Ezell’s Famous Chicken

I have no doubt I will be regretting eating here! Black n Mild smell coming from the opened door in the back while he is scratching his head. Order is wrong and yes I left my gizzards, ranch, and hot sauce I paid for. The chick in the back mean mugging while I’m looking at the sign not her! Do they deserve $ 15 I think not… I’m throwing this sh*t away when I get home! Does this look like 3 piece dinner, potatoe salad, mashed potatoes, gizzards, 2 hot sauce, and a ranch?

Spicy strips, BBQ sauce and grape soda! I try to stop here at least once per week. The food is out of this world (if you know what to order and when to order). The service at this location is the worst. It is even worse if you are white. I hate to say it, but after going to this specific location at least a dozen times now, the feeling of being treated differently if you were not black is a reality. I get it, it’s hilltop in Tacoma, but it is also 2016.
I will keep going here for my addiction to spicy strips and BBQ sauce, but I wish we could all pretend that we all bleed the same color rather than treating some folks differently because of their skin color.

Went there to pick up some dinner Wednesday afternoon around 5pm, April 27^th, and got a 3-​piece dinner. Service was good behind the counter. When I got home, I found what looked like a well cooked chicken. It was definitely cooked through — however the crust on this original recipe was like the consistency of a pita chip. I took a bite and the crust just crumbled everywhere — except in my mouth. It didn’t look overcooked, but it must have been I guess (See picture of cracked breast piece). I ate most of my meal with no crust. I ate crust like chips from a plate. The beans were good but I swear I’ve had the same ones from a can before. Slaw was good.

I have always been a fan of the chicken at Ezells. Cooked perfectly every time. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and seasoned just right. The only downfall was the service. It was as if the person behind the counter didn’t like their job. Until today that is. I always went back cause I loved the food, but today I was greeted as I walked in the door. I wish I got the persons name who was behind the counter, she was finishing up another customers order and got to me quickly with a smile. The whole process was enjoyable. I’ve never said that before. I hope it wasn’t a fluke. Ezells just may now be the total package, I sure hope so.

Suuuuuper delicious chicken– love that fried crust. Service wasn’t friendly in the slightest but the chicken was worth it lol

We keep coming back for the best fried chicken in town, but service is inconsistent. I’m not sure if mistakes keep getting made in packing our orders or if they willfully make substitutions when they are out of items without telling us. Any other place would not get our repeat business, but Ezell’s lives up to its reputation for great fried chicken.

my family is from Alabama and Georgia. Nope. No no nope. They need some seasoning. The beans were really good but could have used some bacon. Mashed potatoes were just ok. I was really disappointed with the chicken. It was moist and tender but very bland. That was a one and done try for me. All that hype but it didn’t do it for me.

We left Freight House Sq since they had no parking and decided to try this place. Remind me again why I ever come to Tacoma.
Arrived at 12:30 for lunch on a Friday to be greeted with they are out of chicken. 20 minutes for spicy and 15 for regular. Really — Friday middle of lunch and all Chicken is gone. Great management.
The young lady at the front could care less.
Decided to split 2 piece of white. At best it was bland. Outside not crispy. Inside was tender-​give them that. Atmosphere is sterile and bathroom would fit into a gas station real easy.
Not sure what the plus is. Bad uncaring service. Out of regular and spicy chicken no flavor to the batter or chicken. What’s that — there is a Popeye 10 minutes away. Hum.

For fried chicken this place is pretty good if you get a combination of the sides with the roll.
The beans and Mac is good. You can never go wrong with fried chicken for dinner!

He likes to advertise that Opera loved it, but I’m personally more impressed Guy from Food Network did his DIners, Drive ins and Dives show at one of Ezells Restaurants and liked it– We did try them the other day and the Chicken was nice and Crispy, the Cole Slaw was VERY good! The Mash Potatoes meh, nothing special about them.
They do have Pepsi products, so thats a plus IMO, the main knock I would have on this location is the parking lot is rather small– the prices are higher IMO then you would see at the other chicken places but overall the food is very good, and we would return to this place! And, I would recommend them,

Everything here was perfect. The establishment was clean the bathroom was too (super impressed). The food I had was amazing. I normally do not eat coleslaw because mayonnaise. However, their coleslaw was what I would think coleslaw should be. It was crunchy (as in fresh), it was well balanced and had just the right touch of mustard. The roll was out of the ballpark. It was soft, airy and with a hint of sweetness. I even told people about it later in the week it made such an impression. The mashed potatoes were just right and obviously made from scratch. The bit of chicken I tried was well crisped on the outside without being over breaded and was juicy in the inside. I don’t know why anyone would eat any other fried chicken with this restaurant around.
They offer sweet tea and your standard soda fountain fare for those who dare. They also offer a type of soda my friend says you can only get back east or in the south.
Even if you are not typically a fan of fried food you should give Ezell’s a try. Just once. I’ll guarantee your want to go again. I know I do.

