Ratchet!
Came in about 10:30 on a Friday. Any Harold's you go to you know you will have to wait at least 15 minutes, no problem. What I wasn't expecting was to see an employee passed out on the side couch taking a siesta. He had his feet up and everything. Unfortunately, I didn't notice this until after I paid and sat down. Seemed like there were 3 people working and the guy sprawled out on the sofa. I was hoping, observing, wondering if anybody would wake him up by the time my food arrived. Nope! They let sleeping beauty lay...C'mon Son!!! Can I get some professionalism. Not to mention another worker was on the phone talking about somebody getting, "60 months."
Thumbs down!!!
I will start off by saying that the food was great. Now to the meat of the matter. The customer service was awful!!! I placed a large order for my office. Me, being the perfectionist that I am, carefully typed out each order and faxed it in. I called to verify receipt and offered to go thru the order with them for additional clarity. When the delivery arrived, it was still wrong. The were missing one meal...mine!
I called to alert the manager and he argued that he packed it himself and knew it was right. There were 12 names and he packed 12 bags. The was one problem...one person had two orders, which constituted 13 bags!!! He said I should have put it on a separate line. Correction, he should have read correctly.
He brought my order back and didn't have the decency, after this additional 30 minute wait and my lunch being over, to not charge for their mistake. Last time with this one here!!!
News flash...TAKE CARE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS BECAUSE THEY TAKE CARE OF YOU!!!
Worst customer service ever..... The owners are rude. I called and placed a order they told me 10min I waited 15minutes before I went there to pickup the food it still wasn't ready. I ended up waiting 10 more minutes. Did I mention the owners are very rude? I will never eat there again. I gave 1star because I couldn't go any lower . This place deserves no stars
Review Source:I have never actually eaten in this restaurent. Grub Hub is where I found Harold's Chicken Shack. I don't even know what it looks like. It could be a slimy, bug infested hole in the wall, but I wouldn't care.
Harold's Chicken Shack is, hands down, the best fried chicken in Chicago.
They could have the worst customer service and I would not care. Â Whatever it takes for that perfectly golden, crunchy and tender deliciousness. Â And don't forget the coleslaw and fried okra. Â The only thing missing from the menu is mashed potatoes.
Whenever I feel the need to indulge in my fried chicken fix, Harold's is where it's at.
Service was ok. They make everything to order so expect to wait 15-30 minutes depending on how busy it is. Plus there's usually a line during lunch hour.
Fried chicken comes with hot sauce (hot or mild) on top as standard. You can order with sauce on side or just ask for salt and pepper with no sauce. The fried chicken on its own is not a standout. The coating was a bit tough and the breast meat was rather dry. Served on top of sliced bread with fries on the side, the fried chicken by itself is unremarkable. So this place must be famous for the sauce, right?
The sauce is actually fairly standard vinegar, tomato, red chile and spice mixture. I had the mild sauce and it was indeed not hot at all. Someone compared it to mumbo sauce except that it doesn't have the sweetness from fruit juices that covers the bitterness from chiles. But this is Chicago and not D.C. so it's what you get.
Vera was on the money with her review, but i was desperate....my son was admitted to UIC hospital and wanted Harold's. Â So i searched for the nearest one, and the one on Washington came up. Â I know that Harold's has a quality control problem, having experienced inconsistent product and service in the past, but this was the worse chicken in the world. My son did not eat it. Â I did not bother to call because any owner stupid enough to not care about loosing a customer over a $6.00 replacement would have been too stupid for me to talk to. Â I will never go back and advise anyone reading this to heed my advice and find another Harolds....the one on 22nd and Wabash is pretty good most of the time.
Review Source:Not the best in the city. Â I got a 4 wing lunch special. The wings were cooked a little to hard for my liking and luke warm. Â The fries that came with it were unimpressive. Â The gentlemen behind the register were very nice and mannerable, if I could, I would give them 5 stars. Â I pre-ordered the food and had to do a 5 block hike back to the office. Â Which might account for my lack luster meal. I am willing to give it another try- next time I will dine-in. Hope fully this will remedy my disappointment. I sure hope so, because it's great knowing that there is a HAROLDS so close to the office.
