This tiny restaurant has acquired a pretty wide reputation in the DC area, and with good reason. It's serves up some fine Southern cooking without adding anything fancy or upscale to it - just good, real, basic food and plenty of it. You can read a lot about how much food you get, and there's no exaggerating in these reviews. My wife and I got take-out for two and (based on past experience) ordered one half-chicken dinner with three sides (mac & cheese, greens, potato salad). And a coke. That came to $25, and we ended up with: 3 containers of sides, each enough for 2-3 people to have a serving, and (wait for it) 1 wing, 2 legs, 3 thighs, and 2 breasts. I am now eating lunch the next day and will not finish the chicken. And I'm a pig. The greens are not spicy or seasoned heavily, but I like to add a bit of hot sauce. They are, however, perfectly cooked for my tastes - big leaves, not chopped, that stay together but are easy to chew. The mac & cheese is stellar, very rich. Potato salad is sweet with chopped pickles in it. The chicken is nicely fried - very crispy, so the meat is not greasy or oily inside. Obviously served dangerously hot. Some things to be warned about: - Wait times can be long, because the place is tiny and basically it's one meal cooked at a time. We walked in to place a take-out order (not taken over the phone on Friday nights), and we waited about 45 minutes for the food. - It's *really* small. There are a few booths and a countertop, so maybe 20 people can sit and eat at once. - It's sort of messy and would not get an 'A' for cleanliness to be sure. The fridges are right out in the main restaurant, because I suspect there's no 'back room' at all. - This is not the minibar at Cafe Atlantico. But major props to HP for just heaving up the vat of commercial hot sauce and filling the containers in front of everyone. If you want some sort of hand-made remoulade with your peach-glazed chicken, this is not the place for you. The owners, cooks, waitresses I've met and been helped by have all been great - friendly and attentive, even though they always have their hands full. I always feel welcome, and consistently come back. read more

Excellent!! Down home cooking at its best with paper towels to catch the grease, styrofoam containers, paper bags, huge portions and all... We tried the highly recommended fried chicken, the catfish, mac-n-cheese, collards, and spinach... Thankfully a friend recently mentioned how good the food was at the HP, I was told it was a little pricey but well worth it, and there's usually a long wait...luckily we ordered take out so we skipped out on the long wait... but everything else was true for us on this first visit... the food tasted like it was made out of a grandmother's kitchen... one you always look forward to but not one you eat at everyday - especially if you want to lead a healthy life... read more

I visited the Hitching Post around 11:30 am on a Saturday, around when they were opening up for the day. It was a lovely fall Saturday so we decided to eat outside. Since we had like 12 people total, it was the best fit for us too because there isn't a lot of space on the inside. Almost everyone had the chicken sandwich and it was delicious! The chicken was perfectly fried, a good portion and no sauces were needed. One of my friends had fried catfish, which she said was also delicious. We were all very satisfied with our food choices. There is street parking available, just be sure to watch out for the zoned signs. Also, the bathrooms were not great so try to avoid if you can. read more

The food is excellent - really great fried chicken, and just about everything else - greens, mac and cheese, etc., etc. They have a great outdoor deck but the rest of the restaurant is a little shabby and would benefit from even modest attention. The chicken really does take 20 minutes or so - and this is not a complaint! It's worth the wait, but this also comes with my recommendation that you instead call your order in and pick it up. I can't take credit for this gem of an idea, since take out was invented at the same point when God was putting dinosaur bones into the layers of bedrock, but heed this wisdom so you can eat their food. read more

Chicken (8 piece) was amazing. You get 8 pieces of made to order fried chicken (I'm thinking pan-fried but forgot to check) that is just so freakin juicy it is incredible. Unlike other reviewers I thought the mac n cheese was pretty bland. I liked the collard greens though, simple and salty the way I like them. Our server/bartender was extremely sweet and polite in a southern mannerly way. My friend and I had a few Heinekens, some amazing chicken, and leftovers the next day. Which I of course at that night after going to Blue Banana to watch football. read more

