I stopped by Lettie's with my mom yesterday for a late lunch before heading up to PA to visit Longwood Gardens. I'd had Lettie's bookmarked for at least six months, and recently saw that they won Best of DE Editor's Choice for fried chicken. In light of my not-so-secret love of Southern/soul food and fried chicken in particular, I knew that I needed to check Lettie's out, esp. after seeing the tantalizing photos on Yelp. Per other Yelpers' advice, I called in my order en route 20 min. ahead of time, which worked out perfectly for us. Upon arrival, I gave them my name for the chicken, and we ordered sides of potato salad and mac and cheese, as well as freshly brewed iced tea to drink (note: they only brew unsweet iced tea). After ordering, we took a seat on the wraparound porch, and they brought the food out to us in less than 5 min. From my first bite into a drumstick, it was clear that this was the best fried chicken I'd ever put in my mouth. The skin was perfectly crisp, with the perfect amount of breading to give it a satisfying crunch, and the meat was tender and oozing with moistness. My mom told me that this chicken was the closest she'd ever had to my great grandmother's fried chicken from Arkansas, and was "real Southern fried chicken." For my part, I can say that it's better than the fried chicken I had at several well-known Southern restaurants in Atlanta, as well as any fried chicken I've had to date in Pittsburgh. As difficult as it is for me to admit, it's even better than my own fried chicken! My only minor criticism is that the breading was a bit salty for my taste--but even so, its texture was so perfect that I can overlook it. As for the sides, both of them were clearly homemade, and were very good. The mac and cheese was made with a sauce that tasted like sharp white cheddar was used, and was on the creamier side of the spectrum. I don't even really like potato salad (I find it very bland), but I tried some and thought it was decent, which is high praise from me. It had small pieces of dill pickle, celery, and hard boiled egg mixed in, giving it some nice flavor and crunch. Needless to say, my mom and I were extremely impressed at the quality of the fried chicken from Lettie's. Although the chicken is technically broasted, since it's cooked in a pressure cooker instead of deep fried, it's difficult to tell that it's not fried--the only difference is that it's slightly less greasy on the outside. My only regret is that I forgot to order dessert, since I would have loved to try the key lime pie and my mom would have liked to try the chocolate cake, both of which I'm certain must be excellent based on the quality of everything else that we tried. If you appreciate good fried chicken and home cooking, Lettie's is a must-try--you certainly won't regret discovering this hidden gem in Hockessin! read more

Lettie's Kitchen - Broasted chicken, potato salad, and mac and cheese - Comfort Food Near Me - Hockessin, Delaware

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I was desperately hungry for fried chicken... you know the feeling? Overwhelmed with a need for juicy perfect fried chicken... I was even searching for recipes but I was 'out and about' so I called a friend asking for a search for a place with really good fried chicken and BINGO!! There is a reason that Letties is known for their fried chicken ... it is perfect! I ordered two pieces and a salad. I savored each piece. Service is warm and friendly; you have a comfy feeling in this EXTREMELY SMALL restaurant (Take out seems to be their strength with a nice selection of homemade foods (The chicken pot pie in the fridge looked really good.). Since the menu suggests homemade soups I asked for the soup of the day ... I was told the soups are ALL FROZEN. Well there went that idea. So I chose a salad to go with my perfect pieces of chicken. What was delivered to the table was a huge pile of shredded lettuce with some broken corn chips and a minimalist concept of tomatoes, corn and black beans. VERY DISAPPOINTED but the chicken was OH SO GOOD. My dining partner ordered the grilled cheese and it looked really good. I was told it was really good AND sitting next to the grilled cheese was a cup of tomato soup (If you scroll back you will see that I was told all the soup was frozen), which I was told was good. So, Lettie's loses a star for the obvious but they win four stars for really good fried chicken! read more

