Hitching Post

Best chicken in the Cincy area. The sides are ok. Coleslaw is good. Pies are very tasty. Service is good. What are you waiting for get some of this chicken. I live in Dayton and eat here every-​time I go to a Reds game.

If you’re looking for an old-​fashioned greasy spoon, this is a great place, especially for take-​out, and ESPECIALLY for their fried chicken. The sides are standard fare and not the best quality — definitely some (like the rolls) are pre-​packaged. The staff are always friendly, and they have great specials.
One improvement I’d like to suggest to the management: Please phase out your use of styrofoam containers. That is one piece of the old-​fashioned goodness that is just actually really awful.

Stopped by here after seeing all the Unilocal reviews and noticed it on the way home. Location is great because it’s right off Kellogg.
Fiancé and I got plates with Coleslaw, bread, and fries for sides. The chicken itself is freaking awesome, but everything else was meh. I think next time I’ll just order a bucket to bring home. It’s not actually THAT cheap for a full plate with sides, but you definitely get a bang for your buck with the buckets of chicken.
Interior is super retro; it screams «old school america,» and I think that’s pretty cool. Although there aren’t many tables or room, service is pretty quick.
Would love to try their breakfast food sometime.
tl;dr chicken is awesome; buckets to go seem like best bet. Service is quick and friendly.

The Hitching Post has top notch fried chicken. None of the sides on the menu looked or sounded good, so we decided to order a bucket of 13 pieces of chicken ($ 17) to go and make our own sides at home (see Alex Guarnaschelli’s corn bread recipe on
). We ended up with an extremely affordable (no, cheap!) and delicious dinner for a group of 6. The chicken sat in the box closed up for a good half hour and was still fresh, crispy and delicious when it was time to eat. I understand they fry their chicken in lard, which obviously makes a difference because this chicken is special! The left over fried chicken makes amazing chicken salad.
5 star fried chicken and friendly service on pick up-​I can’t and won’t speak for side items.
If you are ordering large quantities for a family reunion or picnic, this is the place to go.

Grease spoon breakfast and lunch place. Very friendly staff. If you are looking for a quick, simple bite this might be a good place. We didn’t have the chicken, but we hear that is what they are famous for.

I’m rating the food only… since the ambience is lacking. So, the chicken is everything the others have said already and more… fresh, hot, flavorful, and NOT greasy. It seemed as though every order was cooked to order, the wait wasn’t long. The dining area is small, but tables clear up quickly and you can sit. We went there for lunch and there wasn’t a huge crowd, but a steady stream of people coming in. I had their 3 piece white meat, which was a breast, leg, and wing; this comes with a roll and two sides — I chose fries and cole slaw. Even the fries were HOT and fresh. The mayonnaise based cole slaw was great! Three of us ate for $ 18 — not a bad deal.

I don’t know what they do to the breaded chicken sandwiches to make them so darn good, but I hope they don’t stop. It’s absolutely delish. Very friendly staff, and the regular customers are kind as well. Any time we are within 10 miles of this place we try to veer over for a bite. Well worth a detour.

Man, what a hidden gem. This place does fried chicken right. Always fresh and light tasting. I understand they still fry with lard, which is a definite plus to the flavor. The sides are generally all good as well, especially the onion rings and cole slaw. Most of the desserts are made in house and hard to pass up as well.

Great food but don’t expect anything more. Got a $ 50 carryout order for a picnic and they begrudgingly provided a couple measly paper plates, napkins, etc. Couldn’t even provide butter with a family pack of rolls and were not friendly when asked for it. Not impressed with service. Quit being cheap hitching post!

This really is THE WORLDS BEST FRIED CHICKEN. Always hot (it’s got a good scald). Staff is always friendly. Prices reasonable.

Like some other reviews, I had driven past this place a million times but I felt a bit like a foreigner stepping in to the Hitching Post. The 2-​piece combo comes with fries, coleslaw, and a roll. The fries were really good, but I wasn’t into the puffy white roll (can a girl get a biscuit?) or the coleslaw. At these kinds of places I care a lot about the sides, but on to the chicken: the meat was juicy and delicious. The breading could do with a little more spice and salt to it but it perfectly crispy. I will make a return trip to try their desserts, like blackberry pie, and some of the other sides.

