Crown Fried Chicken & Pizza

I’ve been here a few times. When the chicken is fresh it’s pretty good. It’s one of the few places around downtown JC that’s open late, so extra star for that. The biscuits are great when they actually have them, otherwise they give you cheap rolls, whatever.

— the jersey city late night chicken spot. The chicken is what you expect… the BOMB at 5 am! For lunch, you’re better off hitting some of the cafes around the corner on Grove.
— The ribs are a little rough and dry depending on what time of the day it is.
— The fries are seasoned
— The mash potatoes and gravy are powdered… sorta has that post-​apocalyptic army ration feel.
— Late night warning: it can get rough with wild drunks coming out of biergarten down the street and the random hoods walking in after parking their cars illegally blasting underground 90’s hip-​hop… i love it
— Overall: Great for late night eats.

The sign and store-​front has seen better days, but thank goodness it was cheap because they ONLY ACCEPT CASH. I didn’t see a sign for this outside (although I wasn’t looking for one, so maybe it was there, but just not noticable).
It’s the first time I’ve been to a Crown Fried Chicken, so we thought we’d try a bit of everything:
BBQ-​Beef-​ribs (available at this location) — NOT worth the money… or any money. It was dry, the sauce was yucky tangy, and the breading they put outside the ribs was just weird.
Mashed potatoes — tiny tiny little Styrofoam cups pre-​mixed with w/​mashed potatoes and gravy — sour… tasted like it went bad from just sitting there under the heat lamps.
Wings (not hot wings) — much thinner breading than KFC. Some of the sections were quite yummy, while other parts are just dry. I can definitely imagine these being great fresh!
Cheesesteak — for $ 3.25, I wasn’t expecting much. The bread was soft, which is always a pleasant surprise, but the meat was over cooked and dry, and the cheese was uneven. I’ll admit to being a bit of a foodie when it comes to cheesesteaks, but this one, while edible, did not make the list of mediocre cheesesteaks.
Fries — perfectly cooked, good amount of oil and crunchiness. Not so good as it cools down, but fries almost never are.
The area is still pretty shady, although they do have their own parking lot. The inside is not the cleanest, but the bullet-​proof windows are left open, and the workers generally polite without seeming over stressed or over worked. The few patrons who were eating at the store were a tad rowdy, but not in a way of making trouble, but just wanting to get their food. Most of the customers were also there for take-​out and there’s a bit of a wait, but nothing ridiculous.

Average fried chicken, delicious fries, decent biscuit, and nasty powder mash potatoes. Extensive menu. My puppy would do back flips for the chicken here though. Good puppy training food.
On some nights it’s like walking into a rowdy 80’s New York hip hop video. The late night drunks can get wild.
I’ve always seen it open late into the night, might be a 24 hour spot.
Friendly and funny cashier.

If you’re craving fried chicken and there’s no where else to turn to I recommend this place. Other than that crave something else. Chicken is overdone and stale and the place doesn’t seem so sanitary. And I’ll have to agree with Mike N., it doesn’t make you feel good after you eat it.

Perfect after a night at the bars. Doesn’t make you feel too good the next day though. I guess that can be expected from a huge grease out meal after a night of drinking. I try to stay away but sometimes it’s really hard to fight the urge for some tasty chicken wings.
Be brave and try the Italian cheese steak… that’s a cheese steak with fries on it.
It’s always entertaining late at night. Remember to save some change for the homeless dudes outside.

Lousy location and does not look clean. French fries are cheap and greasy. (Perfect binge food) Cheese Steak = NO. Just no. Chicken is their specialty, hence the name «Crown Fried Chicken & Pizza» and for a good price. Pretty decent. Waiting time is pretty long, maybe because they make some of the food right after you order. All in all it’s just decent. Go there if you wanted cheap.