Modern rotisserie chicken spot with hearty sides & unique sauces

























"On Old South Pearl Street in Platte Park I tried Chook, Alex Seidel’s rotisserie-chicken restaurant that opened last year; the undisputed draw is the chicken (available quarter, half, or whole) served with gravy, chimichurri, piri-piri, or macha sauce, with sides like potato wedges, charred vegetables, and mac & cheese, and beverages including beer, cocktails served in pots, and Attimo wines on tap." - Georgina Rupp

"When diners enter a neighborhood rotisserie chicken spot, they don’t usually expect a recent James Beard-winning chef to be behind it. But there’s one in charge of Chook: Fruition Restaurant and Mercantile Dining and Provisions chef Alex Seidel, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest just last year. That’s also when he opened this counter-service restaurant, which serves high-quality rotisserie poultry with charred side vegetables along with bottled cocktails and wines by the half glass." - Gigi Sukin


"Füdmill, the bakery brainchild of James Beard Award-winner Alex Seidel (Mercantile, Fruition, and Fruiton Farms) and Keegan Gerhard (of Food Network and D-Bar fame) supplies breadstuffs to its partners, among them, the recently opened Chook Charcoal Chicken. On the menu: Pulled chicken sliders made with rotisserie birds, topped in house slaw and brown gravy and served on a Pacific dinner roll." - Rebecca Treon


"At the new South Pearl Street spot I found a fast-casual rotisserie that a dining companion called “fancy Boston Market,” which is apt for its counter service and comforting sides but undersells how it distinguishes itself: James Beard winner Alex Seidel serves high-quality, ethically raised birds as juicy quarter, half, and whole grilled chicken cuts alongside charred winter vegetables, fresh salads, pastas and potatoes, and a selection of “good beer” and “lovely wine.” I noticed pre-batched “happy pots” (Negroni, Old Fashioned, two martinis) that leave most fast-casual players behind, and many meal options priced around $10 or less — examples include a chicken thigh with a side, mac and cheese with a small salad, an avocado chicken sandwich on grilled bread, or a happy pot and cup of pudding. Seidel intends to scale Chook and shift Colorado poultry sourcing while making his food more affordable; the restaurant opens 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting Friday." - Josie Sexton

"Opening for lunch and dinner on Friday, December 7 at 1300 South Pearl on Old South Pearl Street, this fast-casual chicken shop centers on plates of coal-fired rotisserie chicken served with grilled vegetables, salads and a selection of sides. With a deliberately simple menu, the venture emphasizes high-quality, locally sourced poultry — the owner's Fruition Farms is planned to eventually house a full flock — while keeping meals affordable for families (customers should be able to fill up for under $10). Beer, wine and cocktails will also be available. The project is led by James Beard Award–winning chef Alex Seidel in partnership with Adam Schlegel and longtime bar manager Randy Layman, and the team will donate 1 percent of all restaurant sales to rotating local charities." - Josie Sexton