The Official Chicago Discussion Thread

[Tanahashi Coates]

Uncle Remus > Harold's

You need to be excommunicated from the south side for saying some blasphemous shyt like that.

Spoiler

You might be right though

 

[stave]

That interstate ranking list is inaccurate as hell

Dan Ryan might be damn near impossible to get ticketed on but for commuting? shyts absolutely horrible

355 > 294 > 88 > Dan Ryan > 57 >>>>>> Bishop Ford

 

[Tenchi Ryu]

Eisenhower is only a nightmare after 3pm and only up til 6:30

Otherwise that shyt is a dream, especially on saturday/sunday mornings....

If I'm not too to far south, like maybe around 31ish street and gotta go west I'll go completely out my way to the 290 just to avoid the 55

 

[Tenchi Ryu]

Side note, LSD is the real mvp of traveling, and the best part is that because its on the lake, the only people ever using it are chicago locals so no bs out of state traffic on weekends. Just a breeze to go north and south.

 

[The God Poster]

Since we talmbout harolds

I've been trying to get down their mild sauce recipe....but I'm still having trouble figuring out what brand of bbq sauce they using..

I thought it would be kraft since its one of the thinnest ones on the market, but even that is still too thick.

When you figure that out let me know. Shyt I57;BBQ sauce too while you at it.

 

[Tenchi Ryu]

When you figure that out let me know. Shyt I57;BBQ sauce too while you at it.

Because of working with Pace some of my clients in the evening are harolds employees getting off work and they just refuse to tell me the shyt

 

[beenz]

That interstate ranking list is inaccurate as hell

Dan Ryan might be damn near impossible to get ticketed on but for commuting? shyts absolutely horrible

355 > 294 > 88 > Dan Ryan > 57 >>>>>> Bishop Ford

I disagree. Dan Ryan is really easy to drive in the rush hour. Especially if ur going into the city in the evening and to the suburbs in the morning.

 

[beenz]

Eisenhower is only a nightmare after 3pm and only up til 6:30

Otherwise that shyt is a dream, especially on saturday/sunday mornings....

If I'm not too to far south, like maybe around 31ish street and gotta go west I'll go completely out my way to the 290 just to avoid the 55

The Eisenhower is a nightmare cuz of the Byrne interchange alone. Unless you're driving way off hours, getting from the south to West and vice versa is a nightmare. Also there's typically traffic all the time going west once u hit Austin.

 

[The G.O.D II]

Days like this makes me hate Chicago and want to leave. If I’m gonna get taxes to death might as well have decent weather and not deal with this bullshyt

 

[Shorty K]

Days like this makes me hate Chicago and want to leave. If I’m gonna get taxes to death might as well have decent weather and not deal with this bullshyt

Today would be the day my bus was late. Transit tracks talmbout the bus only 3 minutes away for 25 minutes

 

[GnauzBookOfRhymes]

Brehs I actually agree with most of those rankings. The fukkd up part is that a lot of the traffic we see is due to very specific choke points. shytty planning. For instance 290 going west traffic is almost 100% due to the Harlem exit.

 

[Offthegrid]

Fuk his list I'm a 290 baby shyt ain't start getting this bad tell around 2013 when Blackhawks started winning and gentrification took over plus the medical district mxc and United center are in a 2-3 block radius including uic of course it's goin to be traffic plus Illinois has the worst drivers on the planet but 290 use to be a breeze like riding down lsd these cacs are ruining the city mainly the westsise

 

[The G.O.D II]

290 is fine. Getting on southbound from the 90/94 sucks but it’s smooth sailing heading west. Little congestion near Oak park but it’s no where near the horror of the dan/90/94. That bytch stayed packed from 119th to ohare. 294 is torture and you have to pay tolls. Not to familiar with 88. I-55 is hit or miss

 

[Tanahashi Coates]

Larry Legend’s Alternate Harold’s Ranking

LARRY LEGEND’S HAROLD’S ETIQUETTE

1. The customer service is not always going to be as great as the food. In fact, the meaner the cashier, the better the food. This is Haroldʼs science.
2. I donʼt practice sexism, but I will say that Iʼm entirely skeptical of a Haroldʼs that has a male cashier.
3. A true Haroldʼs typically has a bulletproof window in front of the cashier and almost never has WiFi. Sometimes I think the bulletproof glass is to protect the patrons from the not-so-friendly cashiers rather than the other way around. Those elderly ladies ainʼt nothing to mess with. Period. And if your Haroldʼs has WiFi, it is fraud. If it has Apple Pay, block me back!
4. An important thing to remember: If you arenʼt a regular, donʼt bother calling in your order. They will not start preparing your food until you arrive.
5. Never have them put your order in a plastic bag. You donʼt want the chicken to sweat. It loses its attractiveness.
6. ALWAYS order the sauce on the chicken. Never on the side. The Haroldʼs experience is more about the combination of sauce and chicken than it is about the chicken itself.

