Harold's “The Fried Wing King “

It is my go to Harold’s in Chicago. They may not know my name, but they do know my order and I like that.

If you’re a fan of crispy, juicy fried chicken, this place is an absolute must-visit. From the first bite, it’s clear that they take pride in their recipe. The chicken is perfectly seasoned with a bold, flavorful crust that’s golden and crisp without being overly greasy. Inside, the meat is tender and moist, making every bite a satisfying experience. The seasoning is on point — not too salty, but with just the right amount of kick. Whether you like it spicy or mild, they offer something for every taste. It’s no wonder this spot has become a go-to for fried chicken lovers. It’s definitely worth the wait — the flavor is well worth the extra time! Highly recommend! Don’t forget the mild sauce!

Long wait for food that is not fresh. They have a sign that says they drop fresh chicken. My chicken was over cooked and not fresh, my fries were cold and my fish was as cooked in old grease. there is a sign that says the food tastes like it is made on the Southside. Be patient because they are making fresh food. They lied.

Very grateful to have this place up north! Been coming here for years, lady who's been working here about as long is very kind. I usually eat in the restaurant, and she goes out of her way to bring some paper towels when she sees I'm not leaving! Much appreciated, love Harold's

Harold is so addictive with its crispy wings. If you’re around Uptown that’s the perfect place to get something for the day.❤️❤️

It’s not like the Harold’s Chicken joint on the South Side. I ordered from here via Uber Eats. The chicken was a bit small and didn’t taste seasoned. Luckily, I asked for Lemon Pepper on my food. But cause the chicken was a bit small, it ended up being way too much lemon pepper. That’s also on me for asking for lemon pepper on it. Cant really fault them for that too much. The fries were good with the extra lemon pepper though; the bad thing was they were super soggy! The fish was the best part. I wish I had just asked for fish and no chicken. The fried okra was okay. I’m not used to the kind of breading they use on my okra. It was a bit thick. The chicken also tasted like it was in grease that had been used once too many time times. Overall, it wasn’t a horrible experience like some people have reviewed. So I am surprised I liked it as much as I did. The chicken is a two star, the fries a two star, the okra a 3.5, and the fish a four. That’s why they lost the stars on the rating. Overall, I may order from here again if I’m craving fried fish and I don’t want to cook it myself. Not in a rush to order from here again though.

My number is 69. She called all the way up to number 77 before giving me my order. I asked her what’s the wait. She said it was because of the fries how ridiculous. I’m waiting for fries and all the orders before me have fries get your act together Harold not good at all.

You order will take 20+ minutes cause it's fried to order, so call it in. They take CASH ONLY. Now I better not see anybody else give any stars off below because it took a while and they don't take card. That means you only looked it up to complain after, not beforehand and that's on you. For those that do want more info, full menu pics below.

I like the fact that the fried chicken was hot and crispy. The lemon pepper didn't help the lack of flavor the chicken did not have. The okra was ok. The star of the show was the Carmel cake from Brown Sugar Bakery that they sell in the store. It was so moist and the Carmel was thick and sweet.

This ain't it yall! I don't know if the southern in me that can except this but just no no no. The powder is just that powder. Close to flavorless at time then I same upon nothing but salt.

First things first: it's not marinated or seasoned, and it hasn't been fried in the oil that the original creators of Harold's Chicken use. Additionally, the grease should be cleaned several times due to high-volume usage. As others mentioned in their reviews, the flavor is lacking.

Ever since Lil Durk shouted out Harold's Chicken I wanted to try it and today I did but unfortunately it didn't leave up to the hype. The chicken sandwich was mid and dry and I had to eat it with ketchup. The fries were decent. Overall 3/5 could be better probably won't be having this again.

