List The Top 10 Fried Chicken Restaurants in America...............

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Foodbme

Mamie


Lamberts is huge!  It reminded me of Cracker Barrel across the front and with the gift shop.   I hope the customer that started the throwed roll gets to eat for free - he saved alot of money in marketing.

I know I always thought Cracker Barrel was a chain, but was surprised that the original owner owns them all. 

it makes you wonder though, how Lamberts with 2 locations in Mo. wound out in Alabama..

"Lamberts, The Home of Throwed Rolls" is NOT huge. Only 3 locations. See my post above and go to their web site.
Customers did not start throwing the rolls, THE EMPLOYEES THROW THE ROLLS!
They wound up in AL because the owners would go down to the gulf shore on vacation and decided that would be a good place for a restaurant.
Cracker Barrel IS a chain and are NOT owned by any one individual person or entity. As of September 21, 2010, it operated 595 full-service restaurants and gift shops in 41 states. They are A PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY ON NASDAQ! Their stock closed today at $52.69, (down 1.33%).
The Pres & CEO, Michael A. Woodhouse, just sold 145,330 shares of his stock on Tuesday.
Get your FACTS straight before posting anything on here.

Wow, Foodbme, take a pill, you're going to hurt yourself. So what if Lambert's is in Foley, a suburb of Gulf Shores? And, while their food is decent and plentiful, it ain't all that and a bag of chips! Can you say canned green beans?

I didn't say anything about their food. I've eaten at the AL location several times and if you're going just for the food, you'll find it in the same category as Cafeteria food. Just average. IMHO, You go for the Show. It's a fun place.
I just get riled when people post information as fact when, in fact, it's not fact. That's how Wars get started!

Lamberts, The Home of Throwed Rolls" is NOT huge. Only 3 locations. See my post above and go to their web site.
Customers did not start throwing the rolls, THE EMPLOYEES THROW THE ROLLS!
They wound up in AL because the owners would go down to the gulf shore on vacation and decided that would be a good place for a restaurant.
Cracker Barrel IS a chain and are NOT owned by any one individual person or entity. As of September 21, 2010, it operated 595 full-service restaurants and gift shops in 41 states. They are A PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY ON NASDAQ! Their stock closed today at $52.69, (down 1.33%).
The Pres & CEO, Michael A. Woodhouse, just sold 145,330 shares of his stock on Tuesday.
Get your FACTS straight before posting anything on here.

 
I guess I should have said "franchise" - I thought it was a franchise and a guy that worked there for many years told me it wasn't, but  "frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"....
 
I was just going by what I read on their site

 The first roll was thrown in 1976 by Norman Lambert. At the original location, he would walk around and hand out the rolls.. One day it was really busy when Norman couldn't get through the crowd....one of the customers yelled to him " Throw the D*** thing!". And with that The ONLY HOME OF THROWED ROLLS was born  

 I would have given the customer credit for it ...
 
 
 

Don't worry. FBM is just waiting for his peace corp assignment to come in. 

HDtravlr1


Twinwillow

Is Bubba's better than Babe's? I have not been to either.

 
Bubba's and Babe's are one and the same. It's Bubba's in Snider Plaza in the Park Cities in Dallas and Babes in the outlying areas of Dallas.

bill voss


Don't worry. FBM is just waiting for his peace corp assignment to come in. 

Funny you should mention. I went to a Peace Corps Recruiting meeting for Seniors. When I found out there was no pay involved I opted out. I'm not going to risk getting my butt shot off without pay!

Twinwillow

HDtravlr1


Twinwillow

Is Bubba's better than Babe's? I have not been to either.

Bubba's and Babe's are one and the same. It's Bubba's in Snider Plaza in the Park Cities in Dallas and Babes in the outlying areas of Dallas.

 
Thanks Twinwillow! I will give them a try next time I am in Dallas.

Al,
 
I'll have to get over to the Log Inn again.  I haven't been there in a long time.  If the recommendation comes from you, I know it will be good.  I need to pay them a visit.  I've had some good meals there over the past 35 years.

Ripp's Tavern in Ladd, Illinois.  People drive for hours just to wait in line for some chik'in.

I just saw a KFC commercial claiming that they were named Zagat's best.  If it's true, I'm sure glad we have Jane and Michael.

I said this before, but the best fried chicken I have ever eaten was at the Primmadonna Hotel on I-15 on the Nevada/California line. Get it from the coffee shop. I was an employee there in the early 1990's and they would occasionally have some in the break room.
 
