Champy's Famous Fried Chicken — Restaurant in Madison

A firm four stars. We've been to the Ivy Green Champy's before and loved it, so we were excited to hear about one coming to the Huntsville/Madison area. We weren't disappointed!

Like other Champy's, the atmosphere is kind of divey, bluesy, almost garage-y. When we first parked for dinner on Monday, we almost turned around and went somewhere else, as the parking lot was PACKED. However, we chanced going inside only to discover the restaurant is huge and there's a ton of seating space. We were seated immediately.

The hostess and our server were both very pleasant and welcoming. Our food came out quickly, maybe a little too quickly in that our entree arrived less than 5 minutes after our appetizer. No biggie, though. Two small complaints about service: we never got refills and she didn't ask if we wanted dessert. Luckily, only one of us really needed a refill by the end of the meal, and we were so full we probably wouldn't have ordered dessert, but I still think it's the best policy to ask.

As for the food, it was good to great! We started with the sausage and cheese plate. It wasn't as good as the one we had in Ivy Green; the sausage was a little too greasy and we only got one packet of crackers. But it still had good flavor and was a huge serving size for just the two of us.

My boyfriend had the two piece white meat plate with beans and slaw, and I had the chicken finger basket with fries and Champy's sauce. Champy's sauce is pretty close to honey mustard (so I learned), so I got ranch for dipping instead. It wasn't salad dressing ranch, so that made me extra happy. Fries were crispy outside and soft inside and the beans were tasty. The slaw left a little to be desired -- on the too sweet side for us. The main event, the chicken, was great! Super moist, a good amount of breading, juicy white meat, and maybe just a tiiiiny kick (barely noticeable, but still pleasant).

Overall, this Champy's represents the franchise well and I will...

It was just ok. When the main entres came, our appetizers had yet to appear. The pickles (appetizers)we ordered had to be asked about with our waitress, as we were now getting our entre. We knew we had specifically asked for them. As we were excited about comparing them to another local restaurant. She said she'd check, she came back and said there was an issue with the order ticket(?) However, when they arrived they were hot and ready to be eaten. Unfortunately the batter started to fall off. Not just one, but at least a couple more. Showing the pickles weren't patted dry before the batter was applied. So the result was batter and pickle separation. 🤔 Also, it seemed the waitress became a bit cooler after the question about our pickles.

The catfish I ordered, again just ok. Unfortunately the batter was quite salty. But that may just be my pallet. They were served hot, but one of them was undercooked. Signs of too hot oil, resulting a cooked coating, but interior lacking. The fries were ok but had a batter on them. Just not what I was expecting. I prefer plain fries.. I should have asked. I didn't notice if it said they were coated on the menu.The tea was ok but had an "instant" flavor.

The chicken ordered by my wife actually was quite 👍good. So perhaps their name is indeed in their chicken. It was hot, juicy and the size of the pieces was fantastic. The batter coating was done well, and stayed on the chicken. This it seems, makes up for the other items.

Over all, not that bad; really. Just less than what was expected. And with what is available here in the Huntsville area, I don't believe we'll...

2/24 Update: I still love Champy's. We come at least once a month. The food and service has been constantly good for years now. The food is always hot. The beer prices are good. The servers are always friendly. I have nothing bad to say about Champy's.

I love Champy's. I've never had a bad meal here and I've been a lot. They have some of the best chicken tenders in town. All the sides are great. Fries are always done right and delicious. The on the bone fried chicken is always great as well. Prices are great too.

Nice selection of craft beer. I do wish they would rotate the kegs more but that's just because I love trying new beer.

I love supporting this small business.

Update: 4/18/21 We went for the brunch and the chicken and waffles were really good. The potatoes were very bland though. One thing that bothered me is there was no physical brunch menu. Even though our waitress explained what they served for brunch well, I didn't know what it cost and there is always a certain kind of rush feeling when you can't read exactly what you are getting.

I think Champy's could really benefit from a physical brunch and beer menus. I've also had this issue when sitting in the dining room and wanting a beer and while the wait staff has a beer menu, it usually doesn't have everything on it.

I'm not changing my 5 star review because I love Champy's and I will continue to come frequently because the quality and good service is...