Fry the Coop (West Town) — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Let me start this review off with a disclaimer: I've been to probably every hot chicken place in Chicago and many of the greats in the southern US. I'm comparing Fry The Coop to some of the greatest hot chicken places there are. Long story short: it's a really good place for a chicken sandwich better than Popeye's and a couple beers but I can't say it's on the same level as other hot chicken places in Chicago.

Pros: Great atmosphere, friendly wait staff, sides were very tasty (tried mac & cheese and fries), and the sandwich I got was overall great - disclaimer on the chicken itself in a moment. The bar looked like it had a great selection of beer on tap but we didn't get anything to drink.

Cons:

On the dinner menu there were only chicken sandwiches, tenders, and chicken & waffles as entrees on the menu. No bone-in chicken. I'm a huge fan of hot chicken and was hoping to order two pieces of chicken alone so I was kind of disappointed that wasn't an option. Oh well, reviews for the sandwiches are amazing so I went for the Nashville Fried Chicken Sandwich.

Next I had to choose a spice level. I typically like very spicy foods. Not off the charts spicy, but prefer something with a good kick. My fiancé opted for the "Medium" heat level (2/5), which she usually does, and i prefer to go for something hotter so I went with "Hot". Keep in mind, at the time of this review, "Hot" is number 3 on the list of their 5 total spice levels. There were two levels above this - Crazy and Insane. I went to the online menu to check if this was correct and it is different online, which is interesting.

Anyways, I ask for Hot and the cashier gives me a warning that it has habaneros in it. That's fine, I like habaneros and I'm familiar with the heat level that comes with them and I told him so.

So our food comes and it looks really good. The brioche bun was fresh and tasty. I really like the sauce they put on the sandwich as well. The problem was that this thing was WAY too hot. My fiancé was enjoying her medium spice level with no problem at all while I was sweating my way through this sandwich. If you've been to Prince's in Nashville, the Hot level I got was probably between their x-hot and xx-hot levels.

I don't think there's a spice level here that's right for me. That paired with the fact that they don't have just regular bone-in chicken is a deal breaker. I think there are other, much better Nashville hot chicken places...

NEW MENU ITEM @frythecoop West Town, Chicago IL after 4 years of not changing their menu 🎉🎉

Got a chance to try this bomb spot. I'm always down for awesome fried chicken sandwiches! The place was so nice with nice leather chairs, classic wooden bars, and wide booths

You order up, choose your spiciness 🔥and pick them up at the counter. @joefontanachicago teamed up with local brewery @pipeworksbrewing to create their FIRST beer "Chicken Vs. Unicorn," 🍻plus have added Messy Fries to their menu! 🍟

The fries are surprisingly tasty, with all the seasoning, pickles and coleslaw that you'd have on their Nashville fried chicken sandwich ON IT . So you get the best of both worlds in a nice shareable setting - portion is huge, it's as big as my face! The crispiest fries were the best . Wish they double fried the whole thing, would be even better!

The beer was light and tasty, a pale ale that is perfect for a Sunday afternoon pick me up. Nice and malty, not too hoppy. Quite crisp with not a lot of citrus notes

We also ordered their two popular fried chicken sandwiches that were BOMB DOT COM. Ordered one for medium spicy and one for HOT 🔥🔥. 🍔 Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with their homemade spice mix, coleslaw, pickles. Great balance of vinegary, spicy, flavorful, soft brioche bun + crispy goodness. It comes with their homemade special Coop sauce. I think if you like mayo/garlic aioli type sauces, you'd like this one!

🍔I got the Spicy Butter Fried Chicken Sandwich since I wanted something a bit more straightforward to try the taste of their chicken. It includes fried chicken, spicy honey butter, and their brioche bun. It was amazing, likely my top 1 or 2 fried chicken sandwich spots in Chicago so far.

#sponsored

@midwestmunching...

My girlfriend and I live in the neighborhood and were walking by yesterday when we noticed the beautifully painted brick building and signage out front. Excited to see something new on the Chicago Ave strip, we decided to stop in and give the place a try - so GLAD we did! The Nashville style fried chicken was amazing, they know what they're doing. I ordered the HOT dry rub on my chicken and boy they are not messing around with spice.... it had ghost pepper in it and it sure was HOT (but that's how I like it). The portioning is also good - between my entree and sides I had leftovers which is always a plus.

What stood out to us the most was the service and care we received. After we ordered by the register, they later brought our drinks and food to our table (normal). Although, during our meal we were checked-in on by staff members multiple times. They made sure we had enough dipping sauce and that everything was kosher with our food. Unfortunately, what my girlfriend ordered turned out to be too spicy and she was struggling with the heat. Without any action on our end, the attentive staff noticed and approached our table to make sure she was satisfied. They were genuine and addressed the spicy issue quickly by remaking her food. After that she was able to enjoy her chicken sandwich and we both were very happy with our entire experience. Everything was delicious! In all, I'm glad they are so close and look forward to visiting again as well as taking me...