This review is about Harold's Chicken Shack #62.
The food is good, but it comes with a certain price. The women working the counter is extremely racist towards white and asian people. i have witnessed this on several occasions. so if you are an african american, this is a good place to go. but if you are not, avoid this place at all cost, unless you want to be discriminated.
This was right down the street from our hotel during the visit, and since we were in Chicago during Feb, it was perfect, no trekking out in the cold, just run down the street, grab some fried chicken, run back to the hotel lounge to eat our food, which was still piping hot. I tried the fried chicken thigh, crispy and juicy. The popcorn chicken was on the dry side and I felt over battered. Fried Okra wasn't my favorite but I was never a fan of okra. The fries were very good though, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. It was seasoned well too, not too bland. Would come back if I ever visit the city again.
Review Source:I came here because I was told it is amazing. It was just so-so. It seems like the sort of place where the quality depends on how busy it is (you want it busy so the chicken is fresh). I understand it is normal chicken joint, nothing fancy, but it felt a bit "stabby" (as in someone might stab me here). Â It was cheap and filling and the person taking orders was nice.
Review Source:I have been waiting to try Harold's forever. Finally I moved to an area that made it impossible to miss. Picked up some freshly-made chicken, a few breasts and wings, brought it home so excited to go to town on some greasy, juicy fried chicken, and it was....dry. Dry-to-the-bone stringy, chewy chicken. The seasoning was good, but fried chicken from Jewel right down the street is 100% better.
That said, I will give Harold's another chance. I'm not ready to let the dream die.
Little did I know that I was staying next to the Harold's that was the recipient of the Conan O'Brien giant bobble head statue. I didn't even make the association since there were so many of them. Since it was down the street I popped in for a snack before dinner. Wings, fries, and bread with the tangy hot sauce. Man was it tasty and inexpensive. If I had looked a little longer I would have seen that they had gizzards on the menu. I would have been all over that shit. Great place that locals eat at where you can get a solid meal for not much money!
Review Source:My boyfriend raved and raved about Harold's since the day I met him. Â Finally, two years later I got to go and try the infamous Harold's chicken!
I got the chicken tenders and he got the 1/2 chicken white. Â Both came with fries and bread. Â It wasn't cheap for fast food but boy was it good. Â This location is very nice too. Â It's right off the red line and pretty clean and the workers were really nice and friendly. Â I def can't eat this stuff often but when I am in the mood for some fried chicken I know where I am going!
This is solid fried chicken-- not the best ever, but solid. It's cheap-- $7.59 bought me a 1/2 chicken (dark meat) dinner. The bread, to me, seems just like filler, but maybe it's a regional thing. The fries were standard frozen fries, nothing special. The chicken was crispy but the seasoning wasn't a standout. What makes the chicken is the hot sauce, for sure. The hot wasn't too hot (I can't handle heat), just really flavorful. More Tapatio than Tabasco, you know what I mean?
My heart is still with Pies 'n' Thighs in Brooklyn, NY as far as best fried chicken I've ever had, but this was really solid and can't be beat for the price.
All I can say is.... mmm, mmm, mmmm.
This is awesome food!
Of course, it's all fried, so you can't go there everyday..but the taste is awesome!!!
I love the chicken, the catfish and the fries.... Never really tried anything else.
There is some crazie who posted below about getting appendicits from this food....which is impossible. Appendicits is not contracted from food....DUH.
I got appendicitis from this Harold's. I love the hot sauce but considered suing this establishment. The results from my appendectomy showed my appendix was ruptured due to a connection to chicken, and it was entirely filled with grease- and this was the only chicken I'd eaten in a month. If you think this place's food is short on grease- keep dreaming.
The food is good, I won't deny that.. and the help there is adequate but I sincerely question their food quality standards. If you're a lifelong southsider that can eat this stuff and not drop dead (but will at age 40 due to heart disease anyway)- then go ahead.
The food is good, but I wanted to share there might be quality issues and it almost killed me.
Stick to the Wingstop down on Harrison.
I am a connoisseur of Harold's Chicken. Â I have been eating Harold's Chicken since the 80's so I pretty much know what Harold's is about and that's the delicious seasoned chicken and the mild sauce that gives the chicken and the crispy fries that delicious taste.
Well this particular Harold's has got it all wrong. Â For some reason the owner thinks it is okay to serve customers "seasoned" french fries. Â A lot of customers are students and are not from Chicago so they don't know the difference, but providing seasoned fries on the mild sauce is an insult to the Harold's Chicken legacy.
This is NOT Popeyes, this is Harold's... someone gave you the wrong memo. Get it together!!!
