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Harold's Chicken Shack

3.6 (95 reviews)
Closed 10:30 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
Updated over 3 months ago

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Harold's Chicken Shack Photos

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HAROLD'S CHICKEN SHACK ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Dogs allowed
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Harold's Chicken Shack

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Malcolm I.

Great chicken! They run a straight forward operation and gave me tasty food. I never had mild sauce, and it was good, especially on my fried hard wings.

Shawnda L.

We were in Chicago on vacation and our first stop was to Harold's Chicken off 35th street. James the owner was super nice. We had gizzards, liver, cat fish, coleslaw, wings and grapes with toffee. EVERYTHING was delicious!! The grapes were surprisingly delicious. The sauce did not disappoint! I'd recommend you check out Harold's Chicken on 35th street.

a basket of chicken wings and french fries
Anna S.

Harold's is a South Side institution and this place is an excellent place to satisfy your craving. Harold's was designed for each franchise to develop its own ambiance/vibe - it was specifically trying to avoid the cookie cutter molds you see from other fast food places. This is probably why it's a bit inconsistent from location to location; this franchise is great. My usual order is a half chicken meal with both mild and spicy sauce. I thought this came out great - it has the same excellent taste as the other Harold's places I've been to. It's been rated as one of the best Harold's in Chicago and I think the ranking makes sense. The location itself is very clean and everyone was very friendly. There are a few tables around but it's not designed for you to dine-in; it's made for takeout. Harold's cooks its meals to order so expect to wait at least 10 minutes. It's not as fast as your other fast food franchises - but most fast food places don't cook your meal to order so I think it's well worth the wait. They also accept grubhub orders here if you don't want to order at the counter and wait. I think it's definitely worth the wait - Harold's is something I try to get whenever I am back in Chicago!

Chicken and fries
Winnie L.

Protip: Make sure you have plenty of time to wait for your order. There's not much seating inside so pick somewhere nearby to eat or don't order anything that will get soggy while you take it back home. Highlights: Wings were pretty good and I'd be open to trying other items from the menu. Lowlights: It look forever to get our food and we didn't order very much. French fries were very soft and not really my style.

1/2 White Meat Chicken Dinner
Russell M.

I'm a truck driver from California and every time I'm visiting or driving through Chicago the first thing I do when I touch down is get me some Harold's chicken this place is 5 stars across the board kind of mad this location had no banana pudding BUT SCRATCH that the CHICKEN the SAUCE ain't nothing BETTER!!! and my fat self done been to uncle Remus and all them copy cats yeah yeah nah Harold's got my dollar when it comes to the chicken In Chicago keep doin

2pc catfish and 2pc lemon pepper wings with fries
Phyllis B.

August 13, 2022, dining after parade with the lovebugs. It was the kids and I first time in Chicago, but not bay's. As a foodblogger and foodie, I eat by researching reviews, food pictures, and presentation of the food first-hand. This establishment is a Chi-town staple; but the wait time was not bad at all. Not sure if it was meant to dine-in because they had the bigger tables blocked off. On the other hand, there were 2 smaller tables visible, but already occupied. We cleaned the tables off and sat down after the previous customers. Then proceeded to wait for our food to be ready. I ordered 2pc catfish and 2 wings (lemon pepper), came with order of fries. My food was seasoned well, not salty at all - just bursting with flavor. Will definitely recommend and also eat here again upon return visit. #memphisfoodblogger #chicagoroadtrip #dinein #wherelocalsgo #travelingblogger

Fried Chicken and Fries..
Devon G.

Chicken was good. Nice and fresh. Got Sauce on the side. Service was great and had Nice throwback pictures on the wall..

Shafqat D.

Of course I'd visit Harold's Chicken #88, considered to be the best of all the Chicken Shacks. Harold's Chicken Shack was explicitly called out as the place to go for Chicago's take on fried chicken when I visited Skydeck earlier. The breading, the crispiness, the crunchiness is perfect. They've got the right amount of salt in their fried chicken. The fries are well done. The sauce is legitimately spicy; there's a clear difference between spicy and mild. What's great about the mild sauce is that it's not a sweet sauce--it is actually "mild." Main downsides I see are the unusually small amount of coleslaw and the current tax due to the wing shortage (20% tax is hard to chew on). The 1/4 chicken dinner is what I'd recommend people get. You won't be disappointed!

1/2 white chicken dinner.
Jose C.

