The Coop

Great broasted chicken! We stumbled across this great neighborhood chicken place and we were not disappointed. Heard alot of great things about this place and it was all true. I had the chicken and rib dinner with a coney dog. The chicken was cooked perfectly, crispy and juicy, and the ribs fell off of the bone. The French fries were perfectly crispy from the first to the last. Please support this small, family-owned business that has been around since 1963!

This accidental discovery was the highlight of a very busy day. As we are realtors, we had back-to-back showings and needed a quick lunch. Driving around South Saint Paul, we suddenly came upon this historic building and saw the sign for The Coop. It’s a family-owned restaurant since 1963. The interiors are clean and I love the historical memorabilia on the walks. The owner and his staff are very kind and charming. The food is scrumptious. This has to be the BEST FRIED CHICKEN I’ve had in my 24 years in the United States. It’s not greasy at all. The batter is crisp and not out; above all it stays crisp. The meat is juicy and flavorful. The fries are crispy on the outside yet delectable on the inside. We took home our leftovers, and the children wolfed it down. They loved it so much that we rushed over and got takeout for dinner that very night. Please support this family-owned business in South Saint Paul.

Treat yourself to real food! This is GGGGOOOOODDD fried chicken! Everything was homemade, no excess grease or preservative after taste. Just delicious! We also had the mashed and gravy, coleslaw, and carrot cake - all excellent. This is the closest thing to homemade without making it yourself I have had since being here-what a treat!! Again, the fried chicken is phenomenal-it rivals any southern grandma's version. The restaurant is very clean and welcoming. Service is good and the prices are very reasonable. They do get busy so you may have to wait a bit if you just walk in and order, but it is totally worth it! There is a nice mix of customers who are friendly, so if you have to wait that time will go by quickly.

Amazing place for a corner joint. You know the food is good when all different kinds of people are there and they are all waiting in long for food. The chicken is great but the fries are even better. Coleslaw was top notch. It's worth a trip to eat there or pick it up. Limited seating but they don't need to worry about it because it's that good.

We love The Coop! Our favorites are the coneys, and the chicken & rib comb! I love how friendly and "small town vibe" this place is. Also, everyone should know they take care of their employee's from what we see on their social media. If it's too hot, they shut down. They also close for local events, holidays, etc. I love that. We will always support The Coop whenever we want a hometown, cozy meal! Thank's for being such a great place in our community 🙃

I am new to the area from down south and I love visiting local food places. I must say this experience was amazing. From the employees to the location and for most of all the food was great. I had the bacon cheeseburger meal and a coney dog. My wife got the half chicken meal and we got our baby girl the mini corn dog. We were all pleased with our choices. We will definitely be back to try other menu items. We highly recommend.

The Coop is a wonderful little family oriented restaurant & is an absolute GEM in ssp! I have been coming here for quite some time now. & I must say the food is absolutely DELICIOUS! Prices are fair. & the staff has always been very friendly to me & extremely helpful. So if you find yourself in south st. Paul, craving a burger & fries, fried chicken or some cheese curds stop in to the Coop. I promise you will not regret it!

Today was my first time eating at The Coop. First of all, I was amazed at the prices! One of the specials today was 1/2 a chicken dinner for $12.00. I was soooo good! Perfectly cooked chicken and plenty of potato wedges. The prices there are beyond reasonable. Like I said, I was amazed. If your in the area (South St. Paul) Definitely check The Coop out. I live about 45 miles from there and I will be back for sure!!

I just moved to St. Paul a couple months ago and was looking for a good chicken place! The Coop is absolutely delicious. I ordered the chicken strip basket and it was really good. I wish they had a veggie burger! The staff was very pleasant and I got my food quickly. I will definitely be back.

The chicken is very moist and tasty. The coke slaw ha the right amount of twang to it as well. The Jo Jo's are healthy sized. I'll be back.