I eat at the Hitching Post two or three times a month. It’s the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. No, it isn’t spicy like Popeye’s, but it isn’t greasy like Popeye’s either. I’ve fallen into somewhat of a dull routine, in that I always order the same thing. Four piece chicken dinner with fries and cole slaw. That comes with a dinner roll. They have other things on the menu, including daily specials. I just can’t bring myself to pass on that crispy deliciousness.
Big ups for carrying Coke products, as well. Including Cherry Coke, which isn’t terribly commonplace in restaurants. I should also mention their kick ass array of pies and cakes for dessert. The pineapple upside down cake is an excellent choice. You also can’t go wrong with a slice of cheesecake or a bowl of cobbler. And at right around $ 10, it’s hard to beat the price. I have never left hungry and my big boy appetite doesn’t exactly gravitate towards dainty nibblings.
Another thing I appreciate is having the daily newspaper to peruse while waiting for my made to order food, which never takes as long as you’d think it would, for a place that obviously prides itself on freshness. Also, despite paying at the counter at the time of your order, the cashier is always attentive to your needs. A lot of times at other places, once you’ve settled up on the bill, you become invisible. Not at the Hitching Post. They’re always asking how everything tastes, if you’d like a refill on your soda to-​go, etc.
The lone knock I have on the place is the size of their sides. Please allow me to elaborate. While the amount of fries are ample, anything served in a Styrofoam cup (slaw, beans, etc.) is a bit small for the price. This is especially true, if you’re going a la carte, i.e., above and beyond the two that automatically come with your meal. I could also go for a few more side options, like an ear of hot buttered corn on the cob, for example.
If Unilocal offered partial star ratings, you could call it a 4.9. The only reason I’m not rounding off to a perfect score, is so Nadia Comăneci won’t think she can get away with portion control. Gotta keep those 53 year old Romanian gymnasts on their toes, if they’re going to remain the best ever.

I have taken my mom to the Hyde Park Hitching Post and last night my husband and our 9 year old ended up in the one down on Kellogg Ave. It isn’t enough that they have the best Fried Chicken in the area… I have never had a dried out leg or breast or wing for that matter in here. No it’s a given that the chicken is consistently good in the Hitching Post but then they go out of their way to be nice too. Yeah, crazy, eh? You are good at what you do and instead of being all cocky and exclusive — they allowed us to «dine in» even though after 7:30pm they only do carry out. We were enjoying the best Chicken in Cincinnati AND we were welcomed into a booth to enjoy it. I heard the regulars coming in to pick up their Saturday night suppers… many probably have been doing this for years and I thought what a great place. The customers and those there to serve — all exchanged pleasantries and asked about family. We were treated as one of their own. Instead of rushing us in and out, they fed us and seemed truly happy to have a little family of three who may not be back for months, join them. We were nourished and satisfied. We noticed the deserts looked good and wished we hadn’t ordered a nine-​piece meal. Maybe we would have had room for one of those amazing looking brownies or a piece of pie. We had a piece of chicken left, plenty of really good slaw and rolls. We took it all home because it was so good! It was gone before bedtime because my 16 year old knows, good fried chicken is as good hot as it is cold! And the slaw is yummy with biscuits. The mashed potatoes are good but the chicken gravy makes them exceptional! You won’t miss KFC and you should not miss a chance to have this Cincinnati institution’s chicken. It is the best and the people who run it make it worth becoming a regular! I highly recommend the Hitching Post.

Everyone says it and everyone is right! (BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN THE WORLD) need I say more?

I had the fried chicken, which was to die for. It was super crispy, not greasy and soggy. It came with cole slaw and potato salad. They were both very good, not bitter like some I’ve tried. My husband had the chicken fried steak. It was delicious and crispy. Seasoned perfectly. I highly recommend the giant brownie and black berry cobbler for dessert. Delicious! Our total bill was $ 19 and some change for 2 awesome meals, drinks, and desserts.

Worlds best not really but it was very good. The chicken was definitely the best part of out meal with the sides just being run of the mill. The price was good and the service and atmosphere were great. It isn’t something I would go out of my way to have but if I was in the area and wanted a good chicken dinner this would be a good spot to hit up.

I had the worlds best fried chicken for lunch with macaroni and cheese and potatoes and gravy with a roll. It was the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. Better than KFC.
Order at the counter. But they will refill your drink at the table.
I stopped again for breakfast. Had two eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast. It’s right up there with Village Inn but served on plastic plates. Eggs were cooked as ordered; over medium. Anyone who knows how to cook them over medium is a good cook.
Both meals were very good and I recommend it. It’s not a five star diner but well worth a visit.

YUM! Love this place. Not only is the food cheap. The fried chicken is mouth watering. By far the best fried chicken in Cincinnati!
The restaurant is small. I always carry out.

Breakfast Club
I’ve been hearing good things about the Hitching Post since I’ve been in Cincinnati… so I knew I had to put this on the list for breakfast club. It’s a little out of the way and once you’ve passed 3 or 4 cool salvage yards you know you are close. It’s a pretty tight squeeze once inside but the tables are filled with friendly regulars that easily make conversation and even passed along a joke or two. Ahh, I feel at home. Back to breakfast… the menu selection is fairly limited but there are some really good options… like the breakfast plate around 5bucks, can’t beat that! The breakfast sandwich also looked great. I wish I they served chicken at breakfast so we could have tried what they are so famous for! John, I’d be down for the 100pc chicken, reason to throw a party. woot! Great place, will try for dinner.

Great down home food with very down to earth prices. You really can’t go wrong with a $ 5 breakfast with goetta, eggs and toast. I had a brief chat with the daughter of the original founder and she was friendly and informed me about the history of the ‘Post. Essentially there used to be a number of Hitching Posts and this one is the original that still uses the fried chicken family recipe. They have a really cool hand dryer in the bathroom that has a funky blue light on it. Cool. The outdoor sign advertised a 100 piece chicken wing order for $ 100. You hungry?
*Went here for the Unilocal brunch group, come check it out next time you are free on Sat or Sun morning.