Things finally lined up where I could give this place a try and have nothing negative to say about it. The chicken was good, the okra was good, it was affordable, and my belly was happy. Having nothing negative to say doesn't mean there isn't bad news. The bad news, this chicken is definitely not revolutionary as so many people seem to say or think it is. It tastes nearly identical to Harold's Chicken. This is not a bad thing. Think of it as an expansion of Chicago having yet another impressive place to get fried chicken. A place locally owned and operated. read more

I love Marlon's.! . Yet to have a bad experience!!!! The wait is worth it!! And it's always a hit at the family gatherings!

This was some of the crispiest fried chicken I've ever had. It was juicy, seasoned perfectly, and piping hot. We did have to wait almost an hour for the food to come out, which was not ideal, but maybe that just made the crispiness of the chicken even more satisfying. We also got a bunch of sides-- out of everything, the coleslaw stood out; the fries, okra, and onion rings were just okay. In total, it was a huge amount of food shared between 4 people and it ended up costing just ~$9 per person (they also definitely gave us more than the 16 pieces of chicken we ordered!) There are only 2 tables inside, so most people do takeout, but we dined in and it was quiet and chill. Overall a solid, very affordable spot for fresh, super crispy fried chicken, if you're willing to wait. read more

Marlon's Chicken - 16 piece lemon pepper chicken, fries, coleslaw, okra, onion rings - Chicken Shop Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very good fried chicken wings!! Nice and crispy not to salty, fries where on point! Will go back!!!!

4 1/2 stars cause NOTHINS perfect. But their chicken is so close. Bring "cash", they don't take cards Enjoy read more

This establishment is basically an old-fashioned carryout with limited space to eat in and/or wait for an order. The chicken is freshly cooked, crispy, juicy and seasoned just right! One can call in their order to avoid waiting for about twenty minutes in the restaurant. The staff is pleasant, patient and informative. Prices are reasonable. This place is basically known by those who live in them immediate neighborhood. WARNING: This is a cash only restaurant. read more

Look out Harold's! Your cousin Marlon is doin it and doin it well! Made to order, the chicken is hot crispy and juicy. Absolutely as good as Harold's and better than most locations! read more

hot and fresh ! 30 min wait is a bummer but it's Gooooood when you get it! Definitely a repeat customer! call it in and 30 min later your order is waiting! read more

The food is good but the customer service is HORRIBLE! I frequent this place a lot. Today's visit was belittling and distasteful. First i get there to get my order and the girl tells me she don't take change and she has the right bit to serve me. I go get solid money because I want the damn chicken... get back and is served likewarm chicken. I asked can I have it fresh (any other time it's piping) hot. The cook says he just cooked it with the other chicken. Mind you chicken and fries was just sitting g in the basket from the first time I tried to get my food. I asked for owner or manager info again (the first time the girl said there was no number for him and he wasn't there) now he says he's the owner and he was just gonna give me my money back. I asked if I could talk to him (that was the fat girl in me, I still wanted my chicken) He said no. He didn't want to talk about the quality of my food, didn't care if I was a repeat customer that has sent business his way over and over again. I'll just fry my own. Sir your customers are the reason you're in business. As much as I love their chicken I won't be back...I'll just go to Harold's where I heard they stole the recipe from anyways. read more

Called several times over an hour. No answer. Area too dangerous to wait for carry out. Good chicken when you can get it

Fresh food.. Order to serve. Clean place. I had never heard about this place until recently when my brother recommended. Good choice

Best chicken in the city! Always fresh. Great service. Anytime I'm south I stop here.

Never disappointed! It was ready when I arrived and it was made just like I like it. I called in and it was prepared the way I requested it.

Look... if you like chicken in the hood, this is the place for you. If you call in, your order will be ready when you get there. It will be hot and your will enjoy your meal. Their prices are good. They only take cash. Don't be scared! Get you some Marlon's. read more

The south sides best kept secret. Remember how Harolds used to taste in the 70's and 80's? Marlon's is the best fried chicken in Chicago in my opinion. Might be the best I've ever had. Always hot, fresh and seasoned to perfection. read more

Marlon the person is a very nice person and a member of community and well liked by all. Now if you piss off with Harold's chicken and want Harold's anyway go too Marlon's... Marlon's worked for Harold's dam near 30yr, according to him. If you noticed the recipes are the same the chicken smells and taste the same.. I highly recommend Marlon and because he a staple of the community and deserves our support... **has anybody beside myself noticed restaurants are opening and closing within a year but this guy is still here serving good chicken. My hat is off too this establishment Stephan MooreSr. read more

EVERYTHING!! Food always fresh & good!! Never a miss!! Ten times out of ten!!! 30mins worth the wait read more

Marlon's Chicken - Chicken sandwich - Chicken Shop Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Marlon's never disappoints. Fresh, hot, delicious chicken. Best kept secret for Southside chicken shack. Hands down my opinion better than Harold's! read more

It is ridiculous when you are trying to place an order over the phone and because the person that answers the phone doesn't want to do their job and have you on hold for 15 minutes is asinine. The customer service is substandard and even though the chicken is good they have lost me as a customer. read more

Asked 4 lemon pepper, and was given 5tblspn on it servers unmasked handling food! Never will come back! read more

See all

A hidden gem in the neighborhood. Chicken is typically good just depends on the cook.