My boyfriend and I were visiting the South St. Paul area recently, and I wanted to find a nearby lunch spot. The Coop popped up and it had been so long since I had been, so I knew we had to go. They serve a variety of baskets, burgers, fried fish, ribs, sandwiches, Coney Island dogs, and desserts. They have specials every day Monday - Friday and we happened to be there on a Wednesday, so we both got the 1/2 chicken dinner special which includes 4 pieces of chicken, choice of potato, coleslaw, and a roll for $11. If you want all white meat chicken, the price is $12. They have had this special since 1963 and I can see why. Their broasted chicken is among the best I've ever had. The chicken itself has so much flavor and every bite left me wanting more. I closed my eyes and took in every bite, it was THAT good. The chicken was so juicy and tender and the crispy skin was the perfect contrast. Although the skin had a solid crunch, it was somehow airy. We both agreed we have not had chicken like this in a long time. The potato sides were incredible too - I got mashed potatoes and gravy and my boyfriend got the potato wedges. The gravy was very good - it was rich and I loved dipping the chicken in it. My boyfriend got extra gravy on the side just so he could have it with the chicken. Something to plan for: Because they make everything fresh, expect a longer wait for them to cook up your order. For our 2 orders of 1/2 chicken, it took us a little over 30 minutes to get our food. I can't say enough how amazing our experience was however the one thing we did have to tell the staff about before we began eating was that one of the dinner rolls in our order had mold on it. They were very appreciative of us informing them of this. Just check your rolls before digging in. We will be back to try their ribs and to get more broasted chicken. A cute summer spot! I'd recommend sitting outside at one of their picnic tables on sunny days.

Great Coney dogs and onion rings. The burgers are good too. If pizza burger is available that is fantastic. Friendly service.

Still a favorite, after all these years! You cannot find better chicken than the Coop! My sister totally surprised me & ordered a cheeseburger (which was excellent) but NO onion rings? How is this possible? I would understand if she had the fried cheese curds...but she opted for their fries-which she totally loves since they are so crunchy!

Wonderful longstanding family restaurant. The food is real and extremely good. Some might say, "finger licking good". No way am I talking about colonel Sanders chicken. Dine in or eat out and you will have a smile on your face.

Yummmmm we had carryout for dinner from The Coop. They had a steady stream of customers and we had no questions why. The chicken was cooked fresh so we had to wait. No worries they have outdoor seating and it was a beautiful evening. Our order was ready after about a 25 minute wait.It was well worth the wait!!!The food was still nice and hot when we got home The chicken was very flavorful (not salty) and very crunchy. The potato wedges were soooooo good. I was sad that I did not order an extra side of them. Tip: Call ahead to place order if the weather isn't beautiful!!! Enjoy

Good food good chicken strips corn dogs french fries burgers and good drinks go hereBroasted Chicken

This place is awesome. I was working nearby, so thought I'd check it out. One of my coworkers previously worked here, & had recommended it to me. I ordered their chicken & a coney. This place has been in business since 1963. There are a few dining spots inside. It was a beautiful day out on my visit, so I was able to sit outside to enjoy my meal. The chicken was fantastic. Huge pieces that were juicy & the skin was perfectly crisp & seasoned.

My wife used to get chicken from here and walk home with it when she was a kid. I have actually never been here before but was pleasantly surprised. It was takeout only so we sat outside at a table. We thoroughly enjoyed the fried chicken. Broasted chicken with potato wedges and cole slaw. It was all very tasty. We will be back again when we get to this part of town.

Yummy burgers and chicken. Great place to get chicken dinner for a crowd if you need it (a d reasonably priced). Indoor space is small, so grab to go when/if you can. They have different specials for the day too, check the website for each day.

We've heard good things from this establishment. Finally tried today and got the fried chicken bucket. Omg it was soo good. Extremely fresh and brined perfectly. Only wish I ordered more. I didn't feel that the apps we ordered were worth it is all. We got the cheese curds and mini corn dogs. Both were Luke warm and lacking in the small boat they were served in. Otherwise umm heck yes well worth the perfect fried chicken

My brother and I were on a hunt for some good fried chicken. So, of course, I went to Yelp and you guys didn't disappoint. This is a mom and pop restaurant in South St. Paul that serves up some amazing food. Since it was our first time in, we decided to get a sampling of a few things. Onion rings - yum Cheese curds - good (they have a more bready coating, which isn't my favorite, but still good) Fried chicken - yas, yas, yas! Mashed potatoes - good Coleslaw - good The fried chicken is so worth the wait, ya'll. There's some crazy construction around their place right now, so we had to walk through an alley, across a field, and through some muddy road work, but I'd do it all again. I felt like a Hobbit on a quest. Service was outstanding as well. Go get some!