I should have written this sooner, but a lack of a review doesn't change what I feel deep in my heart. I love Harold's chicken. I love it so much that, after having some again recently, I had to fight the urge to buy my brother a plane ticket from LA so he could partake in the fried chicken deliciousness with me. He's the only other person I know who can truly understand my deep love for fried chicken. Needless to say, this place is IT for fried chicken lovers.
Review Source:I am a dive girl. Â I love old diners and am okay with questionable locations in the name of something new (just don't think of Bridesmaids). Â But I must confess even I was a little leery of this Harold's, I had my kids in tow and some of the folks had byob in little sacks outside....
However, staying at the Chicago Hilton just kitty corner to Harold's finally got to me and I had to go low brow and get a piece of chicken. Â Wow! Â It was good, a simple batter as opposed to one with tons of spices, and I appreciated the humble sides. Â Most of all I appreciated the livers and gizzards...go offal, go offal!!
Cheap - a catfish and dark meat combo meal will only set you back $9.50. Â A side of okra is $3. Â An 8 piece chicken is $15.
Yeah, I had to go alone because my kids wouldn't go in there with me...but sometimes a diner diving girl has just got to take care of business!
Daaaamn good chicken. Â Wow.
Just put that KFC down and walk away. Â What's that? Â I don't care how long you two have been together and the memories you've built. Â This chicken is worth the infidelity.
Came here with some classmates after seeing the Ledge at the Sears Tower. Â Several of us, including myself, had never tried Harold's before. Â This Harold's, Shack #62, has a humble exterior and interior with a plain counter to order from.
We ordered a bucket of chicken (half dark, half white) that came with two sides. Â We had fries for both sides. Â Classically, people will order fries, bread, and slaw. Â They will then make a fries sandwich by putting fries in the bread and eating it. Â I've never had it, but to be honest the bread is just plain white bread, and you get way more bang for your buck by getting another order of fries instead (which are damn good). Â Drizzle some of the sauces over it and you are good to go!
Now to the chicken: Â It is TASTY, CRISPY, and oooh so TENDER and JUICY. Â It's HOT since they fry it before your order, and has just the right amount of spicy and sweet with the two sauces (BBQ and a hot sauce) drizzled on top.
Since this was the first time we had been to Harold's we were not sure what to order, but having been there and knowing the menu items now, we will likely order ahead by phone (which they happily do). Â This saves the painful, mouthwatering wait as the chicken will be ready by the time we get there.
Fried chicken is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. If you are a similar fanatic and are in the Chicago area, Harold's chicken is a great way to explore. The chicken has a ton of flavor with your choice of sauces, served on white bread slices.
Some Harold's chicken locations are not in the most tourist friendly spots, but it's definitely worth it to find one around the city (most are either south or west side of Chicago).
Most even deliver and are very timely (even on SuperBowl Sunday).
Shrrrrimp!
Came to this place with my girlfriend and my friend who goes to Roosevelt University, since it was walking distance I'd thought lets give it a shot...I was craving wiiings!
Call me picky, but I guess I'm used to a BWW, Wingstop, or Hooters so much that those were the type of hot wings I was going to get....
My girlfriend and I decided to get the wing/shrimp combo..
The shrimp were ok but the wings were served with the entire wing attached not severed off as you would get in the places mentioned above which GROSSED ME OUT!...and the sauce served on the side....
And the promised bread roll was a slice of white bread.....Seriously?
My friend ordered the catfish....and was not impressed, dry and unseasoned....
We didn't finish and ended up leaving.
Quick tip to the guy behind the counter:
If you don't like your job, quit....no one is forcing you to be there hunny....but since I am paying to get my order taken don't  talk or look at me like I am a bother to ya
Tsk-tsk...I won't be back.
Some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. Went here when I was passing through Chicago on my way to California and walked from the train station and happened upon it. What a lucky find!
Cheap fried chicken + good fried chicken = full boy.
Soul food is hard to come by this far north, but they do a great job of serving it. Would come here again if I were ever in Chicago.
Harold's Chicken Shack was a lucky find - it was located near our hotel, we were hungry when we arrived, and our hotel front desk clerk raved about the chicken and bread.
This place has a black, red and white exterior. The interior is bright from the big windows and overall pretty minimal with hard plastic booths. It is clean but lacks cool air conditioning (the door was open). You order at the counter that is more like a barrier (about 4' in height) and then wait for your food.
We ate the half white chicken dinner (2 breasts and 2 wings) and the 2 breast dinner - huge portions. It comes with fries, cole slaw, 2 slices of white bread and a choice of sauce (get both mild and spicy on the side). The chicken was perfectly crisp and tender. The breast meat was cooked perfectly though not totally juicy. The wing meat was tender and very juicy and the wings seemed to absorb the spices better than the breast meat.
