Madison Heights, MI — Another Madison Heights eatery has captivated my attention (and stomach), quickly establishing itself as home to the best chicken wings I’ve had in Michigan and tied for the best I’ve ever had!
This past weekend, I was in desperate need of groceries, so like any typical millennial adult, I took out my phone and opened the DoorDash app instead. I was in one of those moods where I could go for anything and wasn’t craving any particular cuisine. I got sidetracked by my cat Javi doing something adorable and set my phone down for a bit. Before going back into DoorDash, I quickly checked an Instagram notification I had received, but when I opened the app, one of the first things I saw was an ad for Celina’s Bar and Grill.
I tend to get a lot of food ads and post suggestions due to my search history and algorithm (including the fact one of my accounts is for my food blog), but Celina’s Bar and Grill has caught my eye a few times with photos of their heavenly wings and other appetizers. Not only that, but I’ve passed Celina’s a dozen times driving along 11 Mile Road just up the street from me in Madison Heights. Like dozens of other restaurants, I had been meaning to check this place out since I’ve perused hundreds of reviews praising their chicken wings.
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I re-opened DoorDash and searched Celina’s, placing an order for eight chicken wings with garlic parmesan and an order of Celina’s Egg Rolls. The photos of the chicken wings on social media and those shared by reviewers on Google and Yelp had me excited to finally try these wings. I’m a big fan of chicken wings, whether bone-in or boneless, and I’ve been searching for my go-to spot for wings around Metro Detroit since moving back.
Now, because I know some might suggest another particular establishment well-known for its wings, I will state for the record that I have been to Sweetwater Tavern in Detroit. I thought the wings were pretty good there, and sure, if I’m ever downtown and craving wings, it’s definitely a place I can count on, but I’m not going to drive down to Detroit just for wings that are above-average good. However, if Celina’s Bar and Grill were in downtown Detroit, I would make the drive to dine because these wings are top-tier and, without a doubt, the best I’ve ever had in Michigan!
My DoorDash order arrived fairly quickly. I ripped open the delivery bag as the aromas of chicken, garlic, fried meat, and onions began to emanate throughout the kitchen. I quickly snapped a few photos so I could dig in!
These wings were COATED in garlic and parm, having received a nice tossing prior to boxing. I bit in and was immediately pleased with the textures. It had a nice exterior crunch from a flash fry finish but with supremely tender meat underneath. I would later find out during a follow-up (more on that below) that the wings are seasoned, baked, and then flash-fried before being served. This is the best way to encapsulate a perfect interior cook but yield that nice crispy exterior, which, in this case, was a mouthful of garlic and parmesan in every bite. The wings were relatively large and contained significant amounts of succulent, tender meat.
FULL SECTION: MI Foodie Adventures Wing Series
As I was eating, my roommate was attempting to converse with me about something, but I was so lost in the sauce (or, in this case, dry rub) I didn’t bother responding and continued chomping away at hearty bites of chicken, which I occasionally doused with the side of blue cheese that came with my order. I tunnel-visioned hard on these wings, leaving no meat behind on those bones. It’s been some time since I’ve had wings slap that hard, but my tastebuds were in paradise, and my only complaint was that I didn’t order more wings!
For those curious, the best wings I’ve ever had before this belong to an establishment back in Phoenix called JT’s Bar & Grill, a neighborhood dive bar in the Arcadia District. They are famous for grilled wings, with their signature sauce called ‘The Works’. The wings at Celina’s are seriously on par with the wings from JT’s for me, and they’re tied for best wings I’ve ever had… period!
These house egg rolls deserve a shout-out as well because they also blew my expectations out of the water. Celina’s Egg Rolls come in an order of three, with each cut in half, revealing a juicy interior blend of NY strip steak, cheese, and onions. On top of an explosive bite of savory/oniony gooeyness, the panko exterior breading adds a nice extra crunch factor and texture. These tasty bites are served alongside a house-made chimichurri aioli, which is stellar and perfect for these egg rolls. I made sure to utilize the chimichurri with every bite, scooping as much as possible until there wasn’t a lick of sauce left in the cup.