The fried chicken and fried pork (maple) were tasty. Cooked all the way yet still juicy. The green beans and mash potatoes were delicious. The mac in the mac and cheese and the green beans had been over cooked to death. The green beans were also very spicy and had more of a Caribbean than southern flavor. The carrot cake was amazing. It was flavorful, the ratio between cake and frosting was perfect. read more

Absolutely Delicious! We had the mango shrimp appetizer! Succulent shrimp in sweet tangy mango sauce with a little spice kick. I had the fried chicken dinner with macaroni and cheese and collared greens and corn bread. The chicken had a delightful crisp on the outside and was tender and juicy inside. Collard greens and corn bread were fresh and amazing! My sister had the perfectly fried Catfish served with real hand cut potato fries. Everything was delicious! And very reasonable prices. Great neighborhood gem! read more

Late night Fried chicken dinner with collard greens and potato wedges. 1. The staff is AMAZING. Unexpectedly kind and warm and accommodating. 2. The place is beautiful. Small, intimate, trendy. Nice for a romantic date or a beer with friends. 3. Perfectly seasoned chicken. Not too salty like other places, I could taste the meat under the delicately fried crust.. The wedges were da bomb. I could more of their collard greens. They used seasonings to enhance not cover the taste of the food. read more

This is my personal ranking #1 BEST FRIED CHICKEN I have ever had. Very comfy, chill summertime dinner spot. Music and vibe was relaxed. Waitstaff was very friendly and accommodating. The entree was amazing. The sides were pretty good too. It took about 20 minutes to come out (indicated on menu). Parking may be a bit tough, but if you are visiting DC, make the time to come out here. read more

I LOVE this place! The food is absolutely delicious! And the drinks are amazing! Ms. Arlene provides the BEST service and Tamika pours the BEST drinks. Bottom line is you need to come here. Trust me! read more

This was a very nice and fortunate find. The crab cake was quite good and my 10 yo wants everyone to know how much he enjoyed his crispy chicken sandwich. But above all, the staff were very nice and accommodating. A sweet experience all around. read more

I'm hesitant to post this review bc this place is a great spot for home cooking at a great price and I don't want it to become so popular that things change. They probably have some of the best fried chicken I have ever tasted and I have eaten a lot of chicken in my life. It takes 20 minutes for them to make it which makes me feel good bc I know it is freshly made. Their porkchop is also great. Their sides are a bit meh. They can be better. This is where I go when I don't want to dress up. I just want to eat some good food, have a good strong drink, and go home and go to sleep. read more

Wanted to love this place, but am not sure I even liked it. Headed there for lunch earlier this week and was not overwhelmed. First off, it's not a cheap lunch option if you're interested in quality rather than quantity of fried chicken and want to spend less than 20 dollars. At a place like this, I'd appreciate the opportunity to order less food than the half chicken which comes out looking like a whole chicken. My friend and I didn't think to share, but it doesn't seem like the type of place that would take too kindly to that. The fried chicken was pretty good but it wasn't knock your socks off good. I've had better soul food at plenty of places in DC. Also, the prices are moving towards the downright expensive with each time a black marker crosses out the old price on the menu. A recent four dollar jump means 15 dollars for dark meat and 18 dollars for white meat. As for the sides, potato salad was good, coleslaw was pretty bad and french fries and collared greens were both underwhelming. And the most annoying part of the meal was the there were no free refills on the not-homemade iced tea. If you're going to charge me 15 dollars for fried chicken, you could give me a free refill on the iced tea so I'm not dying of thirst or waiting and waiting to ask for a glass of water. Not impressed by the service either. It's understandably slow and while it's fine to wait 45 minutes for food, the waitress wasn't particularly effective either in bringing out two of the sides ten minutes after she brought out the chicken or waiting 15 minutes to bring the check. Would maybe consider going back, but am not convinced that this place is worth all the Yelp hype. This is one of the few times I flat out disagree with Yelp consensus. read more