The Primmadonna was an awful place to work who treated staff lower than dogs and I would never spend a nickel in the place and hopefully the skinflint fascist owner is dead and in hell. But that chicken is worth the $2 or so.

Price's Chicken Coop here in Charlotte and Jestine's in Charleston SC.  For fast food Chicken, Bojangle's based here in Charlotte is decent if it has not been sitting around too long.

I discoverd Bojangles on my many visits to N.C. Darn good for a fast food place!

I have to agree, Popeye's does have the best spicy chicken and Aunt Kizzy's here in the marina is very good.

Recent report on Hollyhock Hill:
I visited Hollyhock Hill in December & for once I have a slightly negative report:
The chicken, salad, pickled beets, tomato rice soup, mashed potatoes & gravy, ice cream dessert are all still excellent.
But, two items on the menus have gone downhill:
Green beans- previously the green beans have been prepared in what I call the southern method- slow cooked with bacon or salt pork, a little bit on onion, very flavorful.  On this last visit the green beans appeared to be frozen, just warmed up, no evidence of any porky flavoring, no onions, bright green in color, no flavor.
Rolls- small, dry, just your run of the mill grocery rolls.
I will continue to come back, still a great fried chicken place, but will email Hollyhock Hill my comments.
 

I love Hollyhock Hill, but they have had had problems with the bread for years!
 
When I was a little girl, my family used to go there for special occasions. In those days (late 50's, early 60s), Hollyhock Hill served a fabulous loaf of sliced homemade white bread to each table.  It was dense and flavorful.  I loved it.
 
Sometime in the mid to late 60s, they shifted to some kind of commercial "ready to bake" loaf. It was the "pull apart" kind, and I found it to be edible, barely.
 
I moved away to go to college and law school in the 1970s, and  then relocated for various jobs, so I was able to go only sporadically. At some point, they shifted to dinner rolls, which were undistinguished.  Then  a few years ago, they started serving biscuits. They were great, and tasted homemade. 
 
I am sorry to hear that they've apparently reverted to the commercial-type rolls.  It's probably a cost-saving measure, and I suppose most people don't care that much about the bread, but for me, it's part of the Hollyhock Hill experience.
 
I am really sorry to hear about the green beans.  I was last at Hollyhock Hill in April 2010, and everything was "normal" then. 
 
But as long as they leave the chicken, salads, relishes, and gravy alone, I can tolerate it, I guess.

The waiting time for food at Stoud's Fairway, Kansas location continues to get longer and longer. We decided on Stroud's chicken for lunch yesterday and I called a to go order in about 12:30. I arrived 20 minutes later.
 
It is a good thing that I had brought a book, the fried chicken and fried gizzard's meals took another 25 minutes (total of 45). And they weren't that busy - becuase of the Chief's gmae, they were only about half full.

I went to the Fairway, KS location last April when I was in Kansas City for a conference.  (It's open for lunch on Fridays, too.)  I arrived between the lunch and dinner rush hours (about 3 p.m.) and was seated immediately and served promptly.  All the food was terrific.
But perhaps things have changed since then. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if it took a while on Sunday at lunchtime.
 
 

The previous three times I have been there (twice eatting in, once to go) have all been very slow. My wife had a similar experience there with her brother in August.
 
It is iis almost worth the wait.

rumaki


I love Hollyhock Hill, but they have had had problems with the bread for years!

When I was a little girl, my family used to go there for special occasions. In those days (late 50's, early 60s), Hollyhock Hill served a fabulous loaf of sliced homemade white bread to each table.  It was dense and flavorful.  I loved it.

Sometime in the mid to late 60s, they shifted to some kind of commercial "ready to bake" loaf. It was the "pull apart" kind, and I found it to be edible, barely.

I moved away to go to college and law school in the 1970s, and  then relocated for various jobs, so I was able to go only sporadically. At some point, they shifted to dinner rolls, which were undistinguished.  Then  a few years ago, they started serving biscuits. They were great, and tasted homemade. 

I am sorry to hear that they've apparently reverted to the commercial-type rolls.  It's probably a cost-saving measure, and I suppose most people don't care that much about the bread, but for me, it's part of the Hollyhock Hill experience.

I am really sorry to hear about the green beans.  I was last at Hollyhock Hill in April 2010, and everything was "normal" then. 

But as long as they leave the chicken, salads, relishes, and gravy alone, I can tolerate it, I guess.

Rumaki,
I can safely say the chicken, salads, relishes, and gravy are all just as good as ever.  I also emailed Hollyhock Hill to advise them about the rolls & green beans.
  

southpaw


I look forward to the day when  I have ten favorite fied chicken restaurants.