Celina’s is still a fresh discovery for me, so the fact both menu items I selected scored 10s across the board was huge and left me excited to check out more menu items during future visits. Celina’s Bar and Grill has quite an expansive menu, including eye-catching appetizers from potato skins, mega nachos, pepper jack cheese balls, a variety of burgers and pizza options, entrees, and more. Thankfully for me, my next visit would only be a few days later for a luncheon with my parents during one of their downstate visits!
I’ll fast forward through the non-food-related aspects, like catching up with my parents on life and everything, and get to the good stuff. Long story short, my parents and I had to pivot from our original plans for breakfast, so per usual, my parents entrusted me with identifying a viable place for lunch. Still ecstatic from my recent experience with Celina’s Bar and Grill, I immediately suggested this fine restaurant for a dine-in experience, to which, upon hearing my praise for their chicken wings, my parents obliged.
The three of us ordered 24 wings to split, half Buffalo and the other half garlic parmesan, and an order of potato skins and breadsticks.
The Buffalo wings (and garlic parm wings) maintained the same consistency of texture, bake, and tender interior as the first time I had ordered several days prior. Except this time, I got to enjoy those aspects absolutely smothered in a zesty Buffalo sauce. The wings were again exceptionally baked and flash-fried (our friendly and all-around awesome server informed me of this and provided more details about the establishment and overall menu) and were gleaming with sauce. I could tell my parents were fans because there wasn’t much talking once the wings were set down!
Of the 24 wings, only four would eventually remain. This was partially due to the fact that we had ordered other appetizers as well to split; otherwise, those remaining wings wouldn’t have stood a chance against a Popovich clan that hadn’t eaten yet for the day. On top of the perfect wings, the potato skins were another obvious choice since I had seen a lot of recommendations and tantalizing photos from online reviews, and they were a top recommendation by our wonderful server.
Through and through, these taters were just downright awesome. They were sizeable and hefty half-potatoes containing pools of melted cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles. There isn’t much that goes into making potato skins, but either way, Celina’s Bar and Grill gets the job done with another bar food favorite. And believe me, I’ve visited quite a few establishments around the country that have somehow managed to mess up potato skins in the past, so it’s a relief to report and confirm what many online reviewers have already stated: these potato skins rock.
While my mother and I weren’t necessarily opposed, my dad had tacked on the breadsticks as a last-second addition before our server left after taking our order. While I was indeed hungry, due to the cognizant nature of my diet, I had determined by this point that I would be taking home some leftovers for dinner later at work.
Unfortunately for me, we enjoyed these breadsticks so much that none survived to become leftovers! These breadsticks were notably fresh and still very, very warm when served. The dough gets baked fresh and then doused with garlic parmesan butter, which is quite visibly seen in the photo above. And, of course, served with a side of marinara and ranch!
The breadsticks were extremely airy, light, and fluffy, just baked long enough to achieve the slightest of crisp and golden browning exterior but still an insanely soft interior. And as if you can’t already tell where I get my love for all things garlic and parmesan from, I had to nearly fight my parents off for a second breadstick, who were also enthralled by the likes of breadsticks not encountered for some time. Needless to say, all three of us enjoyed every aspect of this meal, of which only four chicken wings managed to survive. And you best believe I claimed them as leftovers to take to work for dinner!
I don’t know if I’ve just been on a lucky streak as of late when it comes to trying new places around me in Oakland or Macomb County, but I’m thrilled to be surrounded by so many wonderful restaurants. I’m grateful to have such a phenomenal wing establishment down the street from me. I’ll definitely be ordering a lot more from Celina’s and will continue to explore more of their menu in the future. If you’ve been looking for a place specializing in chicken wings, check out Celina’s next time you’re in the area of I-75 and 11 Mile Road, or find them via the DoorDash app if you’re within range!
For more information on Celina’s Bar and Grill, click here.
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