Yeah, baby! As I start to write this update, my mouth is watering and that really sucks as it’s only 8:30 a.m. and I’m wanting Ezell’s Chicken NOW NOW NOW!
Anyway, I am writing this to correct a comment I made on December 8, 2015 about the mashed potatoes and gravy.
I said that I was sure Ezell’s purchased them from a KFC or similar chicken place because they tasted just like KFC’s. Well, the manager, Janet? Janice? read my first review and mentioned it when my wife and I came in there last week. She assured me that Ezell’s does make their own mashed potatoes and gravy and offered me a small container so I could taste for myself. WOW! I was wrong and will admit it here so that anyone who read my other review won’t miss out on these delicious ‘taters and gravy. So darn good! I must’ve gotten an off batch or something before. The potatoes were a tad lumpy this time but that doesn’t bother me at all, in fact I LIKE lumps in my mashed potatoes – it’s just a mouth feel thing, I guess.
My wife got the chicken tenders and couldn’t stop raving about them. I got a half dozen yeast rolls to go, because, once again, Ezell’s kicks ass with their chicken AND rolls!
I so want to eat some chicken right this minute… even though I just had oral surgery and can’t chew on the left side of my mouth… I can gnaw on some chicken tenders, right? It might take me an hour to finish one chicken tender but that’s okay!
I still don’t like the coleslaw but the crinkle-​cut french fries are awesome. Yeah… I may have to get dressed and get my butt up to Ezell’s, tooth pain or no tooth pain…

I made a point of stopping here on the way back from a doctor appointment in Federal Way to give the much touted Ezell’s a try. I opted for 8 pieces to go with a large side of slaw but asked to not include any of the rolls since I didn’t see the need to pay for bread when I had just bought two loaves at Costco the day before. The very nice clerk said that she wouldn’t charge me for the slaw and will include it instead of the rolls! Perfect. They only had the spicy chicken ready and said it would be another 20 minutes so I opted for all spicy instead of the half and half I had ordered.
The wait for the order was about five minutes in spite of the spicy chicken all being ready, not sure why. With that I was off in the car to have my 11 year old GPS give me bad directions to get back on I-​5. I vented the takeout container so the chicken would not steam on the way home since I have an almost one hour drive from Tacoma in good conditions.
I have to say the chicken was pretty good, even after the long drive (so glad I vented the box) but the real winner was the cole slaw — good flavor and not too sweet (which is one of my biggest issues with restaurant cole slaw). They spicy chicken is not too spicy, unless you are one of those who think Heinz catsup is spicy, so I am glad I wound up with all spicy. The size of the pieces is pretty good too which was good since I hate tiny chicken pieces.
I will definitely make another stop for more of this good fried chicken and slaw. Many thanks to the young woman at the register for allowing me to substitute the cole slaw for the rolls.

This is in no way the same as the Seattle location. I came thinking I was ordering the same meal by the chicken strips were cut long and thin, and the batter was no crispy and flakey like the original location. More so the flavor of the batter was lacking a seasoned flavor especially the original. And more so the chicken pieces were dry. The roles were not as soft and fluffy as the original location. All that seems to be the same is the dipping sauce from hidden valley. Pretty mediocre experience. If you want to try the Oprah famous ezells chicken you have to go to Seattle because this place does not offer the same product as the original or maybe it’s the way they are preparing the chicken/​cooking the chicken that makes the difference.