Gotta love Harold's. Especially at this location. It's conveniently located near the Cell, and unlike other locations, they actually have good customer service. After I ordered my chicken dinner, she politely advised it would be 15 minutes. It was more like 25 but that's ok. You know you're getting fresh fried chicken at the end of the day. Their credit card machine actually worked and I asked for extra hot and mild sauce on the side and I was prepared to pay for it, but they never asked me for additional money. As for the chicken? I mean damn. Freshly fried golden chicken covered with fries and plenty of mild and hot sauce covering everything. Definitely no skimping going on here. You can either eat the bread at the bottom during your meal or wait to the end once it's sucked up all the mess from the food. Gotta love Harold's man.

1/4 Dark Meat Chicken Dinner with fries and a bunch of Sauce
Truthful J.

Our team decided to stop by there to grab some food. They said the service was friendly. They also grabbed me some takeout. I only wanted a piece of chicken and to try these things called taffy grapes. He came back k with a 2pc, fries and the grapes because this location doesn't see one piece of chicken. The chicken was tasty, reminded me of Popeyes. The fries not so much. They were soggy, but they included all these sauces and they did the trick. Their sauces are really good. I tried bbq and another sweet and tangy one. Now I've never heard of a taffy grape until being here. They were pretty interesting. It was basically green grapes dipped in a Carmel flavored chocolate shell with crushed peanuts on top. They tasted ok kind of like a candy apple bite. Overall the food was ok. I don't necessarily have to go back, but if I was hungry and near there I'd get it again.

8 wings, fried hard, salt & pepper, hot sauce. The only way to fly!

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5 months ago

Terrible chicken wasn't cooked fresh pre cooked chicken terrible . Never going back to this restaurant

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They are quick and efficient!! Flavor remains the same. Close location...118th and Pulaski

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3 years ago

There is nothing like good Harold's chicken !! I love the mild sauce with lemon pepper!!!

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3 years ago

Just ok.The wait is so damn loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong.In a crunch this is my go to.

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Dixiepura Kitchen - PEPPER LAMB BOUDIN
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4.8(20 reviews)
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4.0(631 reviews)
2.9 miHyde Park
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Small Cheval- Hyde Park - Golden Fries

Small Cheval- Hyde Park

3.7(125 reviews)
2.6 miHyde Park
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As a burger aficionado, I'm not at all extremely particular about the build of beef licious salad…read morecovered in bread, however, this place gives me a new class of lessons I hadn't known I'd be so late for! Upon entering the enticing brick and mortar arena of class and burger, I went to my go to. Bacon. A bacon cheeseburger...as is. And what I was given wasn't so bad. Of course mustard, ketchup and some mayo is like the common denominator for my interest, however , this placed offered an alternative and it bothered me a tad bit. Yes, there is decor and artsy menu options Yes, there are live philodendrons cascading the walls BUT. a lady wants mustard on her burger...a lady wants lettuce and tomato without asking! Well, the young man behind the register taking the order was oh so pleasant...freely given and genuine. As he would say "the best things in life are free" Had I entered the building only seeing his smile and walking out sans burger...I would have given this five stars, Also, target across the street isn't really my friend like that. Try CVS and sign up for those coupons...them receipts be longer than toilet paper but so worth it if you remember to clip them for your next visit.

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4.2(104 reviews)
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This used to be the go-to local bar to blow off steam after a tough day at work. The clientele is…read morecomprised of a really cool mix of local south- siders (read: White Sox fans!) and UChicago staff/students. There is an epic wall mural that features different aspects of the city, including a huge Barack Obama head. As I said: epic. The bar is separated into two distinct parts, divided by a counter/tables in the center (you have to walk all the way around if you want to switch sides or move at the tables). On one side is the bar and a few TVs to watch the games, giving it a louder sports bar kind of vibe. On the other side there are a bunch of tables--almost like picnic tables. It feels very communal and laid-back. It's a place you can sip on drinks and easily spend time with a group of friends. The Cove is very group-friendly. My favorite part? My friend brings his dog there and it's no problem. Is this bar a dive? Yes. Do I care? No. Do I actually love it? Absolutely. Best bar on the area, hands down.

Owner Sonnie and DJ/Security Milton brutally beat up a customer outdise of the bar April 23, 2026…read morewhich started with the DJ/Security using excessive force on the customer inside of the bar. The young man was outside talking to associates about the situation and the owner came out and attacked him and the DJ joined in and beat him. Customer left in ambulance and is seeking medical care. The owner and DJ needs to be arrested! There were numerous witnesses to this incident

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Harold's Chicken Shack - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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