It was recommended to make a little sandwich with the chicken bits, sauce and bread. It was really good! The mild sauce is sweet with a bit of tang and the spicy sauce reminds me of Texas Pete's hot sauce. I liked mixing the two together for sweet and spicy!
At first glance, Harold's doesn't look that appealing, but don't judge a book by it's cover. This place is worth it!
BTW, I didn't see any weave pulling and shouting, so I'm just a little sad there wasn't any action per another Yelper's review. Maybe that is saved for the wee hours.
I'm confused as to how Harold's, any of them, could get anything less than a five star review. Â I've traveled many sports bars, high end restaurants, KFC's, Bojangles, Popeye's in search for some damn good fried chicken and nothing even comes close to Harold's. Â I don't care if I walk in to a Harold's and the owner pulls the worker's hair and tells her to shut the f*** up and take customer's orders (actually happened), or has bullet proof windows, or has the nastiest bathrooms on earth. Â This is five stars all the way. Â In fact, it's probably 7 stars and due to issues above and how I feared for my life when that big black lady was beatin down on the employee, I had to drop this to a five stars.
Listen, six wings - salt and pepper and fries, mild sauce on the side, extra mild sauce on the side, and whatever drink you want. Â That's it. Â You're set. Â Any out of towners that I bring here go nuts for that. Â I moved away from the Chi and it's the only thing I crave from there. Â It just doesn't get any better than this. Â Not too bready, not too greasy, but full of flavor, juice, and that mild sauce is spot on. Â If the place wasn't so ghetto, I'd be sure these chickens were organic, grass fed, raised in open acres of farm, etc. Â Doubtful, but it sure tastes like it.
I saw this place on the Lisa Raye reality show ( Yes, I watched the all day marathon on TV1 on a rainy Sunday). She raved about this chicken spot. So I said when i get to Chi-town I'm so gonna try it.
Sooo, basically this place made me think i was eating my grandma's fried chicken!! I got the 5 wings w/ fries...and it came with white bread...I thought I was sitting at my Grandma's kitchen table. It was just right...i didn't need anything on it... the true testament to good fried chicken is not needing any hot sauce, ketchup, or whatever you put on it.
It's not pricey at all, just make sure you have a gym near by b/c you can probably eat more then you really should.
It's not the best fried chicken I've ever had, but the institution itself is what I was thinking about on the hot and lazy Sunday afternoon that we wandered in. Actually, it wasn't even all that hot out but it WAS hot inside Harold's - no a/c. Sitting near the open door helped a lot, though. That might have been the best seat in the house.
1/4 white, nice helping of fries, a small side of slaw and the ubiquitous two slices of white bread plus one medium drink was seven bucks and change. The chicken wing was your average size but the breast was pretty big. The breading reminded me of Extra Crispy but not quite as tasty.
When you roll up to the counter, know what you want and how to order it (hot sauce and/or bbq sauce and on the side or what). Cash only. Wait it out, sit and enjoy. I suspect Harold's is creeper - while I didn't walk out of there feeling I had to return, I had a sneaking suspicion at some point a craving for it would jump up and bite me...
I think Harold is being a bit modest - this place isn't a shack at all but a little fast food place selling chicken but also has quite a lot of seating.
Looking for not too big a meal as I was eating at Alinea later that evening, I spied a line of people waiting for food at Harold's Chicken Shack - that meant good food to attract the locals and food made to order. What sealed the deal though was when I spied gizzards on the menu - a delicacy to the Chinese and hard to find.
When I asked the lady behind the counter whether this was southern style chicken, she told me that they can make good fried chicken in the north too and she was going to prove it to me!
The fried chicken had crispy skin and wasn't too heavy on the spicing. However, I did enjoy the gizzards - odd texture to the uninitiated but I like that unique chewiness.
Exactly what I needed and was looking for - something local and not overly filling!
The World According to Noelle
Allergic Girl's Guide to Life
This is walking distance from the Chicago Hilton Hotel. If you're looking for something fast, hot and tasty Harold's Chicken Shack is the place to go. We ordered 1/2 mixed chicken dinner which came with one drumstick, thigh, wing, breast, coleslaw (which was in a super tiny container), fries and white bread. The chicken was deep fried to prefection (not too greasy). The french fries were seriously the best I've ever had. We also ordered deep fried mushrooms which were delish. They have an extensive beverage collection (one liter bottles of Dr. Pepper to Spanish Penifel drinks).
Noelle's Notes
Delicious fried chicken- only found in the Windy City.