Pretty good chicken. Not expensive at all. Reminds me of the chicken spots in NY. & they're walking distance to where i live

Been going here for years. LOVE the food. The service is great and the people have always been nice to me even when I change my mind on what I want to order. My husband LOVES the ribs. I order the chicken and rib dinner. He eats the ribs and I eat the chicken. I rarely eat inside but when I do I like the quiet atmosphere. Will continue to go there every time I don't feel like cooking chichen and ribs. I think the price is worth not having to cook!!!

Awesome food! We had the bbq chicken sandwich, chicken strip basket, and the mini corn dogs. All of them were phenomenal. The staff was also very kind. I don't think they normally offer bathrooms to patrons, but they allowed my 4-year old daughter to go, which we really appreciated. We will definitely visit again.

Best broasted chicken around. Ribs good, too. Not happy when they changed the type of fries, but still happy to go there for chicken.

My original plans to feed a small army of 35 fell through. I placed an online order through ChowNow the day of my event. I truly felt bad for throwing my order at The Coop but was in a bind. They filled my order with NO errors!!! (For the record, I DO NOT recommend doing what I did to any establishment.) While the manger was very thankful for the business, he would have really appreciated a 24 hour heads up; which I completely understand. The food was well prepared, tasty, and received rave reviews from the small army. I will keep The Coop in mind for future events in their area. (With a 24 hour notice of course.) Thank you to the staff at The Coop, job well done!

I wanted to like this place. We both did. We didn't. Two burger orders. Tater tots. An order of mini corn dogs as appetizer. Both of us were craving thick, juicy burgers. Literally nothing was memorable. If anything, the mini corn dogs got a point for being novel and cute. Nothing else warranted a mention. Upon leaving, we both shared our thoughts at the same time and started laughing at our shared verdict. He said it may as well have been a burger from a gas station. I wasn't quite so creative in my wording, I just said it was mediocre, though he definitely nailed it.

Fun place with the best broast chicken around. Yummy sides and a family friendly atmosphere! Great for a summer picnic or a quick bite to eat. Can't wait to again!

Chicken here is overrated. It lacks salt or adequate seasoning. Coneys, same deal, missing something to make them special - spice or salt, maybe both. Takes a while to be made, because it's a small neighborhood eatery. Cute patio, nice people, food just wasn't for us.

UPDATED REVIEW: We had a slight issue with our order the first time we visited The Coop, but Karen immediately addressed the problem and won our loyalty. My husband even suggested ordering a family style meal when we had family visiting this weekend. The chicken here is delicious and it would appear that my husband is a fan of the chicken sandwich. I am a very big fan of good fried chicken and excited that this place is only down the road from us. This is going to be our new favorite take out spot for chicken!

Great fried chicken, even better chicken sandwich. I have eaten here more times than fingers on my hands. Will always recommend this gem

We love fried chicken so decided to try this placed based on ratings, reviews and recommendations by friends. We went at an odd time and they had a lot of business and took that as a good sign.The fried chicken had good flavor, however it was not at all crispy. We also ordered the jo-jo's, which did have great flavor. Due to disappointment in the chicken we won't go out of our way to order from here again

Got a hamburger from here since my friend said these were the best in town. Was very disappointed to get a mediocre hamburger which was not much more than a microwaveable patty slapped on a bun with pickles, and a dab of mustard and ketchup. Very disappointing and not worth the $3.75!

Good but not "knock your socks off" good. Prices are reasonable and they're doing a good job of social distancing. Hand sanitizer is supplied. My girlfriend and I came here for lunch the other day. Handful of people ahead of us and the person taking orders, who seemed a little testy, asked us to wait outside until a couple people left the small store front. They have a variety of burgers, sandwiches, chicken, and coneys. Both of us had bacon cheeseburger combos. Drinks are cans of soda. Their fries are clearly frozen, foodservice products they cook to order. Nothing special. The burgers were smaller than I expected, think quarter pounder. The flavors were good. They accommodated a bun-less request and wrapped one in lettuce. Overall, a decent lunch but nothing that wowed me.

Amazing chicken. Ordered from Door Dash the White chicken dinner. Most places chicken breast are dry and greasy. Not the Coop, chicken was juicy, not greasy. The coleslaw is one of the best I've had as well ,besides the chicken.

They stimulate all of the pleasure zones: 1) delicious chicken, cole slaw and fries, 2) fun team members and 3) environmentally conscious (huh?). The white and dark pieces of broasted chicken, big and juicy! The gentlemen that I chatted with, cool and passionate. I discovered that they package the take out in a way that maximizes recycling. Genius! Just take it easy on a slippery Wakota Bridge. Don't screw up your trip across the river to get your chicken fix.

