Federal Donuts & Chicken Center City — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Preface

Narrator: On the 16th of June, Joe (protagonist) embarked on a journey to Federal Donuts after reading novels of reviews that conveyed how "amazing" this establishment was.. little did he know what was In store for him...

Chapter 1- Don't Judge a Book By its Cover

Narrator: Joe arrived at his destination approximately at 11:30, he peered up at the charming red,white,& blue storefront, & said to himself, "I hope this isn't another industrial rustic décor." Upon entrance, Joe immediately noticed a huge air duct running right over the kitchen; this paired with the concaved spider webbed ceiling, dim industrial lighting, & dirty floor made him skeptical of the cleanliness. The motif Joe would use to describe this later on to his friends would be a "run-down elementary school hostel."

Chapter 2- Pretty On The Outside...Raw On The Inside

Narrator: Approaching the front desk counter, Joe explained that he was a virgin federal donuts customer, & asked what the cashier recommended for lunch. The delightful girl replied, "Our fried chicken sandwich is to die-for..." Being somewhat tight on time he went ahead & ordered the recommendation.

Along the right of the wall Joe spotted a bench with an elementary school desk-top on each seat. He decided to sit & take in the ambience of the Federal Donuts. At this point in time he noticed that it didn't even smell of donuts, & more importantly he had forgotten to order one! Roughly 7 minutes passed, & the girl called Joes name for his order; he popped out of his desk-seat like a giddy school boy as if the recess bell had just rung.

Fortunately a table just opened up outside. Joe sat down & began to unbind the wrapping; what unveiled itself was a beautiful sandwich encompassed with a boneless chicken breast, buttermilk ranch seasoning, American cheese, dill pickle slices, & a spicy rooster sauce on a Martin's potato roll.

The first bite...flavorful, crunchy, & messy, as the sauce ran into the thick rugged manbeard of Joe; he would need to use his napkin every bite...and then it happened.. a bite into the middle revealed a rawness of the chicken..everything when down hill from there... the breading sliding off the poultry, & the bun disintegrating into a flat tasteless nothingness as Joe tried to nibble around the raw center..it was a lost cause.

After assessing this establishment Joe can equivocally say his chicken sandwich was unsatisfactory, but would be open to revisiting for a sufficiently cooked sandwich, a better bun to hold the ingredients, & at least a side donut for the price of $7.29 (after tax)..

Chapter 3- A Picture Is Not Always Worth a 1000 Words

Joe went to the website to find out what was exactly on their chicken sandwich.. the landing page was visually captivating, but realized once again....Don't judge a "book" by its cover... Joe would like to note to the website developer: it does not allow the visitor to expand the menu tab on the desktop version (extremely frustrating when the tab keeps dropping back down). After having to go on the mobile website to access the menu, Joe found what he was looking for, but noticed basic layout & text looked worse than a free Wix website.

The Don does not yet approve of this establishment &...

I love donuts. And Federal Donuts makes some good donuts.

While visiting Philly, I was browsing through lists of restaurants, cafes, and shops to try and narrow down what I could possibly visit in a 2-day window. I spotted Federal Donuts on several lists and immediately had it down as a must-try. 4 stars on Yelp and over 250 reviews? That's a good sign.

Federal Donuts doesn't just make and sell donuts. They also have fried chicken. Donuts are $2 each, $12 for half a dozen, and $20 for a dozen. What a steal. I ordered a strawberry lavender donut. It was so hard not to order a dozen, but I resisted in the face of my my ever-growing stomach and appetite. I took the donut out and just walked around the streets of Philly in the bright early morning light. Eating that donut while walking was one of the best moments of my trip. A hot, delicious donut with subtle hints of lavender. The strawberry was more overpowering than the lavender, which I prefer anyways, but I loved the lavender undertones.

What I like about Federal Donuts is that it is simple and unpretentious. Their menu offers three simple things: coffee, donuts, and fried chicken. The prices are cheap and the food is fresh. Simple and effective. The donut flavors are unique, from strawberry lavender to spicy PB&J to chocolate and sea salt.

If you're ever in Philly, definitely make a trip to...

Very cozy and quaint with about 10-15 small chairs inside and few tables on the street. Came after lunch, so wasn't crowded. Was immediately greeted and the menu was straightforward. Several donuts were on display from the hot fresh to the fancy ones.

Ordered a fried chicken sandwich and a cinnamon brown sugar donut. Donut came out hot and fresh while I was waiting for my chicken sandwich. Yes, ate my dessert before my dinner. Donut was extremely fresh and soft. Had perfect amount of brown sugar and cinnamon. Should've ordered one for appetizer and another for dessert. Was of average size so could eat a few.

Chicken sandwich was equally as good. Was nice thick piece of chicken breast. I was initially skeptical of the American cheese, but it went well. The combination of the ranch seasoning and spicy rooster sauce was perfect. Was right amount of sauce without it oozing out and being messy. Potato roll was very soft and complimented the other flavors. Overall size was between a slider and an average burger.

Service was very prompt and courteous. I may order some donuts for my flight back home. I recommend this place for both the chicken and the donuts. Never seen a place that has this combination of foods, but they do both...