From Cajun fries to sweet potato pies, SoCal Wings in Hawthorne offers an extensive menu that all palates can enjoy. Only three miles away from El Camino College’s campus, this Asian-American fusion cuisine combines homestyle items with creative twists, always fresh and made to order.
Making your way down the menu? Try starting with a classic five-, 10-, or 15-piece wing combo, ranging from $13 to $27. Wet sauce flavors include Honey Garlic Sriracha, Spicy BBQ, and the sweet and spicy House Special, covered in a sweet Asian-inspired sauce and topped with sliced jalapenos.
Dry-seasoned wing flavors include Garlic Parmesan, Smokin’ Spice and the semi-wet Spicy Lemon Pepper — a fiery twist on a classic flavor. Chicken skin is also an alternative, as a combo or a standalone.
You can pair those wings with any side of your choosing, including waffle fries, mozzarella sticks, macaroni and cheese and even fried zucchini. Their Cajun fries are seasoned to the heavens, crispy and perfect with their ranch. They’ve got this slight kick paired with great Cajun flavor. Or, go for their seasoned fries for a more classic wing pairing.
For drinks, they offer a variety of milk teas, refreshers and their SoCal signature smoothies and slushies. Their small 24-oz drinks are $5.99, while large 32-oz drinks are $7.99.
If you’re into something nostalgic, the Carnival Apple smoothie is perfect. Caramel cream and drizzle are added to a green apple base and blended with milk. It has the perfect pop of fruity freshness that feels like walking through a fair.
Or try the Chamango Slush, a mango slushy with chamoy, Tajin, and mango bits. The Wolly Rancher, a green apple, strawberry and watermelon slush with green apple jelly is another sweet choice. For the milk tea lovers, SoCal Wings offers Thai iced tea, green Thai tea, and fusion Thai tea.
You can customize drinks exactly how you like them. Toppings and mix-ins are an extra 75 cents and include crystal boba, mango, green apple, lychee or pineapple jelly, caramel cream and sea salt cream.
Before heading off, grab another dish to go. Maybe you’re feeling the crispy cheese wontons, the popcorn chicken served with a sweet chili sauce or even some filling garlic noodles.
Finish off with one of their many dessert options including carrot cake, peach cobbler, cheesecake and pecan pie ranging from $2.99 to $3.99. Their banana pudding, $3.50, comes chilled and has the perfect amount of sweetness. It’s layered with Nilla Wafers, sliced bananas and a thick and smooth banana pudding.
At SoCal Wings, bodies are fed, but so is the atmosphere. Kathy Mao, cousin of owner Linda Arn, welcomes guests into the space with the kind of hospitality that feels more Southern than Western. Despite the busy nature of the business, she’s meticulous and warm with each order she prepares.
It’s the kind of service you can expect at SoCal Wings. Mao has been an employee for 10 years, ever since the start of the restaurant’s inception. Now, the family has spread the business to five locations across SoCal in Hawthorne, Carson, Long Beach, Fullerton and Westminster, their first location.
The best part of working at SoCal Wings is getting to work with family, Mao says. Most of the employees behind the scenes are blood relatives, while others are close family friends. Together, they cultivate a menu and atmosphere that is impossible to forget.
SoCal Wings
Address: 2851 W. 120th St., Hawthorne, 90250
Distance from El Camino College: 3.2 miles, or about a 10-minute drive
Hours: Every day, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Phone: 562-360-0009
