Uptown Wings provides new weekday lunch option in Morganton

Spicy, savory, sweet, mild. Dry rubbed or sauced. Uptown Wing Bar offers more than 60 options with endless combinations. However you like your wings, you can probably find something to suit your taste. 

“We wanted to do something different, something not available downtown,” said Lawrence Hague, operator of Uptown Wing Bar with business partner Larry Perdue. The two men have collaborated on restaurants and bars since 2011.

Uptown Wing Bar opened its doors on Sept. 22 in the former Sterling Bar and Grille, 116 N. Sterling St. in downtown Morganton. Transforming the space took about six weeks. The floor and ceiling were left as-is, but the walls were painted, the bar was extended with a butcher-block top, and different dining tables and stools were added. 

“It’s a 180-degree change,” he said, adding that the alterations make the interior “more restaurant and less bar. We want everyone to feel comfortable here, including families.”

Keeping food affordable is also important to him. The daily lunch special is $1 wings. Each day also offers a $2 domestic draft. Other specials include $5 Rum Monday, Tequila Tuesday, and Whiskey Wednesday. Thursday features $1 off craft beer. 

This new restaurant joins only a handful of downtown Morganton eateries open for lunch. Uptown Wing Bar opens at 11 a.m., Monday through Friday. Lunch is not served on Saturday and Sunday due to current staffing constraints; however, Hague hopes to change that soon. For now, the restaurant opens at 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Uptown Wing Bar stays open late seven days a week, until midnight Sunday through Thursday and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

“Everyone has gotten so accustomed to not having options for lunch on Mondays downtown,” he said. “We love this location and are trying to get the word out that we are here. If you live here or are tourists in for the day, we want to create a place that feels like home.”

In addition to wings, you will also find chicken boneless bites and chicken tenders on the menu. Sides include crinkle-cut fries, pub chips, tots, and fried pickles. Appetizers are garlic parmesan bread bites, mozzarella sticks, chicken taquitos, and pizza rolls. There are eight beer taps, a full bar, and wine options are coming as early as next week. 

The food is served with a dash of fun. Uptown Wing Bar has a pool table, foosball table, darts, and a Golden Tee arcade game. Lining the walls are 10 TVs and you will always find ACC football there on Saturdays as well as other nationally televised matchups. A free-to-play poker tournament happens twice weekly, at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 5:30 p.m. on Sundays. 

Hague has been in the bar and restaurant industry since 2008 when he opened his first place in Statesville. He thrives on the daily challenges.

“It’s not the same routine day in and day out. You have to pay attention to the details. You can’t just call it in.

“We’ve been open less than a month and have only scratched the surface of its true potential,” Hague said. “We always focus on the customer and giving them a reason to come back.”

Angela Kuper Copeland is the arts & entertainment editor at The Paper. She may be reached at angela@thepaper.media or 828-445-8595.