Let me start with i visited this restaurant twice and still haven't had a chance to make a purchase to try the food here. The 1st visit about a year ago I was on FaceTime with when I walked in the door with my air pods on. The owner/ cashier/ fry cook ask me to get off get off face time because they don't allowed that in the store and pointed to the signs that read what he said. (It's not always what you say it's how you say it) Also you can take pictures in restaurant I believe i read that on the sign as well. The menu that on the wall doesn't have prices. So I asked the price of what I wanted purchase and the price was high about $10 for 4- wings. I decided to not make the purchase because the prices were too high and bad customer service. Second attempt about 4 days ago. I placed my order over the phone and order 4/ 6 wings with mild sauce, hot sauce and black pepper. Once I made it to the restaurant I asked the owners wife/ cashier did they put sauce on my fries and she said no you didn't ask for it. So I asked will they put it on there for me she said no your order is packed already. I asked twice and she said I'll give u sauce on the side. I said not no it doesn't taste the same. So I didn't make the purchase and left. I called bk and spoke to her husband/ owner and told him what happened and also mentioned that I didn't tell her what I wanted my sauce on and she didn't ask. This dummy tells me it was wrong all the way across the board and I said well Sir I am a paying customer and my food is still behind the counter. He tells me to hold on. So I just ended the call since I knew I wasn't coming back up there ever again!!! read more

The people there are very rude the husband and wife. They talk to you with disrespect. I thought it was a one time ordeal but they are still rude 4 yrs later. We are the consumer we should be treated with kindness and respect. The food is not that great as well! read more

This place is the bomb. Yeah the customer service might need work; no tables (Have you been to a harolds before); but the chicken it 10 Michelin star guaranteed. It's always crispy; even when you drive 45minutes home. I grew up on the harolds at 72nd and western and after trying a few was disappointed as none have measured up. My friends my friends it is worth the drive. Just don't be an ass and know what you want. I do agree with the guy who says to open sundays at lease for football season. if you are in the neighborhood and and want good chicken this is the place. read more

They have two people working a heavyset man and a heavyset lady who are very lazy. I'm not for sure if they have a learning disability .The communication sucks.The food is fried so hard .it's nothing like the one out west or on the southside. (the food sucks)....Never again!!!! read more

It's pretty terrible. I wonder if the Harold's in Chicago know that this location is giving them a really bad name. First of all the food has zero flavor, the fish is really thin and they take a filet and cut it into several pieces to make a dinner. The service is terrible and for the price paid the food is not worth it. If you want Harolds any location in the city is better. This place is pure and utter trash. read more

I wonder what is wrong with the people who work here? I sent my Husband and he called me and said he will NEVER support their business ever again! They are so rude!! This was the last chance to see if they've gotten better with customer service. I even prayed for them! (That clearly didn't work) This has been going on for years and it's time that the community do something about it!! We are a loving and respectful community! We don't deserve that ghetto mentality here!! I've tried to support them over and over! It's like you have to kiss ass to get your order right! And God forbid if you have a question or they get your order wrong! This is not cool at all! They have to deal with God at the end of the day! The way they treat people is unheard of. I will be driving to the city now on for my Harold's! read more

I just carried out on Friday, my usual order, but I finally decided to try the perch, which I've been meaning to try. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't that great. The fish was still moist and the breading was light and crispy, but it was fishy, and please don't say that fish is fish--so it's fishy; that's not true. Fresh fish isn't fishy. If they had used fresh, beautiful filets of perch, it would have been awesome, but they don't. That said, they're still not terrible, and they aren't so fishy that the smell camps out in your nose and blocks all taste. If you don't mind, or kind of even like, slightly fishy fish, then you'd probably really enjoy it. Still, though, great chicken shack One last comment/warning: I like to phone-in my order, and I've noticed that--being a fairly punctual person--the quoted time they give is never accurate. I don't think I've ever gotten my order in the time-frame provided, but usually five to sometimes even ten minutes longer. I keep that in mind now, so I would suggest that you add five to ten minutes to whatever time they quote. read more

Disclaimer: I know that not all of what I say applies to every shack, but this review is based off my experiences from the specific shack on E New York St. I remember the first time my family members unveiled the tub of beautiful and unhealthy food which was Harold's. A delicious Chicagoan meal. I grew to enjoy it based off of their gizzards. (Ironic because most people start off from the wings.) However, this enjoyment eventually met some realities of the dark side of Harold's. I love Harold's--don't get me wrong, but I'm going to keep it real with you. They're stingy. The next time you order from this specific chicken shack, observe how big the wings are. They aren't that big. They'll also mess around and give you a small number of fries along with just one single pack of mild sauce. Stingy. To add on, they give you all of that for a high price. That's not what's up. Don't even get me started on the baby ration of coleslaw that they give you. It's pathetic. Who is going to enjoy that with their meal? I don't know about you, but I won't. Besides from that, the workers are very professional and the food is in good quality. Just not satisfactory in quantity+price. I suggest going to Chick-Fil-A instead. Tip: Keep your mild sauce on the side and not on the wings unless you want them to be soggy. read more