I ordered Harold's chicken for a family gathering. I have ordered and eaten Harold's for many years and so have my guests. We know how it should be prepared and what it should taste like. Our order was, in a word, terrible. The chicken was burnt, my guests said the shrimp were slimy and tasted unfresh. No one wanted to eat the food and other than initial tastes, all of it went uneaten. The one star rating is only because the app doesn't allow for a zero or negative numbers. A note of caution. Not all Harold's are the same in terms of the quality of their food. We placed this order through Uber Eats, and unless I am missing something, you can't pick the Harold's location that is servicing an Uber Eats order. Uber Eats informed me that this order was prepared by the Harold's location at 1118 W. Wilson - so this review related only to that specific Harold's location. My very sincere advice, based on my experience with the quality of the food at this location, is to stay away. Order from another Harold's location or spend your money elsewhere. Uber Eats offered a partial refund. The store manager or owner or whoever he was did not accept any responsibility and pushed the matter off on Uber Eats. This is an honest review and I'd rather be spending my time doing other things. Avoid this place. Based on my experience it's a disgrace as a food provider, and a disgrace to a chicken franchise that I actually like very much. Stay away from this dump.

If I could rate this place less than one star, I absolutely would. Placed an order for the 2 piece fish fillet and three wings combo, and within less than 10 mins my food was ready. Needless to say I now understand why. This food absolutely could not have been cooked today. It was older than I am. The fish was shaky and everything else was covered in yellow lemon pepper seasoning. So much so that I couldn't even tell you if the chicken was golden fried nor the French fries. Yet I attempted to give it a try. Everything tasted of old burnt grease. The worst fried chicken joint experience I've ever had in my life.

Man I was hoping to do a better review. 20 minutes of wait time, and still chicken wasn't fresh. Disappointing. On top of that, I do not like when you get your food and there is practically 2 squirts of sauce on your fries and chicken. What the what?! So now we have warm fried chicken and fries with barely any sauce and that stupid wheat bread. Please give the people white bread! South side Harold's has my heart.

Chiraq classic understandably it comes out hot n fresh every single time no fail. Ik theyre famous for mild but i liek the hot sauce more... Fries are pretty weak like legit no salt or seasoning i get that theres a ton of sauce but when u get a no sauce bite u will be dissapointed. Chicken is so good it makes up for any complaint. Love that they keep the flat and drum connected more places should do that

It's unfortunate that I have to give two stars to this spot but they committed a crime against the laws of Harold's chicken with my order today. I walk into this place and it smells amazing...The lady behind the counter was nice enough and it looked like the chicken chef in back knew what he was doing so I felt like I was in good hands. I order a 6 piece wing with bread and fries and mild sauce and I tell the young lady I want mild sauce over everything aka fries,bread and chicken...I actually said smother everything with the sauce and she nods head like she understood...Wrong Long story short I get home and to my horror I see that hardly any mild sauce was put on my chicken,fries and bread...A few wings had nothing on them at all and even some fries were dry and the bread was laying at the bottom still all white with a spot of red mild sauce in the corner...Blasphemy I tell you!!! Btw the chicken was fried beautifully but who cares, I can get good fried chicken anywhere...WHERE IS MY DELCIOUS MILD SAUCE that I asked for. It was a crime against humanity But honestly I will never come back here again...This place is a disgrace to all Harold's chicken shacks that serves thier food correctly with the proper amount of sauce. The 2 stars is for the chicken being pretty good but I should have given this place a 1 star for the disrespectal treatment of this food with the chicken to sauce ratio. Note to others: Open your greasy bag before you leave and make sure you have mild sauce over everything...the way this slop is supposed to be eaten.

I tried Harold's for the first time tonight 6/22) & the girl at the register taking orders was friendly, but the man behind her packaging orders was not, he chastised and yelled at an UberEats person because they couldn't speak English...! The food took about 15 mins to make (fine) but they gave me hush puppies instead of the okra I requested and also forgot the drink. The chicken is dry and tastes like old grease, fries are flavorless and the hush puppies aren't good either.

Chicken is always delicious and cooked fresh. Dessert selection is yummy too. Close to the CTA redline and convenient to get to!

Honestly they need to get new management or close this location as much as I love Harold's. I get it's the north side, but there no way the prices should've doubled (or more honestly) and the quality decline. I'm surprised there aren't more negative reviews.

Love this place, but today I was totally disgusting by what I witnessed! Dude came out the back with these long locs.... (1) they should be tied up and not flaring all around the food. (2) then he pulled the back out of his way and immediately started filling orders. THAT'S ALL KINDA NASTY, AND AGAINST THE HEALTH CODE. This is the second time I've had as issue coming here in the evening. The first time the service was horrible, and the same guy was talking crazy to the customers. This is why I only go there during the day, when the Latino lady and older Latino man are working.