Feels like -Small town cafe food - priced right for burger baskets. Convenient if ya live in the neighborhood!! The taste brings ya back... I would recommend it!!

Every once in a while you stray off the main roads and stumble across something you wish you'd known about for years. The Coop is that place you wish you knew about years ago. I was hungry for good fried chicken and I got awesome fried chicken. For about $12 I walked out with two meals. Not bad. They are mainly a carry out joint so do call ahead if you are opposed to waiting for your food to be cooked while you wait. There are a few tables and chair so in theory you could eat in. I ordered a half chicken meal to go. This is 4 pieces of chicken; breast, leg, thigh, and wing, fried to perfection with a dinner roll and fries. It was hot and smelled wonderful the entire way home. It took me a good 15 minutes to get home and the chicken was still hot. If you are wondering, the leftovers taste great the next day. Like I said this was two meals for me. I WILL BE BACK! There's more to try.

We had the BBQ chicken plate with coin hash browns, and the double cheeseburger and fries. Food was fresh and they were making the BBQ sauce when we arrived. Smell and taste of the BBQ sauce alone was worth the trip. I also highly recommend the coin hash browns which are delicious! The rolls were soft and fresh, and the coleslaw perfect. Rarely does a place do it all well-- but everything we ate was good and well made. Small, local, friendly-- don't miss it!

Love The Coop. A South St. Paul favorite for years. Always perfect chicken. Everything their is literally on point

Stopped in on a whim and were definitely impressed. Food was delicious and service was great. Must try: Onion rings and house made coop sauce

Awesome staff and the food is amazing!! Best coney island ever!!

I really can't find the words to give about this place. They are very neighborly, but as an outsider I'm not impressed. The burgers and sides aren't the best. They are just ok. Their hot dogs are just ok. Even the cony island that I heard a lot about. For me the quality of the food is ok. I believe the best item on their giant menu is the Chicken. I never had a dry peice of chicken. When I walk into a restaurant and see a giant menu. Big menu means bigger commitment. I don't like making a big commitment when it comes for food. I just like the simple choices. I feel that the simple choices makes the food taste better, because a big commitment raises expectations. The cleanliness is better than I have seen in most businesses. You could eat your food off the chairs if you wanted to. It's okay. They're clean. Outside is pretty neat too. Nice area to eat out side too. Overall I give this place 3 stars because I just don't think they're as cracked up as I was told they'd be. I've only been there about five times. Surprised that they don't have chicken wraps.

Food is awesome we've had the Coney Islands we've had the ribs and we've had the chicken thumbs up on all of it the chicken the mashed potatoes the gravy high quality good food

A delightful modernized mom-and-pop restaurant with lots of culture. This establishment has been running for more than 50 years! Tiny little spot that your surprisingly can't miss (because it's not wedged between anything) with good parking availability on the street and next to the building! We went on a Saturday around dinner time so it was kinda busy. Though I went in really craving a burger, I couldn't help but notice the dense smell of freshly fried chicken so the moment I stepped in, I know I had serious life-or-death decisions to make. 'Jeez the prices are so fair, should I get EVERYTHING?', 'To burger or not to burger', 'Oh lord they have 4 different types of potatoes for sides!', 'two pieces of fried chicken or four?!' We basically decided to get different things and share them. 4 pieces all dark fried chicken with wedges and the complimentary coleslaw and dinner roll + 1 bacon cheese burger with complementary fries and pop. Y'all when I, a graduate student, say WE CAN AFFORD THIS, I really mean it! The food took a little long and came out blistering hot, assuring me that it came right off the grill/fryer The bad: I was heavily heavily disappointed in the thickness of the burger patty. There is no real object that I can compare the party's thinness to so unfortunately I have to name drop a different place that has the exact same thin patty - White Castle *cringes* The good: y'all that fried chicken, y'all!!! They pressure cook the chicken before breading it and putting it in the oil. Come out soooo juice with very subtle flavoring so you can truly enjoy the marriage of the crispy breading and the chicken. YASSS! Only other thing to note is the small seating space. You mah want to plan ahead and accept the potential of maybe taking the food to go. But on the bright side, the food takes long enough for a party to finish eating and head out so don't jump to having to take the food to go.

