Cheap Food Critic

14330 Lake City Way NE
Seattle, WA 98125

Mon-Sun 10:00 am – 9:00 pm

All this media attention about how Ezell’s Famous Fried Chicken was named the America most life-changing fried chicken by Esquire magazine and the restaurant’s separation from Mr. Ezell Williams himself. I think it’s only fitting I compare the original Ezell’s and the new Heaven Sent fried chicken (started by Mr. Williams).

First impressions of the place. From the menu, the tables, and the colors it looks almost exactly the same as Ezell’s. The quality and taste of the food on the other hand was a little different.

I really love the rolls that comes with the dinner meal. They were sweet like Hawaiian rolls. BBQ Beans were pretty good but not spectacular. Mash potatoes and gravy I really did not like. The gravy had good flavor but the mash had this weird watery consistency. Like it comes from instant mix or something.

As for the chicken I got the 2 piece white with spicy batter. The crust/skin was nice and crunchy but the meat for one of the pieces was a little dry while the other one was nice and juicy. Maybe it was a fluke but there should be better quality control on their food. Overall I thought it was a big “OK.” I guess I would come back if I was really craving some fried chicken and was in the area and but I don’t think I would seek this place out. The damage was $8.30 after tax.

Yelp – 3.5/5.0 (11 Ratings) Under new name.  Yelp – 4.0/5.0 (90 Ratings) Under old name
(Urbanspoon has not updated the name yet)

 
Mon-Thu 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Fri-Sat 10:00 am – 11:00 pm
Sun 11:00 am – 10:00 pm

I’m really not trying to sway anyone’s decision on which is better (Ezell’s or Heaven Sent). I personally was curious as to what the difference was between the two. These are my observations from my trip to Ezell’s but I would recommend everyone try both places out and decide for themselves.

Although a little out of the way for me I trekked down to Ezell’s newest location down in Kent. For those of you that don’t know, the OG location is in the Central District (across the street from Garfield High School). I ordered the 2 piece white with BBQ baked beans and mash and gravy (same thing I ordered at Heaven Sent).

Lets start with the sides. The Mash and gravy is the biggest difference between the two restaurants. Ezell’s is serving up homemade mash and gravy. You can really tell it is homemade and fresh. My only complaint is that there was not enough of that delicious gravy. This is in contrast to Heaven Sent’s watery mash that seemed like it came from powder mix. The BBQ baked beans and the rolls seem to be pretty similar (both places have the same sweet rolls).

As for the fried chicken at Ezell’s, both pieces were extremely juicy even though I got the white meat. This is in contrast to the one juicy and one dry pieces of chicken I got at Heaven Sent. I could not really taste a difference between the spicy/Cajun skin…it was very similarly. The whole meal cost me just under $8 and it came with two piece fried chicken (white meat), two sides and, a dinner roll.

The store itself looks very similar to Heaven Sent as well. The difference being the Ezell’s store seemed a lot brighter and cleaner.

Note – Won Esquire Magazine’s Most Life-Changing Fried Chicken in America

Seattle Location:
Yelp – 4.0/5.0 (367 Ratings)

123 Ewing Dr
Nashville, TN 37207

Tue-Thu 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Fri 12:00 pm – 4:00 am
Sat 2:00 pm – 4:00 am

I heard about Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack from Esquire magazine’s website for being in the running for the “Most Life-Changing Fried Chicken in America.” Ezell’s in Seattle ended up winning that honor but I wanted to see if the people at Esquire were right (it’s actually voted by the people not Esquire, so it’s more of a popularity contest).

As much as I enjoy Ezell’s fried chicken these guys have something very special going on here. But because of the location I can imagine people not wanting to come here. The single storefront location is located about ten minuets north of downtown Nashville in a pretty sketchy part of town. Buildings in the area are pretty decrepit (including the one that Prince’s is located in) and the people hanging around the area are characters to say least. I’ve been to worst places (like Newark, New Jersey) and was never scared for my life. You just have to mind your own business. I would however, recommend you get your food to go.

When you arrive in the restaurant you will probably see a crowd of people (normally half locals and half tourists) sitting and standing around waiting for their food. Make your way through them to the second counter where it opens up to the kitchen to place your order. Now remember your order number and find a place to stand/sit for the next 30-45 minutes. No joke. It’s going to be awhile. You maybe thinking is that worth it? Well, I would not be taking the time to write about it if it wasn’t.

So, what about the food? Well, in short…its amazing. I got the half chicken (hot) for $11. I’ve never had anything like this fried chicken before. It was saucy like chicken wings but still had crunch like normal fried chicken. I got my chicken “hot” and it was pretty hot even for me. So if you can’t handle heat get it mild or medium spiciness. Your order also comes with some Texas toast that helps to soak up some of the oil and sauce as well as a few slices of pickles (don’t know why these are included). The half chicken would have stuffed two people easily. I would also recommend you just get the quarter chicken for $5. That will fill you up plenty.

If you can deal with horrible service, long waits, and the shady neighborhood you will be treated to one of the best fried chickens you will ever have.

Note – If you want to spend less time in the store try calling ahead to place your order.

Yelp – 4.0/5.0 Stars (151 Reviews)