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    Harold's Chicken Shack

    3.6 (97 reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Harold's Chicken Shack Takeout or Delivery

    Harold's Chicken Shack Photos

    HAROLD'S CHICKEN SHACK ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Harold's Chicken Shack

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    Shani R.

    I give 3 star because the short puggie lady at the front is rude , nasty , and dismissive for no reason but the chicken was great maybe they should place her on mop duty

    Malcolm I.

    Great chicken! They run a straight forward operation and gave me tasty food. I never had mild sauce, and it was good, especially on my fried hard wings.

    Shawnda L.

    We were in Chicago on vacation and our first stop was to Harold's Chicken off 35th street. James the owner was super nice. We had gizzards, liver, cat fish, coleslaw, wings and grapes with toffee. EVERYTHING was delicious!! The grapes were surprisingly delicious. The sauce did not disappoint! I'd recommend you check out Harold's Chicken on 35th street.

    a basket of chicken wings and french fries
    Anna S.

    Harold's is a South Side institution and this place is an excellent place to satisfy your craving. Harold's was designed for each franchise to develop its own ambiance/vibe - it was specifically trying to avoid the cookie cutter molds you see from other fast food places. This is probably why it's a bit inconsistent from location to location; this franchise is great. My usual order is a half chicken meal with both mild and spicy sauce. I thought this came out great - it has the same excellent taste as the other Harold's places I've been to. It's been rated as one of the best Harold's in Chicago and I think the ranking makes sense. The location itself is very clean and everyone was very friendly. There are a few tables around but it's not designed for you to dine-in; it's made for takeout. Harold's cooks its meals to order so expect to wait at least 10 minutes. It's not as fast as your other fast food franchises - but most fast food places don't cook your meal to order so I think it's well worth the wait. They also accept grubhub orders here if you don't want to order at the counter and wait. I think it's definitely worth the wait - Harold's is something I try to get whenever I am back in Chicago!

    Chicken and fries
    Winnie L.

    Protip: Make sure you have plenty of time to wait for your order. There's not much seating inside so pick somewhere nearby to eat or don't order anything that will get soggy while you take it back home. Highlights: Wings were pretty good and I'd be open to trying other items from the menu. Lowlights: It look forever to get our food and we didn't order very much. French fries were very soft and not really my style.

    1/2 White Meat Chicken Dinner
    Russell M.

    I'm a truck driver from California and every time I'm visiting or driving through Chicago the first thing I do when I touch down is get me some Harold's chicken this place is 5 stars across the board kind of mad this location had no banana pudding BUT SCRATCH that the CHICKEN the SAUCE ain't nothing BETTER!!! and my fat self done been to uncle Remus and all them copy cats yeah yeah nah Harold's got my dollar when it comes to the chicken In Chicago keep doin

    2pc catfish and 2pc lemon pepper wings with fries
    Phyllis B.

    August 13, 2022, dining after parade with the lovebugs. It was the kids and I first time in Chicago, but not bay's. As a foodblogger and foodie, I eat by researching reviews, food pictures, and presentation of the food first-hand. This establishment is a Chi-town staple; but the wait time was not bad at all. Not sure if it was meant to dine-in because they had the bigger tables blocked off. On the other hand, there were 2 smaller tables visible, but already occupied. We cleaned the tables off and sat down after the previous customers. Then proceeded to wait for our food to be ready. I ordered 2pc catfish and 2 wings (lemon pepper), came with order of fries. My food was seasoned well, not salty at all - just bursting with flavor. Will definitely recommend and also eat here again upon return visit. #memphisfoodblogger #chicagoroadtrip #dinein #wherelocalsgo #travelingblogger

    Shafqat D.

    Of course I'd visit Harold's Chicken #88, considered to be the best of all the Chicken Shacks. Harold's Chicken Shack was explicitly called out as the place to go for Chicago's take on fried chicken when I visited Skydeck earlier. The breading, the crispiness, the crunchiness is perfect. They've got the right amount of salt in their fried chicken. The fries are well done. The sauce is legitimately spicy; there's a clear difference between spicy and mild. What's great about the mild sauce is that it's not a sweet sauce--it is actually "mild." Main downsides I see are the unusually small amount of coleslaw and the current tax due to the wing shortage (20% tax is hard to chew on). The 1/4 chicken dinner is what I'd recommend people get. You won't be disappointed!

