Fry the Coop (Portage Park)

most definitely one of my favorite hot chicken restaurants. the tenders weren’t their best today.. just tasted different in not a good way so had to give a 4 star but usually every time i come here it’s top notch hot chicken. the fries and cheese sauce are a perfect combo. their new SMACK wraps are such a hit, they are the best “snack wraps” i’ve ever had. perfect chicken to sauce/cole slaw ratio on the nashville. even the ranch wrap is amazing. the atmosphere is nice and bubbly, service is A1, always has the most attentive folks in there helping customers. will always be a loyal customer, fry the coop has my hot chicken heart for sure! be sure to give them a try!

This place is absolutely AMAZING. The food is insanely delicious and the staff is INCREDIBLE. The man named Jared or Jerry deserves a GIANT raise, he was super accommodating and because of him, I will be coming back, bringing friends and family with. I LOVE THIS FRY THE COOP!!! BEST LOCATION IN CHICAGO!!! ❤️🤩🙌

Loooveee Fry The Coop. Been going to the other locations for years but glad to have one in our neighborhood. The nice outdoor seating area is great! Food is always fire and the heat is always crazy! We usually get the chicken sandwiches but the first time we tried the messy fries we were blown away. Now sometimes that’s all we get since it has all the best flavors on it and it’s such a huge order.

Food is always delicious. I’m from TN originally.. I hate how many restaurants in Chicago have this fake version of Nashville Hot Chicken… fry the coop does it very well. Really nice spice and flavor, sweet pickes, and Cole slaw. Cheese frites are always a hit. The location in west town is chill as hell too. Keep it up guys.

Finally made it over to fry the coop in the neighborhood after hearing a bunch of positive hype. We were a bit underwhelmed. Everything was overcooked. Mac was good but fries and chicken were burnt or the oil was really old.

Some of the best food in general in Chicago! I also love the new additions to the menu. The only feedback I have is that I’d love to see Sweet Tea on the menu. Besides that, the mild flavor is fantastic and I always choose the seasoned fries. I also appreciate the customer service. If you’re going to be in the restaurant business, you have to have employees that fit the bill. So far, I’ve walked away with two great experiences with staff. I’ll be back soon!

Food was of good quality, not greasy, and very tasty! Pickles and sauce were awesome. I enjoyed the wrap and my son loved his sandwich on a donut. Service was fast and food was hot. I highly recommend.

My wife and I and my father in law just finished or meal. AMAZING is an understatement. There were three very nice employees that really had great customer service and were just so nice. We had the Nashville sandwich ghost pepper and the sweet butter sandwich mild and the messy fries. It was so GOOD!! 10/10 100% recommend.

Excellent service and high quality food. If you are craving a chicken sandwich this is the place to go.

Food is amazing and staff is friendly. We drive out of our way, just for the chicken sandwich!

Love the spicy butter sandwich! I visit this place on a regular basis. I highly recommend.

I was excited to see this location because I've only been to the location in Prospect Heights, and that's a bit of a distance from me. I'm not sure if I missed an entrance or part of the restaurant because we walked into the "Little Coop" door and there were a handful of bar stools for seating, along with outdoor patio seating, ao it seemed like more of a carry out restaurant. I'm also confused because I see reviews with other menu items that I did not see when I visited. The food didn't take very long to come out. I will say I have a higher spice tolerance, so I wish I had tried a spicier level than medium, but I was still content with the meal.

I ordered take out. I ordered the Spicy Buttered Chicken. It was not spicy at all, which I was happy about. The chicken was delicious! It was a very thick juicy delicious piece of chicken. I highly recommend. The fries would have been good if they weren't so salty. I had to wipe the salt off and the fries were really good. Recommend this place. I want to go back to try their other chicken sandwiches

Ordered to-go and was pleasantly surprised at how good my chicken sandwich was. I am very glad that you can choose your spice level. The messy fries were huge! I would recommend you get those over the regular fries because those don't have much flavor, but be aware that it is almost a whole meal in itself, so I would recommend you share with someone else if possible. The tender plate was also yummy and super juicy.

