Some of Seattle’s Best Wings Have a New Home

Vindicktive Wings, one of Seattle’s hottest pop-ups, is ending its residency at Rose Temple to open a new permanent location in Belltown. Vindicktive Bar and Wings is set to open in May in the Austin Bell Building space formerly occupied by Towne Pub.

Brothers Vin and Dominick Minichiello started Vindicktive Wings as a side hustle in December 2020, building a following at bars and breweries while regularly being listed as some of the best wings in Seattle. In November 2022, they began a residency at Rose Temple that allowed them to expand both the menu and capacity, and its success convinced them it was time to quit their day jobs and focus on their business.

For this latest venture, the Minichiellos are teaming up with another pair of brothers, Fletch and Mike Morgan, who they call “some of our best friends here in Seattle.” Fletch brings bar ownership experience as a co-owner of Hubba Hubba Tiki Tonk in Nashville, Tennessee, while Mike has a management background.

The brothers say they’re “excited to expand our capacity, extend the menu with some more Upstate New York-inspired items…(and) to be filling the gap in late-night food offerings here in Belltown,” though they are still finalizing specifics on which food items, and how late into late-night they’ll be able to go. (The goal is to be slinging wings until 2 a.m.)

Now, anyone who’s used to generic “hot wings” as a bar menu afterthought might be wondering what sets Vindicktive Wings apart. The Minichiellos explain it like this: “They are an appetizer everywhere, and come out in eight minutes — that’s just not long enough to get them crispy! We fry our wings hard (read: much longer than eight minutes), and toss them in a chilled homemade Buffalo sauce that allows the sauce to stick on the wings… without seeping into the meat and ruining the crispy fry. Plus, we tend to focus on using smaller wings, none of those GMO honkers.”

The brothers also have a bone to pick with ranch dressing: “We have a firm belief that ranch doesn’t belong on Buffalo wings. In our minds, it’s like putting A1 on a good steak, or ketchup on a hotdog in Chicago. If you think you dislike bleu cheese, we encourage you to give ours a shot. Not only are we trying to bring wing culture to Seattle, we’re trying to convert the community into bleu cheese fans.”

This keen attention to detail reminds us, what’s the story on the spelling of Vindicktive?

“Vindicktive comes from a combination of our names! Vincent (Vin) and Dominick (Dick), and we thought the name just fits–we’re coming for revenge on all the sub-par wings served here on the West Coast.”