    Fried Chicken and Fries..
    Devon G.

    Chicken was good. Nice and fresh. Got Sauce on the side. Service was great and had Nice throwback pictures on the wall..

    1/2 white chicken dinner.
    Jose C.

    Gotta love Harold's. Especially at this location. It's conveniently located near the Cell, and unlike other locations, they actually have good customer service. After I ordered my chicken dinner, she politely advised it would be 15 minutes. It was more like 25 but that's ok. You know you're getting fresh fried chicken at the end of the day. Their credit card machine actually worked and I asked for extra hot and mild sauce on the side and I was prepared to pay for it, but they never asked me for additional money. As for the chicken? I mean damn. Freshly fried golden chicken covered with fries and plenty of mild and hot sauce covering everything. Definitely no skimping going on here. You can either eat the bread at the bottom during your meal or wait to the end once it's sucked up all the mess from the food. Gotta love Harold's man.

    1/4 Dark Meat Chicken Dinner with fries and a bunch of Sauce

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    8 months ago

    Terrible chicken wasn't cooked fresh pre cooked chicken terrible . Never going back to this restaurant

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    2 years ago

    They are quick and efficient!! Flavor remains the same. Close location...118th and Pulaski

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    There is nothing like good Harold's chicken !! I love the mild sauce with lemon pepper!!!

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    3 years ago

    Just ok.The wait is so damn loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong.In a crunch this is my go to.

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    1.5 mi
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    One of the best restaurants I've been too in a min. Starbucks snob here. The peach infused coffee…read morewas worth every drop. No cream needed. The initial host was interesting but warmed up eventually. The servers were PHENOMENAL!...I'm not exaggerating. Dont give that out very much. She was excellent with her recommendations as well as sending backup if she was not able. And her backup was ALSO great as well. The decorum is simple. My brothers and I sat in a nice booth. I'm glad cuz they put all their effort into their food. Enjoyed the Bayou breakfast bowl. Different. And also worth every bite. My guys all enjoyed their meals as well.

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    Roux Diner

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    (355 reviews)
    2.7 mi
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    I had Roux bookmarked to try for a long time. I had to run some errands and decided to stop in for…read morea quick breakfast on July 6th at 8:40am. When I walked in, there were a total of 6 customers including myself in the restaurant; a couple together in line and 3 already sitting. The cashier had a chill vibe overall. I ordered Biscuits & Gravy w/soft scrambled eggs and drip black coffee. Total with tip; $28.44. I sat myself and waited probably no longer than ten minutes and a gentlemen brought my food out. Presentation was decent, but... The food wasn't hot whatsoever. For them to only have 6 guests and during what would be deemed breakfast time, it indicates they weren't busy. So I didn't understand the cold food. The gravy was lukewarm at best, the biscuits definitely tasted like day old and were so salty in certain bites. They were flaky and really good in other bites. The eggs were the same; lukewarm. It was as if the food was made and sat on the counter the ten minutes I waited. In terms of flavor, it was decent, but the inconsistencies and temperature leaves room for improvement. Not sure I'll be returning unfortunately.

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    Valois

    4.2
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    2.8 mi
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    This place! Been looking for a breakfast diner like this for a while. No frills, great food and…read morelots of variety. The counter service is set up like your old school lunchroom cafeteria. Takes me back to grade school. They take your order up front where the chefs cook your food right in front of you. You then take your tray and scoot on over, add beverages and whatever else to your order and at the end of the line - you pay. Everyone was super nice and friendly - gives off that old school diner where everyone is family. Just got a basic breakfast meal that consisted of eggs, sausage, and a side of pancakes. Ordered some bacon on the side. Everything was really good and the sausage was deliciously crisp and had that "snap". The pancakes were soft and fluffy. The price is also very reasonable. Also, they have Barack Obama breakfast specials. So cool as it looks like our former President frequently ate here as he has pictures up on their wall with the workers. I highly recommend and will be back.

    I didn't realize this was cafeteria style when I suggested it but you would never guess on the…read morequality of food. We got one biscuit and it was the size of my head. Crispy bacon, perfectly cooked eggs, delicious tuna melt, cheesy omelets. It all hit perfectly. And the guys taking the orders never seem annoyed when obvious tourists such as ourselves fumble through the ordering process. And you can't beat the cheap prices!

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    Harold's Chicken Shack - tradamerican - Updated July 2026

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