I'll start with 3
Jestine's Kitchen in Charleston SC
Price's Chicken Coop in Charlotte NC
The Homeplace in Catawba VA
 

I've heard nothing but raves about The Homeplace. I've got to get there.
 
DT

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in
 
 

Mrs. Knott's Fried Chicken at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA.
 
They have really good fried chicken, and fresh out of the oven biscuits.  You gata have the biscuits.

Update on Hollyhock Hill (Indianapolis) and Gray Bros. (Mooresville) in Indiana
 
This past weekend I ate at Gray Bros (Friday) and MCL (a chain) and Hollyhock Hill (Saturday).
 
I went to Gray Bros. about 2 p.m. on Friday, straight from the airport. I had fried chicken (white meat), green beans with potatoes, a portion of "five cup" salad, and cherry pie, with iced tea.   The 5 cup salad used to be one of my very favorites at the old Laughners cafeteria (now out of business).  This 5 cup salad tasted OK, but they add nuts (which I don't care for) to the mandarin oranges, pineapple and coconut, and consistency was very dense and gummy.  The fried chicken was delicious -- much better than I recall from previous visits. They serve it in quarters; I prefer my chicken disjointed. But this was very tasty (high quality chicken used, I think). But if you want spicy or "hot" chicken, that's not what this is. I prefer my green beans without small redskin potatoes, but the beans themselves were very good -- nicely seasoned and properly cooked "done." The cherry pie was excellent -- not a huge piece, but what was there, was good -- nice, slightly sour cherries and a flaky crust.  Good iced tea, and one of the staff in the dining area brought me a fresh glass when I'd only finished about 1/3 of my initial one.
 
Saturday I went to the MCL on West 86th Street just as they opened for a late breakfast-type lunch.  I had "light" meat fried chicken (breast and wing), green beans, and cherry pie, with a regular Pepsi.  (They serve Lipton tea for their iced tea and I don't like Lipton tea.)  The chicken was OK, though the  breast was rather tough.  Again, salt and pepper seemed to be the only seasoning, but that's fine with me.  The green beans were properly slow-cooked and had some pork in them.  The cherry pie was better than "acceptable,"
but not nearly as good as Gray Bros.  The Pepsi was perfectly blended -- just the right mix of syrup and carbonated water. 
 
Later on I went to Hollyhock Hill to meet a friend for lunch (yes, two lunches in one day).  Hollyhock Hill is open for lunch on Sundays, but Tuesday to Saturday they only serve lunch to smaller parties on the days they are hosting private parties (showers and so forth).  We were seated in the back dining room, which is my favorite as it looks out on the garden.  We opted for the "plated lunch" (we usually have the full "dinner"), which is smaller and less expensive than the full dinner.  We were served pickled beets and lettuce with the signature sweet and sour dressing "family style."  Lunch was on individual plates containing two pieces of chicken (apparently "cook's choice" -- next time I'll ask if you can choose your pieces) and vegetables.  I got a leg and a wishbone (which is my favorite piece) and my companion a wishbone and a breast.  Also on the plate was a serving of mashed potatoes and a serving of green beans.  Gravy came in a separate bowl, and we also were served a basket (3) of biscuits.  
 
The luncheon doesn't include tomato juice, cottage cheese, relish tray, or corn.  
 
The pickled beets and lettuce salad were the same as ever, and very good.  The chicken was also delicious -- I really love HH's chicken, which I think is fried in lard.  The mashed potatoes were what they've been serving for years -- I suspect instant -- but they were fine for what they were, as was the gravy.  The green beans were a weird hybrid -- sort of like steamed, but with some seasoning. But they were chewy and that distinctive bright green and nowhere near as good as they used to be, at least to my taste.  The biscuits were very disappointing. They used to be homemade, but now they appear to be out of a vacuum can. And they weren't very hot. 
 
Dessert was the usual vanilla ice cream with three sauces.  The ice cream portion seemed smaller than I remembered it, but maybe that was because it was lunchtime. The quality was fine.
 
Attentive, but not intrusive, service, and they didn't seem to mind that we lingered, even though they were getting ready for a wedding reception in the front dining room.
 
Synopsis:  Gray Bros. impressed me with their chicken, pie and iced tea.   MCL was OK, but I wouldn't rush to go back unless for some reason I couldn't make it to Gray Bros. or Hollyhock Hill.   Hollyhock Hill appears to be cutting a few corners (again, I don't mean the quantity, because I didn't expect to have as much food at lunch as at dinner), at least as far as the green beans and bread are concerned.  (I'd still go back for the fabulous chicken, but I was disappointed with the green beans and bread.)
 
