Pam N.
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Fryer Tuck’s is one of those places that looks like it’s been here since before Beaverton Hillsdale Highway was paved, and I mean that in the best possible way. We’d been tired of the usual fast-food suspects and this spot had been on our list forever. Reddit came through when I asked for fried chicken ideas in Southwest Portland—Fryer Tuck’s popped up again and again, like a deep-fried beacon of hope.
Finding it is a bit of an Oregon Trail side quest. You’ll hit a weird intersection, take a turn that feels slightly illegal, and suddenly you’re staring at two doors—one says Cider Mill, one says Fryer Tuck’s. Choose wisely, traveler. We went in through the Fryer Tuck’s side and were greeted by an interior that’s part gritty dive, part family relic, part “I bet Anthony Bourdain would have loved this joint.” The fixtures are old, the front counter is clean-ish but not gleaming, and you get the sense that the kitchen has seen a few decades of hot oil and good stories. I won’t lie, I did have a fleeting “how’s that health score looking?” moment, but the smell of fried chicken overruled my hesitation.
We both ordered the chicken strip sandwiches with fries, because apparently we were in a carb-forward mood. When the food came out, each box weighed roughly the same as a bowling ball. As we walked to the car, I heard my husband mutter, “This better be worth the price.” Spoiler alert: it was. Easily. Maybe even double that, if we’re going by square inch and poundage. We opened the boxes to find sandwiches bursting with enough meat to rebuild a chicken. The fries were legit—crispy, salty, endless. The chicken itself had great flavor and seasoning, but was cooked just a touch too long, making it a bit dry. My sandwich needed mayo or some other kind of food lube to smooth things out. Still, that first bite? Fantastic.
Next time, we’ll skip the bread and lettuce (which killed some of the crunch) and order a single meal to split. That’s saying something, because we don’t normally split meals. Fryer Tuck’s is generous like a grandma who doesn’t understand portion control, and the value for what you get is outstanding.
Would I go back? Yeah, absolutely—but next time I’m eating inside so I can admire the 6-foot-tall Sasquatch statue guarding the bar. Fryer Tuck’s is the kind of place where the food outweighs the flaws—literally—and if you can embrace a little grit with your gravy, it’s worth the stop.