Chicken is still fine but the prices are just silly at this point. The farmhand dinner has like doubled in price in the last few years. A charge to sub the coleslaw even though what I'm subbing it for cost the same. Greed, greed, greed. read more

The menu states that prices are subject to change without notice. Beware and watch your bill. You may not be paying the menu price. The owner/manager stated that because the menu has that fine print at the bottom, they do not have to charge the listed price. The sides were average; the chicken was overly salty and almost inedible. With all the new chicken restaurants opening, I recommend eating elsewhere where games aren't being played with pricing, your patronage is appreciated, and the food is better. read more

The very worse chicken I've ever had in my life! Too small, too dry, too old, too bland. May have been pigeon!

The chicken is so fresh and made as you wait. I would recommend trying this place. Also the staff is very friendly. read more

My family and I went there after many years of not visiting and was mainly fixed on retrying the chicken. Sadly, the chicken was dry and tasteless (not what it used to be) been there many times in the past but this is not what I remember. Additionally what was more disturbing was the addition of charges for what we figured out to be a "no meal dinner" I've never heard of this type of fee from any restaurant. And quite frankly I'm still unsure what this means; perhaps what I can only conclude is that if a member of your party do not want to order a meal "you get charged for sitting in the restaurant " this is NOT ok, and if this is the case this needs to be communicated prior to anyone sitting or ordering/not ordering. Will never go back, chicken is not what it was and not worth the price either. read more

I had been craving fried chicken from White Fence Farm for ages. They don't open during the week until 4:00pm so getting it is difficult. Today because they open at 12:00 I ordered one dinner. The pieces were small and tasty but not as good as I expected. I ordered an extra order of fritters and even though I arrived immediately after they packed my order I was very unhappy to discover that they were just warm and not crunchy. Breaking apart one I discovered maybe 2-3 kernels of corn. The potatoes and gravy were good but I thought the coleslaw was too sour for my taste. The staff were very nice and friendly but at the cost of $19.00 I won't be ordering from there again. read more

White Fence Farm - 1/2 Chicken dinner - Diners Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

I've been dreaming of White Fence Farm chicken for the better part of 30+ years. Reading the reviews it seems like the chicken is still good, but the service and hospitality is terrible. I've been here twice both more than 30 years ago, but it was so good my family still reminisces about the place right outside of Chicago that we got fried chicken while on a road trip. The first time, my sister was living in Iowa City and we spent a long day in Chicago, even took a tour on a double decker bus. On the way back through Joliet we found White Fence Farm. The second time was a road trip from Omaha to Philly, it was about dinner time when we were passing by Joliet, and my mom insisted we stop for "the greatest fried chicken". My mom is 87 now and she's mentioned White Fence Farm at least in the last year. There were no smart phones or GPS, we used Rand McNally maps back then, so we probably saw a billboard ad. Despite the poor reviews describing this place as old, rundown and filthy, my memory of it was a nice clean restaurant that had the feel of a big barn and midwestern decor. I recall perusing some room with memorabilia and antique cars before they seated us. I don't recall anything particular about the service but only remember thinking the chicken was delicious, perfectly seasoned, freshly fried crispy. I do recall that we were also very impressed with the corn fritters. We had a lot of leftovers, and my aunt (who's now 92) recalls me finishing them over the next few days and brings it up whenever someone mentions White Fence Farm. I don't even know why I'm doing this review or thought of this place, I guess I was feeling a little nostalgic this morning. read more

Save Your Money! After working a very long day, had a taste for White Fence Farm. Went in and ended up ordering the Picnic Pak. Supposed to have been 12 pieces of chicken, pint of Cole Slaw, 3 orders of fries or 3 Mashed Potatoes (16 oz - Pint), and Corn Fritters. We ordered this but instead of Fritters, we asked if we could substitute Mashed Potatoes to which we were told Yes! This means we would have received 4 Mashed Potatoes. We also ordered a small order of mushrooms. Receipt said 3 mashed and gravy - small and still had the fritters on there. We questioned and were told it was on "the notes". Didn't check the bag because the Manager called out the order as though it was correct. Ate a couple of mushrooms on the way home because we were starving!! They were so greasy that they left a film in our mouths and coated the backs of our throats. The greasy tasted awful and like it needed to be changed. After a 10 minute drive, got home, only 2 mashed in the bag which were the same size as the Cole slaw. Called and spoke with Nick and were told "oh, yah everyone asks that but you got what you ordered". Ummm, not according to what we stated we wanted and not according to what we were told was in the notes. Mashed were ice cold, as was the gravy. Chicken was barely warm and pieces were so small, breading tasted stale like the grease needed to be changed. Needless to say, we didn't eat it because it was so bad. We would have been better off getting the 12 piece box (or whatever it was called) that which included fritters - and substituted the mashed for $23.95. We could have saved $30.00!!!! Even if we paid for an Extra Mashed at $6.49 each, we would have still been ahead about $25.00!! Especially since we didn't receive the amount we thought we were getting. Being small business owners ourselves, we understand the cost of things have gone up. Because of our business we are forced to eat out more often than we like to and we don't mind paying these kinds of prices - For Good Quality Food; however, this was anything but Good and the Quality was awful! Pissed and still hungry. read more

Went to wff in Joliet take out only. Good chicken, better than other fast food chicken restaurants. I will go again.

