Fried Chicken Feasts

Sunday specials: Feast on fabulous fried chicken at these Houston restaurants

Summer is fried chicken season and supporters are celebrating as Thursday is National Fried Chicken Day. But, actually, every Sunday is a special day for lovers of the iconic dish. At the moment, there are some incredible Sunday fried chicken offerings across Houston, and we're doing our best to spend our weekends eating our way through all of them. Here are six just to start with:

Killen’s Barbecue
Celebs like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Texans star J.J Watt have stopped in at Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland for its tasty ‘cue. On Sundays, the casual joint also turns out epic fried chicken. A whopping half bird is bathed in brine for 24 hours and then spends another 24 marinating in buttermilk and seasoning for an insane flavor explosion. It hits the plate with mashed potatoes and green beans. (11 am-8 pm; $12)
3613 E Broadway St., Pearland; 281-485-2272

Kitchen 713
Laid-back Southern eatery Kitchen 713 on Washington Ave. features killer fried-to-order chicken. On the weekends, score eight pieces of buttermilk-battered fowl served with a duo of traditional down-home favorites like collard greens and mac and cheese. You also get two biscuits, good alone or smothered in gravy. (11 am-4 pm; $32)
4601 Washington Ave #130; 713-842-7114

Eloise Nichols Grill and Liquors
Score a half or whole fried chicken during Sunday supper at Eloise Nichols near River Oaks. The dish is presented with two side items, from mashed potatoes to braised greens, as well as housemade pickles and buttermilk biscuits, making this deal a slam dunk. (5 pm-9 pm; $18 for a half chicken and $32 for a whole chicken)
2400 Mid Ln.; 713-554-0136

Bosta Kitchen
You'll find serious, twice-fried buttermilk chicken at Bosta near the Museum District. The Sunday special here comes with either five or 10 flavorful pieces of juicy bird, along with sides like Brussels sprouts with bacon, mushroom mac and cheese, and elote, plus buttery biscuits. (5-10 pm; Five pieces, $21.99; 10 pieces, $39.99)
1801 Binz St #130; 713-533-9560

The Hay Merchant
At The Hay Merchant in Montrose, two succulent pieces of chicken are brined in buttermilk and then twice-fried. The Sunday night feast also boasts a freshly-baked roll and two accompanying sides, from mashed potatoes to macaroni salad. (5 pm until the kitchen runs out; $15)
1100 Westheimer Rd.; 713-528-9805

State of Grace
River Oaks neighborhood spot State of Grace slings crunchy, juicy birds worth adding to your list of comfort-food standbys. Three pieces are paired with biscuits, shaved country ham, a vegetable salad, dessert, and three sides (think squash and spring onion casserole and broccoli salad). (5 pm-9 pm; $29 per person)
3258 Westheimer Rd.; 832-942-5080

At The Hay Merchant, two succulent pieces of chicken are brined in buttermilk, and then twice-fried.

Houston, fried chicken, July 2017, Hay Merchant

Photo by Greg Peters

At The Hay Merchant, two succulent pieces of chicken are brined in buttermilk, and then twice-fried.

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phoenix rising

Soccer-obsessed Houston sports bar flies into new home in Montrose

The Phoenix on Westheimer/Facebook

The Phoenix will move from Westheimer to Richmond

An enduring Montrose sports bar is making a big move this fall. The Phoenix on Westheimer will move from its current location to a new home at 1643 Richmond Avenue.

Originally opened 20 years ago as the Firkin and Phoenix, the bar offers a comfortable environment for watching sports, which has made it particularly popular with local soccer fans. Alongside an expansive selection of beers, the kitchen serves a wide array of fare that includes traditional pub grub such as burgers, wings, and nachos, as well as salads, tacos, and more.

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Owner Vu Truong tells CultureMap that he was unable to agree to terms on a lease renewal for The Phoenix’s current home at 1915 Westheimer. Inspired in part by the recent closure of Montrose staple Paulie’s, he realized that stability would only come from purchasing a property rather than leasing.

“That building, driving by, it made sense for what we thought the next spot for the Phoenix would be,” Truong says. “It’s kind of a similar path to when I opened the Firkin and Phoenix 20 years ago. I knew it was a cursed location, but we knew the Phoenix would rise above it all, and it did.”

Although the new location will be a little smaller inside than the current spot, it will have a larger patio.

“We’re hoping to stick with basically the same menu once we start going,” Truong says. “Hopefully, we’ll have more space that’s more efficient to push out more food and do some to-go business. We’ll try to keep our prices as reasonable as we can.”

If everything goes according to plan, the bar portion of the new location will be open before the World Cup kicks off in June. In that scenario, both locations would operate simultaneously until the end of August, when the original location’s lease will expire.

The new location’s kitchen and brewery components will follow after the bar opens. “I don’t have deep pockets or rich friends, so we’ll have to phase it this way,” Truong says.

“We’re taking a baby steps approach. If we can have two places during World Cup and not have a lapse in service, I’m hoping we can keep most of our clientele, especially by staying in Montrose.”

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