Toronto is getting a new anime-inspired Wing Spot and here’s a sneak peek

This review article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

Crave Wings has soft-launched in Toronto, and they’re serving up anime culture with a side of wings.

This new restaurant is digging deeper into popular anime fandom with anime-inspired decor and wing flavors that fans will soon be able to enjoy to-go or dine-in.

The concept behind the one-of-a-kind restaurant comes from its owners. Between the ages of 20 and 20, the owners are three best friends from high school in GTA who wanted to create something unique and just share a love of anime.

Krishi Desilda, part owner and manager, told Narcity that they wanted to create a space where people with similar interests could come together and watch anime while enjoying wings that referenced the actual shows.

“We really wanted to bring anime and food together.”

Crave Wings will have its grand opening on May 11, and Narcity got a glimpse of all the magic of anime.

The space

The modestly sized restaurant is located on Eglinton Avenue West, and while it may look like your average place on the outside, inside it’s a whole different story.

Outside of the restaurant.Brooke Houghton | narcity

When you walk into the restaurant, your eye is immediately drawn to the huge hand-drawn mural along the right side of the store, created by artist Kirusha Kirideran.

An animated wall.Brooke Houghton | narcity

The mural, which has been a work in progress since August 2021, is divided into five sections and features hand-drawn characters and manga pages from popular anime such as Death Note, One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Demon Slayer Y Jujutsu Kaisen.

An anime mural featuring characters from ‘Demon Slayer’. Right: An anime mural featuring characters from ‘Death Note’. Brooke Houghton | narcity

The centerpiece of the restaurant features different characters posing with Goku, a popular Dragon Ball Z character, and two lateral murals with Murderer of demons Y Death Note characters.

On the right side of the restaurant, there is a section of seating in front of three TVs that will be playing anime shows for customers to enjoy while eating their wings.

Inside of Crave Wings.Brooke Houghton | narcity

The left wall of the restaurant is painted mustard yellow and features the logo of Crave, a faceless version of Luffy, a character from One piece, with the character’s prominent scar and outline.

The Crave Wings logo.Brooke Houghton | narcity

Along with the window facing the street, there are additional seats where customers can get a closer look at the hand-drawn manga pages along the wall.

Close-up of the mural at Crave Wings.Brooke Houghton | narcity

The food

The menu has over 150 wing flavors to choose from, with classics and unique options, with playful nods to anime characters and stories.

The wings are made fresh daily and hand dusted with a secret seasoning and recipe to give them their satisfying crunch, though they also offer other options like fries on the menu.

Three wing baskets.Brooke Houghton | narcity

I tried three of their flavors including “Death Note”, their hottest wings on the menu, “Sweet Zenitsu” and “Where’s Sasuke”.

A pound of Death Note wings retails for $13.25, and these bad boys are deceptively spicy.

Death Note Wings from Crave Wings.Brooke Houghton | narcity

They’re coated in Crave Wings’ special mowing hot sauce and sprinkled with hot chili peppers and roasted garlic. At first bite, they may not seem hot, but the heat builds.

The spice is not overpowering, and they still taste great. However, I wouldn’t recommend ordering them unless you can handle intense heat.

Sweet Zenitsu wings from Crave Wings.Brooke Houghton | narcity

Sweet Zenitsu was by far my favorite wing flavor of the day. These sweet wings have a great honey mustard flavor with the perfect amount of crunch, despite being drenched in sauce and topped with sesame seeds.

If you are a fan, you can deduce that the wings resemble the character Zenitsu.

Wings ‘Where’s Sasuke’ from Crave Wings.Brooke Houghton | narcity

The flavor of Where’s Sasuke was very appealing to the eye and had the same juicy, crispy chicken as the others.

The honey spiciness was milder than the other flavors in the wings, and I found the garlic parmesan sauce to be a bit heavy. So if you like it spicy, these are definitely for you, but if not, I’d look elsewhere on the menu.

I also tried some of their special baskets of fries, which tasted like every hangover food I ever dreamed of.

Brooke Houghton | narcity

I had the Garlic Parmesan Fries, which were $7.99, and the Dolfamingo Fries, topped with cheese and hot Cheetos, for $8.99.