Best fried chicken in LA? where is it?
I am looking for the best traditional fried chicken in LA. I love Musha Fried Chicken or Korean Fried Chicken but am looking for american style on the bone fried chicken.
The last place I had it in LA was Harold & Belle's which didn't blow me away.
Pann's? Dinah's? Roscoe's? Any upscale versions?
I am less into the waffles part of chicken and waffles, I prefer biscuits...
Thanks hounds!
Senor Popusa
Nov 05, 2009 10:26AM
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My favorite is Flossies...
--Dommy!
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While I haven't been in so many months that I've lost track, last few times that I did go - Flossie's was best in S. Cal!!!
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Arg - tried to go to Flossies yesterday. Noter to hounds that they are closed on Mondays! I should have called first but got excited and just hopped in the car.
Went to the Honey's Kettle in Compton as my backup. My first visit there. Fast foodish ambiance. Friendly woman behind the counter. Had the fried chicken (breast and thigh) with fries and a biscuit. The biscuit was just out of the oven and hot.
The chicken was also very hot. Each time I took a bite more steam came out of this bird. I have never eaten chicken that released so much steam after so many minutes at the table. Skin was crunchy. This may sound like sacrilege but there was almost too much skin/coating for my taste. Chicken was good but not good enough to warrant the drive to Compton from West LA. Biscuit had more sweetness than I expected.
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Made it to Flossie's on Saturday night. They have a 2 pieces of chicken, 2 sides, cornbread or biscuits, plus dessert for $12.99. Was a huge amount of food. The fried chicken was delicious - superior to Honey's Kettle, and the mac and cheese was also quite good, thick and heavy.
This could be a dangerous place to know about as I am already thinking of excuses to be in the south bay so I can get some more fried chicken.
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I like Flossie's but I always want more than 2 pieces of Fried Chicken. I don't want to fill up on side dishes.I know you can pay more for additional pieces of Fried Chicken at Flossie's.
I think a Fried Chicken Dinner should be at least Half a Chicken (4 Pieces).
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There is a Honey's Kettle in Culver City that should make your drive much less onerous. Right in downtown CC next to Ford's Filling Station and Tender Greens, etc.
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Took ten people to Flossies on your reference. Great fried chicken and some good sides but I was disappointed that you could not buy individual pieces of chicken, just meals. I could have eaten about 4 more pieces!
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That's right -- Pann's. The dark meat is deliciously tender and juicy with a crunchy crust that isn't over-crunchy and over-thick, as on the (otherwise excellent) chicken at the defunct Porky's on Manchester. The white meat also has that fine crust but tends to be like white-meat chicken at most restaurants -- a bit dry. It improves greatly as a leftover with homemade white gravy (or brown gravy from Pann's) or on a sandwich with good butter and other moisteners.
I'd recommend the Hungry Bear in Fullerton if I had been there more than once. The atmosphere is quite different from Pann's, but the fried chicken was very good.
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Having just been there, finally, for the first time the other day, I have got to say that hands down the best fried chicken I've had in L.A. is Honey's Kettle. I went to the original Compton branch on Alondra, but there is apparently a new branch in Culver City. It kicked butt over any other fried chicken I've had in L.A. - Harold & Belle's, Roscoes, Dinah's Pann's, etc. http://honeyskettle.com/
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i'm there with you. honey's kettle serves up amazing fried chicken and their biscuits are divine.
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with all this talk about fried chicken, i got really hungry this weekend and stopped by at honey's kettle in culver city and split a family meal.
consensus? it was decent, but in my mind, it used to be much, much better. why?
it was greasy...like run down your fingers into your palm, down your wrist greasy.
flavor was good but the bird was too greasy. and it felt as though they changed the biscuit mixture as well as the biscuits are no longer as fluffy/pillowy as they used to be....not to mention, less buttery tasting. meh.
i felt let down.
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My one experience at Honey's Kettle in Culver City was that I remember it being greasy and bland, the two cardinal sins of fried chicken.
