Shark Bite: Final Wing Review of Southern Coop

By Wesley Brown, Charles Matranga
Contributors to Hottytoddy.com
sharkbiteoxford@gmail.com

As final exams slowly and painfully approached, we were left in a state of solemn reflection.

Over the course of this semester, we have eaten at over a dozen restaurants in search of the best Buffalo wings in Oxford. We’ve been to a sushi restaurant, Mexican grills, pizzerias, several bars and many other fine establishments. We’ve experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly and we are left with one question: was it all worth it? After eating at Southern Coop, that answer is a resounding yes.

Southern Coop’s buffalo wings. Photo provided.

When we sat down at Southern Coop we did not expect that the meal before us would cause so much debate. Our bench of chicken wing scholars had arrived at a split decision on whose wings were best: Southern Coop or Moe’s. After seemingly unending debate and a splintering of the group, a simple, resonating quote from Thanos rang true, “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.” In the end, Southern Coop’s hospitality and local roots broke the tiebreaker.

The sauce was on point. It had great consistency and appeared to be integrated into the wings rather than resting on top of them. The sauce also had an ideal balance of heat and tang. The wings were served at a great temperature, staying warm throughout the entire meal without causing Chernobyl level burns to the roof of our mouths on the first bite. The wing quality was top tier as well. The meat was thoroughly cooked and bursting with savory flavor while also avoiding an abundance of oil and grease.

Southern Coop’s Western BBQ fries.

For our side, we ordered the Western BBQ Fries. These fries were piled high in a basket, then topped with mountains of bacon, jalapeno and cheese, then drizzled with a liberal amount of ranch and BBQ sauce. We were equally skeptical reading its description on the menu, but our doubts were severely misplaced. Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to summit Everest, and Shark Bite’s conquer of this massive side item felt similarly revolutionary.

Compared to others we have eaten, the ranch was a breath of fresh air. We weren’t huge fans of the consistency, but the overwhelming Buffalo flavor made up for the lack of thickness.

As a bonus review, our buddy decided to order the XXHot Pepper wings. We shed more tears after just one bite than at the end of Marley and Me. It took three days for our kidneys to stop hurting. If it weren’t for the quick thinking of the staff to provide us with a glass of milk, we easily could have fallen into anaphylactic shock. More impressive than the fury of Hades expelled from these wings was the fact that their flavor had us tempted for another bite. If the lack of sports in season has you looking for something to quench your competitive thirst, we recommend taking on an order of the XXHot Pepper wings as a challenge.

The day we rated our last wing restaurant, the weather was a little nicer than usual, birds were chirping, and the neon haze around Southern Coop led us to what we have decided is the best Buffalo sauce in Oxford. Another shout out to lowercase “j” jason for another spot-on wing recommendation.

We’d like to thank every establishment that welcomed us and shared a passion for Buffalo wings that rivaled our own. We’d also like to thank Hotty Toddy for the opportunity to discover so many local businesses that deserve our community’s continued support.

The top 5 local wing restaurants in Oxford:

1. Southern Coop (8.9)
2. Moe’s BBQ (8.9)
3. Bim Bam (7.3)
4. Rooster’s (7.2)
5. The Levee (7.1)