We got a pick up order. Prepared incredibly quickly. Food was quite good. The spicy chicken sandwich was good but in desperate need of some veggies, maybe coleslaw? The fried chicken doughnut was really good. I would recommend it, but I would like to try some other stuff on the menu too. Fries were decent. Altogether a good meal, portion sizes were a little small for the price, but not a major complaint. The location itself was quite cutely decorated.

I love fry the coop. I love them more because they're less than 2 miles from my house! Their food delivers well and it's always perfect. Chicken is juicy and nicely seasoned, fries are a little soggy but they're still good. The Mac is cheesy and tasty. Love love them! Sandwiches are also delish!

We're not in Nashville where there's a Hattie B's just down the road, but hot chicken has definitely taken a hold in Chicago, and there's several restaurants to choose from to get your fix. For my part, Fry the Coop has been amongst my two favorites for a while now. I would stop into the Elmhurst location every once in a while before the pandemic since there wasn't one in the area, but finally got a chance to visit the Portage Park location yesterday. FtC has six heat levels. I've only been able to go to the medium level--the hot starts to get too hot for me. Yesterday the medium wasn't as hot as I've had it before so maybe I could have handled a spicier level, but no reason to test my mettle! The medium has just about the right level of heat--and yes, I do want some heat; if I wanted chicken nuggets I could buy a bag at the store--and sometimes I think I can taste the tiniest hint of sweet in there too. Nothing overwhelming, just a bit to compliment the heat. But maybe it's all in my head! The prices here are good too. I don't know if they don't usually have a tender plate?... it wasn't on their permanent menu, but rather was printed on a piece of paper taped to the menu. (If it's not a permanent thing I went on the right day because I don't like chicken sandwiches.) The tender plate came with three tenders, coleslaw, and fries; it was huge. I ate a couple tenders and brought at least half the fries and other tender home since I was pretty full. No fountain drinks here, because (to my surprise) it is a kind of diner-style place that does mostly delivery or pickup. There aren't any tables inside, but there's about a dozen or so counter seats along the interior window. There are some tables outside for better weather days, and it looks like they have a walk-up order window as well. There's also not a public bathroom, and whilst I know that's probably not legally an issue given the type of business they do with the carry-out, it means it's pretty imperative that you use the plastic silverware they give you so you don't make a mess. They don't have wet wipes to give you, so if you use your fingers probably a good idea to bring something to clean your hands with. There's no dedicated parking for this restaurant, just street parking along Milwaukee and the cross streets. On the plus side, it's free street parking. The service was friendly; I'll be back for sure.

I got the sweet chili bowl and my husband the garlic sauce bowl and Although the chicken tasted very good the rice didn't have much flavor and it wasn't cooked completely, it felt very hard like uncooked. The chicken sandwich looked better, maybe next time I will try that better.

We love this place for takeout!!! The chicken is always so crispy and juice. Just simply cooked to perfection. It doesn't matter that we get it only as delivery takeout, they somehow manage to keep the consistency so well. My favorite is the medium spice chicken sandwich. My husband loves their most spicy level and loves it. He's a huge spice head so he appreciates the extra hot being super spicy but also flavorful as opposed to be completely numbing.

I absolutely love Fry the Coop. I'm so glad they opened up in this area. Very much needed in the area. I would frequent their Elmhurst location, and never felt like driving all the way down to West Town. Their hot chicken sandwiches where are top notch as is their service. The only disappointment part is they they're essential takeout. They do have stool seating along the window, but honestly nobody dines in here. I always order their "Hot" level and up. It has the perfect amount of heat. The chicken is perfectly fried and coated in spicy seasoning. The chicken breast is always tender and juicy and topped with cole slaw to help with the heat. Their seasoned fries are also very addicting to eat. I've only tired their Nashville Hot Chicken sandwiches, but since they're now in the area I might just venture off and try their spicy butter chicken sandwich and donut fried chicken sandwich. I will definitely be back, very very soon!

Good chicken sandwich. Nice level of hot-- a bit too spicy but that was on me punching above my weight on the heat. Zero ambience and service was just above passable, so probably a 3 1/2 stars overall, but I'm rounding up because I'd definitely go again, maybe to a different location.