NEVER RETURNING, the lady taking payments so unprofessional, and rude. No prices on the wall for that over priced food. I love Harold's chicken however this is the worst one I've ever been in. They got flies all over can we say unsanitary. Good luck to everyone you've been warned. Hopefully the owner is reading this statement and make some overdue changes. read more

I am a business owner and hate for customers to bash small businesses BUT when they choose not to rectify the concern then it needs to be done. Honestly, I have not been here in YEARS BUT they have been living up to their crappy standards, STILL! I truly do not understand HOW they are STILL in business. The food is mediocre and overly priced and that is not even the issue.....I cannot call it customer service because they DO NOT service the customer. They are VERY RUDE and UNPROFESSIONAL, have been this way for several years. As long as people continue to be ok with their poor service and fascimile of food, I guess they will continue to be. I know ppl say it all the time but they REALLY do not deserve any stars. read more

Maybe not the most friendly staff, but the chicken has always been good and they never mess my order up.

Just stopped in for a snack haven't been in a long time & for good reason I guess. This place has all the ambiance of a prison visitor center. It's in a nice shopping center though. You got to have your ID card to use your debit & no cake available either read more

My son and mother went to this harold's location, there was an incident with payment. My mother- in- law sent my son with her credit card, the attendant said ID needed, understandably payment was not accepted, naively my mother tried to pay for it with my mother- in- laws card, again understandably not accepted. My mother asked why didn't you ask for my ID when I just purchased, he said I was being polite. I was not there but my son felt the need to come to his grandmothers defense because the attendant OVER TALKED and was RUDE to his grandmother. He told him you don't have to be rude, in turn the attendant told my mother she should raise her grandson right, and that he would end up like the kids on the Southside of Chicago!!!! read more

I was so disappointed when they were closed for so long month after month I would drive by and wait to see if that sign would come off that door , hoping that it would reopen and they did . I absolutely love the gizzards with mild sauce, lightly breaded nice spices cooked to perfection on top of fries and bread . So glad to see your back . read more

Not Harold from Harold and Kumar, Harold is a fried chicken pimp. Not a lot to say, just get some wings, drums, or thighs. Because dark meat is the ONLY, I repeat, ONLY good chicken. It's got a nice crisp breading, they serve the fries and wonder bread underneath. So they get slightly damp from the oil, HIT the fatty button! Don't forget to get DAT MILD SAUCE!!! It's fast, decently priced, and damn good chicken. Probably would be decent to order a tray for a ball game being watched at the crib. read more

Harold's Chicken, as a brand, is amazing! Love the food. However, this location, is the worst! The two workers I had interacted with were rude. I'm not from Chicago, even though that shouldn't make a difference in how customers are treated, but I feel like their customer service could've been a little more pleasing. I asked a question, "Is the mild sauce a sweet, tangy sauce", because I've had Harold's before, but the "barbecue sauce" behind mild threw me off, so I wasn't sure if that's what I've had before. But the man worker stated, " the sauces are up there", while pointing. Like, obviously..... but they can both kiss my axx. read more

The food is Great Actually!! The fish dinner meals are the best!! But their customer service is horrible!! It sucks!! And I recommend them taking a class in Phenomenal (customer/people) Service skills Seminar! Because they don't have a clue to what that is! read more

Every time I come back to Chicago I have to get some Harold's! I love em! I get my sauce on top (mild and hot). The hot isn't too hot. You kinda have to know what you want cause the staff won't help you decide. There is a menu on the wall... No pics! It's like a "walk up" window but inside the building. read more

I've been to Harold's a few times now but I have to say that this time was honestly a great experience. I called in my order but I didn't show until maybe 40 minutes later. So my food had been sitting for a bit. Even though I was late in picking up my order, the food was still so good! I ordered a small perch and 6 tenders with mild sauce on it. The gentleman that's always there was very professional. I know a lot of these reviews talk about the negative customer service but maybe they're making an effort to improve now...‍ Either way my order was so delicious and I was sharing with a friend who has never had Harold's. He loved it! read more

