This use to be my Harold's to go to rain, sleet or shine but their prices have gone through the roof!!!
I walked in and walked out when I saw how much their wing dinner was...I still like this place, I still think they are the best but their prices made me seek another spot to get my Harold's from!!!
Driving home on a Sunday, I drove past a Harolds..the one on 87th and decided to see what this place was all about. Talking to my wife moments earlier who had stopped off to get my daughter some McNuggets at another place I won't mention, the thought of real chicken didn't sound that bad. So into Harolds I went.
All I have to say is "yuck". First, how they don't get shut down by the health department is a wonder but I felt unhealthy the second I walked in. What a grease pit. I should have walked but thought there had to be something to this place since there is so many of them. Nope. Ordered the 4 piece wings with mild sauce. For whatever meat was on those wings, which I'm still debating if there was any, was  greasy and flavorless. I was like eating dirty grease. And the "mild sauce".....that was simply ketchup. Even the fries were terrible. I felt nauseous the whole trip home and immediately had to shower when I did get home to get that smell off. I was thankful however for the two pieces of bread put in the bottom of the tray....without, I would have had that grease all over my car. I guess the biggest disappointment was that it was kinda expensive too.
Anyway, I love junk food once in a blue moon but Harold, hate to be harsh but this place is simply just not good.
Hey, I love Harold's...I mean my brother in law used to call me Harold, I ate there so much...that being said, this Harold's on 87th used to be the best but now, eh....not so much....the wings have gotten littler (yes littler) , the chicken seems dry probably because they scared to put some sauce on the chicken like I asked.... I don't know. To me the one on 75th and King Drive is MUCH better. Sorry 87th, yall fell off. No one seems to notice yet though so I'll keep going to 75th where the lines are shorter, the wait is quicker, you can call in your order and they actually drop your chicken so you don't have to wait another 10-15 minutes before you get your order, and hey the cashier is actually friendly....go figure.
Review Source:Number 55 offers bad fries and the chicken there seems comparable to the other Harold's Chicken Shacks that I've visited. Â I don't get the hype. Â Perhaps people like it because it seems a bit less daunting than some of the other South Side Harold's locations, what being located in an antiseptic Chatham strip mall and all.
Review Source:The food is usually good but the service sucks. The one thing that really bothers me about this Harolds is they don't take debit cards. Â This place is always busy and I can't understand why they charge you to use a ATM machine. Don't bother calling an order in, I think you wait even longer for your order.
Review Source:After much pondering, we came and were surprised to see the restaurant being in a strip mall right off 87th exit. We ordered a 8 piece bucket, and a piece of caramel cake.
Caramel cake - VERY GOOD, dense but not dry, with good frosting. SUPER sweet!
We then waited 25 minutes to get our food, because the staff forgot our order. However, the lady behind the counter made sure that she gave us free fries.
chicken - very juicy, but not seasoned at all. I think that's why they gave us a lot of vinegar based hot sauce.
I have to say that this is good juicy fried chicken! Will come back if we don't get another flat tire in the parking lot.
the best Chicago chicken wings you can get. its always insane crowded in there but they push out the chicken quickly no looong waits like at other harolds when they have 2 customers in there in you still wait 20 mins for a damn 6. piece ..along with crackheads sleeping everywhere so you gotta stand up ( 75th street.),.....clearly best harolds to go too, the one in hyde park is also good too
Review Source:I do not appreciate the fact that I phoned in an order in advance so that I would not have to wait, and upon arriving at the specified time, the order still was not ready.
The sassy worker said they don't start cooking it till you arrive. Â
Then what is the point in phoing ahead ?
The one on 83rd and Ashland is much better tasting AND they will have your order ready for you if you call in ahead.
Great chicken all of the time. If you get some that you think is not right then you don't know chicken. The only issue is that they do not truly accept credit cards. They have an ATM set-up that charges you 99 cents to use it that you can take out up to $5 over the purchase price. You can only use debit cards for this. In this day an age that many people don't carry cash this is a hassle. The cakes vary in quality depending on who supplies them during that month. Prices on the menu board do not necessarily agree with the prices that are charged so look at your receipt. If not for the credit card issue and the price issue I would give this 4 stars.
Review Source:Man o Man. Ok I am from Chicago but moved to L.A. 5 yrs ago and when I tell you I have been petitioning for this Restaurant to appear here in Cali..I mean I am campaigning like Obama. Â The menu is cut and dry...ITS A CHICKEN SHACK. But the special part about it is the mysterious 8th wonder of the world us Chicagoans call "Mild Sauce"...NO one else knows what it is but ask anyone at Harold's and they will tell ya its what you need to be putting on ya Chicken and or fries. My "usual" is the 6 wing , SALT AND PEPPER AND MILD SAUCE!!! GO HAROLDS!!!