First I'll have to say it's been a while since I've been here but I was able to order exactly what I wanted 2pc chicken and one piece of fish came with fritters and fries ( my choice) I can't believe with all of the chicken places around they are even still open walk in there is a guy mopping insanely and got splashed with some water ordered my food that was good then waited about 10 or so minutes... got home and the chicken leg looked like it had been left in the fryer too long part was missing the fish had kind of a smoky flavor not sure why tarter sauce had 0 flavor the fritters even with powdered sugar on them basically no flavor and to top it off ..... battered fries why are so many places using these they suck nobody likes them unless you use a bunch of ketchup or some other sauce pretty much the best part of the meal was the thigh this kinda sucks as I just moved into the neighborhood and was excited they are down the street I definitely won't be back I'll try fry the coop next read more

Absolutely amazing food!!!! We loved it! Been wanting to try for a while now it didn't disappoint

The family gathered for Easter Dinner. 3/30/24 Obviously, quite a popular place as it was packed with people. The place smells so bad It definitely could use an airing out !! Simply awful. Loved the generous helpings of the pre-dinner, relish bowls. The corn fritters are simply amazing ! Loved the kidney bean salad. Coleslaw is drowning in vinegar and absolutely horrid. It will make your eyes water. I think the chicken is highly overrated and really not very much flavor. The mashed potatoes were awful. No flavor at all and cold. Our server was delightful and very, very attentive !!! I'm sure the family will be back next year as this is tradition but not one of my "go to" places. They really have to do something about that smell !!!! Talk about spoiling your appetite! read more

Well SOMETHING certainly changed...I am putting another review of White Fence Farm out there and it IS quite different from my last one back in February ********* "J R. 2/11/2024 This is a follow-up review to one I had posted yesterday... After receiving a response from the business owner I went back and reviewed some of the numbers I had pointed out and found out that I HAD made some errors in my review...." ******* I went back to WFF because they do have great chicken and everyone is entitled to errors so I gave them another chance, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE!! The chicken was hot & tasty as always, but the pieces were quite a bit larger than the last visit. The fries were bountiful (there had to be 4 orders in the bag at least!) and I quit counting the fritters when I reached 30 (it was supposed to come with a dozen and I purchased an extra dozen). Both bags were stuffed to the top. I couldn't even close the top of the bag of fries. Everything was quite hot and certainly a MAJOR change from February's visit. Not sure why it changed and hopefully it won't change back. This is without a doubt a different direction from where it was headed. Good go, WFF! You're back and I'm right there with you!! read more

I drove a long way all the way from Woodridge, IL to come to pick up my order from this place in Joliet, IL. Only to pick up my food and get it all the way back home to find my fried chicken pieces tasted like they were just dipped in batter doused with tons of salt/sodium. I mean the chicken was so very salty, that they were almost deemed inedible! I just know that my blood pressure went up so high just from eating that garbage. Yes, but I did eat it, only because I was absolutely starving!!!! Don't get me started on the sides which I'd ordered. I had a small sized COLE SLAW, which had about 4 cups OF JUST PURE VINEGAR POURED INSIDE OF THE BOWL WHICH IT WAS PREPARD IN. THE COLE SLAW WAS SO NASTY AND SOUR WITH VINEGAR, IT WAS RIDICULOUS! Now, the so called MACORONI & CHEESE, was only mac and cheese from the box and was filled WIT WATER! Yes, mac and cheese WAS COMPLETLY WATERED DOWN, with hardly any cheese flavor to it at all. The chef doesn't or the chef or cook have the knowledge to bake some shredded cheese onto to top of the dish to hide the fact that it was prepared out the processed food box? ABSOLUTELY EVERY ITEM ORDERED, THE FRIED CHICKEN, THE COLE SLAW AND THE FAKE MACORONI AN CHEESE WAS ALL HORRIBLE! The only item I had which was tasty and alright, were the Corn fritters. So, its a darned shame that I drove all the way across 2 expressways and wasted $20.00 for only the corn fritters! NEVER AGAIN WITH THESE PEOPLE ! read more

Read family style food service go for the chicken stay for the fritters. Animals available for children to feed. A real pleasant experience. read more

White Fence Farm - Parking lot and green space. - Diners Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

Absolutely filthy, I should have took a picture. The fish was super soggy, potatoes were nasty. Never going back... try Culver's.