As others have mentioned, this is a clandestine Harold's Chicken. They're pretty bold with it too. Same colors, store design and the chicken even looks the same, but. ..this ain't it. Note the "Fried Wing King" moniker, lbvs. Different mild sauce and the chicken tastes totally different. Not bad. It's just not the OG.

The food taste nothing like the ones on the south side. The sauce is watered down and the prices are ridiculously high. I will never eat there again! I would've given them a zero if it were an option.

I called Harold's around 10:40pm this evening. A young lady answered the phone and let me know that there would be no phone orders, and walk-ins only were, as well as other things I couldn't understand because she was speaking quickly. I got to the store about 15 minutes later, ordered a 6-wing dinner with mid sauce and lemon pepper, and paid. I told her that I was going to leave and return after the 20-minute period that she gave me as a wait time. I picked up my bag - which they had me wait in the receiving area for at LEAST 10 more minutes after I arrived - and went home. When I arrived, I opened the bag and saw that it only included one leg and one thigh and fries. I called the restaurant and she was indifferent, repeating the same "no phone orders message she spewed earlier. I asked nicely if she would please just have my order ready because I was hungry at this point (By the time I returned, it was 11:55pm), and she agreed. When I got to Harold's, i STILL had to wait. She finally said, "6 wings," through the bulletproof glass and I asked "Is that mine?" She then asked, "Where the other food at?" to me, which is weird because legally she LITERALLY couldn't do anything but toss the meal. After it leaves the premises, you cannot accept food back, so she was literally being petty for no reason. I didn't NEED the food, but the lack of consideration/customer service is glaring. I said, "Wowwwww, not even an apology or anything?" This lady really said, "We don't have an HR here." Which is laughable, because HR handles internal issues - not customer service ones. Not everyone is a genius, I know. So then, I said, "Okay here's the food, but you're rude, af." She the, said, "Have a good night. You REALLY wanna be us..." AKA a homophobic sentiment echoed across the internet by Black women who process and possess anti-Black queer principles for who knows what reasons. I feel triggered, and this is supposed to be a place of business. Not only that, but I PAID FOR MY FOOD AND I DID NOTHING WRONG. Don't come here, y'all. I'm from the South side IRL and I can just go back to the crib to get good chicken from Shark's. This is unacceptable and I will be escalating in every way possible. Be great!

This location on Wilson Ave is fucked up. The manager kept saying that he gave me a coleslaw, and I questioned him, I told him the coleslaw comewith the order! So how is he giving me something?! He kept saying this like he was being benevolent; when he was anything but! His manner was ignorant and crude. Needless to say, I would not be back to this location. As if his deplorable attitude wasn't enough- they cheated me on the order giving me two small thighs, one wasn't even a full thigh. A it was chopped up half a thigh. I was so upsetting. I would have brought it back if I hadn't been so hungry. In essence I am very disappointed!!

Food too expensive and BAD customer service. The lady who answers the phone is so rude and doesn't care about the long wait for customers... Wouldn't recommend this location at all. Need new management.

Lemon pepper catfish, fried hard, with hot sauce. Enough said. The chicken breasts are also perfectly fried. Add that extra lemon pepper.

I will not be ordered from here again, refried burnt chicken. Just a waste of money. Never again. This is also not a real Harold's they don't have Harold's Chicken trays, or bags. They need to change the name, they are ruining Harold's reputation.

I'll keep it short & sweet...I MISS CHICAGO FOOD & this hit the spot. Thank you Harold's for this satisfying meal.

On 10/6 I was at this establishment and got cursed out for asking about my doordash order

The food is fresh and I mean fresh. It's cooked to order so make sure you have time. I've been waiting for this to open for a long time. I've seen the sign and I let my nose lead me. I smelt the fresh chicken cooking as I approach 7-Eleven. I entered and the restaurants was very clean and the staff was very friendly. He actually offered me a sample of what was it take on a taffy apple. But it was made with a grape; it was pretty amazing. There was a burst of juicy greatness, wrapped around everything that is around the taffy apple. I ordered the wing and catfish combo. The catfish was amazingly tender full and fried to perfection. The wings although a little small( which I'm okay with) were taste as well q. The fries, yeah there were fries but I most of them before taking the pic but but they were awesome. I wish there was just a little more of those. They also offer a slice of white bread and coleslaw with the combo. It's a lot of food for $11 and it tastes amazing.