As others have said...all Harold's Chicken Shacks were not created equal. Â The only other HCS I've been to besides this is the Hyde Park, but that one blows this one out of the hot sauce.
No 3-piece option here. Â They didn't understand what I meant when I wanted my order with everything (that's salt, pepper, hot, and mild sauce). Â The pieces didn't seem as coated in sauce as the other location...I mean, usually I find it hard to breathe while eating Harold's because the aroma fills my sinuses and takes over my entire consciousness.
Here...eh, not so much.
I guess it's nice that you can get extra sauce on the side gratis, but the price here was around 25% more than the Hyde Park one, so that kills that pro. Â I do like that they're walking distance from me, but other than that, I'm thinking investing in a car isn't such a bad idea if it means I can get authentic Harold's.
Having gone by this place several times on the #146 bus I was a little hesitant. Â But when EVERYONE you work with uses the phrase 'you've never had Harold's?!', it gets a bit old after awhile. Â So in the Friday afternoon pondering of what to order for lunch, I finally suggested it. Â And of course that suggestion was well received. Â
I called in our 8-person order and got it told back to me clearly and correctly. Â All right...already good in my book. Â They deliver for a very small charge and since they've delivered to the museum before, they clarified as to what door to come to for the drop off. Â
I gave them a time and they were here. Â All packed and labeled nicely. Â Fantastic. Â The food itself was great! Â Albeit a bit too greasy for my liking but still good! Â Hot sauce yum, although I think it's the Louisiana hot sauce out of the bottle that you can buy at the store. Â Great moist chicken delivered to my place of employment? Â Great! Â And I may not be a "Harold's Connoisseur" as some of these others about this location, but I have nothing else to compare it to. Â I about fell over seeing that this location was #62! Â Are Harold's taking over Chicagoland? Â Incredible! Â Keep up the great work and fast service, and you'll be getting a Friday phone call from me again soon!
I've been to a few different Harold's and each one can be a little different. Sometimes, you order through a window that has iron bars on it and a little window to push you money though. It's like ordering fried chicken at a maximum security prison.
Luckily the one here is actually quite friendly. It's got a nice little eating area. They even have okra on the menu(some of them don't put it on the menu, but ask for it, because they have it). My hubby usually does the ordering, something about a half dark with hot and mild sauce and a side of okra to go. We frolic home extremely excited for what's to come.
How we eat our Harold's:
1) We have our little sit up in front of the TV.
2) Hubby puts one packet of salt and one packet of pepper into the fried okra bag, and shakes it all about. Then he eats a few immediately before he passes me the bag.
3) Then he takes the other bag which has the fried chicken and sticks his big nose into the bag and inhales the chicken fumes. I swear his eyes roll back into the back of his head, like it's some drug.
4) He pulls out the paper tray with the chicken and goes to town on a drumstick. I eat some fries dipped into the hot sauce and then eat a thigh.
5) After all of hubby's chicken is eaten, I inspect his chicken bones and point out pieces of meat that he missed. Hrmph...wasted meat! Tsk.Tsk.
My drumsticks are always clean, I even gnaw off the cartilage. Yeah, that's right, I'm Chinese. I like it. Â :OP
"Mmmm! Goddamn, Jimmie! Â This is some serious gourmet shit!" Â Quentin Tarantino could not have created a better greasy, unhealthy, rib-stickin' joint even if Marcellus went all crazy on his ass. Â If Jack Rabbit Slim's were a chicken shack, then Vince and Mia would be sucking the grease from a Harold's 4-piece off'a their fingers! Â
Let me be clear, in the Wabash location, there are a couple tables, but this place is not a restaurant. Â It is the world's damn finest chicken shack, straight up. Â You order through a bullet-proof window, they give you a number, you wait with like 15 other chicken-hounds crackheads waiting for their chicken/fries/dollop of coleslaw/2-pieces of white bread meal, and once y'er order is ready, they slide it through a plexiglass turntable type of thing. Â Oh, and they fry on demand, so don't expect to get y'er meal yesterday. Â Patience, grasshopper.
Word to the wise: y'er not here to be seen and don't go all up in there asking for "lite" anything. It's double, triple, and quadruple fried chicken. Â It's cheap, it hits the spot, once you take a bite, you'll be part of a Chicago Legacy. Â "I said God Damn... God Damn!"
Sometimes, you just have to say screw fennel, screw lamb, screw blanching and get to the soul of the food.
Harold's does this tremendously well. 2 piece white meat with fries all slathered in glowing red hot sauce.
The service is what you'd expect, but to experience the food from Harold's makes it all worthwhile
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