Let me say first off, the food at Ezell’s is authentic generally very good. I am particularly impressed with their spicy chicken, it is actually spicy and absolutely delicious. Their coleslaw is also some of the best I have ever eaten, and I grew up in Louisiana so that’s saying something.
Ezell’s prices, though not exactly cheap, are very reasonable, and it’s possible to feed large appetites or even a small group of people for less than you’d pay at other places that offer similar fare but don’t offer nearly the quality or yum-​factor that Ezell’s does.
My one complaint is with the staff. Each time I have gone to Ezell’s the staff have always seemed a bit brusque. I have never gotten such consistently surly service at any other restaurant I have ever been to in my life. While the sour dispositions of the staff certainly don’t detract from the quality of Ezell’s delicious food, it definitely detracts from the overall experience when the customer feels as though the restaurant staff are merely tolerating their presence and not doing a very good job of it. I know it isn’t me, I spent many years working as a server in a restaurant when I was in my teens and 20’s,
I am well aware of the things some restaurant patrons do that are annoying and sometimes even insulting to the restaurant staff and I go out of my way not to do these things. I also habitually tip at least 20%, and it doesn’t take much more than simply being polite and mostly aware to get more than that out of me. Although Ezell’s isn’t a full service restaruant, you order at the counter and when your food is ready you pick it up at the counter, they do have a tip jar by the register and I did tip somewhere between 15%-20% the first few times I got food there. With the exception of the first time I ate there, I have always ordered my food to-​go. I have never felt very comfortable eating there due to the pronounced lack of friendliness in the atmosphere there. The first few times I also gave the staff the benefit of a doubt and assumed I had managed to somehow catch them at a bad time or during a rough night three times in a row. (It could happen, I guess, truth is stranger than fiction, right???) However, it quickly became clear that the staff at Ezell’s are just like that-​brusque almost, but not quite, to the point of being overtly rude. I’m sorry, but no matter how good the food is or how promptly it is packed up and ready to go, I’m not tipping more than the bare minimum (if at all) for curt, cheerless, minimally polite service.
The times I have under-​tipped or not tipped at all as an adult are extremely few and very, very far inbetween, I know for a fact I tip when most others would not and almost always tip at least 5% more than what most people do. The staff and/​or servers at restaurants just about have to try to irk me to the point at which I under-​tip, and they have to be really incompetent or almost hostile to piss me off to the point at which I don’t tip at all. Way to go, Ezell’s! Your unfriendl staff and their generally crappy attiitudes made the cut-​I didn’t tip them shit the last couple of times I was there and I don’t plan on going back either. As much as I love their food and the fact that their prices are so affordable, the surly staff just ruin the overall experience for me.

The chicken was nothing special and seemed really over cooked and has been sitting under a heating lamp
The customer service was not good at all never was greeted
Couldn’t substitute anything in the meals
Got potatoe salad side and tasted like just mustard
Won’t be returning

I was a little apprehensive to come here because at first glance the reviews seemed a little low, and I didn’t want to be disappointed. All I can say is Wow! Friendly service and absolutely amazing chicken tenders!!! Could probably eat these everyday and for the money this place can’t be beat!

When it comes to chicken joints they don’t get much better than this! The fried chicken is perfectly seasoned (I always get spicy) and juicy!
My favorites are the chicken thighs, gizzards, and fried okra! I haven’t found a place yet in the northwest that does okra like Ezell’s does okra! You got to get it extra crispy though. In my opinion that’s the only way to eat fried okra!
The only reason Ezell’s doesn’t get five stars is because the atmosphere is less than casual. And sometimes the people behind the counter are a little ghetto. But other than that I love the spot!

It was good but I ordered a combo, it didn’t come w/​a drink or buns.
I ordered the spicy white meat.
Better then Popeyes or Churches’
It was okay

Service was super lackluster. None of the people there appeared to want to provide even decent customer service. The place was dirty. There was a puddle of used water in front of the soda fountain machine (slip hazard and just disgusting in general). The store didn’t open on time (we were there at least half an hour after they listed on their door as open). After knocking 3 times, we decided to wait in front of the door until it was opened. Even then after we got in, we had to wait 10 – 15 minutes more for the cashier to get set up.
This place was such a big let down. We shared a 3-​piece meal (side of coleslaw and mashed potato/​gravy). Our bread was cold and not even warm. Mashed potato was room temperature and just ick. Although the chicken meat was juicy, I somewhat questioned the sanitary of it given the environment we saw when the store was opened (someone may double handled prepared food with cash).
There was also a female customer who ordered and paid for some food while we were eating. After paying and waiting for a while, one lady came out with some bills and coins in hand letting her know that they didn’t have the cobbler she ordered. Hmm…
Will not return for sure.