This location is just opened in my neighborhood. The inside waiting area is very small, there are about three seats in the location. The gentleman behind the desk had to bring out two more seats which was great because more people were able to sitdown. The restaurant is definitely setup for picking up food and going. It really stinks because you have to stand area for 15 minutes as your food cooks. During my visit there was a lot of foot traffic. I can easily see this place being busy at all times. The restaurant is right off the redline so it will most definitely see a lot of visitors during the warmer months. The food was the same quality that you would find at the other locations. It was delicious! Some of the combos don't really make sense and they seem a little overpriced. I would say the best deal is the 6 piece or the two thigh lunch special. Just know that the lunch specials are only Monday thru Friday from 11 AM to 2 PM. I can see this place quickly becoming my go to when I want fried chicken. I would strongly recommend calling your order because it gets very busy inside and it is not setup to handle the extended wait.

This restaurant is really a rip off compared to the other Harold's and should be closed down. This is supposed to be a 6 piece with mild sauce and the person barely put any on. Then the restaurant barely put fries in the 6 piece. I don't know if the cook is just lazy but this is unacceptable to spend 25 dollars on a 6 piece and a 4 piece and not receive any fries is just unacceptable. The only reason I'm even giving them a 2 star is because the chicken is Farley good. Then they charge an extra dollar for people using card and don't tell you anything, you have to look at the receipt to see it. Will never eat here again. As a person raised on the south side this is a cheap and sloppy version.

I'll go to Harold's all over Chicagoland and some, as we all know, aren't run too well. These guys do a good job. I recommend ordering ahead, also, give a bit extra time for white meat orders. They have these candy type grapes in the display shelf and you should try both kinds. I usually get a 1/4 chicken dinner and love every minute of it. Harold's is a classic and this one holds up.

Y'all realize this is a knockoff Harold's right? It isn't that good, their menu is clearly a copy of a real Harold's menu with the location changed. Urban Grill is right down the block and does fried food right, not like this cheap knockoff trying to steal Harold's clout.

Fried catfish. Fried hard w/ lemon pepper. To die for. Be sure to get extra mild sauce. Extremely friendly and accommodating service. Definitely a community staple!

i know they are a knockoff (shame on them), and i dont like endorsing the harolds knockoffs- but as far as from rogers park to irving park goes, there's a harold's on howard street across from the jewels and red line, there's a harold's on irving park and broadway, and there's this knockoff harold's on wilson. in my opinion, this is by far the best of the 3. the one on howard is 2nd. and the one on broadway sucks. this one is the least expensive and it also tastes the best, even though its a knockoff. i've been eating harolds pretty much all my life (i grew up right down the street from one)... i;ve ordered from this one well over 50 times, mostly via ubereats. they always get my order correct and they are open later than the other two. they dont give you the lil paper cup of cole slaw that other's harold's give, but it isnt necessary. For the most part, the chicken is always fried to perfection and always taste super fresh. i hope they never close. i believe it was a harold's at this location a while back and then they closed, but im guessing someone decided to open it back up as a knockoff lol.

Let me start by saying that I'm so happy that Harold's is back in Uptown; I just wanted a place up North that has mild sauce. The past couple months since the last Harold's shut down has proven to be difficult. I went on a Friday night and it was not bad at all. My order took about 10-15 minutes. I was able to chat with the owner, Mark. Friendly guy. He did encourage to place an order before coming in next time since I live in the neighborhood. The food was good! Definitely will go back more often

This chicken is crispy and the fries are good too! Great lunch specials plan ahead it does take some time to get your 15-20 min food.

Because the Harold's on Howard in Evanston, be playing too, much, I ordered from this location! However, I was quite pleased with the food and their attitude. They answered the phone after a couple of rings and my order was right. I had a little longer wait on my order which was supposed to be 15-20 minutes but, it worked out. I do have to admit, these are the tiniest wings I've ever gotten from a Harold's but, they were cooked well and good. I definitely will be returning now, that I know I can actually place an order and someone answers the phone unlike, the restaurant on Howard.

