The Chicken Ranch

The good thing about this place is their mac and cheese. Other than that the customer service, cleanliness, and fried chicken are lacking. When we walked in we weren’t greeted and the cashier seemed annoyed when we ordered. As for cleanliness — when you’re ordering you can see the kitchen and it’s clear they need to give it some TLC. Also, while the cashier was cooking our food he was rubbing his hair… sans gloves or hair net. Kinda gross. Finally, the chicken was alright. Nothing special. It took awhile for the cook/​cashier to fry our food… which didn’t help in our experience; considering we were the only ones in the restaurant.
This place has potential — their logo is pretty cool, location could be a hit… the owner just needs to show it some love.

Very good. Lovers of chicken on the bone know that good chicken won’t be fast — if they drop yours in the second you order, it still takes 20 minutes. That’s just chicken science, so I just shake my head at the reviewers who complained about waiting. The breading is salty and peppery and the chicken itself is great quality. I wish they had a hot chicken option and I wish the mac n cheese didn’t have nutmeg (weird…may be an acquired taste. I’ll never know), but this place does chicken right and we will be back.

We came on a Sunday afternoon about 1pm. There was nobody there so we were able to order quickly. We ordered the Little Brothel: 8 pieces of chicken, two large sides and three biscuits. We were told it will take about 15 minutes to prepare the meal so we sat down, and patiently waited. The dining room is small and has a dive feel. There was a golden tee arcade machine and a record player with records available to play. We started with the biscuits and sides. The biscuit is an old school dense piece of goodness. Slather on some of the sweet cream butter, and it’s perfect. The mac and cheese was more mac then cheese, but still had good flavor. The noodles were not over cooked nor over seasoned. The cream corn is fresh kernel off the cob and has nice sweet start and ends with a bit of tang. Overall the sides and biscuits remind me of my childhood when dinner was in the back yard at the picnic table. The chicken is amazing!!! I can tell it has been marinating in butter milk for at least 24 hours. When I asked the guy at the counter, he said its closer to 48 hours. Although I didn’t ask, the breading is a simple mix of: flour salt and pepper. When the chicken arrived you could feel the heat coming from the chicken. I started with the leg and that first bite was a juicy, smile creating, nostalgic taste. You get the crunch from the skin, then comes the juice from the meat, followed by the salt and pepper. Wanting to see if the white meat was as juicy as the dark meat, I dove into the breast. The breast was more juicy then the leg!!! I usually save the white meat for my wife and go after the dark meat. This is the only place where I actually prefer the white meat to the dark meat. If you decide to go here, be prepared to wait. Like other great fried chicken places such as Barbecue Inn you are going to have to wait. If you do have the patience, you will be rewarded.

First off — I’d like to say what a pleasure it is to support local businesses. It makes it much more rewarding when you know the owner and staff on a personal level.
Josh and his crew fry up some of the best Chicken this city has ever seen. (Just don’t tell my Mom & Grandma)!
The menu works for whatever appetite you may have. …anything from a 2 piece dinner to a feast for family and friends! Very reasonably priced!
You can enjoy seating outside on the picnic tables under the covered patio or enjoy the sounds coming from the old school record player from inside their dinning room.
BYOB — They do not serve beer, but Joe’s Food Store/​convenience store is a hop across the street… and they offer a wide variety of brews to complement your meal!
Happy Eating!

I normally don’t write reviews for places but when I do it’s usually really good or really bad. In the case of the Chicken Ranch, this will not only be bad, but absolutely horrible. While waiting for our food, we read the reviews for this place and one thing is pretty much consistent — having to wait a LONG LONG time to get your food. We arrived there on a Saturday night at 825 (it wasn’t busy) and didn’t get the first half of our food until 915. We ordered the two piece dark meal and three piece dark meal. We probably wouldn’t have even gotten that it wasn’t for my husband going up to the counter to try to get our money back. Turns out, they gave our order to someone else. A few minutes later, our food arrived but with only three pieces of chicken — the other two pieces were on its way (that took about five mins). To add insult to injury, they gave us white meat. I HATE WHITE MEAT CHICKEN. I CANT STAND IT because it’s usually dry, and you know what??? This was no different. Dry. As for flavor… Salty is the only thing I can say about it. Creamed corn is full of butter and the corn tasted like it wasn’t cooked long enough. Mac and cheese and collard greens were decent but I’ve had much better.
I can get over food not being very good and I would usually give it another shot but when you make me wait almost an hour for my food and then screw up my order, anything you put in front of me will pretty much suck. Considering the place is small and the cashier saw us sitting there the entire time and didn’t even notice we didn’t have food blows my mind. To top it off, the two people working there NEVER apologized for their screw up. I guess this type of service is standard for them.
Restaurants make money by turning over tables and customers… I don’t expect this place to be here for long.

Friendly staff, great chicken and sides! I live in the neighborhood and I’m glad I finally dropped by, worth the visit.