A place that apparently specializes in chicken was out of chicken when we came on a Sunday night at 5pm. Such a bummer.

Guarded by a clan of porcelain roosters and the amazing lip-lickin' scent of ribs and fried chicken is this little sit down or take-out joint that you should visit. The menu has a wide variety of American staples and even a few things only found during the great American get together (pizza burger for one). Come in and enjoy a fabulous coney dog and mingle with the sweet ladies that are working hard to provide the service of making you satisfied in your stomach and in your wallet.

Great take out chicken, cole slaw was a bit weak. Call ahead for takeout, my wait time was 20 min as to be expected.

I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've eaten here: ribs, fried chicken (super awesome, but takes time, call ahead), burgers -- it's all great. But I cannot recommend the fish, not the fish sandwich, fish and chips and especially not the fish dinner. Somehow, the fish dinner left me feeling cheated...

We ordered out dinner from the Coop today, the food has always been the BEST in South Saint Paul. My boyfriend placed our order over the phone and they said it would be ready in 25 minute. When my boyfriend arrived to pick up the order I guess there was a mix up and the person over the phone did not ring in our orders right and forgot our fries with our two meals. we had a hungry child at home so he decided to skip the fries since he did not have time to wait. once he arrived at home I called the Coop and spoke with a very kind lady originally I was just going to ask if she could give us a partial refund or credit to our next order but she hand delivered our fries to our door and even threw in a extra treat. I'm very happy with the customer service especially after having a bad day! Our food was fresh and hot and overall very happy with the staff going above and beyond. Thank you so much your kindness warmed our heart!

Crinkle Cuts! This is where my addiction to crinkle cuts fries started when I was a lot younger! This was our go-to place for a treat while growing up. Now that I'm older, I haven't been in years. Growing up it was family bucket with the fries on top. On a recent Tuesday I decided we were going to get the 12 piece chicken only bucket to go. It was 3 wings, 3 breasts, 3 thighs, and 3 legs. I do not like thighs and legs, but he does, so it was perfect for us to share. I stopped in before my workout so I could pick up the food after my workout, so bad, I know....The food was ready when promised. I drove home just waiting to dig into that chicken. It was just like I remembered - juicy and delicious with that kick and salty taste! My dining companion had never had it before, but said it was better than the grocery store, but he prefers KFC. I do not. I think it's a good deal at $16 after tax for the 12 pieces of chicken, but can see it getting expensive. I think the quarter dinner is a better deal with fries, cole slaw, and a roll. I have many family members who enjoy the fish, the pizza burgers, and the appetizers. The chicken excellent, the service friendly, and the price right. I need to remember this place more often!

This place is great! Very good fried chicken and coleslaw. We usually opt for the family boxes as they're a good deal and you get to see what they do best.

We just moved to the area recently and were looking forward to coming here! She smells coming out of this establishment is amazing! My husband and I decided to grab take out and we were extremely disappointed! The chicken was bland and unseasoned. The mashed potatoes were also bland. It's a shame because it always smells so good here! Sad to say, I have had better fried chicken up the road from Knowlan's grocery store.

This place really has me torn. The food is really great, but the prices aren't. I find it a little extreme that it costs close to $50 to feed a family of four dinner. Yes, you get what you pay for, but if you're looking for a cost-saving option, this isn't it. Even with the "special" it's only a $2 savings.

Best fried chicken EVER!!! I love this restaurant. The first time I ate here, I became addicted to the wonderful and delicious food. Been telling my family and friends about this place since then.

Came here on a whim with my girlfriend and I was blown away at how good the fried chicken is. We got a coney dog and a 4-piece dark meat with wedge fries. I had zero expectations coming in and walked away very satisfied. The fried chicken is fried perfectly and is super crispy. If it wasn't a health concern to eat fried chicken skin in mad quantities I would suggest they put it as an item on the menu. The meat is super juicy, tender, and flavorful. It's the kind of chicken where you don't need any kind of sauce to accommodate it with. I love putting hot sauce and honey on fried chicken and you don't need any of that for this stuff. The staff here is super friendly as well! I'll definitely be back, maybe making it a weekly stop.

The staff are very friendly, but it might not be the best place for a bite during a lunch break. Prep time took long enough that I had to leave without my food. This is not necessarily a place for fast eats. I'll have to give it a try another time.