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This place is so cute and the fired chicken is Delish. I've been here a few times and the chicken never disappoints. It's crispy on the outside and juicy and moist on the inside. Also, all of their side dishes are great. My fav are the potato salad and the Mac salad. When ordering chicken, I would try to call ahead bc they will cook it when u order it. And it sells out quickly. Sometimes we come here and it's all sold out. So call before u come by!! read more

Lettie's Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Hockessin, Delaware

Amazing food. Their fry chicken is definitely top 3 on my list. The service was really nice. Super quick. Parking lot is small but that's really not a problem. read more

Lettie's Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Hockessin, Delaware

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Fried chicken was crispy and juicy but had an off flavor and I actually threw it away. I really wanted to like it.

Hands down the best fried chicken! Great service and clean facility! Easy ordering process,

This is my first time patronizing this place while searching for good fried chicken. Very friendly and even brought my to go order to my car with a smile I might add . I got the 8 piece. Once I got home I took a bite of the breast and it was juicy and very tasty. I give it 5 stars. The only thing I suggest is changing the oil due to the slightly burnt taste, but I would go back again . read more

Lettie's Kitchen - 8 piece fried chicken $20 - Comfort Food Near Me - Hockessin, Delaware

Love their comfort food. Never really loved fried chicken but became a fan. The fried chicken is made in good oil, not that greasy recycled, cheap stuff. If you walk into their establishment, it will never smell like fried chicken! Their mac & cheese is homemade, and also a Family favorite. The only reason I have not given them five star is due to customer service. I experience very negative customer service last year, which included some of their front staff, not answering the desk at all, and when I called back hanging up after being placed on hold several times, even as far as walking in to pick up my order and having rude staff waiting on me. to their credit, so far this year, the young students working the front desk have been incredibly polite and much better. Let's hope it continues and they will receive that five star rating. read more

Great place! Chicken phenomenal and the sides are great! Orange creamsicle cake!!!!!!! This is a must try if you live within 50 miles of here. read more

I heard that this place had the greatest fried chicken. Well, it did taste ok, but there wasn't much meat, and it was a little dry. Maybe i caught it at a bad time so i'll give 3 stars instead of 2. read more

Great brosted chicken select the pieces you want. And consider the sides and special meals they are great.

Lettie's kitchen is amazing the workers Aidan and jacob are amazing the chicken is to die for while also getting a feeling of home while walking in would 100 percent recommend for those who love chicken!! read more

Have been ordering from Lettie's for over three years. Something has changed with the food quality. The chicken smelled badly, especially dark pieces, and the taste was off. This is the second time this has happened. I am now thinking they are buying cheaper material while charging a premium. It's really too bad because this was one of the best places to get great chicken. read more

The food was great! The lady that owns the business is very friendly. She helps the staff to act in a professional manner. The worker goofed my order up. I ordered 1 chicken dinner meal he ordered me 3. The nice owner lady told him to clean his ears out and get orders right. read more

Great customer service and a very nice family own business. The chicken doesn't have any flavor and it's a little pricey. But I do recommend the chicken noodle soup soup. read more

Food quality and quantity does not match the pricing and service is very slow. Went there for Father's Day (2022). Not impressed. They didn't have many of the items on the menu. Will not be returning. Too many better restaurants in Kennett Square. read more

If Colonel Sanders had Lettie's recipe, he would have been a General! Excellent key lime pie as well.

WOW this was a surprise Chicken was one of the best I ever had. The macaroni salad was outstanding. I've never had macaroni salad like that the best. They even had desserts I picked a orange Creamsicle cake. That was totally awesome. I definitely will go back. read more

The food is good. Place is a little bit pricey, but it's Hockessin. Unfortunately, the 2 star review reflects the bad employee attitude I experienced. I went to pickup an order. At the front counter there was a large display of 1 ounce chip bags with 2 big handwritten signs advertising the chips for 75 cents each. I grabbed a couple of bags of chips and added them to the order. The cashier charged me $1 each for the chips. I pointed out that there were supposed to be 75 cents each. Cashier refused to check the price or even look over the counter at their sign. She gave me attitude for even asking them to correct their price. Finally got the chips taken off. The price difference was tiny, but clearly they did not value me as a customer . read more

The BEST fried chicken in Delaware! The Biscuits and the Mac and cheese were delicious!