Make sure you ask for a price for your food because I order a 3 pc.wing and it was 6.50 coming from Chicago a 4 pc chicken wing ain't this much wow.... Then they get a attitude when I told them that they prices is to high. I will not be back here again your prices is to high and they have some little ass wing's . read more

I was skeptical about trying this location because of the bad reviews but I'm glad I tried it. There was a man and woman behind the counter...both of them interacted with me and both were nice, not rude at all. The food came out fast and tasted great. I got the large catfish dinner and enjoyed it. I only gave 4 stars because the fries aren't the best in the world, but not the worst either lol. Maybe I caught them on a good day, or maybe they've changed for the better because of the bad reviews but either way I have no complaints and I will definitely be back :). read more

We have been eating fried chicken as a family for many years. Whenever we have time to make a choice, there is only one choice that gets all of us excited. That choice is Harold's Chicken Shack. There is no need to decide between "crispy" or "spicy". There is no question whether it will still be hot when it gets home. The only dispute we have around the dinner table is whether one of us has taken more than our fair share of that unbelievable mild barbeque sauce. Great service, great food. We always enjoy ordering from Harold's Chicken Shack! Dave from Naperville read more

Please don't give this place one dime of your money. The customer service reviews from previous reviewers are accurate. This particular location doesn't reflect the Harold's experience at other restaurants. Both in the service and food quality. Don't eat here. It really needs to be shut down. read more

It's a shame my rating isn't about the food at all. It's about how foul the staff is! I placed a large order over the phone. Go to pick it up, and first they tell me I didn't order it. They don't keep orders by name, but by order. Um ok...yeah so if me and someone else ordered the same thing, how does that work?? So it's reordered and I'm told to come back. I get there, pay, and told I will be called when my order is ready. Food was ready in about 35 minutes. Mind you, there are NO chairs in this location, so I keep going back and forth out to the car to sit down because I have a leg injury. Never once when I come back in 10 times does the staff say, oh, your order will be ready soon or in X minutes. NOTHING. Then the woman literally throws my food through the window with an attitude. No apology or anything for the wait. Then says, have a nice day!! Really? You're the WORST!!!! And now let's talk about how they have tables in front of the window where you pay and order all in the way. Then they have smoked out glass windows and a shade they pull down as they're making the food. What exactly are you HIDING??? Let me see what is going on back there with my food!!! Again...the WORST! I'm legit done with this place. read more

I was excited to see Harold's Chicken in Aurora as I live in the area. I was excited to support my local black business; however, things immediately went from zero to sixty. The owner or whoever the beast was was asking me for my ID, but I couldn't hear him because he was behind glass and he was wearing a mask. I had to ask him at least 4 times to repeat himself so he then pointed to a tiny sign, taped to the glass, typed in 8 inch font that read, "You are required by state law to show ID if you're using a debit card." As I slid my ID through the tiny slot I asked him why he needed ID because I've never been carded for chicken. He immediately became irate and said I gave you the answer, if you don't like it call the state. He continued to rant and talk over me so I canceled my order. I was not trying to be difficult I was just confused about producing an ID. I've never been asked for ID for a food order. read more

Decent chicken, but terrible customer service. Workers were so rude we felt like we were in a Saturday Night Live Skit and ended up looking over our shoulders for hidden camaras! read more

The older guy that took our order was very RUDE!!! The lady doing the cooking was rude and I watch them the entire time, I was getting the so call famous Harold's to bring back to St.louis for family, sad to say it was horrible no taste at all but it was fried to perfection no seasoning what so ever. read more

Harolds Chicken Shack - Southern Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

Fantastic chicken, delicious gizzards and polite service... All from behind bulletproof glass! A winning combination apparently! The crispy and very flavorful batter covering the chicken is amazing, and the sauce they serve on the side is like icing on the cake, if it were made of fried chicken. I would recommend visiting if you are in the mood for some really good fried chicken at a reasonable price. read more

My husband and I have eaten here several times, the chicken is really good, but I am not sure about the rude, and condescending behavior of the people serving and collecting payment. I understand this is the only Harolds chicken in the area, but please stop treating your customers like they are burdens to you. If the customer service was graded A 5 stars would easily been given. read more

It's Harold's chicken! I'm usually not a fan for fried chicken but it's quite good here as well as their Hot links. However, what really gets me is they're french fries....they use this sweet barbecue sauce to cover all the fries and it takes 3x better than ketchup. I sometimes I go to Harold's for the french fries and that sauce alone! Great food all around, but overall the fries are divine. read more

