This week, Kazbor’s Grille. First off, I’m sorry the review is being posted so late, but, well, I was lazy this weekend . . .

I walked into Kazbor’s not expecting much. I’d heard less than stellar feedback from folks who’d eaten at their other locations. What we found was a pleasant surprise:

“Rock the Kazbor’s! – (Editor’s note: It’s only by grace that I let you keep that headline) Yes, it’s lame, and a stretch… but The Clash played on repeat in my head during my entire dining experience. Regardless, I apparently did not share my fellow Wingmen’s sentiments for the fare we sampled.

In short:
1. The Hot wings were… not that hot. –2 Stars.
2. The Garlic Buffalo were very tasty, and a touch hotter than the “hot.” –3 Stars.
3. It was hard for me to get an accurate sampling of the Caribbean Jerk wings because my taste buds were dulled. I would say they were halfway decent. –3 Stars. (The reason they were fried is because before that I tried:
4. The Wicked Hot wings… they aren’t lying at Kazbor’s. Wicked-Freakin’-Hot [insert a Bostonian accent here]. — 4 Stars, for truly serving a HOT wing that still held is habanera-esque flavor.

Lastly, Our waiter was friendly and attentive, but he reminded me a bit too much of Brian, the flair-wearing, over-enthusiastic Chotchkie’s waiter from Office Space.

Overall, the fact that it was AYCE Wings for 9.95 with a side, coupled with a family-friendly atmosphere ALMOST made up for the no-more-than-mediocre wings. Great Value, “Ehh” Wings.”
–Scott

“I already had a preconceived notion of filth and poor food/environment even before I stepped foot into Kazbor’s. I had never actually heard anything about the one in Lakeland, since its practically brand new, but I had heard things about other restaurant sites. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in. The food smelled good, the atmosphere was clean. The only concern I had was that the place was small. Like, my chair kept bumping the guy’s chair behind me, small. Our server was very nice and attentive, but not overly attentive, which I like. My thoughts were something along the lines of, “All you can eat wings…how good can they be?” They were good, especially for 10 bucks. I started off with the hot. These were very good. Nice flavor. Nice wetness. No thick breading. I’m already a fan. For my reorder I got the garlic buffalo. OMG!!! I’m going to say it. Many won’t agree…the garlic buffalo have moved into my number one spot, out ranking Decisions. There, I said it. (Editor’s note: You’re right. I don’t agree. In fact, it’s only based on journalistic integrity that I resisted editing your review)

Stay away from the “wicked hot” unless you want to feel your taste buds melt off your tongue. The name doesn’t lie. It wasn’t exactly a buffalo style hot either - more of “lets just soak these things in habanero juice for a week to see what happens.” They were fun though. I ate one, it made me feel like a man. Overall I was very pleased with my experience. The wing may not be quite as large as Decisions, but you know how I feel, there is no need to say it again and anger the people around me (Editor’s note: Too late!). I think they are being paid off (Editor’s note: Yeah, that’s why I’m rolling around in an 8 year old car with 200k miles). You should check out campfire anthems sometime to really get the truth. I’m out.”
–Mike

“This week for wingsday we went to Kazbor’s Grille. We broke tradition and went to Wingsday on a Thursday but it was OK because Kazbor’s had all you can eat wings for $9.95. I’m not sure who recommended this place but it was a pretty good find. (Editor’s note: It was Trish, from Project Management, who left a menu on my desk). The restaurant itself was really nice and everything seemed really clean. I started my order of unlimited wings with 10 hot wings which came with a side (the experience just kept getting better). It wasn’t long before the wings arrived at the table and we dove right in. We went ahead and put in our order for more wings right after the first set arrived, this time I went the wicked hot (more on that below). The wings are about medium in size, non-breaded, and had a good consistency. The hot wings are pretty close to what I would normally expect and they really tasted good. After about 4 to 5 hot wings the wicked hot wings came out, geez they aren’t kidding. Just a word of advice you might want take something before to prepare your stomach and/or invest in some Tuck’s medicated pads afterwards if you decide to partake in more than one of these wings or maybe just one may do it (Editor’s note: I recommend putting the toilet paper in the freezer). I’ve never seen so many red faces, sweat beading on foreheads, and gasps for air (it was hot enough to take you breath away) from a group of grown men in my life. The wicked hot wings still tasted good you just couldn’t stand to have more than 1 or 2. I also sampled some of the Caribbean Jerk wings which were also really good and had a very distinct flavor without going overboard. In all I rate Kozbor’s 2nd only to Decisions ,which has been the front runner in most everyone’s book for quite some time. To sum it up I’d give the whole experience 4.2 out 5 stars.”
–Shawn

“This was my first wingsday and it was very amusing. We went to Kozbor’s Grille which was nice and clean. Some even commented that it was too chilly inside, but I found the place quite comfortable overall. I ordered the mild wings because unlike the others at the table, I had to share my food with my one year old daughter and I am pretty sure she would not have appreciated anything hotter. The service was a little slow and I think that had more to do with the kitchen staff rather than our waiter. The wings did finally come, but I had to wait till they brought out my ranch sauce before I could begin eating. I quickly noticed that I was the only one at the table that dipped my wings. I am not sure if I am an oddity or if the others just don’t know that your supposed to dip your wings in ranch or blue cheese (Editor’s note: Maybe it’s just that we’re purists, lady!). Either way, the wings were good even though I prefer batter fried over naked wings. My daughter was not impressed with the wings and pretty much ignored the pieces of chicken I gave her (Editor’s note: She’s like, 1. My one year old wouldn’t eat deep fried chocolate covered in peanut butter). Unfortunately, I was unable to finish my first set, so I did not partake in a re-order to sample any other flavors. I must admit, though, the most enjoyable part of this wingsday was watching the others try the wicked hot wings. There was a lot of sweating, tearing up and fire-breathing, coupled with predictions of utilizing the conference center once they got back to work. Since this was the first wingsday I was invited to, I had nothing to compare this dining experience with. With that said, I did enjoy food and the restaurant, and I will rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I am also pretty sure I now know why they keep the place so chilly.”
–Natalie (guest reviewer)

All in all, I don’t think any of us could complain about the aesthetics of the place - plenty of TV’s, viewable from every angle, a full bar, video games for the kids. It was, like Mike mentioned, a little cramped, but it was the kind of place I’d go back to just for the environment. I thought the wings were in my top 3 (off the top of my head, behind Decision’s and Beef’s). Since Kazbor’s is new, we’ll have to check back in a few months to make sure they’ve maintained the bar they’ve set.

Have a great week!

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