Review Source:I want to share my recent experience at Harold's. Â I have been going to Harold's Chicken #41 for about a year. Â Until last week, my overall impression was that the chicken was hit or miss and the service was inconsistent. Â There were times when part of the order was missing or the food was not quite up to par. Â However, it's pretty much the only fried chicken restaurant in the West Loop so it was worth taking a chance on. Â However, my latest experience with Harold's and its owner soured me on the restaurant forever. Â Last Friday, I decided to treat my son and myself to some fried chicken for dinner. Â I called in my order after I got home from work around 3:15 p.m. Â I ordered two chicken dinners, one dark with catfish and one white with perch. Â I also ordered a large gizzard (what can I say, I love gizzards). Â Anyway, I drove to the store and picked up the order and made sure that they had the order correct before I left. Â After getting home and putting my car away (I valet park), my son and I sat down to eat. Â After opening his bag, my son noticed that his chicken was extremely overcooked to the point that there was no moisture left. Â You could see cracks in the meat it was so dry and his chicken leg looked like the size of a winglet. Â My chicken and the gizzards were also thoroughly overcooked. Â I was very disappointed. Â We sat there and debated about what to do. Â After working all day, the last thing I wanted to do was to call for my car at the height of rush hour and wait 15 minutes or more until it was brought down, drive through traffic and deal with probably another long wait at Harold's. Â I decided to call them instead and register a complaint. Â I had a doctor's appointment the next day so I decided to take the chicken back then. Â While I was on the phone, my son started to eat his dinner in spite of how bad it was (the catfish was not as dry as the chicken). Â He got through most of the meal but did not finish it and he certainly didn't enjoy it.
I took the chicken back to Harold's the next day. Â I asked them if they had any quality control and why would they sell something that was so dried out? Â I was going to wait for a replacement meal so I paid a quarter to park because the free space was taken. Â Once the free space became available, I moved my car. Â When I went back into the restaurant, the owner told me that he was not going to replace my son's meal because most of it had been eaten. Â I explained to him that my son is someone who would eat almost anything anyway but he did not enjoy the meal because it was not cooked properly. Â The owner insisted that he would not refund my son's meal. Â At that point, I was incredulous. Â I told the owner that if he did not refund my son's meal, he would be losing a customer. Â The owner's exact words to me were, "I don't care." Â I never raised my voice or used bad language. Â We were having a normal conversation but I found the owner's refusal to attempt to satisfy a customer absolutely stunning. Â Needless, to say, I will never go back to Harold's #41.
Great fried chicken. Period. It's simple and fairly priced. They finish the chicken in the fryer while you wait so your chicken isn't sitting under a heat lamp all day. You can definitely taste the freshness. You gotta have the chicken with the hot sauce and a side of coleslaw. Don't be weirded out by the upscale interior, this place used to be a high end bistro that went under (I ate there and the food was just OK. Ironic, now its a just a humble chicken shack!). Wings are also awesome, it's hard to eat just 1.
Review Source:Seriously Chicago people please! Â You people who brag about this place don't know fried chicken. Â We found ourselves very skeptical of food recommendations from any Chicagoan after eating fried chicken from this place. Â Our food had NO SEASONING - NONE, ZILCH! Â And we were super hungry, using our Groupon Now coupon -- could have been satisfied with just about anything. Â We didn't even finish eating it. This was the worst we ever tried -- would have been MUCH better off at Popeyes or KFC. Â Oh yeah the service was horrific - the girl taking my husband's order never got off the phone, had a dismissive attitude as if we were doing her a favor and the food took so long, I thought maybe they had to go out and hunt for live Chickens. Â What a waist of our time and taste buds.
Review Source:I am a huge fan of Harold's, especially the Wabash store. Â #41 is a big disappointment. Â I went there when it first opened and they ran out of chicken after taking a large amount of orders and kept people waiting 30 mins before they said it was all out. Â I have been there a few times since and consistently it takes almost 30 mins to get your order. Â I tried on line ordering the last couple times so the food would be ready after a 15 min walk. Â Both times I had to wait 15 -20 more mins. after I got there and the orders were not correctly done. Â They need to get AC kicking too if they expect people to wait so long.