Not a real Harold's Fried Chicken Shack. It doesn't say that on google. When you walk in, they're using original Harold's advertising with the logo covered in duct tape. They dont know traditional chicken shack order instructions like "fried hard" and "salt and pepper." Chicken was as bland as the girl that took my order. The restaurant is very clean. This is not a dine in restaurant. Very disappointed. Very deceptive.

Wow. I came to Harold's for the first time last weekend after living in Chicago for over a year. I was honestly scared to try it because I had heard so many things and didn't want to be disappointed. I definitely wasn't! I had the 1/2 white dinner (2 breast, 2 wings). This was the best seasoned chicken I have ever had! I do wish there was more lemon pepper seasoning, but the flavor of the chicken was enough. The skin had the perfect crunch and wasn't too greasy at all. I wish the side of fries was a bit of a bigger portion, but that was my only complaint. I've already been planning my next meal here!

I've been eating Harold's Chicken since the locations with the bullet proof glass. The new one in Uptown might just be the best I ever had. #Chicago #harolds #mildandhotsauce They did get a couple things wrong in the order but they were very accommodating and are giving us the items that they left out. So, I can't deduct a star for being human. Eat this shit. You'll love it.

this "restaurant" needs to be closed! i'm writing this from my bed suffering from nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and *other* stomach issues after grabbing some lemon pepper chicken and catfish from here. the food wasn't even that good and the way i'm feeling now, i cannot see myself dining at ANY harold's chicken. honestly i'll stick to red snapper and sharks. this place is so dirty and nasty i found myself looking around in disgust when i picked up my food i don't know why i even thought it would be okay to eat that garbage. also, they are always so rude!!! the lady on the phone (fair skinned non-black woman with a blaccent) threatened to sell our food to someone else if we weren't there to pick it up in 15 minutes (which is actually so insane because wtf?) and then, when we arrived (about 25 minutes later) our order wasn't even ready??? and then when i asked her when it would be ready she snapped on me saying "im working on it now". this place is mess i hope it gets shut down expeditiously. this is unreal. *edit* and now i'm reading other reviews, is this not a real harold's??? i'm so beyond disgusted wtf who are these people this is sick--

This is definitely a fake Harold's. If it didn't have the name you'd think the food is just fine but it's definitely not Harold's. It tastes nothing like it and you can tell it's a lower quality

Had a great experience today at Harold's The Fried Wing King on Wilson. The food was awesome, always cooked fresh, the people working there were pleasant and friendly, and the store was extremely clean. The tv in the waiting area was on, so the wait for fresh food was not really noticed. Welcome and congratulations to our new neighbors. Submitted by all the chicken lovin' foodies.

So when the fries arrive dark brown and shiny with grease, how many times do you think they've been dropped into the fryer grease? I'd say at least three. The chicken was well made except that it had no salt, spice, or flavor. I'd never eaten Harold's, but they had a great reputation in Chicago so I gave them a trial run. Never again. Postscript ... this site's mea culpa statement "the best they can with COVID" is bullshit. This meal was a simple one off of Harold's entire menu and was badly done.

My husband picked up an order of 12 wings with hot sauce on 9/22/21@1:30 pm from Harold's Chicken at 1118 W. Wilson. I arrived home and opened the bag of chicken at 6:20 pm. The chicken appeared to be burnt and tasted like burnt chicken or chicken cooked in old grease. I've eaten Harold's several hours later numerous times, and it will still be quality wings. I called the restaurant to complain about the wings and was told the grease was fresh and I had received the order several hours earlier. I then asked for the manager who was not there and was informed to call back. I called back and was told the manager said the wings would not be replaced. I didn't even ask for the food to be replaced. Customer service was very poor and no corporate office to complain to. Manager doesn't care about loyal customers!

I just want to say that the chicken is good here although it could be fried a little bit harder. But what isn't good is the mild sauce! It's way too tangy and not sweet at all like the mild sauce at other locations. I'm not suggesting it has to be Sweet Baby Ray's sweet but you guys seriously need to take some tips on making mild sauce the right way, take a trip to the south side and get the recipe or something. But on a more positive note the restaurant is clean and the chicken is good! So Harold's on Wilson if you're reading this please take head from a south sider who knows how mild sauce is supposed to taste.

Fresh made to order. I have only had the wings so far but I will be back for fish combo and okra . Clean and friendly service . Cash Only but ATM inside . MILD SAUCE