Love the fried chicken! And potato salad is the bomb. Atmosphere is umm... different, but food on point. This is a spot that has been around since the 60's, so you know something must be good about it. My father used to hit this spot back in the day, and asked me if they still give you a ton of food...yep they do. One order of half a chicken = 8 friggin peices of bird. I was a little intimidated when I first walked in, but this has now been my second time here. Each time I have seen staff on hands and knees wiping the floor or cleaning something. My glasses are always spotless. These little things can be really telling about the cleanliness of a place. The little old couple (Mr & Mrs Carter, as my father advised me) are really sweet. A place the locals and visitors seem to love. I was also surprised by the eclectic mix of people that frequent the place. White, black, young and old. It says alot. Fried fish, chicken, and potato salad are my favs so far. read more

Love this place! Hometown feel, great southern food and awesome happy hour prices. The staff is very friendly and service is usually pretty quick. Definitely a hidden gem. read more

This place is great! Great food,I got the fried chicken dinner with Mac and cheese and greens (which is not made with pork (great because I don't eat pork). great ambiance and I met a couple of great people. I will definitely be back again! read more

The Hitching Post Restaurant - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'd never even heard of this place but my friends recently moved down the street so we got dinner there one night. What a place! A great atmosphere, staff and of course food! Fried chicken, although always delicious, was superb here. For sides, DEFINITELY get the potato salad and the collard greens. Nom nom nom! read more

I got take out from this place on a Saturday night. The place was absolutely packed and the staff seemed slammed. I ordered the fried catfish with mac n cheese and greens. I'm from Tennessee and was craving some good soul food. The only thing that disappointed was the Mac n cheese - it was bad, not creamy at all and tasted like straight butter. However, the catfish was delicious and the greens tasted like my grandmas - 10/10 for those. It did take an hour and a half to get my food from the time I called, but like I said, they were slammed and make all their food to order so whatevs. They forgot to put tartar sauce in the bag, even though I specifically asked for it. Also, if you're worried about COVID, be very cautious, this place is tiny. It's in the middle of a residential area so parking is limited to street. read more

Seriously good fried chicken. Highly recommended by friends and tried to check it out one night but it was slammed. Tried again another night and so glad we did! Crispy, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth good. Even the broccoli was delicious. Not a big place so you might have to wait for a table but it's most definitely worth it. With the chicken dinner you get 4 pieces of chicken plus two sides, so definitely go when you're hungry. You gotta check this place out when in the neighborhood or make a special trip out for it, it's really that #fingerlickinggood read more

Despite a few poor reviews regarding Hitching Post, I still ended up meeting up at HP with out of town friends who are natives of LA & MS. They wanted Southern Soul Food/Comfort Food so we took a chance on this place. When we got there, it definitely looked like they remodeled the place, trying to amp up the modern-like decor. Yet, I couldn't ignore the window pane glass that surrounded us, riddled with large cracks caused by what looked like gun shot. As mentioned in another review, you will not see a sign anywhere in sight leading you to Hitching Post. It's sitting inconspicuously on the corner of Upshur and Rocky Creek Pkwy. About The Food: (2.5 stars) I ordered the fried chicken (all white meat) dinner, with the choice of two sides, collard greens and french fries, and also an order of the mac and cheese. After looking at some pics on Yelp, I was especially excited to try the mac and cheese. But I'll admit, I was a bit disappointed. It wasn't as savory and scrumptious as I had hoped it would be--pretty dry and not enough cheesy goodness. The friend chicken definitely was fried well. It literally arrived to us piping hot. In fact, all of our food came to us fresh and hot, which was nice. For those of you who prefer crispier and drier chicken, then this is the place to go. I did like the fact the chicken wasn't greasy. I read a review that mentioned the chicken was under-cooked. Our chicken was definitely cooked through all the way. It wasn't the best fried chicken I had ever had, but it was still good enough to eat. The collard greens were definitely awesome. The french fries were your typical thick cut fries. They were pretty soggy to be honest. But still ate them. About the Service: (4 stars) We had the kindest server--so sweet and attentive. Overall, I would give Hitching Post 2.5-3 stars. It's not entirely as bad as people make it out to be. Yet, I guess if you have really high expectations, then you would certainly be disappointed. What's great about this place is it's a fixture in the Petworth community and you can tell there are loyal patrons who stop by for drinks, and know the people well. To me, that's pretty awesome. read more

Great fried chicken and good mac and cheese! We were seated quickly. read more

This place sucks. Why is it even open? I ordered Cat Fish but what they cooked and brought me was the other fish or Sway! They were apologetic but I think they knew what they were doing. read more

Great fried chicken. Cool location and building. Live music across the street at Slash Run.

