allswell — BLOG — Donny Tsang

Last October I published my 5 best New York City fried chickens out of the 27 I have had so far list and I had mentioned that I also keep a fried chicken sandwich list. So after I published that list, I decided to switch things up and started researching on sandwiches. Please don't take this list or my opinions as final words. My favorites may not be your favorites and I like to encourage you to go out and find your own. I have listed the places, address, and prices for all the places I have been to plus another list of places I haven't been to.

Hopefully when you're done reading this, you will head out and eat some fried chicken sandwiches!

1. Allswell Okay, if you really REALLY need to know which sandwich is my favorite then here it is. Nate Smith of Allswell makes my favorite fried chicken sandwich ($13). It's a very simple sandwich. Housemade bun, chicken soaked in buttermilk and fried, escarole, and copious amount of mayo inside the sandwich. That's it! And also crazy good fries that aren't skinny, more mayo, and pickles on the side. The sandwich is amazing but so is the entire plate. Check out how the sandwich is made here. Allswell - 124 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn

Meat Hook Sandwich Shop I expected epic sandwiches from the Meat Hook people and they did not disappoint. The Hot Chicken ($13) is really really good and really really big. I love the different layers and temperature and texture. Hot, spicy, crispy, cool, juicy, salty...etc. Awesome sandwich. Meat Hook Sandwich Shop - 495 Lorimer St. Brooklyn

Joseph Leonard I actually took a day off from work so that I can eat this sandwich cause they only have it during lunch time and it was so worth it. Squishy bread, delicious crispy chicken but what won me over is the honey/tabasco/mayo mixture all slathered inside the sandwich. Though I wasn't too thrill with the chips. Give me fries! Joseph Leonard - 170 Waverly Place Manhattan

Pies 'n' Thighs Pies n Thighs I still remember the very first time I had the chicken biscuit ($7.50) from Pies 'n' Thighs. My friend and I shared one at the very first Madison Square Eats. I think we both regretted sharing because it was so damn freakin good. Flaky delicious biscuit and fried chicken but what really got us was the honey, hot sauce, and butter sauce all dripping from the sandwich and from our hands. *They also serve a fried chicken sandwich ($12) that I still haven't had. Pies 'n' Thighs - 166 S. 4th St. Brooklyn and 43 Canal Manhattan (Opening soon)

Wilma Jean Keeping things simple is always the best. Potato roll, chicken, and lettuce, simple ($7). Nothing gets in the way and you can really taste the chicken. Also, did I mention potato roll?! Wilma Jean - 345 Smith St. Brooklyn

Be sure to leave comments about your favorite fried chicken sandwich or if I had left anything out.

----All the other good ones----Cheeky Sandwiches

Buttermilk biscuit, fried chicken, slaw, and gravy all in one sandwich ($6.50). What's not to love about it? Cheeky Sandwiches - 35 Orchard St. Manhattan

The Commodore I love love love The Commodore. I love their drinks and their fried chicken, so I totally jumped on the chance to try out their brunch when I was in the area. Their chicken biscuit ($9) is a little more expensive than other chicken biscuits but it's a solid....delicious sandwich. Bonus points for making awesome hash brown and nachos. *They also have a hot chicken sandwich that I hear is good. The Commodore - 366 Metropolitan Ave. Brooklyn

Genuine Roadside I heard many great things about this sandwich ($11) but I guess I was expecting more. It's a solid, delicious sandwich but $11 for just the sandwich is a bit pricey. I do give them points for using potato roll. Genuine Roadside - 600 11th Ave. Manhattan (Inside Gotham West Market)

Empire Diner Oh...what a trek from 8th Ave. It's a pretty darn tasty sandwich ($15) and I love that they use thigh meat. The meat needed more seasoning but great fries and great space. Empire Diner - 210 10th Ave. Manhattan

----Sorry, these didn't do much for me----Sweet Chick

I'm not sure if I went on an off day but this sandwich ($12) wasn't that great. There was just too much slaw and the crispy layer of the chicken began to soak up all that slaw juice. Eventually the crispy layer just slid off the meat. I love their chicken and waffles but not so much the sandwich. Also I'm not a fan of skinny fries. Sweet Chick - 164 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn and 178 Ludlow St. Manhattan

The Double Windsor I was so confused by this sandwich ($14). It sounded awesome on the blackboard but once I bit into it, it just didn't work for me. The spicy guac and fried chicken combo was kind of weird. Also the chicken needed seasoning. Though they do make great fries. The Double Windsor - 210 Prospect Park West Brooklyn

Hudson Common Midtown prices! $14 for just the sandwich. This sandwich was actually pretty decent for a hotel beer hall kitchen in Midtown Manhattan. The bread was crusty and the chicken was crispy. It just needed some seasoning. I do recommend getting the fries ($4). It was enough for sharing with people and they were great fries. Hudson Common - 356 West 58th St. Manhattan (Inside the Hudson Hotel)

Can you tell I love fries also?

----Don't even bother----Schnippers Schnipper's

I was excited when I found out that Schnippers serve a fried chicken sandwich. I like their burgers so I thought their chicken sandwich would probably have the same level of goodness. HECK NO! Oh boy, this sandwich was terrible. A thin piece of fried chicken inside an okay bun with loads and loads of pickles. Skip! Stick with the burgers. Schnippers - Multiple locations in Manhattan

And below you'll find restaurants, separated by boroughs, that serve fried chicken sandwiches that I still need to try. Manhattan Birds & Bubbles Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter Bua The Butterfly Charles' Country Pan Fried Chicken Clinton Street Baking Co. The Daily (Can't find a menu but a friend said he saw it once when he was there for a drink) Dudley's Egg Shop Empire Biscuit Georgia Eastside BBQ The Gin Mill Harlem Shake Hill Country Chicken Jacob's Pickles Jake's Dilemma Keg No. 229 Kin Shop Live Bait The Malt House Melt Shop Mother's Ruin Shopsin's Spitzer's Corner The Writing Room

Brooklyn Cafe Colette Keg & Lantern Brewing Company Krupa Grocery Lodge Montana's Trail House Peaches HotHouse Putnam's Pub & Cooker Red Star Spike Hill

Queens Queens Comfort Sweet Afton Unidentified Flying Chickens

Staten Island Randall Manor Tavern

Bronx Howl at the Moon

Yep, that's a big list of places serving fried chicken sandwiches that I need to work through. Check out my Foursquare fried chicken sandwich list, with all the places plus a handy map.

This past weekend I was photographing the first ever Taste Talks, brought to you by Northside Media Group and curated by April Bloomfield. Saturday started off with all-you-can-eat fried chicken, pancakes, grits, eggs, syrup at Brooklyn Bowl, along with pulled pork by Patrick Hallahan, drummer for My Morning Jacket. Spoilers, the pulled pork was quite amazing. The rest of the day included talks/panels with people like Paulie of Paulie Gee's, the Robicelli's, Dale Talde, Sarah Simmons, Questlove, Ben Conniff of Luke's Lobster and many more.

Sunday was the All-Star Cookout that paired up different chefs with one another to create a single dish. You know I'm into the sort of behind-the-scenes stuff, so I decided to get there an hour early to catch the chefs doing prep work. Also it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces (Nate Smith of Allswell, Tom Mylan of The Meat Hook) and got a chance to meet April Bloomfield herself, John Seymour of Sweet Chick, Noah Bernamoff of Mile End, Alexander LaPratt of Atrium DUMBO, Zahra Tangorra of Brucie, and Jon Feldman of Stumptown Coffee.