Underseasoning is a particular problem with many fried chicken places, but for some reason a lot of Chowhounds don't seem to be bothered by it. The much lauded Golden Bird at the now-defunct Porky's was guilty of this as well. Pann's is never bland. Louisiana (corner of La Brea and Santa Monica) is never bland. Astro Burger is never bland.
Seriously, why do people have against properly seasoning their fried chicken?
And why do so many people here not seem to notice?
Mr Taster
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My friend and I both thought it was downright gross. The batter seemed good but the chicken itself was off. I won't be going back to Honey's. Too bad.
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I enjoy Honey's Kettle but think they are very inconsistent both in service and quality of chicken. It's very easy to hit them on an off night.
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My wife and I only tried Honey's CC once, and it was so greasy we couldn't eat more than a piece each.
Flossie's is very good and may be the best fried chicken we've had in LA at a resto, but isn't really great.
BTW, just had dinner at La Cachette Bistro and had intended to try their basket of fried chicken but our waiter informed us that the chef wasn't happy with it and has permanently taken it off the menu.
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They can't figure out how to do what thousands of American restaurants do well every day? Not to mention millions of Sunday cooks, especially in the Midwest and South. Somebody should send the Cachette Bistro's problem solvers to help in Washington.
At the same time send a note to that allegedly edgy Web site -- www.lacachettebistro.com (whose primary positive is having an explicit link to "hours"). Their online menu still claims the kitchen has the courage to offer exotica like fried chicken.
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In all fairness, our server didn't say that the chef wasn't happy with the quality of the dish - just that he wasn't happy with the dish. That could be read a few different ways - it could also be that no one was ordering it, or it could be that fried chicken, no matter how good, simply has no business being on the menu of a french bistro. My general take is that the restaurant has something of an identity problem and they know it, so the latter theory makes the most sense to me.
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The La Cachette Bistro "basket of fried chicken" sounds great, but is somewhat misleading. Someone in my party ordered it, and was surprised when she was delivered a paper cone (like one in which you might serve french fries) with three or four "strip d' poulet fritte." That's right - chicken tenders. Perhaps lovingly cut by a prep chef with an accent, and clearly carefully battered and fried by a true Francophone, but at the end of the day, they were chicken strips, served with a forgettable ketchup or bbq-ish sauce. Not exactly bistro fare, but, were they on a kids' menu, perfectly acceptable. The Chef is doing the right thing if he is rethinking that dish and its place on his otherwise good menu.
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Having it delivered by a waitress on roller skates could sophisticate-up the experience, however. ;-)
I guess I'll stay with Pann's until someone reports a new, improved assemblage of le poulet at La Cachette, although I do intend to try Flossie's version when I make my pre-Thanksgiving spice run to Penzeys in Torrance.
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I love Honey's Kettle as well, but I have a special place in my heart for Golden Bird. I also like Pioneer Chicken.
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It looks like we are down to only one Pioneer now. The one on Olympic.
Apparently the location on Sunset by the Children's Hospital lost their lease recently.
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Mom's BBQ House in North Hollywood serves up some delicious fried chicken. Boneyard Bistro also serves up some great fried chicken on Mondays only.
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Boneyard Bistro on Mondays only - truly wonderful, with superb cole slaw as one of the two sides, along with Potato Salad, which is good as well, but I am just not much of a fan of potato salad in general.
Mondays also feature half-price beer night, so beer & fried chicken in sherman Oaks.
Yummmmm!
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Probably not a idea to at least forewarn those that might be interested in trying the chicken here as to the cost of Boneyard Bistro's fried chicken, so they don't go in, say "I don't need a menu" and order it - only to get hit with a $30 pp (or whatever it is they are now charging) plus tax and tip for a meal most people would be figuring at half of that.
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Well, Flossie's was mentioned at $12.99 above, and Aaron's is, I believe, $11 or $14, depending on dark meat or white meat, including the cole slaw and potato salad, so I would say that is exactly comparable.
And if anyone does not like theirs, I will gladly eat it, which is more than I can say for the version at Honey's Kettle/Culver City, which is dreadful - can only hope I hit it on an off day.
