Kari's Rating 7.75/10 TLDR: -Chicken batter is not seasoned -Super fresh and Crispy breading -No air conditioning inside Came after Taste of Chicago around 8:40pm and it was definitely busy but it got crowded once the event ended at 9. Place is relatively small but we got a booth and ordered a 1/4 dark which included a thigh and a drumstick, 1/4 white which included a breast and a wing. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I have been eating Harolds for over 30 years I know Harolds trade mark Products like the back of my hand This location I had 1/2 White yesterday The mild sauce is watered down The lemon pepper is a cheap brand powdery The chicken was overcooked tough I'll go back in 30 days if it's the same or better I'll do another review and let you know. read more

So happy I got a chance to visit Harold's Chicken while in Chicago! The few Harold's locations in my area are good but definitely a different vibe. There was plenty of seating, and I appreciated the no-frills, straight-to-the-point chicken "shack" feel. I ordered a four wing dinner with fries and coleslaw. The food came out hot and fresh. The chicken was flavorful and crispy. The coleslaw was a bit sweet, but still a nice addition. I also ordered a lemonade, which came in a surprisingly generous mini jug... My thirst was beyond quenched. Overall 5/5. read more

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I hears so much about this place. 1. The chicken was seasoned well came hot taste good. 2. I ordered the collards "I didn't come to a restaurant to have canned greens" or frozen what ever they were they weren't what I expected. Taste like straight from the can. 3rd the Mac and cheese was a 4 out of ten not baked Taste like cream Mac and cheese. The service was good needs to be cleaned though food on the floors. I know there has got to be a better place than this. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - I got anyway. - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here because Chance The Rapper talks about how good the chicken is. I can confirm that the chicken is really good! Get the lemon pepper topping on it! The service was quick and organized, even when the lunch rush came in. They have clean indoor seating. Nothing too fancy, but inviting. We saw other people drinking their house lemonades, which come in cute little jugs, and had to order it! read more

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I wanted to try a Chicago staple while visiting, and I was told Harold's had some of the best fried chicken in the city. They had a 2 fish 2 chicken deal for a pretty decent price, and it came with French fries and a slice of white bread. I also got ketchup, hot sauce, and mild sauce. I really enjoyed the catfish! I didn't enjoy the chicken as much because it was a bit stale. You could tell it was sitting out for long. This was my first time trying mild sauce, and it paired really well with both the fish and chicken. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - 2 Fish + 2 Chicken - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Yummy fried food, definitely gotta try at least once if in the Chicago area. Fish had good flavor, not too fishy, it was lightly breaded enough to still be crispy but not over done. Fried chicken is alright, nothing special. Their mild sauce is delicious. The issue is they forgot my hushpuppies and multiple sauces I payed for... read more