Friendily, very personal service feels like they cook just for you! Josh is a real cool person who will continue to get my business.
As for the food, don’t cheat yourself, the wings are simple (K.I.S.S.) but flavorful at the same time. The chicken is well seasoned with a nice golden flaky crust, same for the biscuits that are served with honey butter that is to die for.
Now, the chicken tenders/​strips, huge pieces of plump, juicy white meat that come with, in my opinion, the star of the show, THAT WONDERFUL GRAVY!
damn this review got me hangry… to The Chicken Ranch I go!

When I walked in, I wasn’t sure if the place was open or closed as it was tough opening the door and there was only one person working.
I ordered the chicken coup and more, but walked out a little disappointed. We ordered the chicken in both white and dark meat, naked wings, macaroni and cheese, okra and tomatoes and fried battered wings.
As a chicken master, I didn’t care for the crust on the chicken. It was too thick. The naked chicken wings tasted old and the place was dirty and infested with flies. They need to do a better job of keeping things tidy. There’s no excuse for a dirty restaurant.

Meh.
Chicken was agreeable, but nothing to write home about, and the hour I had to wait on top of the prices to get it didn’t add up for me.
The creamed corn and collard greens were delicious.
Would be happy to eat it again if someone else goes to pick it up,

Delicious crust and well cooked chicken.
Staff was nice and were clear about the wait. We walked across the street to lei low for drink while we waited.
It was so good. Also. The sides and the chicken both reheated well in the microwave.
I’m glad that this part of town is changing for the better and I expect to return to return for some more friend chicken shortly.

First visit at lunch today. Light crowd until we were leaving — about 1230 PM.
Contrary to many reviewers I think they are hitting in on many cylinders. As to «greasy» chicken — all chicken that is fried is greasy.
Nice space and friendly service. Our wait for very hot food was about ten minutes.
We both liked the chicken — which ain’t Tysons. Some may not like the breading as it is not overly crunchy.
Sides were very good — mashed potatoes with gravy and greens. A bit disappointed on the biscuits and okra.
But overall very good — pleasant to sit outside.

Was excited to try this place since driving by it. This shack is where Bellissimo used to be, and I loved going there. The theme of the new restaurant is indeed the chicken ranch. They even have a menu item called the brothel.
I really wanted to like the place for the theme itself, but it fell short. This was the greasiest fried chicken I’ve ever had. It was nice that they fry to order, but also took 20 minutes to make and the chicken was only marginally better than chicken fried and sitting under a warmer (where the grease can actually drain). Biscuits were good and came with honey butter.
Mashed potatoes, creamed corn were also loaded with butter and grease, to the point where I had to scoop out a layer of oil on my creamed corn. Couldn’t eat more than a couple bites before throwing it out. If you like your food soaked in grease, you may enjoy the food here. It just wasn’t for me. For $ 9 for a two piece chicken and side, I expected more.
Oh yeah, don’t use the restroom in there either. It’s the size of an airplane lavatory; but the one you’ll find on the plane is cleaner.

WOW!!!
The Heights has become Fried Chicken Central… and The Chicken Ranch is in the lead! EXCELLENT Buttermilk Fried Chicken!!!
The side items are the only reason I’m not giving a 4 star review. They need work. The Mashed Potatoes and the Mac & Cheese are blah. The Okra & Tomatoes however are tasty. I’m pretty sure that things will only improve with a little more time.

Seriously, I can’t really tell any difference for fried chicken. I can only say their fried chicken was not bad.
I ordered 2 pcs chicken with one side and a biscuit. They forget to give us biscuit in the beginning so I was wondering what the butter for. I have to say the butter was really yummy! The side dish we had (both mash potato and cream corn) were pretty nice too.
Overall it might be a interesting place to go if u r craving for fried chicken or hot wings.

Went here on a friday afternoon, it was pretty busy, we decided to sit at the outside long picnic table with our 1 year old daughter. This is not a fancy place by any means it is perfect for a casual lunch.
The chicken was very good, my only complaint would be that it needed to cook slightly longer to get a little more crunch on the skin. The batter is perfectly seasoned and tasted delicious.
We had mac and cheese and okra for sides, both of which were very good. The biscuit was also pretty amazing.
I am not a fried chicken connoisseur by any means, I have been to Gus’s in Memphis and that is the best friend chicken I have ever had. I would def go back to the chicken ranch when i am craving that type of food.

IT’S FULL OF FLAVOR BUT…
I may update this rating if my next meal is spot-​on, which I suspect it will be. The things we really liked about it… Quaint, no frills restaurant in a neighborhood that needs it, friendly service, very simple menu, tasty chicken with a thick crust and fresh strawberry lemonade. To be fair, the following things that could be improved are probably related to the time and day of our visit. We went on Sunday around 2pm and the place was nearly empty. The chicken temperature was warm, not hot, and most of us know temperature can make or break a piece of fried chicken. The biscuits were dried out and even the delicious honey butter couldn’t get them down. Those two things, plus the fact that I ordered and paid for The Dolly (two breasts) and was only served the 2 Piece (a breast and a wing) instead, earned the 3 stars.
The crust on the chicken was thick and crunchy, almost like another side dish! That was pretty amazing.
We’ll be back for sure, but maybe on a Friday night when we have to wait for fresh chicken and biscuits to pop out.
UPDATE: We went back. Fresh chicken was super greasy but tasted delicious. The biscuit was still disappointing like the first time and the mashed potatoes were dried out this time (last time they were pretty creamy).
Definitely not putting this place on my list of regular hot spots to eat.

