Midlothian's Best Fried Chicken

You go looking for fried chicken in Midlothian and end up finding a reason to avoid Route 60 traffic for a week. Around here, the bird shows up in neon-lit noodle bars and quiet Indian buffets, often playing second fiddle to dumplings or curry.

The range runs from the tidy, prepared-food case at Supper Club to the sticky tables at Dolce Vita, where the garlic rolls are a legitimate distraction. I ate a piece the size of my head at Joe's Inn and watched a toddler launch bread across the room.

None of it was boring. Order accordingly.

Rutba Indian kitchen

Highlights
Palak patta chat unforgettable
Heat levels respect your limits
Tender chicken in kebab sampler
Warm, neat, affordable dining
Breads worth leaving room for

I went to Rutba expecting a curry house and left wondering why I ever bother with the usual bird. The palak patta chat arrives like a crisp green argument for ordering it before anything else, and the chicken in the kebab sampler is tender enough that I forgot to complain about the wait. The heat levels are polite, they ask before they burn you, which I respect. The breads demand room you think you do not have. It is warm, neat, and affordable, and I ate too much. I will do it again next week. That is not a threat, that is a promise I made to myself on the drive home.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in South Carolina.

Unplugged Games Cafe

Highlights
Hundreds of games available
Staff teach and recommend
Affordable per-person play
Fresh popcorn, tasty food
Welcoming, inclusive space

Unplugged Games Cafe is a strange place to find fried chicken, but here we are. I came for the board games, which number in the hundreds, and stayed because the staff actually teach you the rules instead of abandoning you to a rulebook. The per-person play fee is low enough that I bought popcorn, which is fresh, and the food is better than it has any right to be. The space is welcoming, which is rare for a place that also serves gamers. I ate my chicken between rounds of something I cannot pronounce. It was crispy, salty, and entirely necessary. I left with my dignity intact, barely.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in South Dakota.

Midlothian Chef's Kitchen

Highlights
Seasoned well, friendly service
Frequent worthy neighborhood stop
Easygoing, not overly noisy
Solid repeat lunch option

Midlothian Chef's Kitchen is the kind of place I wander into when I am tired of deciding. The chicken is seasoned well, not aggressively, just competently, and the service is friendly without hovering. It is easygoing, not overly noisy, which is saying something for a strip mall spot. I ordered, ate, and was out in under an hour. That is a solid repeat lunch option for anyone who wants to eat without ceremony. I have been three times this month. The third time the server remembered my order. I am not sure whether to be flattered or worried, but the chicken keeps me coming back, so I will not overthink it.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in Southern Pines.

Supper Club - Midlothian

Highlights
Fresh, tasty prepared dishes
Clean, nicely displayed store
Friendly staff and rewards program

Supper Club is a prepared food store, and I approached it with the same suspicion I bring to any place that sells food in containers. The chicken was fresh, tasty, and not swimming in grease, which is a minor miracle. The store itself is clean, and the display cases are neat enough that I did not feel like I was gambling with my lunch. The staff were friendly, and they mentioned a rewards program, which I ignored until I ate the food and decided I would sign up. I do not usually reward loyalty, but I will reward a decent piece of fried chicken. It is not a sit-down meal, but it is a worthy stop in a pinch.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in North Richland Hills.

I Noodle

Highlights
Soup dumplings worth repeated visits
Katsu crispy, portion generous
Spicy wings saucy and crunchy
Striking Tokyo-inspired neon interior

I Noodle is a neon-lit Japanese place that does not look like it should serve fried chicken, yet there it was, and I ordered it out of spite. The soup dumplings are worth repeated visits, and I say that as someone who has been burned by rubbery dumplings before. The katsu was crispy, and the portion was generous enough that I felt guilty about finishing it. The spicy wings are saucy and crunchy, which is a balance most places miss. The interior is striking, all Tokyo-inspired lights, and it made me feel like I was eating in a video game. I ate too much. I regret nothing. The chicken was the surprise, not the decor.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in East Los Angeles.

Joe's Inn Bon Air

Highlights
Family friendly, kids eat free
Huge menu, generous portions
Attentive, cheerful wait staff
Reliable food, quick service

Joe's Inn Bon Air is a family restaurant with a menu the size of a small novel, and I ordered fried chicken because I am predictable. The portions are generous, almost aggressively so, and the wait staff are attentive and cheerful, which is exhausting but welcome. Kids eat free, so the place is loud, but the chicken arrives fast and reliable. It is not fancy, and it does not pretend to be. I ate a piece of chicken the size of my head and watched a toddler throw bread across the room. The staff did not flinch. That is efficiency. I left full and slightly overwhelmed. That is the point.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in County Island Long Suffolk.

