J Bell’s Wing House

So sad I didn’t get to go here, based on the awesome reviews.
I read on the Interwebs that he passed away, so that’s why it’s no longer open.

To start off, the owner of J. Bell’s is a piece of work and I mean that in a good way if that is possible. I read the previous reviews of his shop, so I knew when going there to be prepared for anything… and anything being the place might be closed, have to wait a hot minute for the food to be ready or just plain «CP» time. So I called ahead when my Unilocal app said on Sunday’s dude was gonna be closed and wa-​la he informed he was open for business.
I’m gonna cut out all the nonsense about pre-​inauguration traffic and tell you all when you get there, his shop doesn’t look like much from the outside. It’s just a straight up carry out joint, point blank period. Inside it is very nondescript with just the owner handling customers and phone orders. I wasn’t planning on buying the restaurant but with the CASH only notice I could only order so much to begin with. The buffalo wings is what brought me there so the buffalo wings I shall have. Spoiler alert it does take a couple minutes for him to make your order but it goes by fast if you talk to the man and Van dam the self proclaimed king of wings has a lot to say.
I give him credit the wings were popping hot and stayed that way til I got home and they were very good too. Were they the best I ever had that’s hard to say but they were blazing. I will make the trip again soon, you should to… Unilocalers you will not be disappointed. 4.5 stars

Should be ********** because he wasn’t officially open when I called tonight (Sunday), but because he was there, he took my order.
OK, show of hands, how many restaurants would do that?
I see no hands.
They were the best wings I’ve had in a very long time. The mac & cheese was also very good, nice and creamy.

I wish I could rate J Bells’ Wing House but I was unable to get in the place! I guess the same thing going on for Patrick G was going on for me last night. So since I’m forced to rate…
I hate when businesses open and close on their own time instead of the time specified on their websites.
So after several hours at the dentist, my cravings led me (w/​hubby in tow) to J Bells around 6:40pm only to find the lights on, door locked and white paper covering the window and door! WTH?
Well because I’m a persistent foodie… I called before I left. No answer :(So I decided to head to U St but CONVINCED that the J Bell folks were on a bathroom break or something, I came back about 10 minutes later to find someone in a chef’s jacket walking out.
Small business folks, PLEASE tweet, Facebook, or update your websites when you decide to close early or not open at all. It only takes a few seconds…

Easily, the best wings in the city (although that doesn’t say much, sadly). But these are still good, high quality wings, in a fun atmosphere with nice service.
If I was to judge the wings against the best wings I’ve ever had (think the deep-​south), then I’d give these 4 stars. I thought the meat was a little dry and all of the flavor is on the skin… whereas the best wings have the heat baked right in, all the way to the bone. But, like I said, in DC, these are the best wings by far. The side dishes are also excellent; collard greens, mac n cheese, very very good.
Will definitely be back next time I have a wing attack.

Great hot wings .will go back again love them

This is a placeholder review, as I haven’t tried the wings.
Make sure to call-​in before you go there. We walked in at 4pm on a Saturday (supposedly during their open hours), and they abruptly told us they were closed.. .
Hopefully, we’ll get to review their wings on some other occassion.

I must agree with the other Unilocal-​ers, Phenomenal may not be strong enough. I eat these wings nearly everyday. In addition to his NW location, they feature these wings on the Hot Bar at the new Harris Teeter at 1200 First St NE.
When I visit the store, I’m planning to get a sandwich or just items for the house but once I smell the wings which hits you as soon as you enter, I have to get at least one or two… and they are always fresh, coated well with sauce but not too much, flavorful and just plain olé’ good. In fact, I can’t tell if I prefer the 24KT or the regular Buffalo both are really good. Then there are the smoked wings… um, um, um
You wont’ be disappointed, everyone is nice, friendly and the owner is professional and very courteous.
Enjoy!

I’ve been eating at J Bell’s for over a year now. I feel like I’ve even been Mr. Julius’ most consistent customer!
I LOVE J Bell’s winghouse and consider myself a wing conossieur. The 24 Karat & Hot mixed is insanely delicious. Mr. Bell even delievered the wings to my house one evening before he closed just to be cool.
If it weren’t for the shady schedule, I’d prob eat here 3 times a week!

