Best of Guide: Fried Chicken
When you dine in New Orleans, you’ll hear a lot about how fried alligator tastes like chicken. Know what else tastes chicken? Chicken. And, like everything else that winds up in our kitchens, New Orleans does fried chicken better.
Chicken is so popular here in the birthplace of Popeyes that, every October, we gather for the National Fried Chicken Fest on Lake Pontchartrain. Fortunately, you can enjoy this Southern favorite throughout the year at some of our favorite restaurants. Here’s where you can find the best fried chicken in the area!
Messina’s Runway Café

Tuesday’s Blue Plate Special at the art deco Lakefront Airport is Southern Fried Chicken, served with macaroni and cheese, collard greens and cornbread. In three letters? TDF. For brunch, opt for the Chicken and Waffle, a single Belgian waffle topped with a Southern fried chicken breast. Oh-so good.
Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop

If you can pass up Chef Ron’s amazing gumbo entrees, you’ll find the Southern Fried Chicken is among the best you’ll ever taste. You can even get a Fried Chicken Breast on the side (great with red beans & rice). And as long as you’re going fried, we recommend you start with Fried Green Tomatoes, served with Cajun shrimp and crawfish cream sauce.