Review Source:I'd never heard of Harold's Chicken (I'm new-er to Chicago), but was in the area, and we stopped in.
Seating: There were 5 tables that sat 4 people each, and some benches in the back (w/no tables). Nice wooden floors, 1 TV near the front, and clean.
Menu: Just a head's up-the menu isn't up on the wall, it's directly on the counter  (taped down) when you go up to order--Being our 1st time here-kinda hard to pick out what we wanted-as the cashier was waiting to take our order.
Condiments: On counter: 1(ONE) salt & pepper shaker, box of straws. I saw no other items out-where are the spoons/forks, napkins, salt/pepper packets, etc?
Ordered: 1/2 white chicken- 2 wings AND 2 breasts for $8.00, which was a way better deal than the 2 breasts for $7.50 menu item! Got a side of fries and 2 sodas-Watermelon (interesting flavor).
TIme: Their sign says it takes 12-15 min to make your meal-but we waited 23min on a Sunday, with no one's order in front of us.
Flavor- we got regular- and it was YUMMY! Moist, juicy, the skin had a crunch that melted in your mouth!
I will DEFINITELY be back- moist chicken & 2 wings, 2 breasts, fries, a tiny bit of coleslaw (I'm  not a fan so tiny is ok), 2 sodas= $12.89- DEAL! :)
I give this place a 2.5 star because it is the cleanest and friendliest compare to the rest of the other harold. Â The bad part is, the food takes too long and the last time i ordered from there, the fried chicken came out way too salty. It will be a while until i come back to this place.
Review Source:I dont get why this doesn't get the 4 star rating that all the other Harold's Chickens have. The fried chicken tastes the same (great - get the wings or half or quarter chicken with hot and mild sauce, and an extra hot mild sauce on side, trust me bc all Harold's are sparse w the sauce). And the decor here is more loungy with a flat screen tv, not dingy like all the early Harold's.
I bought a Groupon Now deal of $8 for $5. Then applied a $5 credit for Groupon Now purchases. That's a free meal boyz. Dat's how we do it.
I am a big fan of the fried chicken and have been familiar with Harolds' for a long time, though the only one I went to was in Wicker Park. I was very happy to see them opening one around the corner from work.
Is it different? Well it appears that all of these are owned by different folks. So it's no surprise this just feels different from the other location. It's good. Not amazing. Not wonderful. Just good. And at lunch everyone feels a little rushed. The 1/2 chicken dinner took nearly 20 minutes. Granted, they're just open so it'll be a while before the kinks are worked out.
Still, it's a great addition to the neighborhood where most dining options are $10+ for a lunch and I'll be going back.
My first 3 star. Â Not sure how I feel about sitting on the fence when writing about fried chicken. Â This was a suggestion by other Yelpers...so we gave it a spin. Â
The food is good, the service was polite and helpful, and the place was pretty busy. Â Close to Dominics, so you can place your to go order, then do a bit of quick shopping across the street, and still get back before your order is ready.
She had 1/2 white and I tried the 1/2 dark. Â The chicken was very well-seasoned, crispy and juicy, freshly made to be sure. Â Only disappointment was the very small coleslaw. Â So tasty, yet so small. Â Will order a larger side next time. Â And a HUGE.side of sauce.
I'm from Memphis, and since I've moved to Chicago..... My only choice for fried chicken is Harold's. You can start feeling sorry for me now.
Customer service is a foreign language when dealing with employees at this Harold's or any Harold's I've ever visited. I called my order in 15 minutes before arriving at this establishment and still had to wait 20 minutes for 2- 6 piece wing meals.
The chicken wings are TINY, so if you are desperate and decide to go here.... Please order more wings than you normally eat. The best part about this meal was that the chicken was hot... But it better be since I waited almost 40 minutes for it.
I really can't rank Harold's fried chicken much higher than Church's chicken, do go at your own risk.
Not particularly edible. Â I have had much worse restaurant experiences and that is the reason for the bonus star!
The french fries were bland , had a bad texture and were more or less, terrible. Â Fried chicken thighs were not any good either. Â I can almost understand why some people could become vegetarians after eating at a Harold's Chicken Shack 41. Â I am dumbfounded as to how there could be dozens of other Harold's Chicken Shacks thriving.