Came to Hitching Post for my 29 birthday. I had the best time and it was a place I would never forget. Coming from California, there isn't a place like this. I can't wait to go back to Hitching Post this October. Food was bomb, customer service was great, atmosphere was homie. I do recommend this place to everyone. read more

Disappointed. Yelp said this establishment closed at 1am. Got there around 11 and they said they were closed. I was looking forward to the food and atmosphere but when I said something the guy acted as if he didn't even care! Very disappointed! read more

I am from Chicago and went to visit my friend in Philly. While there we planned a day trip to DC. For lunch I really wanted Soul Food so I went to Yelp and found this place. I wanted food and my friend only wanted desert so I called to make sure they had it which they said they had an apple pie with ice cream. When we entered the restaurant it looked very small, old and raggedity. It was also quite empty for a Sat afternoon. We have some older establishments in Chicago but they look a lot better. At first I wanted to walk out but the woman who greeted us while walking in was very friendly and I know some hole in the walls have good food so we stayed. I ordered the wing dinner and sweet tea and my friend ordered the apple pie with ice cream. To make a long story short, this was THE WORST soulfood I have ever had in my life. They give you a nice quanitity of food (actually too much for one person) but it tastes terrible. The chicken wasn't seasoned well, the macoroni was bland and gross and the greens were just okay. My sweet tea tasted like crap as well. I don't know how you mess that up. My friend said her pie did not taste like apples and it had frosting on top. Who puts icing on an apple pie? I also think the pie was store bought and not homemade. If I could give this place negative stars I would. I paid and tipped the waitress because she was nice but through the food I packaged in the garbage as soon as I got to one. I am very surprised at the good reviews on YELP. I guess DC dosen't know good food. read more

I'd absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking for a good fried chicken dinner. The service was a bit slow, but the people working were the nicest I've encountered in DC. The fried chicken was perfection; the perfect crispy skin, yet still moist and juicy. The greens were also amazing. The mashed potatoes tasted a little flaky, like they may have not used enough cream. But that's a forgivable offense since the chicken was SO GOOD. Go here. Now. read more

Very good food! But be warned, portions are very large. My mom and I thought we could share a plate of fried chicken and get my brother a "small" plate of three pieces of chicken and a side.... Well there was a lot of chicken left over. The three of us could have shared the one normal plate of fried chicken and two sides. Overall the food was great! We also ordered the calamari which was delicious! read more

When I first walked up, I was nervous because there were a lot of children with their parent/guardian out front. However, once I walked in, there was a quick shift in the atmosphere (good shift btw). There was a mature crowd waiting inside for me and some of the best "oldies but goodies" for my ear pleasure. The food was delicious ( I ordered the crab cake sandwich with mac and cheese). The drinks were respectable as well plus they have a DAILY Happy Hour from 4 pm-7pm. If you're in the Brookland or Petworth area, this establishment is definitely worth a visit especially if you want to enjoy some good ol Soul food. read more

The Hitching Post Restaurant - Nice Happy Hour Specials along with quality drinks! - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Grubhub ruined my order so I went in to the restaurant with full "hangriness". I was told to wait for 30 mins. I was livid. I angrily grabbed my chicken and went home. I sat down on the table and opened the styrofoam box housing my chicken, mac & cheese, and potato salad. I ripped into the chicken and I instantly felt like a terrible person for ever being angry. Everything was positively delicious. Seriously, the whole thing was perfect. The serving sizes, all of it. The dinner was a bit pricey but well worth it. Aside from the bumbling logistics, I'm a fan! read more

Edit: Owner rectified an issue with my receipt and was very courteous, professional and communicative. Very pleased with the service and 5/5 in this respect. I've only ever ordered carry-out from here so I cannot comment on dining experience or their bar but I would recommend the Chili (menu special) as well as the fried chicken. Definitely a great option for those living in the area. read more

Love this place and the people! Thanks for consistently making good food and being super friendly.