LARRY LEGEND’S TOP 10 HAROLD’S CHICKEN SHACKS
10 2134 S. Michigan Ave.
This is the go-to Haroldʼs in the South Loop. The chicken is pretty good, but like Jeff Ruby alluded to in his ranking, the waiting room is smaller than a New York closet.

9 740 W. Garfield Blvd.
This particular location is known for its very affordable prices. They have me feeling like Iʼm back in the ’90s. Only thing missing is Bad Boyz Radio with Mike Love and the Diz in the background. The sauce is classic, and the chicken is fresh.

8 124 E. 35th St.
This Harold’s made the No. 1 spot on the Chicago magazine list. I simply disagree. It is a fairly decent establishment: The chicken is good, the sauce is classic, and the location is ideal for someone who doesnʼt want to go past 55th street for chicken. But sometimes it is worth going farther for gold. I can literally name seven better locations. As follows …

7 9151 S. Ashland Ave.
It would be ranked in the top five, but it is currently remodeling and under new management due to the loss of the previous owner, Laverne Burnett. It’s particularly great for late night food, and the sauce here is like no other. Hopefully when it reopens, it’ll still have the same taste and hours that made me fall in love in the first place.

6 100 W. 87th St.
As a young Chicagoan, I would get a ride to this Haroldʼs after a fun night of counting my jukes at the Rink. It’s known for its consistency and convenience, and most people would say that it’s the best Haroldʼs in the city. I beg to differ. The prices are fair and the sauce is good, but the chicken can be hit or miss depending on the time of day or night you visit. You could say that about all Haroldʼs, but Iʼm specifically saying it for this one because it really matters to me for my lunch breaks and drunken nights.

5 917 W. 87th St.
When Iʼm on 87th, I prefer this location over the one closer to the Dan Ryan. My main reasoning? The chicken is always fresh, the size of the wings stays consistent, the customer service is surprisingly good, and the sauce is distinct. Not to forget, this spot stays open a little later. Be aware, they do not accept credit cards.

4 7348 S. Stony Island Ave.
When Iʼm “over east” doing hood-rat stuff with my friends and I get a taste for Harold’s, I love to frequent this location. It never fails me. They usually have your call-in order ready when you arrive. Thatʼs almost unheard of for a Haroldʼs. They stay with fresh chicken and decent prices, and even though I canʼt put my finger on it, there’s something special about their sauce.

3 10259 S. Halsted St.
This location is my home, my childhood, my life. When I was a kid, I would get my chicken here, then go across the street and get a vanilla shake from Checkers. I look at this location as the Cheers to my Norm. Itʼs that deep. The chicken is good and the sauce is not like any other location, but the prices are very steep. Bring your big boy wallet if you want to indulge in the greatness of “the 100s,” as bread cost 22 cent extra and sauce cost 50 cent. Sometimes good things cost. Think of this as the gourmet Haroldʼs so that you wonʼt go crazy at the prices. Understand that the customer service here is nowhere near Southern friendly. Instead of expecting “Haroldʼs, how may I help you?” think more “What you want?” and youʼll be all good.

2 Uncle Remus, 5611 W. Madison St.
Thatʼs right, the second best Haroldʼs Chicken Shack is no Haroldʼs at all. Itʼs Haroldʼs archrival, Uncle Remus. It’s like the Clyde Drexler to Haroldʼs Michael Jordan. If you know the history, you know Haroldʼs was established in 1950. Uncle Remus was established in 1963 (technically, 1969). Due to the location, itʼs always a war between South Side and West Side on whose chicken shack is better. Personally, I think the chicken here is fried well, and the sauce is sweeter than the zestier sauce from Haroldʼs. (Side note: I really wanted to use another word than “zesty,” but I couldnʼt find one.)

1 2237 W. 95th St.
I know this may catch a lot of people by surprise, but I have a great reason why this is the best Haroldʼs Chicken Shack. First and foremost, they have the original recipe. This is a very important factor because most of these Haroldʼs have their own ways of doing things. Some have different fry cuts, sauces, seasonings, etc. However, this location is true to the way of Harold Pierce. The chicken is fresh and fried to order, the sauce is classic and friendly, the menu is more extensive than other Haroldʼs, with options like shrimp and macaroni bites, and the price is more than reasonable. Oh, and did I mention that the owners are related to Sir Harold himself? All in all, this is the best.

 

[beenz]

Brehs I actually agree with most of those rankings. The fukkd up part is that a lot of the traffic we see is due to very specific choke points. shytty planning. For instance 290 going west traffic is almost 100% due to the Harlem exit.

Actually it's the Austin exit that fukks 290 cuz it squeezes the expressway from 4 Lanes to 3.