Harold's Chicken Shack Evanston — Restaurant in Evanston Township

I don't eat takeout nearly as much as I did pre-COVID so I'm not ordering from here as much. But when I do get a craving for takeout (usually no more than once a month), Harold's French fries with mild sauce and fried mushrooms is often what I want. I ordered from here yesterday, and per usual, these two items did not disappoint.

I've been inside of here MANY times. I like it. I didn't always see people wearing masks during COVID-19, but the one lady (sorta long bob with highlights, I think) who called everybody "sweetie/sweetheart" was so pleasant that I let it slide. I don't know where she is now. I've seen two other women post-COVID who look like they'd rather be anywhere else, but I liked THAT lady. She was the epitome of good vibes. All the guys I've encountered were friendly too. One gave me the nickname "Sides" because he caught on that I never order chicken or fish. (Vegetarian.) I haven't seen him in a long time either.

I would normally give this place 5 stars for the fries, mushrooms and those two, but I ordered cheese sticks that were clearly not cooked. The cheese was cold. The breaded part was lukewarm. It tasted like somebody defrosted them and just put them in the bag. I've gotten cheese sticks from there a number of times, and they were always coked well. Getting marinara sauce was only about 10% of the time though. They are always out.

That's the only reason I'm knocking a couple of stars off. I've yet to figure out how to make fried mushrooms as perfectly as they do. I've tried and failed, and then I order from the experts. So, it's not always perfect in there but I...

This place is terrible. I stopped going here before covid and, instead, started going out of my way to the Harold’s on Wilson. After almost three years of not eating here, I was desperate and decided to grab dinner. It’s Not just the food (they’ve never gotten my order right) but the staff, and primarily the owners/managers. First, the business indicates it closes at 7:30. On my recent visit They stopped taking walk-in orders at 6:45/7. That’s understandable if volume is high, however, They were disgusting and rude about this to EACH customer that walked in. Folks walked in and greeted the woman behind the glass with a smile and she returned the nastiest replies. The son of the owner is disgusting and rude too. He was the primary reason I stopped eating here. He was verbally abusive to customers and staff. I witnessed him simply walk away from the cash register leaving the cooks bewildered.

The most depressing part of it all is that the Howard area community will accept this abuse because of convenience.

If you’re reading this and have the option of eating at another or location or having anything else for dinner then, please,...

Just finished eating my first order from the Evanston Harold's. The young lady I interacted was professional, polite and very pleasant. The rest of my experience was unpleasant enough to keep me away in the future. A barely noticable hand scribbled note posted inside said prices have changed. BOY DID THEY!! Their website menu listed a 6 piece wing dinner at $7.85 and says it includes fries, bread & coleslaw. However I was charged $9.50! Worse yet is that when I called the restaurant to inquire about my "missing" coleslaw, I was told that I had to request coleslaw since most customers said they didn't want it and throw it away. Harold's in Evanston no longer automatically includs coleslaw in their dinner orders even though their menu states that it is included AND they0 charge you for it.

Misrepresentation of product features is a serious violation and is prohibited under state and federal laws.

FYI: The wings had too much pepper and too little sauce that sadly did not taste like Harold's stellar version. I know because I had a wing dinner from Harold's in Aurora on Thanksgiving Eve and it...