We got takeout and it was delicious. Definitely order ahead. We ordered 30 minutes ahead and still had to wait a few minutes for the chicken. It was worth it! Everything was delicious. We got an 8 piece chicken, Mac and cheese, corn pudding, biscuit, and pasta salad. While everything was good, the chicken and the pasta salad were the standouts. We will definitely get takeout from Letties again! read more

Lettie's Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Hockessin, Delaware

Needed emergency food for a death in the family. Called the day before. The staff went above and beyond to accommodate my request. Professional, empathetic, and I could go on and on. The quality of food was exceptional. Everything ordered was fresh and enjoyed by all. Thank you for helping me. I will definitely visit next time that I'm in town. read more

Hidden gem in Hockessin. Crispy on the outside and juicy inside. Little pricey but worth it

Chicken is excellent. Owners are awesome! Employees DO NOT like to work until closing. May want to look into that, Tom. This is the second time calling in and with +40min still left open, "you can order anything except chicken as our burners are already off. Then it changed to our burners are all used up." I mean it's Friday, I get everyone wants to get the heck out of work. However, Friday night fried chicken family dinners (ahhh...)Close at 6pm then or put a last call sign, as they do at bars. Recommend ordering your dinner early afternoon to ensure it's possible to get chicken here from 4pm onward. read more

We had your Chicken Pot Pie for the first time tonight! It was OUTSTANDING!! Might have to have this EVERY Wednesday night!

I tried the 8 pcs chicken to-go. Excellent fresh chicken, not over fried. Perfect crispy outside. Need to try more items next time. Also service is great. Sometimes there's a wait because items are made fresh. Worth the wait though. read more

Very good fried chicken! Crunchy and moist. Most importantly cooked through. Good potato salad. 12 pieces for $20. Located in a house with a big metal chicken sitting outside. The service was very nice and home spun. Not the kind of place I would eat in. More of a take out place. Very casual. read more

Lettie's Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Hockessin, Delaware

I do not eat fried chicken often, but this family owned restaurant came highly recommended. I was down the road at an appointment and decided to check it out. O. M. G. NO, I'm not 17, but this was the best fried chicken I've ever had. Juicy, crispy, salty, flavorful. I ordered the thigh, wing and leg because I love the dark meat. Next time I'm ordering the whole bird. I also had the green beans and scalloped corn. What is scalloped corn you ask? Well it's moist, delicious cornbread with whole kernel corn in it and it almost didn't make it home! If you are within driving distance then you must go go go. read more

Heard great things about this place so decided to have lunch here with some friends. We ordered the 12 piece and sampled a variety of sides (twice baked potato, potato salad, mac & cheese, biscuits and cucumber salad). The chicken the piping hot when brought to our table. The skin was extremely crispy, but the chicken inside was nice and juicy. We were all amazed to find our hands not dripping in grease when we finished our meal. As this chicken is broasted, you have a crazy greasy mess as regular fried chicken. Everything tasted amazing! If you order chicken (which you definitely should be if coming here), there is a little wait. However, I will gladly wait for some cooked-to-order chicken, rather than the generic fried chicken that's been sitting under a heat lamp for extended periods of time. read more

Lettie's Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Hockessin, Delaware

The chicken is great, I find myself coming all the time. It's the best chicken place around northern delaware, if you find yourself near Hockessin definitely give this place a shot. read more

