2024 Best Fried Chicken Spots in the U.S.A.

Chicago's Honey Butter Fried Chicken makes memorable poultry, all salty-sweet and served with honey butter

Top 10 Fried Chicken Restaurants
in America

While fried chicken has long had its roots buried deep in the culinary traditions of the South, more and more restaurants nationwide have come to embrace the down-home dish. Once known only as a cheap, often greasy picnic staple, today's fried chicken is just as likely to carry the spices of the Hawaiian islands or be prepared by an on-site butcher.

From Thomas Keller's inimitable ad hoc fried chicken to jalapeño-buttermilk marinated birds, these are GAYOT's Top 10 Fried Chicken Restaurants in the U.S., presented in alphabetical order.

 
ad hoc
14/20

Thomas Keller's casual ad hoc restaurant in Yountville serves up homey food with a pedigree. Monday nights are particularly popular since that's when the divine buttermilk fried chicken appears on the prix-fixe menu. See More

View Restaurant
Arnold’s Country Kitchen
QB

Head to Arnold's Country Kitchen in Nashville for old-school Southern fare.The fried chicken is golden crisp and juicy. See More

View Restaurant
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
14/20

True to its name, sushi and sashimi abound at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill in Los Angeles — but one dish you should not miss is the fried chicken with wasabi honey. Astonishingly, this improbable combination works. See More

Book a Table

View Restaurant
Bobwhite Lunch & Supper Counter
13/20

A sleek, diminutive comfort food spot deep in New York's East Village, Bobwhite Lunch & Supper Counter will satisfy a number of cravings. New initiates should be obligated to try the crunchy fried free-range chicken. See More

View Restaurant
The Colonnade
13/20

The Colonnade was founded in 1927 and since then has secured its spot as an Atlanta classic. The fried chicken is lightly dusted with seasoned flour, and always cooked on the bone for flavor and juiciness. See More

View Restaurant
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
13/20

Napoleon "Na" Bonner and his wife Maggie launched a little chicken shack in tiny Mason, Tennessee, just outside Memphis in the 1950s. Using their secret recipe, they offered spicy fried chicken that became the stuff of local legend. See More

View Restaurant
Honey Butter Fried Chicken
QB

Chicago's Honey Butter Fried Chicken makes memorable poultry, all salty-sweet and served with honey butter. Expect interesting sides, too, such as kale and cabbage slaw with sweet tea vinaigrette. See More

View Restaurant
Ma'ono Fried Chicken & Whisky
13/20

Ma'ono in Seattle circles the Pacific with Northwest ingredients, American whiskey, Hawaiian side dishes and Korean-style chicken. The star of the show is the first-rate fried chicken, which is cooked twice for crispiness. See More

View Restaurant
American Regional, Gluten-free, Chicken
Max's Wine Dive
14/20

Max's Wine Dive in Houston uses a jalapeño and buttermilk marinade for the restaurant's deep-fried chicken, which comes with mashed potatoes, collard greens, Texas toast and chipotle honey. Bonus: There's also a gluten-free version of the fried chicken. See More

Book a Table

View Restaurant
Willie Mae's Scotch House
No Rating

Kerry Seaton Stewart, the great-granddaughter of Willie Mae Seaton, carries on the family business at Willie Mae's Scotch House in New Orleans. The friend chicken is legendary, but you'll also find fried catfish, fried shrimp and baked chicken. See More

View Restaurant