Alec Altman moved his popular Binga’s Wingas restaurant to Yarmouth after a devastating fire at the Congress Street location in 2008. For twice the wing pleasure, he also hooked up with the Stadium and now co-owns Binga’s Stadium on Free Street in Portland with J.D. Way.

I recently chose the quieter and more intimate Yarmouth venue to get my beer and wing fix satisfied.

Open since May 2009, this Binga’s is small, with only three tables and a bar. However, those tables are huge, with “community seating,” and the bar is long, so the capacity is in the 60-person range. I imagine at its busiest time of day, people are swiftly making friends, sharing tables and standing three deep at the bar.

With metal accents, great lighting around the bar and deep hues on the walls, the place is very clean and simple in decor. Unpretentious, as a wing place should be, Binga’s has an open kitchen and friendly bartender, so you know you are going to be well taken care of.

Obviously, Binga’s knows how to make wings. Choose between the smoked naked (smoked in house!) or the traditional breaded. Grab a half order (six) for $6.49 or a full order (12) for $12.98.

You can also do the same with the chicken tenders and get any homemade sauce of your choice.

Advertisement

I’m pretty sure I counted 29 varieties of sauce for the wings and tenders. If it were up to me, I would either add one more to boast an even 30 or drop that PB&J flavor for a solid 28. (Wait, scratch that, I bet my 5-year-old would think that flavor is amazing.)

Some of the other flavors offered include buffalo, BBQ, ridiculously hot ’08 fire sauce, blackened, hot mango, sweet and sour and Thai BBQ.

Binga’s also has sandwiches. Grab a house pastrami or wookie sliders for $7.99. Salads, wraps and entrees, including ribs by the half or full slab ($14.49 or $16.49), are available. A side of pickles chips ($3.99) or the potato cakes nicely accompanies a beer.

With some alcohol choices and a slim selection of wine, Binga’s focuses largely on beer for those in the mood for a drink. There is a full-time special on beer, available every day, all day: 16-ounce drafts for $3. A 23-ouncer will run you $4.

Grab a cold Geary’s, Gritty’s, PBR, Long Trail, Harpoon, Sam Adams or Miller Lite, to name a few options, or go with a bottled variety such as Budweiser, Rolling Rock, Guinness, New Castle, Red Stripe, Sam Adams Light, Michelob Ultra or many Twisted Tea varieties.

 

Amber Olesen is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.

 

Comments are not available on this story.

filed under: