FLAVOR (5/5): Juicy chicken, flavorful and well balanced. The slaw, the bread, it all complimented each other beautifully. The chicken I ordered in medium was barely spicy at all. Less spicy than a bag of hot Cheetos. Dare to go higher on the scale INSTAGRAM WORTHY (5/5): A recognizable company, brand, and experience. I mean look how thick the sandwiches are. They even have self branded water bottles. I mean come on!! SERVICE (5/5): Above and beyond. We drove all the way from the Bay to try this place. We didn't realize they are doing orders through Postmates only, no take out. The server saw we looked confused, and helped us out. Gave us pointers on how to get discounts on Postmates. When we met up with our Postmates we went back to ask for forks and waters. He gave us free water bottles! He apologized a lot for all the inconvenience which showed how professional he was. Usually I would be really annoyed with the fees and extended wait time from ordering off a delivery app, but the server that helped us made up for the experience. You need a raise my man! TAKEAWAYS: Worth trying, definitely worth the hype. One of the top 3 hot chicken sandwiches I've had! Order ahead of time on Postmates to avoid the wait. Wish they did validation for parking! read more

Howlin' Ray's - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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If you have been dying to try howlin then now is your time! They are currently doing delivery only so you have to order through Postmates. I ordered and had the delivery person bring it to my car around the corner. It is safe to say that Howlin rays has set my expectation for all chicken sandwiches out there. My brother and I got the med and the hot sandwich and both were good. We love spicy food so hot was pretty satisfying but if you want to keep tasting your food then stick to medium. The first bite into the sandwich was so satisfying. The chicken was perfectly juicy with the right amount of seasoning. The slaw and pickles helped with giving it a nice crunch y factor as well as more flavor! The bread was good! I liked that it was not soggy. This was the best chicken sandwich that I have ever had. If you have not had it yet then you're definitely missing out! Go and get one nowww.! read more

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After hearing all of the hype, I finally had the time to venture out here to give Howlin' Ray's a try. It was so bomb and totally worth it! PARKING: I was able to find metered street parking that was good for up to 1.5 hr. There is also a few private paid parking lots nearby. If you come here when they are still doing covid, other reviews mentioned parking at a gas station and having your postmates delivered there to avoid paying for metered spots. COVID-RELATED: What sucks is they're ONLY doing postmates. Although my husband and I were physically there, they were not taking any orders. We had to order through postmates. Kind of lame, but I guess this is understandable to limit the contact and risk of exposure for their employees. THE SANDO: This iconic sandwich comes with a boneless fried chicken breast, slaw, comeback sauce, pickles, and butter bun. I wasn't sure if this always comes in pieces or if that's just how it's packaged for Covid, but I had to add the pickles, slaw, and sauce into the burger. It was scrumptious! I got it in MILD which was perfect! TENDERS: This order comes with 4 tenders and I decided to try this in MEDIUM, which is definitely the type of kick where you feel like you need to drink water but manageable. Might stick with mild for my personal preference. This also already comes with a side of the comeback sauce. I didn't know and accidentally ordered one. read more

Howlin' Ray's - The Sando (mild). - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Quite clear that the consensus is that the addicting red seasoning paste here makes this chicken sandwich the hottest in town. The fragrant skin soaked with jaw-wrenching dried peppers batter makes me savor every bite into the Howlin' Hot sandwich. But what led me to finally taste the juicy, huge pieces was an incredible act of philanthropy from the good folks behind Howlin' Ray's. Tess from this insanely popular restaurant got in contact with our organization working textphone banks to engage Asian Americans for the recent election. Tess graciously supported our cause, and the Howlin' team donated a feast of addicting chicken sandwiches for all our volunteers! Even opening a second store in Pasadena in the midst of a pandemic, the top-notch team behind this buzzing kitchen stayed positively passionate about giving back to their community as much as they are obsessed with serving the best quality ingredients that you deserve. All this made my first bite ever more delicious! read more

Howlin' Ray's - Thank you, Tess from Howlin' Ray's! - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Great food, and excellent customer service as well! Workers were friendly and food was fresh and tasted excellent. Would definitely recommend and come back here! read more

I'm not into the spicy fried chicken sandwiches but one is a must try! Staff are super friendly, they go out if their was to get to know you. It's only to go orders the inside of restaurant is closed. It's located in a shopping center, the lines are long so come with patience. Like a said, I'm not sure fried chicken but it's pretty good read more

Howlin' Ray's - The sando no slaw - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

First time here was a blast. I'm a big spicy food eater and I try to order the spiciest food I can whenever I go to a new restaurant just for the thrill of it, but after reading the reviews and how everyone was saying how "howling" was unbearable/devastating, I got scared and went with the "Xtra-Spicy." The xtra spicy level wasn't as hot, and I ate it with ease. A member of the staff came out and noticed how comfortable I was, so he gave me a free thigh in the spiciest flavor they had, "The Howlin'." Now that was pretty spicy, but tolerable. Overall the food was delicious and the staff are so friendly. read more

Howlin' Ray's - Xtra spicy level - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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This was easily the BEST chicken sandwich I've ever had. The flavor is off the charts. The staff is so friendly and the cashier went out of his way to help us. He even offered us a free tender because I wanted to try the tenders but he recommended the sandwich for first time customers. He also let my fiancé' try the spicy before ordering to see if it was too much spice. If you are in LA, Howlin' Ray's is a must. read more

Love it Sandwich taste great even with the heat Try Howlin if you can lol. I survived it but Medium Plau and Hot are perfect if you like the heat. read more

Howlin' Ray's - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Best fried chicken in town and amazing service. I always get the Sando (medium hot) with their fries. The chicken is perfectly crispy and the sandwich comes with slaw inside and pickles on the side. Their shake fries are also good! The chicken and waffles are only available in the Pasadena location for now, so hoping I get to try that on my next visit! Went on a Saturday for lunch at around 11:45 and waited close to 20-30 min in line. Howlin Rays is only available on Postmates if you want to skip the line and order for delivery/pick up. I had a friend visiting from London who wanted to try Howlin Rays and was definitely not disappointed! Special shout-out to Mathew and Lee (fellow Brit) for the amazing service and great vibes! read more

I've never had the patience to wait for this, and being in OC meant that I never get to experience this. Luckily for me, I got an order brought to me. I warmed everything back up in my air fryer and sat down to enjoy with a friend. It looked very spicy but labeled "medium". It was indeed medium heat. But what really slapped me in the face was how salty it was. We ended up only eating the chicken and cut away the exterior. The chicken itself was very flavorful. The "salt" was all the way in the chicken and that part of it was tasty. The chicken wasn't dry either. But eating it with the coating was excruciatingly salty, and in the end, neither my friend, nor I, could finish it. The accompanying fries were delicious though. I hope this was a fluke and that whoever was cooking that day was simply overhanded in salting. But the chicken we got was barely edible, with the coating intact. read more

In particular, if you miss the collard greens you are DOING IT WRONG! i don't care if you like vegetables or not, its basically liquid bacon fused with liquid wtf am i eating. Anyone who tries to dis this place is on one. Top tier food and its really hard to find anything wrong. If im being as harsh as possible, the mac n cheese could improve a little and the sides are pretty small for the price, especially because they were bigger before. But i make a point of not splitting hairs over price. I think everything should cost more, the issue is people being poor in the first place. The honey mustard has horse raddish, stellar. The howlin flavor is on point and definitely beats all the other reaper chicken spots I've tried by a mile. The hot flavor is still my favorite. theres a sort of mushroom umami that is super addictive and hard to notice, but after eating it a ton now i know what it is. The secret to this place is that its just a huge stel above everything else out there at this price. Johnny is a genius with tons of experience and it shows in everything. If i tried to say whats better about Humble Bird its mostly the location, low key vibes, and the comeback sauce. Humble Bird has different crispier breading but there's no way to compete with Johnny's shake, its just more advanced period. Especially considering the collared greens, its absurd to say any restaurant is better than this in this price point and style. I like rice and asian food more, mostly because of how it hits my gut, but its impossible to say I've had food better than Howlin, tie is the best i can find. read more

Classic Fried Chicken Sandwich! Since they are only open for delivery, my friend and I decided to drive to Chinatown and order delivery to our car. The Sando (4/5) - In all honesty, many people have raved about Howlin' Rays and their chicken sandwich, but I found that it was just "good" and simply did not live up to the hype because I didn't find anything special about it. The breading didn't surprise me in any way and I didn't taste any flavors that made it insanely good. In my opinion, this sandwich is $12 and it's not much better than a chicken sandwich that you could get for $4-5. Chicken Wings (4.5/5) - Nice flavors. I enjoyed this a little more than the Sando. Macaroni Salad (4/5) - Good. Nothing special. Not really worth the money. I might give Howlin' Rays another shot and I'd encourage others to try it since it's so popular but overall, I think my expectations were too high. read more

Howlin' Ray's - The Sando (4/5) - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The best hot chicken you can find in LA, and arguably anywhere. Do not mess around with the spice levels as they are extremely accurate and not to be played with if you are wanting to really enjoy your food! For how busy the place is the employees are always an absolute pleasure to deal with and handle it all with such grace and great customer service! You will not be disappointed! read more

We came on a late Sunday night, right before their last 2025 service, and the line was pretty long for a fast food spot. We ended up waiting around 45 minutes to order and then waited 5 minutes for our food to come afterward. For $13, the chicken sandwich is massive and easily filled me up. The chicken was really crispy and well seasoned, and personally, I like their slaw more than Dave's Hot Chicken's slaw. Because they were selling out, I couldn't taste any samples and ended up listening to the cashier's advice (who told me their hot was similar to a Dave's Reaper) and ordered a hot--while spicy, it was probably only a step above Dave's extra spicy spice level and not close to the Dave's Reaper. I was able to eat the entire sandwich here without drinking anything, but the Dave's Reaper put me in the fetal position for 3 hours. I also ordered their fries, which were pillowy and crispy, and banana pudding, which tasted like a banana Laffy Taffy, but neither were really my preferred tastes. Overall, the taste was good, but not worth the long wait. I would wait 15 minutes, but not any more. read more

Chicken is by far, the best of all the chicken restaurants; nicely seasoned and crisp. Their collard greens are really good and again, the way that they seasoned them made them stand out from other places. Outstanding. Their fries are in my top five and their chicken and waffles are the best in town (Yep, I said it). Stephen, the manager and his co-manager, Julian were top-rate--made us feel like their favorite customers, and this was our first time here. We went to the Howling Rays on Arroyo in Pasadena, California. It's now one o our favorite places to go. Great vibe, too--the music, the staff--all terrific. Five stars. --Nzondi, Bram Stoker Award-winning author and rock recording artist. read more

I've been hyping this place up for my girlfriend for the past months. Everytime she takes me somewhere with a Nashville-style chicken sandwich. I told her I'd have better at Howlin' Ray's and it would remain to be the best I've ever had. It took me months before I took her here, because last time I was here. I remember having to wait in a super long line but today was the day. I finally built enough courage to take her here regardless of the obstacles. We arrived around 10AM on Saturday. Surprisingly, there is plenty of street parking. If you can't find a street parking. There are public parking lots and it's only $5 flat rate. This is the first time for me that I didn't have to wait in a long line. In fact, there was no line at all! Howlin' Ray's is not only known for their chicken sandwich. But they are also known for their service. The staff was nice and the food came out really quickly. I ordered Sando mild and wings mild. Only mild today because I am getting too old to handle spicy food. However, medium spicy is still my favorite. I tried howling++ in the past with my friend who did the challenge....oh man.....would never do it again. Sando: one of my favorite things about Howlin' is their flavor. It's different from other chicken places in a good way. Well rounded flavor. It's spicy, tangy, and with a hint of sweetness. It only takes one bite to know this is the best Nashville style chicken sandwich I've ever had in my life. Light soft bun, creamy slaw combined with perfectly fried chicken. Crispy skin with juicy meat, every single bite was perfect. Drizzle a little bit of come back sauce....you bet I will forsure be back. Wings: same as the sando. The chicken was easy to pull apart. The crispy skin was packed with seasoning. The meat was juicy. I recommend you to order extra come back sauce with this also. The hype was real. This place has a special place in my heart. Will be back whenever I have a chance! read more

Howlin' Ray's - Sando - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Came her a couple of months ago and ordered the chicken sandwich and fried chicken. The chicken sandwich was good, but not mind blowing. The fried chicken was tender and juicy, and full of flavor! If we are around the area and the line isn't long, we would def swing by. read more

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Just another 5 star review to add to the collection. This one is well deserved, both for service and quality/taste. During COVID: for the time being only Postmates delivery is available. They're working towards pickup. I was ordering a big order via Postmates and went through checkout but order was cancelled for some reason. Tried multiple times to re-order and when finally did, it sent incorrect order of all country sandos. I didn't realize until after receiving order. Postmates app ordering is horrible! The country sando was still really good for a regular non spicy sandwich. Huge piece of chicken. I corresponded with the Howlin team and they found out what happened and let Postmates know. The communication/service was definitely appreciated and thanked. You don't find this at many businesses nowadays. I made another order to get the hot sando and was worth the wait. The hot had a good kick to it. Not sweat and crying heat but nice heat for spice lovers. Will try the next level up. Closed Sundays and Mondays read more

Howlin' Ray's - Spice level hot - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Cool vibe, awesome service and that is just the start. Mouth watering Sando sandwich, explosive flavor fries. Yummy air crispy waffle. WOW...A HUGE SHOUT out to LEE for taking so good care of us and everyone that comes in. Come and get yours!!! read more

Howlin' Ray's - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Service was fantastic!! The crew members are the best. The wings are always on point, juicy, crispy and flavorful. All the sides are good but the macaroni salad is my favorite. read more

Food: - this is probably the best hot chicken sandwich I've been to. We even came back for seconds on the second day. Portions are huge, chicken is juicy & seasoned so well. Even had the sandwich as leftovers two days later and it was still bomb. Luis style sando has cheese and toast. However, I prefer the original sando because the bread holds the chicken perfectly. Can't comment on service & ambiance because we ordered to go both times! read more

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Today was my husband's and I first time trying out this place! I heard about this place a few times and was told that it is the best fried chicken spot ever, so sure enough my husband and I tried it out today! I got the chicken and waffles which I chose three tenders to go with my waffle. My husband got the sando. We also got Mario fries on the side however we were so full with the sandwich, chicken tenders and waffles that we did not even get to the Mario fries! We waited about 15 minutes to order and got our food about 10 minutes after. Of course since it was a Saturday, it was busier than usual, which is expected & well worth the wait. A big shout out to Charlie. His customer service was awesome. He made sure that our table was clean before we sat and he was so sweet to check in on us from time to time to make sure everything was good! Customer service overall at this place was excellent. Dining is outside & it was clean. Overall 10/10! read more

The lady taking the order was very kind and warned me about the spice level and it's a good thing she did. I was going to order HOT, went with medium and should have went with original lol. Wonderful, kind and friendly staff. Food came out piping hot and the shake fries are the bomb, great flavor, fresh and crunchy. My son's was so spicy hot they gave him gloves and he loved every bite. Wish there was one in Oregon. read more

In all my years of living in LA, I had never been to Howlin' Ray's because of the crazy line. Weirdly enough, the pandemic made finally trying their famed sandwiches easy. My friends and I made the trek over from Orange County on a Saturday morning, parked a block away from the restaurant in Chinatown, and ordered delivery via Postmates to our car. I have never scarfed down a sandwich so quickly! Howlin' Ray's definitely lives up to the hype. The hefty chicken was so juicy and flavorful, the pickles and slaw perfectly offset the spice on the chicken, and the bun was incredible. I got the medium plus, which definitely had a nice kick, but I might even venture to try the next spice level up the next time I go. My friends swear their wings are better than their sandwiches, but I didn't get a chance to try one. Will 100% be returning! read more

Howlin' Ray's - The Sando - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I've been to Howlin' Rays a few times and I've never been disappointed. The staff is very very friendly, and they truly stand by their quality. I got very excited seeing they have a new banana pudding and we ran there. The line is still long before closing, but they still serve the same quality, fresh hot chicken. However, they do run out of wings and some other items before closing. There's some seating outside, but many will still sit on the benches to eat. Overall, still the best hot chicken in LA and Ave come out of my way to get it many times, and still will! read more

Howlin' Ray's - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

My last review was about 3 years ago, let's do a COVID edition! Howlin' Rays is a shared experience. Every time I order it, I always to order it for my family or I eat it with my friends. My grandpa is always excited when I tell him I'm ordering chicken and he would sit by the door and wait for me to come home with the chicken. No lie. Since COVID, I've ordered it for delivery from Postmates and the chicken is honestly still as good pre-pandemic and now I don't need to wait 2+ hours for it! My go to order is always the dark quarter with a side of mac salad. Since the menu is limited at this time, my current go to order is mild wings :). It always hits the spot and I love ordering it after getting back from work. read more

Howlin' Ray's - Friday night take out - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I miss howlin' Rays so much So delicious I didn't even take a photo Love love love the customer service here and the energy is great. The different levels is important I would go with their recommendations in spicy ness The fries omg the fries are bomb Over all 5 stars read more

Howlin' Ray's - First time I was in love with this place - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Ow yea finally Howlin' Rays. Postmates delivered in like 20 min during dinnertime. Insane! We got the Sando and the Wings. Definitely liked the Sando better because the chicken piece is thick! Blessings from quarantine. read more

Howlin' Ray's - Quarantine Flex: Chicken Sando - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I'm a sucker for spicy fried chicken! This is arguably the best hot chicken I've ever had. The spices they used to flavor the chicken are out of this world and leaves me wanting more! The line for the LA location is crazy long but rightfully so and so worth the wait! Good thing they offer delivery now. I normally get the mild spice and it is still a little too spicy for me but I love it! Both the chicken itself and the sandwich are amazing! read more

Howlin' Ray's - Chicken Sandwich - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I've been wanting to check out Howlin Ray's, and I'm so glad I got to try it out today! We went around 4pm on a Sunday (I checked Google Maps before we headed over, which let me know it wasn't much of a wait at the time!), and I am so blissfully content now. We split an order of medium spicy tenders with a side of fries and coleslaw, and it was perfect for us. My partner had complaints about me getting one order instead of two...until he saw the tenders, that is! They're way bigger than I expected, and definitely more chicken than breading! The seasoning was just spicy enough and super flavorful, while the breading was crunchy and the chicken was tender and juicy. The vinegar coleslaw made me question why mayo in coleslaw is even a thing because this was so refreshing and such a perfect pairing with the hot chicken. Finally, the fries. Oh my gosh, the seasoned crinkle cut fries... my partner asked how they even get them this crispy... they were so perfectly seasoned that we didn't even think about the ketchup because they were GONE in a flash. I'm normally a shoestring fry person, but this made me reconsider. Definitely visit Howlin Ray's! Note: At a quick glance, parking did seem a little difficult here, though there is some street parking and a paid lot nearby. I just hopped out to quickly order and get our food while my partner made another lap and waited for me since we were getting it to-go. read more

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One of the best chicken sandwiches i've ever had. The workers were very polite and had some of the best customer service i've ever seen. I wish the store was bigger or there was more area to sit. read more

Howlin' Ray's - Sando - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I was super excited to check out Howlin' Ray's one of the last few spots that serve hot chicken that I've been wanting to try. First of all amazing amazing amazing customer service, they walk you through everything so well. I went with the chicken & waffles - since it was only served on the weekend I figured why not, and I paired that with a side of fries & Mac & cheese. And a side of their special sauce & honey mustard. All of this for $30 bucks. I opted for the chicken tenders with my waffles - and the chicken itself was amazing I got medium+, thank you to the cashier for putting me on the secret heat level because I was contemplating between medium & hot and it was amazing. The waffles tasted like cheap hotel self serve making waffles I did not enjoy. The fries were kinda all crunch, there was no potato on the inside. And the Mac and cheese needed a lot more seasoning. No inside seating l, outside vibes for the ambiance. Overall I would give this place a solid 3.5/5 because the chicken is go good. I will also be back to try the sando. read more

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MUST GO. if you're in LA, you cannot miss out on this. include it in your itinerary some way some how, it is so worth it. Best chicken sandwich ive ever had, better than Chick Fil A. Service is AMAZING, nicest crew ever. And the location is interestingly in a small chinatown shopping center. Lines get long so get there early!!! read more

Delicious, crunchy, multiple flavors when taking a bite That makes you want more! The wait can be pretty long. Service is fast and easy. Plenty of space where to sit and eat. read more

The food was great. Flavorful and juicy. I visited on a Saturday evening so there was a bit of a line but it was worth the wait. And awesome service, the employees were super sweet :)! read more

Howlin' Ray's - Sando 2.0 - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Service is amazing!! I went on a weekday so the line to order wasn't long. The service was great and the lady who took my order was friendly and was thorough on the food selection, choices. The hot chicken sandwich was one of the best chicken sandwiches I've ever had. I would definitely come back again. I also got tenders at the "hot" level and that was really hot for someone like myself who eats hot food all the time. read more

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Best chicken sandwich but when you buy take out make sure it's all complete because they just forget to put our banana pudding which they said it's really good and we did not know until we went home and it's in China town the location we got it from. Long lines that's why we are curious and people said it's good chicken sandwich. Better than Dave's hot chicken and chic fillet. read more

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Yoooo....First off... GAHHHH DAMN! This ish right here y'all ...! Like I promise, this should be a baseline for all hot chicken lovers. The hot is friggin hot, like I'm sweating eating this chicken yo! Medium spice was perfect for me, but I mean like why not get both so you can feel the burn amirite? They're delivering on Postmates right now, so I'm super duper thrilled about not waiting in a two to three hour line. But best believe that I'm waiting for opening time by the second to order. Follow them on social media to stay up to date. If you want to try Dave's hot chicken, awesome! But make sure you give howling rays a howl!!!! read more

It's been a while since I had a Howlin' Ray's Chicken Sando. Quite recently they came up in casual conversation and I decided I should try it again. Lucky for me, the opportunity came up shortly after and I jumped on it! When I opened my Howlin' Box, I was happy with the size and thickness of the chicken. It was well seasoned, crispy and the mild was just right this time around. Definitely got me sweating but I was happy with the slight heat. I really loved how the chicken wasn't dry, and that it was bursting with flavor with every bite! My experience on the toilet this time around was also way better. Not sure what that means... but it's best not to think too much about it. Will probably find my way to Howlin' for another Sando in the near future after my most recent experience. Much more enjoyable! read more

Howlin' Ray's - Look at that juicy piece of meat! - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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