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In 2007 it was $30 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4578... for the fried half chicken dinner (with the two sides). Did they downsize the price, along with how much chicken you get?
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That was for one half chicken, not two pieces, and it not only included two sides, but actually three because of the inclusion of mac n cheese over and above the other items.
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You must own that place, Carter. You never stop tauting it!
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Well, never had a bad meal there, and their fried chicken is as good as I have ever had. Not prone to fried chicken because it is usually too greasy, yet not at the Boneyard.
You ought to try it, you might end up agreeing with me!!!!
ps - I can also walk to it!!!
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I also comment favorably on it and am afraid to be pegged as a co-owner or at the very least, and obsessed fanboy. I am netiher (well, maybe a fanboy of gluttoneous eating...lol) but I do appreciate the effort Aaron puts into his food and the quality he strives for with whatever he does. Prices aside, Boneyard is definitely a place I have come to frequent and never been disappointed.
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25 for a half rack of ribs? 35 bucks for a single short rib? 18 dollars for a simple cheeseburger?
the prices are out of whack especially for the economy and especially for sherman oaks, this is not beverly hills.
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for upscale versions...the one I had at ludobites fried in duckfat was one of my best chicken moments ever...hopefully he'll have it at Royal T when he reopens ludobites in december...i would get reservations quickly though hes only doing it for 2 weeks
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Thanks. Just made reservations and got a confirmation.
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For upscale fried chicken, Jonathan Gold really liked the fried chicken at Larkin's in Eagle Rock:
Larkin's
1496 Colorado Blvd
Eagle Rock, CA 90041
(323) 254-0934
http://www.larkinsjoint.com/menus/
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Ob Bear in K town has the best fried chicken along with marinated cubed radish
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Ah, I've been to OB Bear so many times in the past few months, but the goods are the spicy fried chicken there.
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the spicy chicken wings are off the hook at ob bear. mmm.
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Has anyone tried larkins? I'm really curious....
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We've dined at Larkins 3 or 4 times. The fried chicken is delicious, but as a Southerner I would not recommend it as a paragon of Southern Fried Chicken. The seasoning and crust are nothing like my Granny's. In fact, I believe their chicken is skinless, tho they still managed a crust.
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I also recall it as being a boneless breast. I like fried chicken breasts as well as the next guy, but I require bones in my fried chicken. And I also like some dark meat. The very idea of trying to make "healthy" fried chicken strikes me as laughable. As a recipe I once read in the NY Times - that recommended frying chicken in half lard / half clarified butter - said: IT'S FRIED CHICKEN!
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The Golden Bird.
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Is this the Venice Blvd location? are there differences between Golden Bird locations? Are they extremely greasy? (grease seemed to be in the first line of every yelp review...)
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Yes, they're extremely greasy. And extremely bland. It's as if they don't even use salt or pepper to season their birds. IMO Golden Bird is one of the worst fried chickens in LA. The skin has a decent crunch, but moments after your teeth pierce the skin, hot grease fills your mouth.
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I went to Porky's in Long Beach yesterday after reading this post and getting hungry for fried chicken. I was disappointed by the lack of seasoning. The chicken was fried nice and crisp but not very flavorful. I like Honey's Kettle but I'm surprised no one has mentioned Knott's Berry Farm. The have great fried chicken and you can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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I don't remember the chicken at Porky's on Manchester being bland -- delectably juicy with a too-thick crust is my recollection.
I haven't been to the one in Long Beach, but I did try BBQ at the San Pedro branch a few months ago. Dry, tough, and tasteless Q that I couldn't eat. As at the defunct Manchester location, the staff was very sweet and friendly, but, unlike Manchester, completely, thoroughly incompetent. They couldn't get the orders right and couldn't get anything out on time. In my one visit, it seemed that all of the customers -- from day laborers to suburban housewives -- walked out of the place scowling and muttering various versions of "never again!"
362 W 6th St, San Pedro, CA 90731
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Harry, if you ever go up Centinela (which is the way we get there) to get to Pann's you might stop in and try the fried chicken at M&M Soul Food (just a couple of minutes from Pann's). They also have a really good smothered fried chicken. Now, this was a couple of years ago (maybe a little less) so I'm not sure if things have changed or not.
