Harold’s Chicken

Nothing spectacular
Waited a very long time for my chicken which was very hot and not very flavorful. I was going to say I was little disappointed. Same deal with the fries. Unsalted bland. Like I was eating a potato without flavor. Hot sauce is cheap commercial hot sauce just drops right off the chicken. Quality of meat was so so.

Not a good experience at all. I call to place my order a head of time so I don’t have to wait since I was on the clock for work. I call 10 minutes before they open and nobody picks up. Your telling me nobody’s there 10 min. before? Finally, they pick up a few minutes after opening and I place my order. Worst attitude ever. I would have said forget it, if I weren’t picking up food for people at my office so I let it slide.
Overall, when I got there — I waited another 20 minutes which is typical for all the Harold’s if not more. Total time, was 30 minutes which is okay for this place. So much for calling a head though. The lady did apologize for the wait which I appreciated, but then she told me she had to turn on the burner. As a restaurant, if you open at 11am, you should be ready to start making food at 11am, period.
Last but not least, I got sick for 2 days straight. I know it was this place because I have the same yogurt for breakfast everyday and for dinner I made fajitas which I made the night before and didn’t get sick.
Needless to say, I won’t be back to this one in particular. I don’t need to give my business to a place that can’t treat their customers nicely. Maybe the attitude will slide out south, but this is Oak Park.
The only good thing was the chicken tasted really good and for the price, you can’t beat it.

I love this chicken! A friend introduced me to Harold’s when I worked downtown and I have been addicted since. This location is better than the first one! I have been here three times already and every single time the chicken is on point!
Yes there is always a wait because even when you call ahead they do not actually start cooking until you get there. So be prepared to wait 15 – 20 minutes. It is very well worth it, though, if you are a patient person.
Considering that they also make some seafood your chicken will not taste fishy! However, I do not eat seafood so I cannot rate the quality of it but I will say my son LOVES their shrimp.
Finally, the best part is their mild sauce! I LOVE IT! By the way they do sell it on the side, FYI.
Ps. If you want shrimp get there early enough because they do run out!

Very bad service. Went in and was told 10 minute wait — 40 minutes later still not making the chicken. Separate occasion called order in and still waited — food is solid but the service is horrible. Will not make it long term unless something changes

I want to welcome Harolds to Oak Park. This location is one of the good ones. If you order Saturday night you had better give them about an hour. There chicken is about as good as it gets. My order did take more time than they told me over the phone. The quality made up for the wait time. The staff is very nice.

Omg! In the Chicago area and I couldn’t wait to get to some Harold’s chicken. It definitely hit the spot and I plan on visiting again. The only reason this location didn’t receive 5 stars is because of the service. The young lady isn’t very friendly but the guy that gave me my food at least told me to have a good day. Definitely go for the awesome chicken and mild sauce. Yum Yum!

Best Chicken in Chicago area. They cook your chicken to order so be prepared for a 20 minute wait, but it’s worth every second.

I was on a diet this particular visit but my friend had the fish and chicken wing combination. So I’m writing on her behalf. She loved the chicken and said it was really flavorful; the fish on the other hand was just «blah».
The staff here was great! Had a blast just chatting about the menu and waiting on the order. It was nice and clean with a cool Harold’s Chicken painting on the wall for photo ops.

Oak Park Location has a sign, 20 minute wait … worth every second. THIS IS FRIED CHICKEN DONE RIGHT. Not overly seasoned, but nice and juicy and crispy. Asked for the sauce on the side, happy I did sauce is good compliment, but don’t want it overpowering the yard bird.

When you get that feeling of wanting to go to a 5 star restaurant and enjoy a candle light meal with a nice glass of wine, IGNORE that feeling and go to Harold’s Chicken!!! Sometimes you need to grab some good comfort food while you take a nice Chicago ride with the windows down, enjoying a nice breezy day. What it lacks in decoration and customer service, it makes up in its ability to make you abandon all use of forks and spoons, and dive right in with both hands. If only there were napkins that could handle the awesomeness. Now if only there was a restroom in this joint, I’d come more than once a month

The wait is way too long, credit card machine is always down! The chicken is good on most occasions, but stop being stingy with the mild sauce! The employees are very ignorant, they don’t want to be bothered and could care less about their customers!