I just moved into the area, and «J Bell» was the first neighborhood character I heard about from my new roommates. After hearing all about their adventures with the Winghouse, which one roommate compared to an abusive relationship, I checked out the Unilocal reviews. At that point I had already heard a dozen stories reaching varying degrees of sketchiness, but after flipping through a few of the dazzling 5-​star reviews I figured it just had to be one of those great quirky little neighborhood spots.
Yeah right 5 stars, my first experience was comically bad.
A friend and I called in an order and then set out on a mini adventure to find an ATM machine, because despite the website’s all major credit cards claim J. Bell is a cash man. With cash in hand we rolled in to pick up our order: 20 wings and one buffalo wing dinner. The dinner is supposed to come with two sides and a corn muffin. It’s a real pleasure reading through these reviews about how delicious J. Bell’s sides are when there is only like a 25% chance he will even have them available on any given night. Tonight… was not one of those lucky nights. All he had were fries, which I soon found out were of the grocer’s freezer variety. Also no corn muffin to be found.
The real kicker came at checkout when Mr. J Bell punched in a series of seemingly random numbers (3.89 + 7.29 + 15.50 + wtf?) for a grand total of $ 37. Based on the listed prices, even pretending my «dinner» actually was wings, two sides and a muffin instead of wings and a handful of Chef Ore-Ida’s own freezer bag french fries the total still should have come out to around $ 25.
My roommate, of course, was unfazed by all of this, because apparently that’s just J. Bell being J. Bell. Okay, I guess, but knowing that it is shocking to see almost all stellar Unilocal reviews… happy to end that streak.
I went for 2 stars instead of 1 because the wings actually were delicious (though pretty tiny), and that is no joke. So much so that I can’t even say with certainty that I’ll never go back. Maybe he just treated me that way because we got there a few minutes late… oh no maybe it was my fault… maybe J. Bell can change… I know he can! Oh crap, I’m not quite ready for my first abusive relationship with a winghouse…

4.25 stars. We might be from the Deep South, but we felt like indulging in a Buffalo tradition before the rematch of the ages between the top ranked college teams in the nation, Alabama and LSU. Unfortunately, upon trying to reach J Bell’s multiple times by phone this Monday, it appeared we might be out of luck. After a number of deft turns between their HT and the 715 location, we were treated to a heaping array of hot wings, honey BBQ wings, and «24 KT» wings. Celebrating alongside the wings were red velvet cupcakes and champagne in case we won (what my brother accurately deemed the most feminine celebration on my part ever but hey, I can’t help it if everyone I know in the District that supports the Crimson Tide other than him is female) and Connemara 12 irish whiskey in case we lost.
I set up the most ill-​conceived drinking game of the night. A shot of whiskey every time Alabama scores a touchdown! Umm, well, that happened exactly once with 4 and change to go in this one-​sided field goal fest of a game. Fail. Thank God we had J Bell’s wings to rise to the occasion.
J Bell’s easily rises above its ash-​like competition for best wings I’ve had in this city. To be fair, I haven’t been to most places for wings in DC, but the ones I have been to have been pretty much awful. J Bell’s is far from awful. It’s delightful. The sauces here have been praised by every single reviewer (most notably that DRM character whose review is beyond amazing). I am not going to change that beautiful melody. The hot chicken sauce performs a fiery number on your tastebuds only to be teased by the daring marriage between honey mustard and hot sauce in the «KT wings» and finally tamed by the thick and soothing flavors of the honey BBQ sauce. We could only imagine how awesome these would have been had we been able to get a batch cooked fresh for us (which J Bell heroically was willing to do, by the way, but we simply were cutting it too close to game time).
I’ll make this assessment simple. I know what I’m bringing to my next football party if I’m too lazy (or broke) to cook up an enormous batch of my vaunted truffled mac-​n-​cheese. These wings are legit. At the end of the day, I had something like twenty amazing wings, one shot of irish whiskey, two flutes of champagne, a red velvet cupcake, and a house full of attractive women excited about a college team winning a football game. Yeah, I really do miss the South. Roll Tide Roll and an extra thank you to Mr. Bell from Buffalo, NY for making our day that much better.