Always great food and great service i use toast to order ahead and pay for my order and the workers are always polite and friendly

Having had HBFC all these years, the menu offered here is only slightly different. It's a lessor cost option. The sandwiches contain a full chicken filet (very filling) and their levels of spicy differ greatly. The bite on their hotter options is WHOA! I could only get down a half sandwich before I was forced to stop. My mouth was burning. Their sandwich types and components contained are very similar. Aside from chicken their sides aren't the most attractive. Mac n' cheese is okay and potato salad is kind of a bore. I have to agree with my reviewer peers, although their fries are fresh cut they aren't seasoned properly and lack flavor. Then, the loaded fries offering is too sloppy. Fries heavily topped with Cole slaw, house sauce and bread and butter pickles. No bueno. I understand this is a chain from Nashville but in comparison to Honey Butter Fried chicken, the local place excels in sides and preparation. I'll probably check them out again for sandwiches and make sure to request they go easy on sauces.

Love the Nashville hot(it's hot) Sammy. Solid fry's too. Can't go wrong. Great addition to PortageJeff park. Lost too many places past 3 years, hope this place sticks around.

I'm a fan of Fry the Coop. It gives you exactly what you want, and its sandwiches are fire. The only problem that I have is with their fries. This may be just the takeout experience, but they lack flavor and are bland. I only want to add salt to fries when I get them if I'm over the top and yearning for high blood pressure, lol. Unfortunately, those fries have practically no seasoning. As for the sandwich... again, it is perfect. If anything, I should have gone a step up from the medium, but I always get anxious trying food on a hot meter. The service is at the front, where you take your order at the register and wait for your name to come to pick up your order. Not much more than that. The ambiance is pretty clean, and you'll enjoy many pieces that give some history of the area while still giving the pop of color to give off their branding.

Dear Yelpers, Everyone needs a local chicken shack and if you live near one of the Fry The Coop locations, you have what you need. The chicken on the sandwiches was juicy and tender. The hot heat was the perfect mix of spicy with flavor. And the honey butter was just the right touch of sweetness. The seasoned fries were delicious and definitely worth the extra calories! You just can't go wrong here!! Your friendly neighborhood foodie

We all know someone that is the king/queen of hot and spicy food. Well, I am that person in my friend's circle. Hot and spicy food types like myself have difficulty finding food that meets our needs. Fry the Coop meets and exceeds my hot and spicy food needs. The second hottest sauce for the chicken sandwich was so hot and spicy that it was almost unpalatable- which is just how I like my food- as a challenge. I highly recommend this gem on North Milwaukee Avenue for take-out. One can eat inside the restaurant but the dining area is not conducive to groups.

Been wanting to try this place for a while and finally did over the weekend! The food was great and the staff were friendly and quick. The inside is clean and they have a cute little side patio area to sit outside. It is a little pricey, but worth it for the quality of food.

Really great chicken sandwiches with customizable heat level. The Mac and messy fries are so good too!! The place is always clean and service is good!

I went here for the first time today. I thought the food was pricey. I had the chicken sandwich and it was just okay, not moist or juicy. I've had better. The seasoned fries tasted like they weren't seasoned, at least not like seasoned fries should taste like. Plus I don't like wilted fries. Not worth going back.

Well, well, well. It was very nice being reacquainted again with this oldie but goodie. I was first able to try FC a few years ago at their original location in Oak Lawn. I claimed it the "bae of chicken" then. It's still pretty good. The level of spice is NOT a joke. I first tried hot and that was spicy. Recently I tried crazy and it was literally crazy. It hurt my soul a bit. We had the messy fries to go. One thing I will say is if you're already getting the standard Nashville chicken sandwich, it tastes exactly like the sandwich. Has the same slaw and pickles. Overall, it was just okay but pretty redundant in flavor. For two chicken sandwiches + messy fry + tip it came out to 45.00...that didn't include any drinks. It's so so so steep for the amount you're getting. I appreciate the owner with his vision and background story (interesting article online!) He's obviously doing something right. Can't shake the price ; stick with one sandwich and maybe one side of Mac and cheese.