Customer service was lacking. Â The teenagers behind the counter talked on their wireless phones instead of tending to customers standing in line to order awful food.
The leftovers are still sitting in our refrigerator 2 days later and I don't know why. Â Next time somebody tells you about Harold's, just ignore them.
Tip: A bottle of water is $1.53; skip this place.
I love Harold's! Â And...amazingly it's not the first time I've been there, unlike other posters. Â Harold's is a Chicago institution. Â Some are better than others, etc. Â I always get a 1/4 white w/ bbq or some wings w/ bbq. Â I've gone to this new local twice now, and each time has been good. Â The space is really big for a Harold's and the seating is very lounge like. Â (It's funny to read other posts about the decor b/c they've obviously never been to a Harold's Chicken Shack other than this one.)
Food has been good, and service great. Â Oh....and if you like pizza puffs, grab one from here!
I needed some fried chicken, and every time I asked someone in Chicago where to get it they all screamed "HAVE YOU BEEN TO HAROLD'S!?"
Well, no I had not until the fateful day the Bears met the Packers in the playoffs. The menu called for a large portion of the fried chickens for my friends...and I was happy to oblige after realizing Harold's #41 opened in the old Grocery Bistro space. (Just west of Halsted on Washington). Quite a different tune up in here, and I can't really say it's a good one. The place is looking a little rundown...but, hey. They are still slinging pretty good food, so I hung in there.
I walked in about 1230 on a Sunday, placed my order to the somewhat befuddled gal behind the counter. She seemed confused that people were in there? Or that they served chicken? I am not sure. Stood around after ordering (only person in the shop). They asked me a few times to repeat what I had ordered (24-piece fried chicken, 1 hot sauce, 1 mild sauce, cole slaw). When called up by number, they actually asked me to present my ticket (receipt). I found this funny since I was the ONLY ONE in the place the whole time. Do I look like I'm trying to rip off someone's order? HA, the price we pay for good fried chix, I s'pose.
They fry the chicken fresh, so if you have somewhere to be...I suggest placing a phone order because it's a good 20-30 minutes depending on how busy they are. However as I was leaving someone came into pick up a phone order and everyone was very confused...so maybe just being there in person is a little easier? Who knows.
The chicken is pretty good, large, and very fried. The sauces are AOK, and the close slaw was a winner. I'm pretty sure we all ate fried chicken for about a week after this...
Total cost = $35. Not a bad expenditure to feed a boatload of sad Bears' fans. However, Harold's needs to step up the customer service in a MAJOR WAY, and spruce up the interior so peeps want to stay a bit. Easy fixes to make the chicken fly out the doors.
Also, worth noting they have a "chicken 'n waffles" entree for around $9, if you are seeking a quick breakfast stop with some southern flair. I can't vouch for it, but I bet that's what gets me back in there to give good old Harold another chance to crack the Yel-star code!
I don't think a lot of you people who give this or any Harold's chicken more than 2 stars know fried chicken. Â i just tried it and it wasn't very good at all. Â I liked the sauces ok but I had to drown the chicken in it to make it edible. Â The coleslaw side was ok but I literally got 1 forkful. Fries were soggy. Â Go to Gus's fried chicken in Memphis or Willie Mays in New Orleans and I think you'll understand great fried chicken
Review Source:As those that live in the area are fondly aware of, there's not too many options for chicken. No, no. I'm not talking about fancy chicken, stir fried, served with your pasta or salad, or delicately plated with a collection of organic fresh vegetables and risotto.
No, I'm talking about CHICKEN.
Fried. Deeply and intimately with oil. Oil so bad for you that they'll serve with with fries and on top of some bread to help soak up its greasy delights.
I've been here a couple of times, and the hours feel very erratic to me. The neighborhood is still getting used to having them in the area, so I've heard to them being very busy during the lunch hours, to being pretty desolate later at night and on the weekends.
Looking for some fried chicken, fish or shrimp? You'll be in good shape.
Looking for some chicken and waffles? Yes, and YES.
Looking for something healthy? Well, why don't you look elsewhere.
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