Review Source:the making of a reality show entitled "forever 'hood" ...
episode 1:
chicken wings make professional women revert back to old ghetto ways  Â
scene 1:
3 old friends from south side made it out to become a doctor, model and businesswoman
brought back together in town as bridesmaids in mutual friends wedding
at rehearsal they get hungry (rehearsal dinner follows after but isn't soon enough)
the model says "I haven't had harolds in years"
the businesswoman gets the bright idea to actually make the journey Â
all three sneak out and head to 87th
scene 2:
it's a bit more "urban" then they remember so they start taking off their jewels and hiding their designer this and that under the seat
they decide against it when they see a group of random bums scoping out the car
they get out and waltz in the shack looking like bootleg Charlie's angels
it's crowded. they stand out. all eyes on them
they all order 4 piece chicken dinners with mild sauce  and get strawberry, cherry and peach sodas
they loudly talk about how it's gonna give them diabetes and/or a heart disease as if there aren't a slew of patrons in there who  have one or both
they walk out and a thug in a chevy with 20 inch rims yells " ay shorty what yo name is!" to no specific person in particular
model rolls her eyes. businesswoman laughs in his face. doctor flips him off. Â
back to car where they eat food licking fingers and all (can't have any evidence of ditching the rehearsal dinner for fried chicken)
people in other cars stare. seagulls circle the car in anticipation of  remnants Â
scene 3:
they finish then head to rehearsal dinner where  interrogated about being late.
they tell a lame story. forced to eat other food to keep up the lie...
until someone questions businesswoman about why her entire mouth is cherry red.
cover blown by the cherry pop. Â
next episode:
pit stop at white castles before the wedding reception and the drama that ensues (true story)
Growing up in Georgia - one grows to feel that fried chicken is an essential part of a complete diet. Of course, that diet does have consequences down the road, but we all make choices - it's just a matter of whether we feel the costs outweigh the benefits. In the case of Harold's, I would say its worth losing a few months of your life to enjoy some of their ridiculously good chicken in the present. I really think the key is in frying to order - this really makes a big difference. This Harold's itself was a nice environment and is easily accessible for those on the go. They even have a picture of Bernie Mac (RIP) with someone who I assume is the owner. I went with the 1/2 chicken dinner with hot sauce (which isn't all that hot). The mild sauce has a more bbq type taste and I like getting both because there's inevitably way more chicken than sauce with the standard order for my liking. However, I really think Harold's is the kind of meal where if you go its got to be your only meal for the day. Also, this stuff is entirely too unhealthy to be eating for more than say once a month (unless you're exercising and consuming copious amounts of vegetables  on top) because your body knows you're killing it softly with this stuff. Then again, we all make choices - its just a matter of if they make us happy-  and Harold's definitely makes me happy.
Review Source:Oh God. There was a level of uggh that makes me never want to return to this Dan Ryan branch of the Harold's Chicken franchise off 87th Street. The service was awful. The atmosphere inside was regretful. Two people before me ordered and then walked out and couldn't answer the pick up call. The next person ordered and threw on some headphones and couldn't hear his number called. Please get me outta here. Yeah, that's how i felt. That's until I tasted a batch of this fried deliciousness. Simply incredible for what it was.There was this quality that was fresh. Even the bread with the chicken had a freshness that was...well...refreshing for a Harold's franchise. I'll definitely go back to this location - and send somebody in to get my bag of yummy.
One odd drawback that subtracts a star from Harold's is there payment system. They don't take credit cards. What they have is this weird ATM machine in which you have to withdraw an even amount of money to pay for your food & then have them give you change. Then, there is a 99 cent fee for the service. I thought the service was giving me some deliciousness. In fact, minus two stars. Fix that shit pronto.
Okay, okay so I fraternize with a few Chi-town transplants that go on and on about this Harold's chicken. Being born and raised in Cali, I was like who cares? Deep fried only goes to the thighs! But my friend insisted on taking me to Harold's chicken after picking me up at the airport we went straight to Harold's!
Harold's fries that chicken down so crispy yet juicy and tender. Then they throw that secret sauce on there!!!! OOOOOOO-weeeeee!!!
I might move to the Chi for Harold's. Keep in mind though all Harold's are not created equal. Go to this one on 87th!
mmmmmmmm...finger lickin good! Whups...wrong chick joint. ;-)
I am from the south so i am serious about fried chicken. dead serious. it has to win me over with it's juicy meat and crunchy skin, and be right out the grease piping hot and with a well seasoned taste that isn't flat. this my friend, is that chicken. it's really good and well cooked. Â I read online about the various harold chicken shacks across the city and one really good article said that this was the best one. So i went and tried it out on a Sat. the chicken is well seasoned and i dont even think it took me 5 min to swallow it down...it was soo good. I haven't been in a while because it's a bit of a drive for me, but I'm def going back.
Review Source:I've been to a LOT of different Harold Chicken's in my day and this one is my fav. Â The chicken is seasoned right and they give you a good amount of food for your money. Â I have been coming to this Harold's since it first opened which was in the early 90s and frequented often when I lived in Chatham but now that I'm in the 'burbs I don't get there as often...I'm forced to succomb to Harold's near Country Club Hills, which has NOTHING on this Harold's and they are OVERPRICED!
Review Source:I think this is the one that I went too, but I wasn't driving and was with friends so I'm not quite sure....
Never the less, I got a 4 piece wing dinner with salt and pepper and the mild sauce on the side. Believe it or not, as much time as I've spent in the city I had never had Harold's...this was my first time ever. I was impressed! For me, fried chicken is fried chicken- and that still hasn't changed much...but Harold's is some of the best fried chicken I've tasted that didn't come from my grandmother's kitchen! I would love to go back and get more. Die hard Harold's fans thought it was odd that I got my sauce on the side, but I don't like sauce on my food cause to me it makes it soggy if I don't eat it fast enough...
Consider me a Harold's fan! Wooohooo!!!!