YUM. Figured I'd be the first to review since this location is very new. Very happy this location opened because it's close to where I live. They have multiple locations in the Chicagoland area. This location used to be a gyro joint according to google. It's located on the corner so parking is limited but I was able to find street parking right in front. You can tell the restaurant was newly renovated both on the inside and outside. The layout inside is not suitable for dining in unless you're ok with sitting on counter tops - it's pretty tight inside like it was made mainly for takeout. They do have a small seating area right outside. Messy fries: Holy moly this was alot of food. It's a huge tray of fries topped with coleslaw, pickles, chopped up fried chicken, and their coop sauce. This could honestly feed 2-4 people. Basically a heart attack in a box. The fries were surprisingly not as soggy as I was expecting. The fries were seasoned so well!! Every bite was so flavorful. The fries weren't drowning in the cole slaw. I also don't even like pickles but the pickles just went so well with the flavor profile. Spicy butter chicken sandwich: If you're looking for something sweet and savory, this sandwich is it. I wasn't expecting the spicy butter to be sweet but it was delicious. This sandwich has no other toppings - its just fried chicken with spicy butter. You get a good portion of chicken as well. What really pulled everything together was the buttered brioche bun. Everything about the sandwich was so good! Be prepared to drink lots of water afterwards - sodium overload!! Also kind of expensive cause I spent almost $50 for everything.

Now this is a chicken sandwich!! The chicken was nice and juicy and that buttery sauce. It was absolutely delicious

Phenomenal food, polite and prompt service, and quick but well made foods. Consistently delicious. Careful With their highest 2 spice levels but amazing!!!! Will definitely be returning.

Service was so friendly and was helped and greeted right when we walked in. This is a small seated place to eat with only bar type seating facing the windows. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the messy fries were so good topped with coleslaw and a bunch of sauce. The butter in the spicy butter chicken sandwich you can really taste the sweetness of the butter making the sandwich really good.

The actual best hot chicken place. Just all around the food is my favorite in Chicago. Hits every mark. Taste, texture, selection, heat level, everything is perfect. Restaurant is nice inside, big booths, clean, also the drive through. Having a good restaurant is easy but being that fast is just the cherry on top. Fry the Coop gets an 10 in every category.

Good chicken with friendly service. We were there just before closing and they gave us free Mac and cheese. Lots of options for how spicy you want your sandwich.

This is plain and simple really tasty chicken. I've been meaning to stop here to eat for awhile and the only thing that has stopped me is the fact that there is not much room inside to eat, but when it comes to the food that's another thing. It has a cool vibe with the painting of the building and the style, and the food matches that completely. Flavor is the king. My work crew decided to make our Friday extra special and order chicken sandwiches, and one had chicken strips but it's all about the chicken. I ordered on their app and we picked it up, but the food was ready in 15 minutes and everything was hot and fresh. The spicy honey butter chicken sandwich packs a real flavor bomb; it's spicy, juicy, a hint of sweet and messy as all hell. There was butter in the bottom of the container, so this was a 6 napkin sandwich. Fresh cut fries, house were good, seasoned pretty good too and the cheese sauce made even better. The chicken breast must have been brined it was so juicy, and the breading had texture even with all the sauce. If you love a good chicken sandwich, then this is a destination sandwich for you.

I ordered from Fry the Coop through Uber Eats, and the food was absolutely delicious and well-prepared. I will definitely be ordering more in the future and can't wait to visit the establishment in person. Highly recommended!

We found this place food looked good we ordered the chicken with cheese Not very good at all very thick piece of chicken cold way over-seasoned!!! Not a fan reviews were disappointing don't trust what you always read. The service hmmm food was cold when it was delivered fries were so cold we tossed them in the trash. The sandwich half went in the trash as well. We won't be ordering from this place again.

As a long time "Fry The Coop" fan it was a pleasant surprise when I noticed a Fry The Coop store had dropped into this former hot dog stand along Milwaukee. I live close by and have already found myself dropping by for the third time in as many weeks. Consistently well constructed, the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich at a mild level is my go to sandwich, just enough spice. I typically switch between seasoned and regular house fries, both are wonderful. I'm already a regular, love the convenience, service has been quick and excellent. (FDV Approved 4.5 - Food, 4.6; Design, 4.4; Value, 4.5).

This is a great place for a high quality, quick meal. The chicken piece on my sandwich was huge, so go hungry! Best piece of chicken I've had in a while - not to greasy, but well breaded and flavorful. You can pick the spice blend, so there is something for everyone.

