5), $ 2 off medium wings (10), and $ 3 off large wings (15). With the discount, it basically ends up being about $ 1 per wing. A little more than I would like to pay for bar food, but I’d say overall it was worth it!

I have a few comments even though I gave 5 stars. I LOVE this place. I actually used to work here about 12 years ago when it was a dive and loved it then. The remodel is awesome. Great atmosphere. Huge menu with lots of options. As vegetarians, their veggie burger was excellent. The wings sauces are great. We had the best garlic Parmesan sauce we’ve ever had. We also ordered the pierogis which we were surprised to see were deep fried. We were expecting sautéed. Eh. We also upgraded our side of fries to «Parmesan fries» which were actually regular plain fries with a SIDE of Parmesan garlic sauce. Whaaaaat… That was very misleading and disappointing. My only complaint honestly. They should either change their menu or tell the customer that specifically every time the garlic parm fries come up. I even specifically said «oooo I’d like a side of garlic Parmesan sauce to go with the fries too!» And got plain fries with TWO sides of garlic parm sauce. Hahah. Overall great bar and place to eat! We had wonderful service (on a Sunday afternoon) and the cook even came out and chatted with us and asked us how our food was. Highly recommended. Check it out!

This used to be a dive bar, but new owners TOTALLY remodeled it (nowhere close to the indoor picnic area it used to be… It’s a classy place… But kept the BEST wings (& Nathan’s Hot dogs… And Long Island Ice Teas!!) so don’t skip this place!
Also Unilocal!Needs to update the info because they ARE open Sundays (kitchen til 10p, bar til 11p)

Three stars is probably generous. If these are the best wings in Lincoln, then there is a desperate need for a good wing place. My service was pretty good, but my order came out wrong and they didn’t make my fries. I think it’s ridiculous that I can’t get two different sauces if I’m ordering 15 wings… The sauces we ok, but none very hot to my standards. I asked for my wings to not be grilled, but they came out grilled and burned. I got a free beer out of it, but would have rather had it right. I was not impressed and probably won’t go back.

We enjoy the food enough to overlook the poor service of the bartender. Incase you’re wondering which bartender I’m referring to he is trying to grow his hair out and has a weak ass top pony. Also wearing open toed Jesus sandals which I believe is against health code. In the past couple times here we’ve either been served the wrong drinks or we’ve seen him sit on his phone when our drink order is waiting. The waitresses are fine but nothing to brag about, ours tonight was great. (She must be new)
Anyways, we will continue coming for the food because it’s dank but the bartender needs to get lost.

This place is so cool inside. Newly remodeled and tvs at every table. We went in around 4 and were 1 of 2 people there. Service was fast but we were the only ones there I would hope it would be. Wings are always amazing. I love there buffalo chicken wrap so yummy. Fries are always amazing. Prices are fricken horrible I got a side salad, wrap meal, and my husband got 6 wings total after tip was 48 $. I mean come on?! But its sooooo good!

Great wings, with not so great service. Love the fact that they play classics like Elton John and Billy Joel on the speakers but that’s about as far as the atmosphere goes to feel unique. I got the grilled hot wings which they are known for and they were great, but you’re also paying quite a bit to satisfy your appetite. They have all the local brewery beers on tap which is a nice touch. Mixed emotions about this place but the wings are definitely good.

Wings are good and be sure to order with a side of sauce. They’re supposed to be «jumbo» but don’t really differentiate themselves that way. 3.5 stars because you’re well over 20 bucks after 15 wings, a beer, and a tip. I wish I could afford to eat «the best wings in town.»
I’d like to go back and try one of the hotdogs. I’ve heard good things.
Brat

The wings are amazing. Definitely go for the grilled — try them with Old Bay seasoning. The service, as other reviewers have pointed out, can be spotty to terrible. That being said, the wings keep bringing me back. I just have to budget extra time for service.

It will never be as good as when I was an undergrad and my buddies and I would head over for 25 cent tacos and 1 dollar pints of Old Style on Tuesdays, but it’s not bad.
Went in on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Service was great. Food prices were too high, but they had a nice beer special. Each booth has its own little TV so you can decide what to watch. Grilled wings were great, but the mild wings have no heat to them. The egg roll appetizer looks like it was recently frozen in the back of a Sysco truck.

We were visiting relatives in town and they took us here after a football game. It was crowded and it took a really long time to get a table. They served beer in plastic cups, not glasses. The initial service was not prompt. Took awhile for someone to come by and clear the table off from the patrons before us who left about 12 empty beer cans. However, once we got served, our waitress was friendly. We were just having drinks so I can’t comment on any food items.

Best Wings in town.
I’ve been going to the Hole for years, and I really enjoyed it back in the day when it was the wonderful dive bar with the awkward kitchen placed in the middle. The food was always great, it was always busy and fun, and the beers were cheap. The young servers fit in with the crowd that hung out here. I played many great games of darts there.
However they turned a popular Lincoln hot spot into a boring restaurant. Out of what must be an old habit we occasionally stop in for a drink when we are downtown and the mostly empty bar is actually sad and awkward to go into. There are no comfortable places to sit, and the restaurant setup gives me the feeling the everyone is just waiting for me to leave because I’m wasting their time by just coming in for drinks.
Last time I went there was something wrong with my beer, it tasted like soap, which was surprising, because the glass I was drinking from did not look clean.
There’s no way this location is making money now that they’ve changed it. They’ve pushed out all of their faithful customers who love good beer at a great bar and abandoned them for an older restaurant crowd that simply does not exist downtown.
The bottom line: Their grilled wings are still the best in town. Do what I do and skip the atmosphere. Order the wings over the phone and enjoy them at home with some friends and a nice beer.

The best wings in Lincoln. Try the grilled wings

I went in the afternoon as I had a long wait for a flight. I sat under the giant Buffalo head and didn’t notice he was there for 30 min! The city was dead at that time, hardly a soul in any of the establishments. From the size of the place, I would say the folks there must come in like herds of cattle when the 5PM office whistle blows.

Thanks Watering Hole for giving me a palpable old man moment. Here I was, visiting my home town, wanting to visit the bar that had been my favorite in college. Only that bar doesn’t exist anymore! They tore it out and replaced it with this, this nice-​ish place, with a marble bar running down the middle. wtf
There’s nothing particularly wrong with this place, but it’s not the old Hole I got plastered at so many times in college. And hell, I only graduated a few years ago! Old fucks beware, this is not the bar you once knew.

This is my second time here: It always leaves me wanting more – in the best way. Finished another set of GRILLED HOT wings. Soo delicious. Perfect heat – both temperature and spice. It comes with the traditional few carrots and celery and a choice of blue cheese or ranch. It’ll cost you $ 2 if you want extra, but one sauce will get you through 15 wings.
Great local beers on tap and a TV at every booth. Also, they did a great job remodeling this place, especially the bar and ceiling. A definite stop to watch the game, grab a bite, and enjoy a brew.

I honestly didn’t know they served food here (mainly because I’ve been wicked drunk the last several times). And good food it is! They have a great menu, for reasonable pub prices, and I would recommend the Rippers. Those are loaded down hot dogs, cooked to such a way that they literally «rip» with flavor. Comes with a side, costs like 9 bucks.

Great bar that has been toyalty remodeled. This used to be a dive bar but now it is very upscale with tv’s at every booth and granite countertops in the bar area. They still have great wings and the peanut butter burger is great. The patties are frozen so I had to take a star away for that.
They have 48 beers on tap so it is a great spot to watch football while eating wings and having a beer on tap.