Since I'm visiting Chicago I had to visit Harold's Chicken Shack. Service was fast and friendly. I sat down in the casual restaurant and enjoyed my food. I tried the mild and hot sauces. Mike was on the sweeter side and hot has a nice kick. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This was recommended to me by a local and luckily there was one right by hotel! It's pretty solid chicken, I got the tenders with fries and bbq sauce. Fries were okay but I really liked the bbq sauce. The Mac n cheese was a pass for me but the taffy grapes were fun and new! I would say this is a pretty good local fast food place with tons of options for everyone. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Chicken tenders Mac & Cheese taffy grapes - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Harold's delivers exactly what it promises - good, solid fried food and sides that can make you miss home. No, the ambiance isn't upscale. No decent soul food restaurant looks like anything but a dump. This one looks like an outdated fast food outlet. But when the very friendly women at the counter weren't busy helping customers they were cleaning tables. I ordered the fried livers and 2 wings combo with hot sauce. I received an insane amount of food - including an extra wing - so much that there was no way I could finish it all and I didn't even ask for the coleslaw. Everything was well cooked, with the wings being cooked to order. The livers were fried hard but not overcooked or dry. Fried hard is thing in soul food cooking so it shouldn't be unexpected. There was nothing special or not special about the hot sauce. It was sauce that was hot. I don't know what some of the reviewers who didn't like it were expecting. A chicken sandwich with a side of collards got mixed reviews. The sandwich was well liked but the greens were under seasoned. Honestly, the worst thing I can say is that I got so much food that I couldn't finish it all. The value is excellent and the food is good. I'm looking forward to trying the catfish and whiting. Expect a soul food restaurant and you'll be satisfied. Expect an artisanal Instagramable experience and well, you know the rest. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Liver and 2 Wings Combo I don't know why the photo didn't come out but you would have seen a huge amount of food that only cost $12. - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you're wondering why there are no nationally known fried chicken chains in the immediate vicinity, it's probably because Harold's is here. The fried chicken is crisp but not too greasy. The price for a combo such as a 3-piece is quite reasonable. While there are combos and daily specials, I ordered a la carte, because I wanted the collards. Those, unfortunately, were a disappointment. They were a bit overcooked and a bland. I had hoped for some flavor, whether it be vinegar/lemon, or garlic or meat. With my order, I received a very tiny ramekin of coleslaw, maybe enough for 2 bites. That had more flavor than the collards. Bottled and fountain drinks are all behind the counter. It's not a perfect arrangement, but for the chicken, I'll take it! read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - 3 pieces of white meat plus collards. Hot sauce makes the chicken even better. - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hello? Why does this place have such low ratings?!?! I love it here. Service was FAST there was a line but it moved with speed. Great prices and delish chicken. The foot came out hot and fresh and everything was delicious seriously no complaints read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I knew when I spoke to locals and they hyped this place up, I was nervous but I was pleasantly surprised! Place always had people in and out. The chicken was fresh, juicy with some crisp. Fries were great, the staff member who took our order was friendly and helpful and took all her suggestions, especially with the rub and the hot sauce! The lemonades were a nice touch and really enjoyed it. Restaurant was clean, not one of those modern lifeless spots but had some character behind it! read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Chicken wings and chicken tenders - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Was skeptical about trying this Harold because everyone said to go to the ones further on the south side or at least the one right by Wintrust. Went to this location because I saw there was a lot of people trying to get it in late night in there before it closed. I think that is always a good sign that people want it, that matters. It did not look like that much of a tourist spot so i went for it. When I got this food, I was pleasantly surprised, this was the best Harold ms I have had to date, everything was made perfect. The fries are great Fries. And the chicken was seasoned to perfection. My favorite way to do Harold is mixed the male sauce and the hot sauce on top. Great fried chicken option in a city that has unlimited fried chicken options. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Inside - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Their food was recommended while visiting Chicago. We went in the evening. It took about 19 minutes for us to place our to go orders. The customer service was friendly & helpful to us with suggestions for placing our first time orders with them. We waited in the restaurant for about 30-40 minutes for our food. The location was fairly crowded but not super loud or anything. The food was fresh and really good. I enjoyed the fish, chicken, and recommended caramel cake. I would visit the location again. read more

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I ordered from here through DoorDash and it was so hot so fresh, I was actually surprised even the fries were hot. I end up ordering again a second time on the same day. We had the 10 piece wing & fries, a side of catfish, fried okra, and a slice of cake and blue lemonade. I also got the mild and the hot sauce on the side and lemon pepper Sprinkle. It was so good and very filling. seriously two people ate off of all of that food and it was still some left for the next day. read more

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I've only ever ordered for delivery and it's perfect every time. The chicken is crisp and seasoned well, sauces are traditionally delicious. The fries and sides are great and they don't skimp on taste. read more

This seems to be a popular spot in Downtown Chicago that specializes in fried chicken and chicken tenders. They also have desserts, fish, gizzards, nuggets, shrimp and sandwiches. There is metered street parking available in front of the store and in a reasonable walking distance. There is also commercial lots and garages nearby to park as well. The restaurant has an adequate sized dining area with booths and bar seating that overlooks the sidewalk. The decor is very basic. They do have a few televisions playing in the dining area. One of the televisions had sports playing and the other had Fox News on. The restaurant was clean for the most part, but could probably use a bit of updating. The woman working the counter was very friendly and helpful. She was awesome. I ordered the 5 wing lunch special which came with fries. You can get your sauce on the side or on top when you order wings. I got the hot sauce on top, which it was not only put on the wings, but also over the fries. I saw that they had these little lemonades in a jug and decided to get one of those to go with my meal. It took about 10 minutes for them to prepare my meal. It was fresh and hot. It was delicious and crispy. Very flavorful. It lived up to its hype. The lemonade was refreshing too. I really liked my meal here. It was very tasty and filling. I highly recommend checking this spot out read more