I feel bad for messing up the 5 star streak that’s been going on and I know they’re in the middle of renovating. It just wasn’t the best 1^st time experience. I’m hoping the 2^nd time will change my mind.
Needed wings fast. Got off work and I was going to a friends place to watch the Phillies game so I Unilocaled what was nearby and had good reviews. J Bell’s was the winner.
The place is located on a residential block and is really small. It was currently being renovated as the owner excused the look and mess (sneakers lying in the middle of the room). There was no menu so we asked what were the options. Didn’t know what to get so we ordered 10 of the mild and 10 of the honey bbq. It took 15 – 20 mins so I guess calling in would be the best option. I think the paint was still wet so we had to wait in our car. The sauce on the honey bbq is money. Absolutely loved it. The mild wings were pretty average. I’m guessing we were talking to the owner and he recommended that we get the 24k sauce next time.
Most def one of the better options for wings in the dc area I would come back for the honey bbq and to try the 24k sauce.

This was my first time trying J. Bells and it was really good! Like everyone else has said, GREAT customer service. He was really nice (something you don’t find often in DC), and you can tell he really cares. The food was great! I got wings, greens, mac n cheese, and cornbread.
The cornbread was the best! Especially since they wrap it up so that it doesn’t touch the rest of your food and get all soggy and gross. That’s one of my pet peeves and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they thought of that. LOL. I will def be going back!
The wings were also very good! They were crispy enough, very flavorful, etc.

DISCLAIMER: *YOU WOULD BE DOING YOURSELF A GREAT INJUSTICE IF YOU DO NOT TRY THIS PLACE OUT!* You’ve been warned!
PHENOMENAL!!! No other way to put it! We decided we wanted wings, and pulled up Unilocal,and this place had 5 stars from 12 reviewers — The kicker was that ALL 12 Unilocalers had given him 5 stars, so we knew this place had to be good.
My husband ordered a 10 piece wing with the 24K & hot sauce mixed and I ordered the wings & waffle dish. Both of these dishes were slammin!!! At first, we planned to have a «taste» but that taste turned into us eating the entire meal in our car outside of J. Bell’s Winghouse. The food never made it to the house! The hot wings were cooked to perfection, not too soft, but not too hard either, and the the sauce really set it off! If ever there was a moment to use the term «Finger-​Lickin’ Good», this would most definitely be the time!!! The (fried) wings that came with my waffle were seasoned to the T! They were fried crisp on the outside, but still moist and juicy on the inside. The waffle was very flavorful as well.
While we were waiting, Julius let us sample some of his collard greens & his mac & cheese!!! OMGosh! First I have to say that this was some of the best mac & cheese I’ve ever got from a restaurant. I’m from down south and WE GETS DOWN in the kitchen, and this mac & cheese right here… Oh, he got me with the mac & cheese! I was VERY pleasantly surprised with it. The collards… oh, the collards… they were simply off the chain! They weren’t cooked down too much where they were soggy, and they actually had some flavor to it. Normally, since I’ve been up in the DC area, when I order collard greens, I have to doctor them up with some hot sauce. These collards had enough flavor that it really wasn’t necessary for you to use hot sauce to get that down home taste (unless you just like that extra kick).
If that wasn’t enough… this is what really threw this restaurant OVER THE TOP for me! It was J. Bell himself (aka Julius). He MAKES this place what it is. Aside from some good food, Julius takes pride in pleasing his customers and it shows. His outgoing personality alone makes you want to come back. He takes time to get to know his customers, and make sure they get what they came for. He is a hilariously funny guy who will keep you laughing, but at the same time, he displays top notch customer service. Even though it is a very small wing spot, without table the first, J. Bell not only gives you great food, he provides you with an EXPERIENCE! An experience that keep his customers coming back for more!!! Looking for a great wing spot in the DC area… Go to J. Bell’s Winghouse!!! Don’t say you didn’t know!

