The Commodore
Chicken restaurant · Williamsburg ·
Southern fried chicken, nachos & tropical drinks in a dive bar
Southern fried chicken, nachos & tropical drinks in a dive bar
"I made a pact with my arteries the other day. Basically, we agreed that I would eat nothing but steel cut oats and raw carrots for the next six months to atone for what I did to them at The Commodore. In return, they agreed to let me off the hook for putting butter on my fried chicken. In case you aren’t already familiar, The Commodore is a Williamsburg restaurant by Pies ‘n’ Thighs alum Stephen Tanner, and it’s bad for you. Bad because merely looking at the food here will jack up your cholesterol thirty points, and worse because everything is so good that you’ll crave it all the time. Eventually you too will be cutting imaginary deals with your organs to justify frequent visits. But before you ask the bartender to crush up some Lipitor into your frozen drink, there are a few drawbacks you should be aware of. First of all, this place can be a shit show in the absolute worst way. After 9pm it turns into pretty much the worst bar ever, packed with people who probably moved to Williamsburg because they heard about it on Two Broke Girls. Even if you’re there early, ordering food can be kind of a pain in the ass, and finding somewhere in the place to eat it is another challenge entirely. There is no hostess and there are no waiters, so basically you order from a window and then it’s a free for all between you and all of Brooklyn for one of the few tables. We ate our food off a Pac Man machine last time we were here. The good news is that none of it will bother you too much, assuming your main goal is to eat some excellent fried chicken and suck back a few Commodores (piña colada with an amaretto float) while you wait. Those things are dangerous. So much so that I have now entered into negotiations with my liver. Let’s make a deal. Food Rundown Fried Chicken Three thighs and a few tiny biscuits make up one of the best plates of fried chicken we’ve ever had. This is crispy, juicy and impossible to put down. Caddilac Nachos These are indeed the Caddilac of nachos, with such luxurious features as cheese sauce, crema, and three different salsas. Order them. Hot Breast Sandwich A fried chicken breast sandwich with a great name, even though instead of a “hot breast” we ordered it “medium” in fear of overstimulation. A nice sandwich, but this pales in comparison to that plate of thighs. The Commodore Cocktail As previously mentioned, this is a pina colada with an amaretto float. Heart medicine add in is optional." - Chris Stang
"It’s impossible to come here and not order the fried chicken. So don't try to fight it. Get that fried chicken, and grab one of the signature frozen house cocktails while you're at it. the Commodore can be a crowded mess (especially late-night), but this divey place happens to be a neighborhood institution, and all that fried chicken will give you the stamina to push through the crowds." - bryan kim, kenny yang, nikko duren, matt tervooren, will hartman
"Palm Springs meets Georgia diner at The Commadore, where chef Stephen Tanner serves up next level fried-chicken, a first-rate burger, fantastic nachos, all with more cocktail umbrellas than you can shake your Piña colada at. Seriously, though it's so good." - Krrb
"Booking travel to the Florida Keys is expensive. Ordering “The Commodore” at The Commodore bar in Williamsburg (or at their East Village location) is not. It’s a piña colada that gets gussied up with an amaretto float, bringing a nutty sophistication, and an instant watch-setting change to Island Time." - will hartman, sonal shah, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore
"The fried chicken at this Williamsburg spot is crispy, juicy, and very hard to put down. Their biscuits are pretty great too. We’re not the only ones who think these things, so you’re going to have to deal with some crowds here. If you come on a weekend, when this place stays open until 2am, expect a lot of drunk people in a small, dark, and packed room. The backyard is even smaller, so don’t pin your hopes on that. Just loosen your definition of personal space, and you’ll be fine." - willa moore, will hartman, neha talreja, bryan kim, sonal shah