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Our stop was due to both the location being very close to our hotel and lots of reviews saying it was a good place for food. Each plate is loaded with food so if you're not too hungry I would recommend sharing a plate with someone else. We waited about 15-20 minutes for our food which wasn't bad. Our order was correct and we did not experience any issues. I liked the food and didn't have any complaints. I would visit again in the area. read more

Harold on 53 Kimbark plaza was a really good Harold shop but now the taste recipe is different and their prices are so expensive. I love Harold I just wish this location would go back to the past good taste and good service. People will pay for good food. read more

The chicken was fresh out the oil but there was no flavor there. It's just dipped in oil and topped with mild sauce lol. The customer service wasn't friendly we told her we never had Harold's what did she recommend and she wasn't helpful. The juice in the little jugs is so cute but extremely sugary. Like a kool aid vibe. Won't be back but it was worth a try... read more

Great service. Great chicken. Ok wait time for food. Gave me extra sauce so that cancels out.

First time coming here and I will def be back! The costumer service was great and the food was hot, fresh and delicious! It's small inside but I didn't have a problem finding a seat. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - 6 piece wings - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was still hungry after getting a couple dogs from devil Dawgs nearby. I stopped by and got a 4 piece dark meat dinner with mild and hot sauce. I enjoyed it at my hotel room. I guess this is Chi-town version of crown fried or Kennedy fried Chicken. The neighborhood here is safe and I didn't need to clutch my pearls. The chicken was fresh, the bread was not needed. and the fries were just okay. Credit card accepted. dine in option is available. I may have to get another dinner or bucket before I leave read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - $12 for 2 drum sticks and 2 thighs. mild and hot sauce - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Theres a few raggedy Harold's locations - this is NOT one of them. Always solid and fresh! Only complaint: switch to a coated French Fry, the fries are almost always sad. read more

This is a Chicago institution. Had to try it out. They say the one on 87th is the best, but this one was near our hotel. It did not disappoint. My hubby got the wings. I got the tenders. After I ordered, he said people get the wings... Now you tell me. lol The flavor and breading on the tenders was delicious. But they were a little overcooked. That's why the 4 stars. I should have gotten the wings. I will say that the tenders were huge though. I also LOVED the mild sauce, cole slaw and fries. I plan to buy some sauce to take home. They sell it by the bottle. read more

I loved their fried chicken and crispy fries! I also tried my friends pizza puff and it was amazing! The young lady that took my order was very nice and helpful. The restaurant looked a little old and not to clean, but it didn't matter because the food was worth it! read more

Got the $15 dark chicken bucket. Wait time is ard 15mins to get the to-go order. Restaurant is not upscale but it's clean and has enough seats if you would like to dine in. Solid fried chicken, seasoning is alright. read more

Ouchy this place needs a makeover. Can't imagine anyone really having an appetite with the griminess. For its reputation, I thought Harold's would've been a little more put together :/ My coworker and I stopped by for late lunch. Storefront is worn as hell, inside not better by much. Upon entry, there's a strong grease + cigarette smoke scent. Booths are torn tf up and floor is filthy. What kinda war was waged in here???? MAC BOWL W/SHRIMP: Actually really good. Plenty of fried shrimp, good ratio of mac to protein. Being that I microwaved this back at my hotel, it wasn't as good as it could've been, but I give points for potential. Could use more pepper. CHICKEN SANDWICH: I think Popeye's is better... That's all I have to say. My coworker said as much about her wings. We'll stick to other chicken chains. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Chicken Sandwich - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is actually sooo good! By far the best wings in the city! I placed a pick up order and it was ready right on time! Service was great they even threw in extra sauce for me! I got the wing dinner with mild on it and hot on the side. The sauce is really what makes it! Such a good flavor. And the wings are huge!! Only thing is my fries were really soggy from being in the same box with the wings and were covered with sauce. I can't wait to come back! read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Wing Dinner - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was lunchtime and I was staying nearby and fried chicken sounded good to me. Harold's is a counter service restaurant with a low scale interior with booth and table seating. I ordered the 1/2 mix dinner ($13) that comes with fries, bread and cole slaw or that's what it says in the menu board. I found out that you have to ask for the slaw to actually get it. I added a canned drink ($2) since they don't have a soda fountain. The food was ready in about 10 minutes. The bird and fries were hot and fresh and the slaw cool just like it should be. The chicken pieces were large with a medium batter and tasted good. Ditto on the fries and the slaw was creamy and made me glad I asked for it. All in all it was a good tasting and filling meal (3.5) Also, with tax my meal was a little over $16 which represented good value. My only complaint was a $1.20 service charge for using a credit card without any signage saying that was their policy. For the food and drink that represented about an 8% up charge which is quite high. For that reason I round down to an overall Yelp score of 3. read more