Best fried chicken in the area. I will drive 30 minutes for this chicken and drive past KFC for this place

We have been coming to the Barney Dr location for many years. Always pleased with service and food, except for the last 2 times. Both recent purchase of their beloved corn fritters were disappointing. This is our second disappointing meal in the last month. Both times on a Sunday afternoon. Chicken is always good but my favorite item has always been the corn fritters. Both of our recent visits we received fritters that were overcooked and with no sugar coating. They were dry n even the corn inside was dry. Very disappointed. Maybe fryer set to high or cooked too long or oil needs changed?? Don't know but please fix it!! read more

I ordered the Picnic Pak from the Joliet location and the chicken was terrible. The chicken was burnt and dry, as if maybe it was cooked twice. We complained to the main restaurant and they said they would contact them. I am so disappointed with the amount of money I paid and to get such poor quality food, so I had to leave this review today. read more

This is a follow-up review to one I had posted yesterday... After receiving a response from the business owner I went back and reviewed some of the numbers I had pointed out and found out that I HAD made some errors in my review. I went back through my tax support documents and found purchases from 2020, 2021, 2022, & 2023 for the same order (we ALWAYS get exactly the same order with the extra fritters!). Our invoices for the corresponding years were $21.95, $24.15, $29.63, & $31.65 respectively (I used 2020 as the starting point as this was mentioned in her response). So I did make a large error in calculating the price increase and mis-stated it. The total from yesterday's dinner was $37.30. All of these prices included sales tax so all things would be equal. The readers can do their own math if necessary. As for the size of the pieces..maybe we were just lucky in the past to have gotten the 'pick of the litter' (as it were), but the pieces yesterday overall were much smaller than we've had in the past. As I said, maybe we were just lucky. As for the card charge, yes, many restaurants have opted to add the charge in as an extra and other have discounted for cash. As I alluded to in my original review it wouldn't have really tripped my trigger except for the increase in the final cost (which was actually a bit more than 17 1/2% over last year's bill). The thing that really irritates me is that the banks and card companies 'service' (in much the same way a bull 'services' a cow) the restaurants for doing little except collecting and forwarding payments and at the same time instead of limiting people's credit spending, they entice more spending by bad payers and charge everyone for the privilege...but I digress and this would be better reviewed on a credit card site. As a final parting shot...this IS the best chicken in the area IMHO! The fritters are wonderful, fries are hot and crispy and the coleslaw is my favorite because it is the vinegar slaw. I try to be fair in all directions whenever I write a review. read more

Disappointed that they don't seem to actually have curbside pick up even though the website states they do and that when I placed my order online they took my vehicle info. I'm from outta town and had small children in the car which is why I sought out curbside; despite 20 MINUTES of calling the restaurant from the parking lot got no answer and then just a consistent busy signal. As a restaurant, you don't want to have curbside or can't staff adequately then just don't have it--to do otherwise is just pathetic! I put myself thru college as a restaurant manager so it worries me because if you're this careless with FOH I am scared to imagine what corners you're cutting BOH. Maybe today was anomaly but, as for me and my family, NEVER AGAIN! read more

We ordered a package meal and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. Plenty of food. Will go back.

Excellent chicken, don't order ahead of time, go in, get in line and order. If you order ahead of time you get to watch everyone get their food ahead of you. read more

I have to be up front about a few things before I give my review. I am originally from Michigan and while your chicken is delicious, Frankenmuth has the best fried chicken (in my family's opinion) Second we choose this White Fence Farm because I read the review in the Joliet Patch, the writer made is sound good. And third, all of my opinions on tonight's meal is that my husband got there and placed an order 5 minutes before they closed. When he got home, the chicken was hot (We live in Joliet) and the French fries were too. The coke slaw that the writer praised was warm and smelled bad, I was bummed because I was hoping to try it. Now the fritters are a hidden secret, no one has told me about them in the 12 years I lived here. I hope to try this again.. read more

If I could give it a negative star review I would! Please know thefood is good but there is absolutely no customer service, willingness to work, tact or diplomacy! I have tried on multiple dates to place a phone order to be picked up. The phone rings and rings and no one picks up. Now, do not get me wrong, I recognize they are busy and do not take issue with that. The frustration is when someone picks up and states that they are way too busy to take orders right now and then they hang up on you. I once got through and was told they were too busy but just drive out there and order since the food only takes 5 minutes to make. Very interesting, I would say to that. I want to see small businesses succeed especially during these difficult times. I want to spend my money locally in support of small businesses. I just can't bring myself to patronize a business that is too busy to take care of me and then hangs up. I would suggest an employee crash course in customer service and an interest in staying in business while making money and providing excellent service. The food is good and pricing very reasonable but I can't get past the "we are too busy for you" attitude. That's a shame. read more