M&M Soul Food
5496 W Centinela Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 215-8186
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Thanks, Servorg. I've gone by M&M many times but have never stopped. On your recommendation, I'll try it. Good smothered chicken (with the gravy spilling onto plain white rice on the side) is one of my favorite dishes. -HN
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I've been very happy with the pulled pork at Porky's in San Pedro. Their fried chicken is fantastic too
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It's been about six months, Ernie, but I guess that, for me, the pulled pork was the least-objectionable BBQ item -- not very interesting, but the ribs and beef were dull as dust. I should have stayed with the fried chicken, although I won't be going back until I hear that the San Pedro Porky's has solved its service problems.
If you want really good juicy pulled pork, try Big Mista at one of his convenient farmers market setups.
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And the all time worst: Huckleberry's fried chicken, a special on Friday. I'm glad they're using jidori but the batter is not appealing at all.
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Stay away from Dinah's (at least the one in Glendale). I recently tried the fried chicken at Dinah's in Glendale and saying that it was repulsive is an understatement. Maybe it was the time of day or day of the week but the chicken was OBVIOUSLY boiled and refrigerated, and battered and fried only upon order. The end result were tasteless and soggy-textured chicken pieces that were dry and conjgealed at the core and dishearteningly lacking any crisp or seasoning whatsoever. There was a distinct separation between the surface of the chicken (pre-frying) that had refrigerator-burn on it and the second layer of batter that it was dipped into to finish it before serving. Sadly, I remember this being some great fried chicken when I was a kid but they have gone down hill since I last visited. On the other hand, their Mac-n-Cheese was pretty good and I may go back for that.
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Thursday nights at James Beach. It's to die for.
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Never heard of James Beach but am certainly willing to give it a try for their fried chicken. One thing I noticed though after reading their menu... tacos, sushi, fried chicken, pasta, burgers, and steak all in one place... really?!?! If this place is good, I'm moving in next door!!
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Let us know what you think, frankly.
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Nobody will believe me, but here is my recommendation:
I was craving fried chicken yesterday, so I found it funny that this thread was at the top of the Chow list when I logged on. We tossed around a few of the suggestions, but then decided to hit up a restaurant near my friend's house because we were curious. I put having fried chicken out of my head and was ready to order pasta or steak.
The restaurant? The Barkley Restaurant & Bar in South Pasadena. Yes, old black vinyl booths, nobody under 50 in sight.
I was amused to see fried chicken on the menu and figured I'd go ahead and give it a shot. I had no hopes at all for it, but I couldn't resist.
It was REALLY REALLY GOOD. Now, I'm no fried chicken expert, but I agree with what most posters are saying. I don't like it greasy, I like the meat as well as the coating to be well seasoned, and I like it moist. This chicken was all of those things. It's not cheap, rolls (VERY GOOD!) salad/soup, and half a chicken in pieces with a small lump of unadorned mashed potatoes and some nice steamed veggies was $15. But it was worth it. The leftovers I had for lunch held up great, nice meaty pieces, not too much fat and flavorful throughout.
Would love to hear if any brave souls give it a shot. You may be surprised!
The Barkley Restaurant and Bar
1400 Huntington Dr
South Pasadena, CA 91030
(626) 799-0758
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I second Larkin's Joint as having the best fried chicken in L.A. area
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Until Larkin's start doing thighs and drumsticks they are ineligible for consideration, I'd say. Breast meat is for salads and sandwiches.
Yay Pann's!
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If you feel like taking a trip into the ghetto and tipping the transient that held the door open for you, id have to say Louisiana fried chicken on Manchester, its just west of the 110. I cant even describe how hot and fresh the chicken is, especially then you eat it in the car!. Golden Bird is my second fave, but goodluck finding one that has consistantly good chicken,
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SFV hounds - has anyone tried the Louisiana FC on Vanowen and Sepulveda in Van Nuys?
I'm curious if it stands up to the raves on these boards for their other locations. This one in VN looks like in a place that also serves chinese food, and don't just quite know what to make of that!