Awesome. Quality food, go to for chicken!! Great staff. Great organization. Company that cares about making good food and customers happy

Great Food! Always delicious hot and fresh ! Can't get enough of your looking for a great Nashville sandwich with just the right hotness this is your place!!

I really enjoyed my chicken sandwich! It was delicious! I am a big fan of trying hot chicken sandwiches. The Cole slaw on the chicken sandwich was dynamite! I definitely will be back for more! Highly recommend checking out these chicken sandwiches!

The most delicious fried chicken sandwich..and they make a great grilled one too! Get it again and get fries next time. Sadly they sold out of fries just as I was about to order

This was my first time trying fry the coop, there wasn't much space to eat inside but they had a nice patio with benches! I've been on the hunt to find the best Nashville chicken in Chicago and I feel like fry the coop is deff on my list of favorites now. I got the Nashville chicken sandwich, with a bottle of water and seasoned fries. The price for the meal was a little pricey (18 bucks) but overall the food was amazing. I got the heat level a medium and I think the seasoned fries also come with a heat of medium. Overall would love to try their other locations and to come back to try the spicy butter chicken sandwich.

This place rocks...will definitely be back! Highly recommend the messy fries...just thinking about them has me craving an order! Also ordered the fried chicken sandwiches with buttered buns... fantastic!!! They aren't playing about the heat...had flavor but not an uncomfortable burn.

I'm sooooo happy Fry the Coop finally opened up near me in Jefferson Park. It's hands down the best chicken sandwich I've had. So moist and spicy and I just can't get enough of their bread n butter pickles. Went to pickup The Nashville Hot chicken sandwich during their soft opening and they did not disappoint!! Will be coming back soon for sure now that it's so close.

The best Chicken sandwiches ever. Nashville is my favorite and their fries are to die for. I love the Messy fries too. Just delicious.

If you like fried chicken THIS is the place for you! On this occasion came here for lunch. Place looks nice, but as soon as you walk in, BAM! The smell of fried chicken smack you in the face and right there and then you realize this place is legit! The place is nice, clean and decorated like a Tennessee chicken hut. The menu is small and focused on what they do best. Fried Chicken. But, when you get your order you realize what slice of heaven this place really is. We ordered the Nashville Fried Chicken Sandwich and Spicy Butter Chicken Sandwiches with regular fries and spicy fries a root beer and a Unicorn Vs Chicken beer. Yes. You read that right. They partnered with a Chicago brewery to make their own chicken inspired beers and they are a hit. That beer was cold and delicious and the artwork on the can was hilarious! Props for that tasteful detail. But the real reason why we were here was the chicken. These sandwiches were huge! The portion was enough to fill me up where I couldn't even finish half my fries. The chicken was golden brown, and crispy and crunchy and the middle was moist and tasty. I chose the medium habanero spice level. They have six and habanero is medium, but it goes to ghost pepper, scorpion, and.what I can only guess to be Napalm! The chicken was tender and delicious, and the flavor was amazing. I didn't know you could do such wonderful things to a plain old chicken breast. The fries were great, the spicy fries were a real shocker. They were not spiced in any kind of traditional way that I've ever known, they were garlicky, and out of this world. These guys are the real deal! Get more chickens! We're about to ransack this spot!

Want to this place Food is amazing fries are over seasoned A small dining area but overall it is a good place to go to but there are some flaws. The food took about 30 minutes to get here and came cold. But the employees are kind and well deserving of a raise.

The spicy chicken butter balls were among the most delectable dishes I have ever had in my entire career.

I had takeout/delivery the chicken was good if you like spicy food level up on the heat level, coleslaw was okay on its own, good option to cool the heat. Mac and cheese reminded of kfc's Mac and cheese taste watery even though it wasn't, I'd swap it out for the fries. Edit:the hot is hot.

Very good, fresh, and tasty. This is not a wimpy chicken sandwich. It was very hearty! Yum!

Wow - not impressed. Delivery was fast but this Mac and cheese is gross and I got like 1/4 of a serving. The fries and chicken are pretty average as well.

Awesome quality white meat chicken! Love everything from there so far . Highly recommended for those who are looking for mild to super spicy