The chicken is wonderful. No inside seating at this location, just carry-out. The fritters are soooooooo good. You can not call in an order unless it is 50 pieces of chicken or more. There are shrimp and fried fish dinners also. The dinners come with coleslaw, fritters and fries or mashed potatoes. I always get the fries. I have no idea if the mashed are any good. read more

See all

Seriously the food that we purchased from this location was some of the worst that I have had ANYWHERE in years. Maybe the grease that they cooked the chicken and fritters in was too old - but whatever it was - the chicken tasted gross and the fritters tasted like the chicken. So you say - maybe the sides were tasty. Nope! We threw that away too! I have eaten at the main restaurant before and thought it was decent; however, the food we purchased here would get you moving to the washroom fast! read more

We went here based on the one in Downers grove, and say its comparable. I love their sides and the chicken is cooked well. This is definitely a meal to share! Also love their seafood selection, but it is not fresh. I am not sure why they don't take call in orders... read more

Love their Chicken, although you can't order ahead they make the chicken in 3 minutes way faster the KFC with 8 people working , and they have 2. Definitely will be back and also love the kidney bean salad read more

See all

The best part about driving thru Joliet is stopping for WFF. There is just nothing like it. And the corn fritters... aaahhhhhh. The only reason I don't give 5 stars is that over the yrs, the chicken pieces have gotten smaller. Last yr I got legs & Wings that were so small I brought them back. This time they're more appropriate in size. I've been going to WFF for 50 yrs. Also try the sit down restaurant in Romeoville for and old fashioned family style restaurant. read more

I love there chicken when it's fresh. Tonight disapointed. I asked for crispy fries and received fries that were under cooked and limp. I believe they gave me fries that were old. Even the fridders were not fresh. I like that orders are made to order. Didn't happen today. read more

I think the fried chicken at White Fence Farm is an acquired taste. Not everyone is going to like it. It's also something that for me is one of those places you start to crave every once in a while, and it is always consistent and you have no regrets...Except for all the calories you just consumed, with the Corn Fritters, Fried Chicken,and Chicken Gravy that is super yum but I'm sure not good for me. You should definitely try it for yourself!! read more

No clue what all the hype is about this nasty chicken! NO FLAVOR AT ALL! I'd rather eat greasy Churches chicken! I do love the corn fritters! read more

I have always loved white fence farm since I was a kid can't beat it, they carry out is normally good but this time the Girl working the front to greet you as you walk in acted like it bothered her when I came in she was rude and smelled like pot hope this isn't their new standard employee if so I won't be back read more

it was the worst I ever had. the chicken was to grease the mashed potatoes you could literally pour out of the container it come in and on top of all that they charged me for two dozen corn fritters I never got. read more

Had to try this place after hearing about it for years and driving by some times. Low class dump. Dingy and dated. Some small suspect tasting sides (spoiled bean shit salad or something which I could not eat), and some other very small plates for 4 of (I forgot). Chicken was some minuscule pieces and mostly breading or something-TONS of breading. Where did this chicken come from? Some hormone laden antibiotic cheap shit junk? Some very, very small portions of instant mashed pot with yellow lime green gravy-if that is what it was. About two steps up from dog food. I have not yet have had dog food, but I can only imagine this is what we will get when the Russians hit us. Probably they will avoid this place too. Think restaurant bomb shelter. I see that this place is in a relatively low economic area, but that is no reason to take advantage of people when there are limited restaurant options in the area. Apparently these chumps do. Pretty expensive for the dog shit you buy here. I would rather go to some fast food fried chicken place anytime like Popeyes which is 100 times better. My first and very last time here, and hopefully for anyone else who asks me about this place. Very unhappy servers too. Once again, thanks for Yelp. read more

Bought three chicken dinners at the White Fence Farm carry out on Barney Drive in Joliet, IL.. On one of the chicken dinners, there was a "bad smell" on the crust. The meat tasted fine, but the smell was "not right"! I called Laura Hasters at the main restaurant, and she said that she had never heard of this before. I told her that when I spoke to some friends, they told me, that's why they stopped going there... Because of the same "bad smell" on the crust. read more

The most unprofessional establishment I have every visited. Disgusting behavior from the staff. While the food is ok, the people behind the counter have much to learn and obviously the management doesn't care to do anything about it. I witnessed the employees make fun of a person after he left the restaurant. Emailing their website was even more upsetting. The response I received was "Thank you for this information. I will look into this today." No other follow up, they didn't even have the courtesy to address the email by my name, not did they leave their name. Very unprofessional. read more