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I passed by about a year ago, id stay away. It was a run down donut shop with a Louisiana FC banner outside, it didnt look like they had any business frying or handling chicken.
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La Fried Chickn is in a lot of donut shops or chinese take out parlors. They have a license that the shops purchase from then hence it is not a franchise nor are there free-standing locations of La fried chicken.
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Don't remember if Larkin's only served white meat once but their chicken now comes with breast, drumsticks and thighs
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any body tried "Johney Rebs for chicken?
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Johnny Reb's' fried chicken is above average, nothing outstanding. Their fried catfish is about the same. I've enjoyed both for breakfast with grits ( a bit too watery), eggs (scrambled light) and biscuits. Great lemonade and the dogs love their giant smoked cow bones.
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I feel compelled to chime in in favor of Chicken Pop (name changed from Chicken Day for legal reasons) in Diamond Bar (LA County).
After over two-dozen visits, still consistently the best I've had outside of homemade.
Make sure to order the regular fried chicken drumsticks or wings, not the Korean (Kyochon-style) version. Originally a leg man, I've come to prefer their wings for their better (to me) flavor.
Please see my mini-review from earlier this year at:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/613870
Note that there are locations in LA and La Crescenta. I can only attest to the DB location which split-off from the other two. Hence the name change several months back. Same DB owners and exquisite traditional fried chicken however.
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New favorite - fried chicken at LudoBites. Far from traditional, but sooo GD good.
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Shakeys makes some tasty fried chicken!
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I'm partial to the Chicken Box in La Habra. All is made to order--you need to call about 1/2 hour in advance. There are a couple of tables outside. Technically, it is not fried but broasted.
Chicken Box
330 East Whittier Boulevard
La Habra, CA 90631-3854
(562) 691-1701
Another good broasted chicken place is Mariscos Chapala in Placentia. A great thing about this place is that they deliver.
Mariscos Chapala
640 West Chapman Avenue
Placentia, CA 92870-5705
(714) 996-1150
The Hungry Bear in Fullerton has great buttermilk bathed fried chicken, along with a bunch of other items that these days get lumped into the "comfort food" category
The Hungry Bear Restaurant
2219 N. Harbor Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92835
(714) 526-2711
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The fried chicken at the Hungry Bear is good -- I need to stop by more often. It's a homey kind of place like Pann's and the Bake 'n Broil but with its own style.
Mariscos Chapala? A Mexican *seafood* restaurant that has broasted chicken, presumably with mashed potatoes and gravy? What do you get for an appetizer ... octopus cocktail? ;-)
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Absolutely! It is a Mexican seafood joint with broasted chicken and North American style breakfasts. And you can get your campechana and broasted chicken delivered, along with guachinango prepared any of six ways. Or you can drop in and shoot some pool.
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M&M's on Centinela. I have been to most of these places, and for my money, M&M's either plain or smothered is the best in town. plus, you get the kind of sides you want with Fried Chicken. And the portions are huge, two plate meals. Corn muffins are good. Check it out for yourself.
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Servorg-recommended back up the thread. I tried to stop by once, but the small parking lot was jammed, so I slipped on down to Pann's and added M & M to my New Years resolutions.
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want to know who makes the best fried chicken in L.A.?
Chef Larkin cooks out of a charming craftsman cottage.
He makes marvelous fried chicken and lots of other great dishes too.
His mom comes comes down and bakes wonderful homestyle cakes.
He's always in the kitchen and it shows in his food.
Larkin's Joint
1496 Colorado Blvd.
Eagle Rock, CA 90041
WED – SAT L 11:30AM - 3:30PM/ D 5:30PM - 9:30PM
SUN BRUNCH 11AM - 3PM D 5:00PM - 9PM
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Again, unless they've changed the recipe, be advised this is designer fried chicken, without skin. Delicious yes, but not traditional fried chicken.
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Boneless, too, when I had it. I'm sorry, but fried chicken is just not fried chicken if it's boneless. It can taste good, but I think of it as something else entirely.
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