Suzy Creamcheese wrote:The most enjoyable chicken I have found so far is at Pollo Campero. It's definitely not the chicken I think of when I am having a comfort-food craving, though; it's spicier, crunchier, and comes with tortillas. It's a fast-food place, so no atmosphere to speak of. Word to the wise: do not order the ice cream. It's thick and creamy, but has no discernible flavor whatsoever.

Pollo Campero
2730 North Narragansett Avenue
Chicago, IL
(773) 622-6657

Stopped by this weekend (since it is soooo close to home) and grabbed a bucket.

Pretty good! It was a tad dry as a lot of fast food places are but the breading was a refreshing change of pace.

Where the place really shined was the different offerings (for fast food) for the sides. We opted for the sweet plantains and the Campero's special beans.

Man! Were the beans good! Heavy with the bacon and a nice cilantro flavor. I will stop for the beans if nothing else.

It was nice to be able to mix and match the tortillas and biscuits and dinner rolls along with the combo meals.

The breakfast offerings loog tasty as well the burritos.

Thanks for the recommendation!


Menu front


Menu back

kuhdo wrote:Now fried chicken is a personal thing and opinions obviously vary quite a bit, but my current favorite FC place is Leon's. Really. If you get it freshly made (this is CRITICAL), this stuff can be truly outstanding. With or without sauce (I like hot/mild mixed) , There's none better on the north side.

Kuhdo,

While I'm not exactly exuberant about Leon's BBQ, remembering your recommendation I stopped at the Ashland Leon's yesterday for lunch. Two fresh from the fryer chicken thighs, crisp fries and a soda, under $5 and damn good.

Thin mildly seasoned flour coating, crisp skin, juicy chicken flesh, very enjoyable. Not that I had any doubts, after all Kuhdo is the one who recommended broasted chicken at Khan BBQ.

Enjoy,
Gary

Leons
2418 N. Ashland
Chicago, IL

Gary:
Glad you liked it. I'm actually surprised at how good the chicken is, given the relatively sorry state of their BBQ (as you point out). Since Barcello's turned into a trendy trattoria and took the excellent fried chicken off the menu, this has become a regular stop.

a tribute to fried chicken in chicago...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkVOAWw9yfc

mild sauce, fried hard!