We always have a great experience at Diskin’s in the Minooka section of Scranton and this visit followed suit. It was a special occasion for us as FOX 56 was interviewing us while we downed some wings. Since we’ve always had a great relationship with the owner, after some brief communication, they set up a special spot for us in a side room for video shooting and interview questions. Ben Freeman from FOX 56 got to witness the fantastic service, friendliness from the owner, and quickness of the wings. Outside of our news portion, the big news from Diskin’s themselves is that they are now a non-smoking establishment, which changed at the beginning of February. I’m sure that will result in more people willing to give them a try. Hopefully they don’t get too busy though because they are a bit on the smaller size, including a square bar and a couple bar height tables for seating. Regardless of crowd size, we’ve always had a quick and great service on our visits. They are a cash-only establishment, so be prepared with cash on your visit or ready to hit up the ATM inside the place.
Wings are normally $12.50 for 10, but with their Tuesday and Wednesday wing night, you can get wings at 75 cents a piece. They also allow orders of 5, which gives you the ability to try more of their wide variety of flavors. They are a larger wing, but still have a great crispiness to them. When ordering, they do ask if you want your wings crispy. I’d be curious to try a non-crispy wing next to an extra crispy wing to see how much they adhere to the request, but I opted for crispy regardless and that’s exactly what I got.
Diskin’s offers a great selection of flavors, varying from your classics like Mild, Hot, BBQ, and Honey mustard to some distinct options like Sriracha Ranch, Black & Bleu, and Hot Bacon Whiz. They also offer some of my favorites to see on the menu as well, such as Chipotle Ranch, Teriyaki, and Garlic Caesar. On top of that, they allow any combination of flavors from their menu, so really, your only limit is your imagination.
I always leave Diskin’s satisfied because their wings definitely deliver the flavor. It’s been a while since I tried their traditional hot, so I included it in my mix. The hot is a nice red sauce packed with plenty of flavor. It’s exactly what you look for in a buffalo sauce, including that good cayenne taste, balanced by butter and vinegar. I’m a sucker for Chipotle flavor so that Chipotle Ranch certainly got my attention. It’s a well-seasoned orange sauce, combining the chipotle and ranch flavors well. This was another delicious wing. Finally, I got the Hot Garlic Parm. It’s a good mix of the hot sauce based, which is tasty, along with bits of garlic throughout and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. If this is one of your go to flavors, you’ll be very happy with this option.
It was way too long for us, your NEPA Wingmen, to return to one of the places that got us on the map when it comes to wings, talking about wings. Roughly 15 years ago, when we started this quest, we came across Diskin’s, which was a place we knew nothing about. After leaving there that first time, we knew we had a top-dog among us.
Still, after about 15 years, this remains very much true.
Diskin’s isn’t the biggest place you’re going to find. They’ll tell you that, and so will your eyes and brain once you set foot in the place. When you walk in, you feel like you went back in time. Not to say that there isn’t a modern-day jukebox there, or an ATM, there is. But just the feel inside is a throwback to yesteryear. It’s a straight-up bar that doesn’t pretend to be anything but that. There are TVs on the wall to catch some games if you’re a Phillies fan and, naturally, the reigning defending champs Seattle Seahawks. Trust me, this is very much true.
Our server happened to be the owner, and she took care of us very well. This was the night we were interviewed by Fox 56 out of Wilkes-Barre. She accommodated us at every turn and made sure we didn’t go thirsty.
The other patrons that were there were in a good mood and enjoying themselves. That matters to me.
One thing that is interesting is that up until a few months ago. Diskin’s was a smoking bar. One of the last of its kind. But now it isn’t, and I will say it is refreshing. Personally, I don’t care too much about smoke, but given the choice, yes, I would rather not smell like an ashtray.
You can see our interview with Fox 56 by clicking here.
Wings nights are on Wednesdays at Diskin’s, and they are 75 cents per wing. In these trying times, that’s pretty dang good.
The size of the wings is right in the meat of the curve. They aren’t wildly massive, and they aren’t laughably small. If you get your standard order, you should be walking out full.
The minimum order is 5, and that’s perfect because it makes it easier to split wing orders so that you can try a variety of sauces.
Some people call Diskin’s the Dr. Pepper of the wing community because they have 23 flavors to choose from. Alright, I’ll be honest. Not many are calling them that, but maybe after this, people will start.
They have all the standard ones and even some spin-offs of them. But then they have some bacon-infused sauces, such as hot bacon ranch and hot bacon whiz, that are just delightful.
I feel like Diskin’s is one of the first places that figured out that the masses want and crave ranch with everything, and you can tell when you see their wing menu.
They have 5 flavors that involve ranch, and let me tell you, they’re all dynamite.
Let me tell you, one of my favorite little things that happens is that your server asks if you want them crispy or not. That’s huge. It just is.
Oh, and you won’t have to worry about there not being enough sauce. You might drown in how much sauce there is, so be careful.
Let’s start with the Whiskey Diskins. They’re an excellent representation of BBQ that I feel has a little bit of something else going on that’s beyond a sweetness. The smokiness from the whiskey portion of the sauce ties it all together.
Next, we have the roasted garlic parm. First off, it’s just so fascinating, to me anyway, to order wings and they’re as white rice on a paper plate in a snow storm. So that’s neat. But then the flavor is so on-point that you forget that you’re ingesting enough garlic that Blade is looking into it. The flavor is already going to be smooth with the parm cheese, but then that ranch somehow makes it even more velvety. Must have for garlic lovers.
Moving on to the hot bacon whiz. They’re as good as the first time I ever had them. Such a smart combo that never quits. Their hot sauce is a solid hot sauce. But then you had cheese whiz, something you simply don’t see, and your taste buds are rocking. But it’s not even over because you have the real bits of bacon locked on every bite, and wow, you’re having a special moment. A wonderful triumvirate this sauce certainly is.
Finally, the Cajun ranch. It’s one of the best Cajun ranches of all NEPA and beyond. Their Cajun sauce has just enough spice and flavor to it that I need it right now. Then you bring the ranch, which I pretty much said is like steroids for wings because of all the enhancing it does. The balance between the two is one you want and need to be a part of. So, go and get them.
