Chester's Chicken

Thought I'd give the new neighborhood place a try---generally disappointing. The pieces of chicken were small and the taste was nothing special. The shop itself is also thoroughly annoying. It's one of those places with nothing to absorb sound so it's an echo chamber in there. With one patron talking on her phone, it was a challenge just to get my order placed.

The counter guy told me the new KFC at Lawrence and Sheridan opened the same week as Chester's did. I'm unlikely to bother going back when Harold's and KFC are in the neighborhood.

Harold's and Popeye's are the only places you should fuck with in Uptown for your fried chicken needs. Chester's is serviceable but afterwards you will feel a sense of remorse and longing for better. Try it if you're curious, but you really shouldn't.

Bland is the only word to describe Chester's chicken. I had bone-in friend chicken, it tasted like something frozen I would buy at the grocery store and cook in my oven, similarly the mashed potatoes tasted worse than instant ones out of a box with canned gravy poured on top, and the macaroni salad was little more than over-cooked elbows with mayonnaise, since when is that considered macaroni salad? Plus it wasn't exactly "cheap" considering how terrible it was. The only upside is that it's nice and new and looks sparkling clean, I guess? I'd say skip it, if you want delicious fried chicken go to Jake's down near Jewel, it might look a little bit seedy but the ladies who work there are super friendly. The chicken at Jake's, especially drumsticks and wings, is delicious and the "4 piece chicken only" is essentially a half chicken fried for under $5.