Food was great, service and atmosphere were even better. Stopped in just long enough to eat the friend chicken dinner. Everything was satisfactory. read more

I really wanted to LOVE this place. Reviews got me psyched to eat some fried chicken (not something I allow myself to have too often), but I didn't. Service was great. Drinks were awesome. The neck Bone soup was awesome, but Not sure who's neck those bones came from. We were expecting chicken bones My Fried chicken was slightly disappointing. Not a lot of flavor although hot and crispy. He had to send his order of fried chicken back because it was overcooked and dry. The replacement was better, but not flavorful and the thighs had little meat. Also tried the collard greens and mac and cheese. We've had better. read more

I've being going to the Hitching Post for years. But over that last 5 years I've had the pleasure of Ms. Arlene being my server and she always provide top notch service. More restaurants should have dedicated servers like Arlene. See you next Friday. Lacey S. read more

I just moved to the area in the last few months, and after eating at the Hitching Post a few times I am pleased to say I can definitely recommend it. Every time I have gone in the staff has been very friendly, the service almost always is prompt without being obtrusive. When it was warmer the patio was really pleasant, but the interior seating is no frills but fine too. And while everywhere in DC is a little pricey for my taste, the Hitching Post keeps it reasonable. And the chicken. I cannot say enough about the chicken. I had seen some reviewers say it took a dive for a bit with the change in ownership when the previous owners retired, but they seem to have worked out the kinks now. I lived in North Carolina before this, and I never thought I would find a place in DC to rival any I found down there but I'd say the Hitching Post does. I'd highly recommend it (either in sandwich or platter form), and the mac or collard greens. Only a few negatives: Occasionally when they get slammed it can be a bit harder to get service, but that is to be expected (and it doesn't happen that often). Also, it would be nice if their beer taps had at least one option a bit more creative than a Sam Adams, but if you really want a craft beer Slash Run is right across the street. Their menus could use an update (not so much the content but the material, the holders have lost their elasticity so the paper inserts can pretty easily fall out). Occasionally, they turn the Jukebox up a bit too loud for my taste. And I will say, I can't really speak to the consistent quality of the other entrees, as I seem to only ever get the chicken. But those are mostly nitpicks. Overall, if you are looking for fried chicken in DC, I think you would be hard pressed to find a better option than the Hitching Post. I'm really happy to have them around the corner. read more

I had been craving fried fish for weeks when my friend recommended this place. Staff was extremely friendly and helpful in helping us pick out meals. I ended up getting the fried shrimp with Mac n cheese and fries and my friend got fried rockfish with cabbage and broccoli. The Fried rockfish was huge (fried with the head and tail). Shrimp were bigger than expected and delicious. The Mac n cheese is not your grandmothers mac n cheese but it sufficed. The fries were wedges but seasoned well. Place has a mom/pop feel overall and I will be returning. read more

The fried chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and gumbo were amazing. I recommend the place highly

Once we arrived to Petworth, we went go straight here for dinner to beat the crowd since we had young kids with us. The chicken was amazing and catfish was delish! My 4 y.o daughter had half the catfish herself. This place is bookmark as my favorite so I can come again when we are in DC. read more

We went across the street to this restaurant from our visit to Lincoln's cottage. We had the grilled shrimp, potato salad, coleslaw and collard greens. They were all delicious. Our waitress, Gina, was very friendly. The owner, Barry, came by our table to introduce himself. Environment was loud but we went to the enclosed porch which allowed us to enjoy the music. I would recommend this southern style cuisine prepared at this restaurant. read more