I’m all for new restaurants, especially family owned, however, sometimes it’s best to not venture into new areas. After seeing a feature on the news this morning, I decided to go check it out… thinking to myself (actually said it out loud,) «it’s on the news, it’s got to be good. «I’ll have to look at Ceverly Stone, with a side eye from now on. Of coarse no two people have the same pallet, so here’s my review.
1. The place is real small, I actually got nervous when I walked in.
2. I ordered the 3 piece meal, with macaroni and cheese, a small mashed potatoes, and a Mexican coke my total was $ 16.50, that’s higher than «giraffe coochie» for some chicken.
3.I’ve read comments about the great mashed potatoes, these things were dry and destitute.
4. The macaroni… they should just stick with the Kraft macaroni with the powdered cheese, that would give them some hope.
5. The chicken… won’t win any awards… salt and pepper can SOMETIMES be the only seasonings, NOT WITH chicken though.
6. HIRE SOMEONE TO CLEAN UP… the cooks should not be coming out to take the trash out.

Great new place! Cozy inside, plus outdoor seating. Ok, so I’m gonna review this place. Here’s the deal. This is the BEST fried chicken in Houston. Trust me. I know. Now, I gave this place five stars, but there are some things I would like to see different. First though, I’m gonna talk about chicken. I pretty much ONLY go to Frenchy’s on Scott St. to get fried chicken. Frenchy’s is good. Real good. It’s still frozen chicken though.
Now, the best fried chicken I’ve ever had is Gus’s World Famous in Memphis, TN. That fried chicken changed my life. Colors were more vivid the next day, etc. To me, Gus’s is the benchmark of how fried chicken should taste. Well, yesterday that changed. The Chicken Ranch challenged my love and devotion toward Gus’s. I’m talking about two totally different types of fried chicken though. The Chicken Ranch fried chicken is divine. It’s how I imagine fried chicken tastes in heaven. The chicken at The Chicken Ranch tastes pure. No frozen, GMO bird. The chicken I ate must have been clucking and eating corn off the ground just before I arrived.
Here are some things I would like to see different at The Chicken Ranch: When I went, the cheapest meal on the menu was $ 8. That includes two AMAZING pieces of chicken, one small side, and one biscuit that is like no other biscuit I’ve had. Totally different. Totally delicious. What I would like to see is a $ 6. option: Two pieces of chicken and a biscuit. That’s doable, right? Also, The Chicken Ranch didn’t have cole slaw as a side option. WTF!?! I tried the ocra/​tomato side plus the collard greens. I have to say I’m not a fan. Cole slaw as a side NEEDS to happen. I recommend a minimalist slaw. Super simple and easy to make.
All in all, I highly recommend this place. I will be back, and I will not be going to Frenchy’s for sometime (as long as The Chicken Ranch is open).

I thought I’d compare the recently-​opened Chicken Ranch to the also recently-​opened Bird House because I’ve visited both recently:
Fried Chicken: Bird House. Both are pretty good, but the Bird House has a better crispy-​to-​juicy ratio.
Biscuits: Chicken Ranch definitely wins: crispy, flaky, and fresh! (Bird House’s are too soggy.)
Sides: Chicken Ranch. Bird House’s are a little blah, and I’m a fan of Chicken Ranch’s mac and cheese.
Service: Chicken Ranch. Chicken Ranch is very friendly (the owner even stopped by our table to chat for a bit), and the wait wasn’t obscene. Bird House lacked these two qualities.
So, what’s my conclusion? If Chicken Ranch had Bird House’s fried chicken, I’d give Chicken Ranch five stars.

I came by here today the day after they officially opened for lunch. I have been in this restaurant before when it used to be an Italian restaurant. Parking is very limited as they have only have about 5 parking spaces out front. Other than that it’s street parking where you can find it. I ordered their 3 piece meal that came with a biscuit and one side. I ordered the mashed potatoes. The meal was $ 11. Then another $ 2 for a root beer. My food was ready within 3 minutes. I had noticed a pile of chicken already cooked behind the counter. That’s evidently where mine came from.
The meal (see pic) consisted of a wing, leg and thigh. They were lukewarm in temperature which disappointed me. The chicken was still good and I would give it a 3. The mashed potatoes were very good and I would grade them as a 4. Also I really liked the biscuit and would give it a 4 also.
The crust on the chicken was good. I liked the meal but was disappointed that the chicken wasn’t warmer. I am giving an overall score of 3.
In comparing this place to the Bird House this place has indoor seating. Prices are about the same. Bird House chicken crust has a little more kick to it if that’s what you like.
Value wise I think both places are a little expensive. This meal was good but no more than a 3. I can think of several places where I think the chicken is better. The mashed potatoes and biscuit were better than the chicken. I came here to eat chicken that is warmer than room temperature.
Nothing is pulling me back and doubt I will return. If you live in the area you decide if you like it. If you have to drive a while to get here I probably wouldn’t recommend.