The chicken was good but it takes forever. I ordered some fries (just one order) and it took about 20 minutes. The next time i ordered fries (just one order) I tried calling ahead. The lady on the phone told me she was speechless because I called in and preorderd fries. I told her what happened before and she jusy didn’t understand. I canceled my order. They really need better customer service.

Blind-​blowingly delicious fried chicken! I knew that Harold’s was a Chicago institution and now I see why. Now I’m wishing I would have tried this place sooner! Yeah there is a bit of a wait, but so what. It’s damn well worth it! The chicken is cooked fresh to order and it shows in the quality. If you want fried chicken fast go to KFC or one of those other places where they fry up huge batches and keep them warm under heat lamps, but I guarantee it won’t be as good as Harold’s!

It seems every time I come here it’s something new. This is NOT how Harolds should properly represent Chicago chicken. If you want an authentic experience with Harolds Chicken, go to the south side. After MONTHS of having issues accepting credit cards, they FINALLY have a credit card machine. Here’s the kicker, it’s ALWAYS down. And on top of that, it’s a $ 10.00 minimum for it to be on the card. Talk about inconvenience on top of inconvenience. The staff talks to you as if they’re doing YOU a favor. They need to practice better customer service and actually LISTEN to you while taking your order. I’ve seen multiple customers come back and complain about their orders being wrong. Their only saving grace for this location rests solely on the food. That’s it. If their standards and quality of food ever drops, then there won’t be a Harolds here anymore.

If I could give this 0 stars I would. Tried to call in an order after trying the 773 phone number several times. Went straight to a voicemail that sounded like someone’s cell phone?!? Finally got thru to place an order for a party and needed 30 wings. The lady rudely answered and didn’t even acknowledge Harolds. Thought perhaps I had the wrong number. When I asked to place an order she said no we don’t take call in orders. I asked her if she would do it for an order of 30wings. She said no and then hung up. Rude and will never spend a dollar there. Treat your customers with respect and train your employees how to talk and grow business.

Love the flavorful, mild sauce smothered, goodness! Follow these steps for a delightful Harold experience: Step 1: Call in your order to avoid the long wait… They say 20 show up in 30. Step 2: Do not get wings, they are very skimpy. To taste the quality of the chicken you will need a bucket or piece meal. Step 3: ask for mild sauce on your chicken. They give you tiny little side cups ½ way filled if you get it on the side. Step 4: Enjoy!

I am a Harold’s chicken fanatic for the last 15 years. I have gone to over twenty Chicago locations and definitely have come to find the best locations throughout. When this location opened in Oak Park I was extremely excited because it’s near my home and I would always take a long drive to go to Harold’s chicken on a regular almost weekly basis. I’ll start off with the staff they are not the nicest or most accommodating, poor customer service! the quality of the food is definitely by far Lower than the standard Harold’s chicken quality, this food quantity is much less as far as the fries go. The mild sauce taste the same but the flavor of the chicken is not the signature Harold’s chicken. I’m very disappointed at this location I definitely will not return.

The chicken is great once you finally get it. They have a sign posted stating that there’s a 20 minute wait, but I was the only person in there and at least 7 people came after me and received there orders. I was waited 45 minutes and then my order was correct. This wasn’t the first time this happened. I ordered a 8 piece mixed and received 8 pieces but only 2 pieces were dark meat (legs) not one thigh out if the pieces and didnt receive my order of okra. I really want to support this place but they need to get there stuff to together

I am a Harold’s connoisseur, period. Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. I’m fully aware of the small fluctuations in different locations throughout the city when it comes to this establishment. I’ve given my blessing for the few I’ve been to and now I MUST recognize this one on the northwest side of Chicago. THEY KNOW WHAT’S UP! Fast service, fresh chicken, friendly service. What else can you seriously ask for. Looking forward to doing more business with them.