Julius is the man!
My old friend from Philly was in town from the west coast and was craving good wings, so we took a flyer on J Bell’s. There’s not much too this place on the surface, but the food and experience was exactly the substance we were both craving. First off, the wings were great — meaty, but crispy and beautifully cooked. I’m usually not into the different sauces, but we tried a few: medium, 24K, and a mix of medium & 24K (at the recommendation of Julius who said something like — you white boys always like the combo). He was right the 24k & medium sauce was awesome. Julius even got a little excited and suggested he could make a cheesesteak that would rival philly’s best. We tried it and while it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, it was up there and certainly is the best I’ve had outside of Philly.
So, while the food alone would get 5 stars, the experience and hanging out with Julius put it over the top. He took care of us, cooked up a storm, and kept us laughing all night. There are no seats in the place, but he pulled out some folding chairs, fashioned some tables out of storage boxes, and it was amazing.
Best wings in DC and a can’t miss experience. Thanks again Julius, Vic and I will be back.

Great customer service. It’s a small operation so it takes a little time (20 – 30 minutes for a simple order) so call ahead. Julius is a really nice guy trying to do things right.
Great value for the money, the boneless wings are almost entirely chicken and not alot of breading. Tons of flavorful sauces, suicide sauce is very, very hot (and I’m desi so I have spice in my blood). Great local neighborhood hole in the wall. Give them a shot.

Finally tried this place. Called in an order at 7:30 on a Sunday. He went ahead and took it for us even though they close at 7. That’s service. Took a little longer than expected but well worth the wait. Wings were good size, sauces had tons of flavor. Ordered the suicide (and they are hot) and the honey bbq. I ordered the sandwiches and got a ton of wings. The owner was really nice guy and cares about his work. It’s hard to give a wings place 5* but this place definitely gets it for the service!

I was actually planning on giving J Bell’s 4 stars but their customer service was so outstanding that I’m bumping it up.
For $ 30ish, we got 30 wings (half 24 KT and half medium) and three sides (2 orders of mac and cheese and coleslaw). The medium wings were tasty but dry. I would highly suggest asking for more sauce. The 24 KT wings were very good but definitely different. The sauce was kind of a mix between honey mustard and BBQ sauce. It may sound strange but it definitely works. You should definitely try it out, especially since it seems like that’s their specialty.
Not only were the people over the phone and the delivery guy the nicest people possible, they actually called us about an hour after our meal just to check in and see how we enjoyed our meal. If that ain’t good customer service, then I don’t know what is!
Apparently they serve all sorts of soul food/​sandwiches. I will definitely keep this place on my radar.

Oh my goodness…
I went to undergrad in Buffalo and developed a serious connection with Buffalo Wings. This is not the same thing as the baked nonsense that seems to pass for wings in these parts
These are absolutely the closest things to the wings I had in Buffalo I’ve had in the years I’ve been back.
As others have said it was a one man show when I went and my only challenge was getting through by phone to place a carry out order. I called a few times and got voice mail. Making a few extra calls is a very small price to pay to get the level of quality achieved here.
We ordered 10 wings medium, 10 24 Karat along with potato salad, cole slaw and mac & cheese for just under $ 26. The medium wings were outstanding. Not greasy, superb flavor, good level of spice. The 24 karat sauce, the house specialty was really good as well. I’d describe it as a sweet & sour, mustard, spicy BBQ sauce. The wings themselves were larger then the usual pigeon wings you get from most of the carry out and delivery places around here. And the sides? All top notch as well!
Street parking was easy, the service was great and if you are a true wing fan stop reading this now and get to J Bell’s NOW.

If I were to be trapped on a deserted island and could take three things with me, they’d be: a Johnny Cash mix tape, Cynthia Crawford, and wings from J. Bell’s.
Okay, I’d need a fourth: Dolemite on Blu-​Ray.
There’s something holy going on in the the winghouse of J. bell, Something that makes me crave it several times each week. I’d brush my teeth with the buffalo sauce here. It should be used in sacraments and worship. These are the best wings in DC.
In addition to that, J. Bell is a great dude. This is a true local business, so the service may not be down to a science, but the food is great and Washingtonians should support it to keep a business like this thriving.
J.Bell loves freedom: I was in a uniform the last time I was here and he even gave me a free drink, demonstrating his appreciation for the community. If you like freedom and america, eat wings from J. Bell.
I’d have his wings for my last dinner if I were on Death Row.