Stopped at Lettie's after a tour of nearby Mt. Cuba Center. It was very convenient to the center for any other day-trippers looking for a good lunch. It was 90 degrees out, so we did not want to fill up on too much, so just the 8-pc fried chicken and potato salad were great! (They sell chicken by the piece, which is what I would have gotten had I been alone, but hubs loves his chicken so we got the smallest "meal" deal.) The fried chicken has a brine and a flour based coating which has a slightly bitter taste. My husband LOVED it; for me, it tasted like buttermilk, which I don't care for, although I still thought their chicken was very good. Their crust is more smooth in texture than the more conventional chunky texture you see all over the place. We noted that they do their own thing their own way, and kudos for them for being original. My husband ate 7 of the 8 pieces, that's how much he loved their chicken. The potato salad was WONDERFUL! It was so good that when we finished it we tried to find a similar salad at a deli up here in PA and were sadly disappointed. Lettie's potato salad tastes like a sour cream version, although they informed me there is no sour cream in it. The flavor and texture manages to feel very light and subtle, almost tricking you into thinking you're not eating such a fattening food. It sure made me want to gobble up twice what I normally eat. And, I am still craving more, especially after the disappointment in yesterday's adventure to try to find something similar up here in PA. I guess I have to get that much closer to the Mason Dixon line (under 9 miles from Lettie's), and go back to DE for Lettie's great taste! Note that while you may be tempted to scan the nearby strip malls for their sign, they are actually in an old house converted to the restaurant, so look for that. There are only about four tables inside, and a few more on the porch. You have to drive down the driveway to get to parking in the rear (a couple spots alondside the drive as well). We took prior reviewers' advice about calling and ordering ahead, and that worked well. We were told 25mins and we got it in 30mins, which is pretty good. I would not have wanted to sit there for the whole 30mins, so I'm glad we called it in. read more

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Wow! We just had the "thanksgiving dinner " turkey mashed potato stuffing vegetable and cranberry. Tasty hot ,gravy was separate. Witch was appropriate. Highly recommend! read more

The best fried chicken around and the sides are all delicious. I usually call ahead and my order is always ready when I get there.

Felt like having fried chicken and came with two friends. Ordered the 16 piece meal (4 of wings, legs, thighs and breast pieces), the potato salad and the chicken salad. Definitely not everyday fast food fried chicken. As mentioned in previous comments, the chicken is broasted so it is not as oily as "real" fried chicken. But it was so crispy, the most crispy I've had for fried chicken! The texture of the wings, legs and thigh are just perfect. The meat was also very tender. As for the breast, unless you love fried chicken breast/ feel healthy (fried chicken?), it is just as dry as other fried chicken breasts. Won't order the breasts if coming again. And EAT IT HOT. Texture of the potato salad is also one of a kind. Not mushy as the supermarket ones. Chicken salad is ok, a bit tough to my taste. There are a couple parking spots behind the restaurant. You can also park in the Park parking (park...) nearby. We ate at the bench in the park. Had a nice view. Ask for some utensils and napkins if u decide to eat outside. Will recommend. read more

Their food is good but the inside and the kitchen is filthy. Service is okay. Wish they would renovate

Chicken was delish! Perfectly cooked w crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle!!

The best fried chicken - so juicy and crispy! The biscuits were incredible, the cole slaw and potato salad were delicious. Friendly staff and great service. read more

Great chicken. Cold claw was wonderful. Best chicken in the area. Homemade quality..

We ordered for the first time and it was absolutely delicious. Our order was ready 5min after we arrived to pick it up. We had Fried Chicken, String Beans with Stewed Tomatoes, Potato Salad & Biscuits! Our whole family loved it! Everything was really good! We are so happy to have another family dinner "go-to" place! Woo Hoo!!! read more

The fried chicken here seriously does not disappoint. The restaurant is in a house, and is very clean and cute. Very relaxed. The staff is friendly which is always good. But the real reason to come here is the chicken. Everything else I've ever had here is great also, but the chicken is amazing. My second favorite things are the biscuits, and then the mac and cheese. read more

Lettie's Kitchen - The fried chicken is some of the best I've ever had. - Comfort Food Near Me - Hockessin, Delaware