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This was my first time trying Harold's chicken. I needed to know what all the hype was about. The menu had many options for how to order your chicken. They also had some miscellaneous food items on there and desserts. My order was for seven wings and fries with an order of extra fries. The lady who took my order was nice. There were two people ahead of me so I expected to wait a bit for the order. I did feel like I waited a very long time. I guess each order is made to order so not mad about it. I didn't open the bag before I left. That was a mistake. The extra order of fries was not in the bag. Nonetheless the chicken tastes great and the fries were good. It also came with two slices of bread. The restaurant was also pretty clean from what I could see. read more

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Walking around Chicago saw Harold's Chicken went inside lady taking orders was friendly courtesy. Restaurant was clean tables were clean food must be good people were coming in and ordering food. We order chicken wings & Catfish it came with fries when we received are food was hot and delicious I would definitely try this place again. read more

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The food was quite terrible, one of my worst experiences at a restaurants. My friend recommended that I go here. I ordered the 6 pc tender with fries and mac n cheese. Everything was completely BLAND. The Mac n cheese was very dry and was void of cheese and flavor. Very disappointing. The chicken, even though I got lemon pepper seasoning on it, was still flavorless. I might as well have not got any seasoning on it. Then they sent out a regular piece of bread. I'm used to a piece of Texas toast but not just a Sara Lee slice. The fries were the best part of the meal and they were just regular everyday fries. Even the hot sauce couldn't save it. Also two people got their orders before me and they were simple small orders it was bigger than mine. Terrible experience. read more

It is a very good spot for if you're craving some fried chicken! Food was ready quickly, the person at counter was attentive. This place is super affordable and food is delicious. I definitely prefer Harold's over KFC for fried chicken in Chicago. They do not have dine in option here, it's best to order in. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Counter - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So my friend said we definitely had to come here so that is what we did. This location was perfect! Right across the street from our hotel. It reminded me so much of JJ's Fish and Chicken but without the fish. I ordered the 3 wing meal which is supposed to come with fries, toast, and Cole slaw. The lady that took our order asked how I wanted my wings and provided the sauces they have. I was skeptical because she did not mention lemon pepper although they sold lemon pepper seasoning. So I got mild sauce on the sauce on the side and it was sooo good, I dipped my fries in it. The only issues were we did not get our cole slaw with our meal and I attempted to use the bathroom...or what I thought was a bathroom, because the doors are not marked, but all the doors were looked. I will definitely be back. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - 3 piece wing meal. The mild sauce was bangin!!! - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was partially decent but yall need to leave the mac n cheese to the grandmas that know what they doing....my ppl know what Im talkn about...mac n cheese was horrible I'm like wtf is this...ugh wasted money....never again...Ill get fries if I ever get back there again read more

Meh, not really sure what the hype is about this place. Both of the sauce options tasted like regular hot sauce to me and the wings were like wings from crown Fried (NY) or a corner Chinese spot. The fried okra was inedible it tasted stale. 3 stars because let's be honest, Its no capital grille, but for what it is I suppose this would be a solid spot for a quick fix on chicken or drunk night eats. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Wings fried Okra - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was my first time in the chi so I had to stop by Harold's to see if the chicken lived up to the hype. It definitely did! I got a 5 piece chicken wing meal and the wings were super crispy! I ordered my food and it came out fresh in no time. The meal also came with a side of fries and slaw and each was delicious as well. The price point was worth the portion size and taste of the food, so I would definitely recommend checking on Harolds whenever you're in Chi- town. read more

Harold's Chicken Shack - Outside entrance - Chicken Wings Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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5 piece with lemon pepper and mild sauce on the side!!! Service is always fast and polite Definitely recommend but i prefer the one in the south side "lol" read more