St. Pete seafood restaurant's chicken wings gains attention from customers

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A southeast St. Petersburg restaurant offering classic seafood dishes with a laid-back atmosphere and live music is the kind of place that makes you say, "Why doesn’t Tampa Bay have more places like this?"

Mullet’s Fish Camp and Market pairs its dishes with homemade sauces and slaws and serves handcrafted cocktails at their bar. The restaurant just opened last year, but word has spread, and reservations are highly recommended on the weekend.

But as good as their seafood is, Mullet’s chicken wings are getting the most attention from customers. 

"We didn’t think opening a seafood restaurant that we’d be making, what some people say, life-changing wings. But here we are," said co-owner Nick Brown. 

They wanted to serve something as an alternative to seafood. Co-owner, Brian Rose, said their popular smoked chicken wings were really an accident. 

"We had no other choice but to smoke the wings. We don’t have the space otherwise, so that’s what we went with," said Rose. 

They said one of the secrets to great wings is smoking with high-quality wood like pecan and cherry. 

"There is no other flavor like it. You can’t replicate it. You can’t add liquid smoke. There is nothing you can do except the hard work it takes to get that flavor out of it," said Brown. 

Their smoker, named Charlemagne, cooks wings every day of the week. Feeding the demand has been a tall order, often running out of wings before a new batch begins. But a new, larger smoker is on order and should be delivered in a couple of months. 

The owners said at least twice a day customers tell them they are serving the best wings they’ve ever eaten. 

"It’s hard work and long hours, but at the end of the day when someone tells you that’s the best thing I’ve ever had, it kind of feels good," said Brown.  

Mullet’s Fish Camp and Market is located at 3901 6th St S in St. Petersburg. They are open every day but Monday.