Marlon's is a hit each and every time! Expect to wait at least 20 minutes, as the food is prepared to order. Typically, I get the chicken tenders and fries, which are my favorite. But, I must say the wings are amazing as well! The batter is very unique, the only way I can describe it as "fluffy" and crunchy, it all equals delicious! read more

Marlon's Chicken - Chicken Tenders - Chicken Shop Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Just recently moved from Chicago a few months ago and came home to heaven! if there is a young guy with braces back there cooking then order as much as you can!He is the glue that holds Marlon's together because if anybody else is back there frying chicken you may as well eat the feathered wings from harold's! Cash only restaurant And the prices seem to have increased but at least the portions I still good and it looks like they seem to give you enough fries now as well read more

Best chicken spot in the whole Chicago. Hidden gem. Food always fresh and good. Could damn near eat this everyday. Best chicken in the world. read more

I visited Marlon's Chicken INC in July 2019. This restaurant is located in the hood, and there is minimal street parking. The inside of the restaurant is clean, but needs major updates because it looks very raggedy. There were a few small tables to sit at, so this is definitely not a place that you can dine in at. The positives were that the chicken tasted very good. It was prepared well, and it was covered in an adequate amount of mild sauce. They could have given me more fries though. The Coleslaw tasted slimy, so I didn't like it. The customer service was ok this day. Ok those are the only positives. The negatives are that they prepare food extremely slow! They took the order over the phone with no problems. It took 25 minutes to prepare two orders with 6 wings and fries. There were zero customers at 7pm on a Saturday so it should not take this long to cook that order. The two 6-piece dinner cost around 17 dollars. They do not accept credit or debit cards, and that is extremely inconvenient. Overall, good food! Unfortunately, they will lose stars due to the lack of ambiance, slow food preparation, and the inability to use credit cards. read more

See all

I order from here every time I'm in the area. When I called to order today, I asked for sauce on my fries only. The lady argued with me about it stating "we're not chefs, but I'll see what I could do". What does being a chef have to do with putting sauce only on my fries? read more

the chicken was ok not what it was hyped to be I drove all the way over there for nothing really

When you're on hold for over 8min because your employee's don't want to take any phone orders,they place you on hold and walk away from the phone. Hanging up after holding for 9:36. Piss poor customer service! But usually the chicken is delicious. read more

Marlon's Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's a neighborhood restaurant that has some of the best fried chicken ever served. Their only drawbacks are that they only take cash....No checks.....No cards......No Apple/Samsung pay.....CASH ONLY. Everything is cooked fresh to order so either be prepared to wait up to 30 minutes, even if you call ahead. read more

1) Cash Only. Even though they post no sign saying such 2) I came here based off the other reviews I saw on Yelp! Big Mistake 3) Street parking is available 4) When I was there, the lady who was bagging the food kept touching her hair without washing her hands. A customer came in and saw her do that and basically went off on her 5) I actually never tried their food. The reason being, if they were to race Molasses in a 100m sprint, molasses would win 6) Yes this restaurant is located in the hood. I was born and raised in the hood so that doesn't bother me, but it may bother you 7) Customer service is severely lacking here and I don't know how they're still open 8) There is seating in the waiting area to eat your food. Why you'd want to actually eat in that area is beyond me read more

They are so rude to everyone. This chicken place in my community and I spend hard earn money here and they treat us like crap. They don't appreciate their customers. They never answer the phone. They only take cash, so it is inconvenient to even order food. You would think it is the employees who were rude, but it is the owners who are rude. The owner and his son are very rude. Will never support them again and the funny part is that they wouldn't even care. read more

I finally got a chance to check out this spot and have to say I will be going there again. Very good and FRESH which is why I only gave it 4 stars, because of the wait. Call before you go! Very good flavor and very fresh. read more

Marlon's Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is the best chicken spot in the city and the food is fresh every time. I can eat marlons chicken for breakfast lunch and dinner!

Received them as a recommendation at the last minute as I was prepping for a party. Delicious chicken! I didn't even mind the wait for a pan of 50 wings. Chicken was hot and fresh and everyone loved it! read more

The chicken used to be good but every since the young boy and the olth chicken has not taste well at all he need to do some about that before they ruin his business read more

Terrible customer service, they purposely don't answer the phone so u have to just come inside and they don't accept multiple forms of payment. If I could give 0 stars I would. read more

Best chicken in Chicago on the south side. It's all made to order and the quality is never anything less than incredible.

I enjoy Marlon's Chicken and Fish. It's not precooked fast food. It's tasty chicken prepared fresh. Prices are reasonable and quantity of food is sufficient. Idk if the chicken is brined and buttermilk dipped or what!..., but it's moist, tasty and delicious fried chicken. The wait is well worth it. They now accept debit/credit cards which makes is more convenient. If you reside south, by all means stop thru one of Marlon's locations. For non locals , it's worth the drive. read more

My visit at Marlon's resturant was delightful. The view is not the best, but I did have a great view of the kitchen where you can see the cook working in a clean environment. That means allot when you buying food in the hood. The customer service was very pleasant, I was greeted an asked if I needed help by everyone that work there. The menu offers mouth watering chicken, fish, and shrimp, no dessert, but up the street is a bakery. All the orders are made fresh which gives you the warmth of home-made food. The owner takes great pride in his food. I order six wings, no sauce was needed in my opinion. Maybe on the fries. One bite I was in love, you can definitely taste the difference between fresh, crispy, then some yesterday s***. Most will be upset cause once you order over the phone and come in the food is not ready. But if you want perfection and hot food you will be patience because its worth it. I had the pleasure to experience chicken made with exquisite flavours. For this reason I highly recommend going to Marlon's best chicken on the southside. read more

It was ok,I brought 100 wings they were not seasoned well at all but I work with caters.