O'Tooles Restaurant Midlothian

Highlights
Attentive bar service
Excellent Cajun crab cake
Quick brunch service
No rush to leave

O'Tooles is a bar, and I went for the fried chicken because I heard the bartender could handle a wing order without losing his temper. The service was attentive, and the Cajun crab cake is excellent, but I was there for the bird. The chicken was fine, solid, not life-changing, but the bar is the real draw. It is the kind of place where you get quick brunch service and nobody rushes you to leave. I sat with a lukewarm piece of chicken and a cold drink for an hour. The bartender refilled my glass twice. That is hospitality. The chicken is a supporting actor, but sometimes you need a supporting actor who knows his lines.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in Austin.

Dolce Vita Italian Restaurant

Highlights
Garlic rolls worth the visit
Friendly, familiar service
Quick, hot kitchen output
Reasonable, vast menu
Sticky tables, plain fare

Dolce Vita is an Italian restaurant with sticky tables and plain fare, and I mean that as a compliment. The garlic rolls are worth the visit alone, soft and buttery enough that I considered canceling my entree. The fried chicken arrived hot and quick, which is a small miracle in a kitchen that also has to make pasta. The staff are friendly, the kind of familiar that calls you honey and means it. The menu is reasonable and vast, so I ordered chicken out of spite, and it was fine. The tables are sticky, and I suspect they have been sticky for decades. I ate too many rolls and left happy. That is all I ask.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in Louisville.

NAPA Kitchen and Wine

Highlights
Garden-like, inviting dining room
Attentive, never overbearing service
Risotto and scampi shine
Lovely enclosed outdoor seating

NAPA Kitchen and Wine is the kind of place where I feel underdressed in my usual jeans, but the chicken does not care. The dining room is garden-like, all soft greens and light, and the service is attentive without making me want to hide under the table. The risotto and scampi shine, but I ordered the fried chicken because I wanted to see if they would take it seriously. They did. It was crisp, well salted, and served without apology. The enclosed outdoor seating is lovely, and I ate my chicken out there while watching people pretend they were in Napa. It was pleasant. It was expensive. I would do it again for the chicken alone.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in Austin.

Saheb Indian Bistro

Highlights
Consistently warm Sunday service
Staff explains dishes with wit
Buffet keeps hot food coming
Sauces dominate over meat portions

Saheb Indian Bistro does a Sunday buffet, and I went for the fried chicken because I am a contrarian. The staff are consistently warm and explain dishes with a wit that surprised me. The buffet keeps hot food coming, which is good because the sauces dominate over the meat portions, and I say that with some affection. The chicken was tender, but it was swimming in a sauce that did more work than the bird did. I ate more than I should and left feeling like I had a conversation with the food rather than a meal. The service is the real highlight. The chicken is a guest star, and guest stars do not always get the best lines.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in Charlotte.

Jo-Jo's Pizza South

Highlights
Friendly family ownership
Consistently delicious pizza
Homemade cookies worth trying
Clean, welcoming atmosphere

Jo-Jo's Pizza South is a pizza place, and I ordered fried chicken there because I cannot help myself. The family ownership is evident in the way everyone says hello, and the pizza is consistently delicious, which I verified on a separate visit. The chicken was a surprise, a respectable piece of fried meat that held its own across the table from a pepperoni slice. The homemade cookies are worth trying, and I tried three. The place is clean and welcoming, and I left with a cookie crumb in my beard. I did not care. The chicken was fine, but the pizza and the cookies are the real story. I will be back for all of it.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in Charleston.

Fortune Bowl

Highlights
Fast, delicious General Tso
Friendly owner suggestions
Fresh food, clean space
Family owned, welcoming
Worth repeat visits

Fortune Bowl is a small family place that serves Chinese food, and I went for the General Tso because I was told it was fast and delicious. It was both. The owner came out to suggest an order, and when I asked about fried chicken, she laughed and said they could fry anything. The chicken was fresh, crisp, and not drowned in sauce, which is a rare thing. The space is clean, and the welcome is genuine. I ate quickly, paid the modest bill, and walked out feeling like I had made a friend. I will make a repeat visit because the food was good, but also because they did not laugh at me when I asked for chicken at a Chinese place. That is respect.

You might also want to check out the best fried chicken in Memphis.