The food is good but the staff is very rude. I've overlooked this for years until I recently called to place an order and made the mistake of giving my last name. The owner said in an annoyed tone, "we don't need last names, it'll be 20 minutes." Then she hung up?! I politely called back and cancelled my order. I refuse to give them anymore of my business. I work too hard for my money to give it to an establishment that continues to be rude and inconsiderate to it's patrons. read more

I go here about every other week. Super nice to me, I think they remember me by now. My favorite has to be the half dark, but it's definitely a lot of food. Not huge on the fries though read more

Two words...holy cow! I am from the south and this may be the best chicken I've ever had Not salty, not greasy, loaded with crunch and taste! Chicken pieces are smaller than I'm Used to but the taste is big Great Stuff!! read more

This is the worst chicken/meal I have eaten. So incredibly horrible. I ordered the 1/4 white chicken meal. The chicken was SO DRY. I think it had sat there for a few days. The driest chicken - I had a hard time swallowing it. The fries were all soggy as they sat underneath the chicken. (From the heat of the chicken, not the juices - because there was no juice in that chicken) The "side" of coleslaw was a taste of coleslaw. One bite - which was unfortunate because it was the only thing that tasted half way decent. Then the bread was a couple slices of store bought white bread that was kinda toasted. I didn't touch that. If I could give this store a negative rating it would be -5. They did not have fountain soda which is a must for me. You could just buy a very expensive Pepsi product in the bottle. STAY AWAY!! Oh, by the way - the couple that run this place are rude and very unfriendly. read more

So I went to Harold's today for the first time, and I was far from impressed. The store makes me feel like I need to lock my car, as I am in a pawn shop on the south side of Chicago. The woman working behind the glass windows was very short and rude, and didn't appreciate not getting a tip when I picked up my food. The food itself was mediocre at best, and I am being generous. The BBQ sauce was good, but the wings were ALL bones, and the tenders I got were slightly under-cooked, causing me to be scared to eat the rest of them. All in all, I will not be going there again. This place needs a makeover to make the entire Harold's experience more welcoming for the customer. read more

First time. Chicken and perch was made fresh and the service was kind. I read some of the other reviews and Maybe I went on an off day..lol, but it was DELICIOUS and we will be back. read more

The people in there are rude and ignorant. Chicken is very bland. No matter how early you call in you will still have to wait 20-30 minutes when you get there. On top of that, they always take your order with a bad attitude.(maybe that's why they hide behind the bulletproof glass) I'll make sure to tell every one I know stay away from this place. read more

The owner(s) are extremely rude. I support Black owned businesses as often as I see them. This black owned restaurant in Aurora has the worst customer service. Over a year ago, the cashier (wife owner) took my order over the phone . I ordered 30 wings ,got to the restaurant and Ms . Lady had the worst delivery ever. I left her and those wings right there. I decided to never go back and give my money. Today , I ordered 20 wings. Told order would be ready in 20 minutes but everyone that orders from Harold's knows they don't drop until you arrive. I arrived about 7-10 after placing the order . I was paying cash and didn't have any to break large bill so I ran to my car to get the exact coins. Meanwhile , ms huffy puffy all bent out of shape about my leaving the empty restaurant with no other customers within. My husband noticed the demeanor while I was headed back to car and just opted to pay with the card. We go sit in the car to wait on order. I haven't said one word , knowing I dislike this woman and the way she handles her business. My husband handled all, not knowing the way I felt about the business. He walks back in 10 minutes later to get food . Ms. Huffy puffy says I told her 20 minutes when she ordered and y'all got here in 5. He let that slide. Once order was complete , he asked for some hot sauce, huffy puffy says oh she got mild thats all u get unless you buying it . $40 for 20 wings , u can't offer hot sauce?! Wow but willing to pay , again her demeanor . mr husband fry man in the back just looking like if he say one word she will whoop his butt in a quick blink . End result .... they won't get my black money anymore . read more

Never been a yelper, but had to make an account to counter all these ridiculous reviews and be a voice of reason to people just seeking some bomb ass fried chicken. Been eating Harolds for the last 15 years and been to numerous locations. This place is just like any other Harolds. Good chicken that's fried fresh and ready in like 20 min. You call, they take your order, you get there, pay, get your food, no fluff. Food is bomb. That's 5 stars right there. I don't understand people expecting white tablecloth service at a fried chicken takeout joint with bulletproof glass read more

If you're ok with dealing with poor customer service, this is the place to be. If you like to be treated as if you're to blame for the problems of the workers/owner...this is the place where you can get such treatment. The chicken is one of the best in Chicagoland, but don't expect to be treated like a decent human being deserving of basic respect. read more