Sookie's Burgers and Fried Chicken — Restaurant in Leominster

After reading a lot of the reviews online about Sookie's, I decided to give the place a try based on the feedback I encountered. My assumption prior to arriving was that I would be getting food with the same quality of taste as New York and Kennedy Fried Chicken, Popeye's, Haverhill's Chicken Connection, and a few other burger/chicken joints in the Boston area. Sadly, I would prefer consuming hospital food before ever considering Sookie's again -- no, no, I wouldn't ever consider Sookie's.

What We Ordered: Mac and Cheese, Parmesan Wings, Chili Cheese Fries, Mash and Gravy, and a Fried Chicken Family Meal w/Cornbread.

The Experience: The parmesan wings were heavily salted but possessed a low amount of flavor. Salt should not be the only seasoning used for wings like this and there were other spices that could have been used to perfect the flavor. The side of bleu cheese I ordered tasted like it was made in the shop which is fine, but it tasted old and I could not identify the flavor.

The mac and cheese tasted like unseasoned, salt-less pasta cooking in a expired cheese sauce. There.was.absolutely.no.flavor.or.love with the mac; no parmesan cheese, mild cheddar, butter, milk, buttermilk, dijon mustard (for those who prefer it), or mayo (for the poor people who know how to hook up a box of Kraft's mac on a budget). The pasta was dry and whatever cheese powder they use was hanging on to the pasta for dear life.

The gravy was tasteless; it was chicken broth and flour and the color was more gray than it was deep brown. The viscosity was questionable and led me to believe it was prepared some time ago, reheated, and served. After watching a few Gordan Ramsey shows, and not that I expect Gordan Ramsey food to be available in a small burger shop, I can tell food is not cooked fresh to order and/or it is cooked days before and served to the public.

The cornbread was good, no complaints.

The Chili Cheese Fries were disappointing and while the chili and the cheese wasn't bad, the fries were stiff, dry, and tasted old sort of like my expressed belief that food is cooked days before, stored and served.

The fried chicken was cooked thoroughly; however, it didn't taste fresh and the crust was a bit bland. It wasn't remarkable or at least good enough to continue eating with some level of enjoyment.

Lastly, the mash -- whew, okay. Like the mac, the mashed potatoes was simply hot water and powdered potatoes with absolutely no flavor. There was no butter, butter flakes, salt, pepper for those who prefer it, no love -- absolutely nothing. There was a lot to be left to the imagination and not to mention, there were chunks of undercooked powder in clumps inside the mash. Why would anyone serve something so.........bad? I would opt-in to hospital mash with a side of salt packets any day.

To be fair, I don't know if this place is under new management or if they hired a bad cook, but the food we received today was awful. I don't like issuing negative reviews about small businesses but there is a lot that needs to be fixed and I haven't even tried 25% of the menu. This place is bad and if anyone has experienced what I've experienced and still claims this food is worthy of 4-star reviews, you have a tongue disorder, live a sheltered life, or just don't know what...

Update 4/26/21: changing from 4 to 5 stars. After a few more trips here, Sookie's has been noticeably accurate with orders, food has been presentable and nice to look at, they have been very friendly, even remembering previous conversations, food has been great. Another burger, some churros, elephant ear style fried dough, some other things, the Asian cheesteaknis interestingly good; I still wish the fried chicken tasted a little different however. Sookie's is worth the trip, the money, indulging into your curious taste buds. Go, go, go. And check out what's on the boards inside for specials that aren't online, like the elephant ears and churros. They lady, each lady actually, that has been at the register has been lovely and pleasant. Good job Sookie's!

So far I have had no problems with the food. The steak and cheese sub was tasty and had a very familiar hoagie roll, which if you know how important the hoagie roll is to help make a sub decent or not, you would definitely appreciate theirs. They had some newer items being offered, but you wouldn't know until you are standing inside and viewing their boards and other writings along the walls. They were interesting enough to spark a conversation about. They have a very different menu from a normal pizza or chicken spot, and I very much appreciate that. It gives me something to work my way around to, item by item. Prices seemed decent enough, no complaints. Their burger was cooked perfectly, and even though I challenged then with my concoction of a burger, it came with all the things I wanted and didn't want on it, and was cooked to perfection. The fried ice cream was deceiving however, and disappointing. It's one of those fried pieces of dough or other ingredient (this was or was similar to cinnamon toast crunch) instead of an actual scoop of ice cream deep fried in a ball of crust; i was quite disappointed in that. I did not like the fried cherry cheesecake like I had hoped. It was the texture of the cheesecake that I did not like,l. It was kind of like a half filling/half cheesecake kind of texture; the taste wasn't too bad though. The hicken wing I had was just so so, and seemed like it maybe needed newer grease. I do feel like trying it on another day however, and it was seasoned with flavor. Out of curiosity I will likely try it again to confirm if it is truly no so great or if it was an off day. One of the new items was a churro filled with a fruit filling, and I can't recall which fruit, but it was interesting. I haven't tried it yet but I will. They keep things interesting it seems, and have a great selection of different burgers that you normally have to find in different places rather than all at one place. Other menu items are just as enticing; heck, they even offer a poutine! They did not have a paper menu avaiable, it is only available online so no pic of the menu to add. Try Sookie's for a different and bigger selection of food, and...

Looking at several of the negative comments, they all say the same e.g. bad and slow service...Well, those statements are 100% true to us unlucky individuals. I had anticipated to visit this restaurant ever since Crown Chicken closed down. When I finally visit, I was totally disappointed, and even MORE when I found a HAIR inside my order. When I arrived, there were about two flies having a great time flying around and disturbing the peace (gross) and there was a customer waiting for their food, and another customer was ordering, 8-pcs of fried chicken amongst other things. After I placed my order (4-pcs of fried chicken & sandwich), I then positioned myself out of the way, to wait for it. Then an elderly couple walks in, and places their order. Then another couple comes in, (younger approx. early 20's), and proceeded to place their order, of course. As I wait 10 or 15 minutes later, the elderly couple's food comes out...then a few more minutes the young couple's food comes out...and mine? Nope, still waiting. Mind you, each person that placed their order behind mine, ordered full meals. After another 10 / 15 minutes, finally my order comes out and the lady at the counter apologizes to later say that the chicken took/takes a long time to cook. Really? So, 30-minutes to fry four pieces of chicken? That's not all folks! I arrived home and my partner notices something odd on his sandwich (which to be honest I don't even know how he noticed it) and yes, he spotted a little HAIR. To conclude, I've waited more than 30 minutes for 4-pcs of fried chicken and a sandwich, and then to end our night we get a hair on top.

I threw away the entire order and there goes $20.00 down the drain.

At least I fulfilled my desire to try out this "new" place, and with that for sure I will NEVER return nor bring my family to that...