In short,  claracamille, I agree with your HH assessment. Did they ever respond to your message?

My top 10 currently are the last 5 places and the next 5 places I visit. I am a fried chicken nut!!!!

The best fried chicken I've ever had was from Shingles (R.I.P.) in Tallahassee.  I've spent two decades searching for better chicken but have come up short!    Chris

Wishbone?

ayersian


The best fried chicken I've ever had was from Shingles (R.I.P.) in Tallahassee.  I've spent two decades searching for better chicken but have come up short!    Chris

 
Well they say the best case of Chicken Pox usually results in Shingles!

Does anyone have any suggestions for Fried Chicken up here in the Northern Nevada region.  KFC and Popeyes  do not count being national chains in addition to being over priced and over rated by the common consumer. I am even willing to go over the hill to Sacramento or the the Bay  Area. Perhaps a road trip to the wilds of Utah or Idaho.

MiamiDon:
 
Some people call it the "pulley bone" (or "pully bone").  You cut a whole, bone-in chicken breast into two pieces cross-wise rather than splitting it lengthwise (as almost all restaurants do nowadays, and the way poultry distributors, at least in this part of the world, invariably cut it when raw chicken is sold "cut up.")
 
This link explains how to cut it up that way (scroll down to "How to cut up chicken with a pulley bone"):
http://labellecuisine.com/archives/surprise/The%20Immortality%20of%20Fried%20Chicken.htm
 
This is the way my mother, who grew up in Southern Illinois, cut up a whole chicken.  Hollyhock Hill is the only place I've found it.

Mama Dips in Chapel Hill N.C. is really good.I'm no expert but I know what I like.

rumaki


MiamiDon:

Some people call it the "pulley bone" (or "pully bone").  You cut a whole, bone-in chicken breast into two pieces cross-wise rather than splitting it lengthwise (as almost all restaurants do nowadays, and the way poultry distributors, at least in this part of the world, invariably cut it when raw chicken is sold "cut up.")

This link explains how to cut it up that way (scroll down to "How to cut up chicken with a pulley bone"):


This is the way my mother, who grew up in Southern Illinois, cut up a whole chicken.  Hollyhock Hill is the only place I've found it.

That is one way to remove the pully bone. I prefer to leave the ribs attached and cut down into the breast just past the point of the wishbone. With a good sharp knife you will feel the keel bone. When you feel it turn the knife and cut horizontally along the keel and ribs and you will have 3 nice pieces . One pulley bone and 2 side breasts which still contain the tenders. Those ribs hold so much flavor and extra coating.

I looked through part, not all, of this thread, but with that disclosure I am shocked that (I saw) no mention was made of Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville.  Now that is really good fried chicken.  Better than Bon Ton IMO.

Best I've had:
 
Top rank - no particular order

• Babes Chicken Dinner House, DFW locations
• Flavors Soul Food, Falls Church, VA
• Prince's Hot Chicken, Nashville
• Breezy Heights Tavern, Avella, PA (outside Pgh.)

 
Really good - no particular order

• Loveless Cafe, Nashville
• Most Broasted Chichen (www.broaster.com )
• Popeye's Spicy, circa 1984 (before they de-spiced it)! 

What about KFC?! haha i'm hilarious!

KFC???? delicious enough........

Three of my faves:
Jays Fried Chicken in Sikeston, MO
Bottoms Up Tavern in Jacob, IL ($5 for a whole chicken on Wed eves)
Hodaks in St. Louis, MO
 

New Best fried for me:  Rick's Chophouse in McKinney, TX.  Marinated in buttermilk, lightly breaded, and pan fried in lard.  Just the way grandma used to do it before her unfortunate CVA.  And a totally unexpected item on a chophouse menu.  Insanely good.
 
http://www.rickschophouse.com/ 

deepfryerdan


What about KFC?! haha i'm hilarious!

Actually ... back in the day it was spectacular.  I recall a road trip with my grandparents that took us through pre-interstate Kentucy in 1959.  We stopped at a full-service restaurant that featured "Col. Sanders' Famous Recipe Frid Chicken"; I had a 1/2 chicken dinner that was 10X wonderful.  Even the mashed potatos and gravy were fantastic; I ordered seconds.  Aside from the food I remember that we Pittsburghers had trouble understanding the Southern drawl of the waitress.
 
A decade later I encountered Col. Sanders at the University Cafeteria in Charlottesville and told him about that dinner.  He laughed and said "Those days are gone.  The only thing I recognize these days is the cole slaw. I'm glad you had a chance to enjoy my cookin' ".