Wings and Mumbo Sauce To Go: A Guide to D.C. Carryout

Everything you wanted to know (and more) about the Chocolate City phenomenon.

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America may run on Dunkin’, but the heart of Washington D.C. beats to Chinese carryouts. These dingy Far East establishments may look like your typical fast food joint to the untrained eye, but true Chocolate City natives know what’s up. Carryouts (pronounced “curry-out” in that almost-Southern-but-not-quite D.C. drawl) serve all the typical American Chinese dishes—beef and broccoli, dumplings, all that good stuff—but these guys can also chef up anything from pizza pies to cheese steaks. Just don’t expect to pop a squat and enjoy your meal; these spots have ample standing room, but rarely are there seats. You really do have to carry that food out. And chances are that when you hit your neighborhood carryout, you’re gunning for their signature dish: fried chicken wings with mumbo sauce.

What’s mumbo sauce? It’s the flavor of D.C., with each carryout boasting their own secret recipe full of ingredients never released to the public. Ketchup, barbeque, sweet and sour, paprika, hot sauce...you’ll never know what’s really in it, but it’s so good you won’t really care. As local comedian Leon Scott once asked, “How else can you explain the way that mumbo sauce makes those raggedy carryout chicken wings and soggy, crinkled french fries taste so good?” The locally renowned reddish-orange sauce is so ridiculously addictive that in ’09, Villanova’s basketball team’s D.C. contingency declared it the thing they missed most about home.

For a week I darted around Obama’s backyard, stuffing my face with hard-fried wings drenched in this special sauce and conversing with residents on every street corner to compile a solid list of the D.C. area’s favorite carryouts. Read on to figure out where to grab your carryout when you hit the nation’s capital.

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Yum's Carryout

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Address: 1413
14th St. NW

This small spot is right off U Street, a colorful strip chock-full of cozy bars, restaurants, and a couple spacious venues. A diverse group of folks roam these parts during the evenings, many of whom will end their night with some jumbo wings and mumbo sauce. It’s been proven to be the perfect meal after a night of wilding out. If you like tangy, then this mumbo sauce is for you. Don’t be scared of that neon cough syrup glow, either. It’s supposed to look like that.

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WINGS

wingsthree

MUMBO SAUCE

mumbothree

ATMOSPHERE

happytwo

Andy's

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Address: 209 New York Ave. NW

Located within the infamous Sursum Corda neighborhood (better known as “Da Borda”), Andy’s has perhaps the most extensive drink selection in carryout history. Sippy cups, juice, beer, cream soda, Gatorade, energy drinks, pretty much anything short of hard liquor. They also hand you your wings sandwiched lightly sauced between two loafs of white bread, which is the strangest packaging of wings ever. You may be greeted by a small line, but don’t fret; the extremely efficient cashiers take orders faster than Usain Bolt runs the 40. Oh, and make sure to etch something on the restaurant’s wood paneling on the wall before you dip. All the cool kids are doing it.

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WINGS

wingsthree

MUMBO SAUCE

mumbothree

ATMOSPHERE

happyfive

Mayflower

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 Address: 4427 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Truant police poke their heads in Mayflower during school hours in an attempt to catch teenagers playing hooky. That’s probably because it’s directly behind Woodrow Wilson, one of D.C.’s biggest high schools. When classes let out for the day, the spot is swamped with badass kids screaming their orders to irritated cashiers before they hop on the Metro to head home. Their specialty? General Tso’s wings. This super-sweet 10-piece deal is the move. Stay for a bit, too; it’s one of a handful of carryouts with seating. If you can’t get to this location, they’ve also got restaurants in Bethesda (Md.) and Mount Pleasant.

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WINGS

wingsfour

MUMBO SAUCE

mumbothree

ATMOSPHERE

happyfive


 

Jerry's

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Address: 2016 Georgia Ave. NW

In 2005 Cam'ron took a few bullets to the arm during a failed carjacking while in D.C. for Howard University’s homecoming. The injured Diplomats head honcho whipped his blue Lambo to Howard University Hospital to tend to his wounds, and en route he passed Jerry’s, a neighborhood favorite directly across the street from the hospital. This hotspot sees steady traffic all day but bustles during the late night tip (open til 3 a.m. daily, 4 on the weekends). Get your incenses and loosies on the low from the urban merchants while you wait, or drop half a buck and hop on the crusty sticks (Area 51 or Ms. Pacman, your choice) until they call your number. The wings are moist and tender, and the mumbo sauce sweet with a hint of barbeque. Check out their other locations in Capitol Heights and Upper Marlboro. Oh, and DMV rhymesmith Phil Ade just shot his latest video here, too.

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WINGS

wingthree

MUMBO SAUCE

mumbothree

ATMOSPHERE

happyfour

Henry's Soul Cafe

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Address: 5431 Indian Head Highway, Oxon Hill, Md.

Henry’s isn’t a carryout by any means. It’s actually a soul food spot with plenty of seating and no Asians in the kitchen. It made the list for one reason: they sell their own mumbo sauce by the bottle ($5)! It wasn’t my favorite, but they get an “A” for effort (and for leaving the ingredients off the label, keeping their secret safe). The wings are plump and well seasoned, and their soul food sides are super powerful (check out the mac and cheese or the sweet potatoes). It isn’t open late like these other joints, but the food’s delicious. They've got another joint in Bowie, Md., too.

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WINGS

wingsfour

MUMBO SAUCE

mumbotwo

ATMOSPHERE

happytwo

Simmies

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Address:6401 Woodvale Pl, Elkridge, Md.



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WINGS

wingsfour

MUMBO SAUCE

mumbofive

ATMOSPHERE

happythree


Full Yum

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Address: 1501 North Capitol St. NE

If you thought Yum's was cool, this spot is a full step up, pun all the way intended. Adorned in ancient imperial decor that’s deteriorated over time, Full Yum is a favorite in Northeast D.C. The friendly cashiers take payment through a slot in the inch-thick bulletproof window. Their mumbo sauce is crazy good, but word on the street is that the locals swear by the honey barbecue wings, ordering 20 and 30 at a time.

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WINGS

wingsfour

MUMBO SAUCE

mumbothree

ATMOSPHERE

happythree

Lenny's

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Address: 7401 Landover Road Hyattsville, Md.

Just a couple of miles from FedEx Field (our beloved Redskins' home turf), this freestanding carryout boasts a variety of shrimp dishes that would make Bubba Gump proud. One of their perks is their location, which allows people to park without worrying about parking meters. Try their steak and cheese eggroll and half and half (a lemonade/iced tea combo).

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WINGS

wingthree

MUMBO SAUCE

mumbothree

ATMOSPHERE

happythree

Eastern Carryout

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Address: 1532 North Capitol St. NW

Nobody working at Eastern speaks much English, and it’s the dustiest carryout in existence. That said, Eastern’s wings fall in the upper echelon of fast food chicken, a realm only inhabited by big dogs like KFC, Bojangles’, and Popeye’s. Combine that with some quality, barbeque-heavy mumbo sauce and you have the perfect carryout experience. There’s an Eastern in practically every neighborhood in the D.C./Maryland area, but this location is my favorite.

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WINGS

wingfive

MUMBO SAUCE

mumbofive

ATMOSPHERE

happyone

Where's Virginia At!? / Honorable Mentions

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