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Fried chicken sandwich at Boxcar Betty’s.
Boxcar Betty’s

9 Essential Spots for Fried Chicken in Charleston

Crispy, crunchy, and juicy

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Fried chicken sandwich at Boxcar Betty’s.
| Boxcar Betty’s

In need of a fat, juicy, hunk of Southern bird? Not sure where to go for your chicken fix? Let this map be the ultimate guide. While many will argue that their grandmother makes it best or that grocery store chain Publix is the only way to go, these are the restaurants you can sit in and dine. A few of these restaurants only offer fried chicken on certain dates, and sometimes only with reservations, so be sure to double-check times before getting hopes up for a certain bird from a particular address.

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Bertha's Restaurant

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Bertha's Restaurant is where folks go to taste fried chicken steeped in family history. If there’s a line, don’t let it intimidate you — the staff works fast at Bertha’s Order the fried chicken with a square of mac and cheese and cabbage or collards. If you’re in a particular hurry, orders can be made to go.

Turquoise and purple building.
Bertha’s
Bill Addison

Ms. Rose's Fine Food & Cocktails

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West Ashley restaurant Ms. Rose’s Fine Food & Cocktails offers its “famous” fried chicken with a honey Tabasco sauce that keeps folks coming back. The decadent mac and cheese doesn’t hurt either.

Ms. Rose’s

Edmund's Oast

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NoMo eatery Edmund’s Oast offers crispy fried chicken in four flavors: regular, Korean, New Orleans barbecue, or spicy. Order a two-, four-, or eight-piece to go with collards and pasta salad.

Edmund’s Oast/Facebook

Leon's Oyster Shop

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The crack of the cayenne-colored chicken skin at Leon’s Oyster Shop will keep anyone coming back for more. The Siam salad and broiled oysters are popular starters.

Dave's Carry Out

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Most folks know about the fried shrimp, fish, and pork chop at Dave's Carry Out, but those who look under the sandwich section of the menu will notice the chicken wings. These giant, fried wings come in orders of four, but that's all you'll probably need. The skins stay crunchy, and the wings stay hot, as they are freshly fried as you wait in the dining room where everyone seemingly knows everyone who walks in the door.

Erin Perkins

Boxcar Betty's

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The fried chicken sandwich at Boxcar Betty’s is popular that the restaurant quickly expanded to three locations in the Lowcountry and set up shop in Chicago and Charlotte. The restaurant pairs a crispy, crunchy chicken breast with pimento cheese, peach slaw, and spicy mayo.

Fried chicken sandwich at Boxcar Betty’s.
Boxcar Betty’s

Early Bird Diner

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The chicken and waffles at Early Bird Diner are continually rated top in the city. The giant chicken breast is crisp enough to stand up to the syrup and honey mustard drizzle on top.

Fans of the fried chicken at Husk can now order the dish for curbside pickup or delivery. Founding chef Sean Brock says the recipe is "a hybrid of 5 or 6 different types of chicken: gas station, honky tonk, Colonel Sanders, Husk five fat, hot chicken, and buffalo wings."

Bill Addison

Kinfolk

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Like it spicy? Order some Nashville-style hot chicken from Johns Island restaurant Kinfolk. The flavor is addictive for those who like fire, but the menu also offers a non-spiced version.

Chicken at Kinfolk
Kinfolk Chs/Facebook

Bertha's Restaurant

Bertha's Restaurant is where folks go to taste fried chicken steeped in family history. If there’s a line, don’t let it intimidate you — the staff works fast at Bertha’s Order the fried chicken with a square of mac and cheese and cabbage or collards. If you’re in a particular hurry, orders can be made to go.

Turquoise and purple building.
Bertha’s
Bill Addison

Ms. Rose's Fine Food & Cocktails

West Ashley restaurant Ms. Rose’s Fine Food & Cocktails offers its “famous” fried chicken with a honey Tabasco sauce that keeps folks coming back. The decadent mac and cheese doesn’t hurt either.

Ms. Rose’s

Edmund's Oast

NoMo eatery Edmund’s Oast offers crispy fried chicken in four flavors: regular, Korean, New Orleans barbecue, or spicy. Order a two-, four-, or eight-piece to go with collards and pasta salad.

Edmund’s Oast/Facebook

Leon's Oyster Shop

The crack of the cayenne-colored chicken skin at Leon’s Oyster Shop will keep anyone coming back for more. The Siam salad and broiled oysters are popular starters.

Dave's Carry Out

Most folks know about the fried shrimp, fish, and pork chop at Dave's Carry Out, but those who look under the sandwich section of the menu will notice the chicken wings. These giant, fried wings come in orders of four, but that's all you'll probably need. The skins stay crunchy, and the wings stay hot, as they are freshly fried as you wait in the dining room where everyone seemingly knows everyone who walks in the door.

Erin Perkins

Boxcar Betty's

The fried chicken sandwich at Boxcar Betty’s is popular that the restaurant quickly expanded to three locations in the Lowcountry and set up shop in Chicago and Charlotte. The restaurant pairs a crispy, crunchy chicken breast with pimento cheese, peach slaw, and spicy mayo.

Fried chicken sandwich at Boxcar Betty’s.
Boxcar Betty’s

Early Bird Diner

The chicken and waffles at Early Bird Diner are continually rated top in the city. The giant chicken breast is crisp enough to stand up to the syrup and honey mustard drizzle on top.

Husk

Fans of the fried chicken at Husk can now order the dish for curbside pickup or delivery. Founding chef Sean Brock says the recipe is "a hybrid of 5 or 6 different types of chicken: gas station, honky tonk, Colonel Sanders, Husk five fat, hot chicken, and buffalo wings."

Bill Addison

Kinfolk

Like it spicy? Order some Nashville-style hot chicken from Johns Island restaurant Kinfolk. The flavor is addictive for those who like fire, but the menu also offers a non-spiced version.

Chicken at Kinfolk
Kinfolk Chs/Facebook

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