Austin Fried Chicken

Note: They only sell Tony’s Southern Comfort Fried Chicken on
Monday-Tuesday, 5:00 - 10:30

Rating:

3 out of 5

Address:
4521 West Gate Blvd. | Large map
Austin, TX 78745

Phone: 512- 899-2700

Hours:
Sunday-Thursday, 11:00am-10:30pm
Friday-Saturday, 11:00am-Midnight

Price range: $15
Location: South Austin, Ben White and 360
Type of restaurant: Casual dining
Payment accepted: Cash, credit cards
Good for: Dates, late-night dinners
Meals served: Lunch and dinner

Sans the bland strip-shopping center location in the middle of Ben White/ 360/ Lamar/ Mopac hell, Hyde Park Bar and Grill’s south location does everything–well, almost everything–right.

The service was good; our waiter even engaged in mine and Tyler’s squabble over the proper way to devour fried chicken. When I asked for gravy, he promptly brought a fat 3-oz container of it.

The atmosphere was appealing and clean: Paintings hung all around, and they actually weren’t shitty. They were good. How often are restaurant art exhibitions actually good?

And, most importantly, the chicken was steaming hot and clearly cooked to order. The batter was thick and salty. The meat was plentiful and bulky. The recipe is Tony Herring’s of the late Tony’s Southern Comfort Restaurant–the former go-to fried chicken joint in Austin. I got a breast and a wing, and Tyler got a breast and a leg. We gorged. It was scrumptious.

The downside: The fried chicken is $9.99.

You have to order it as an entrée with two sides, too; we both went with green chile cheese mashed potatoes and Hyde Park fries (voted best fries in Austin by the Chronicle). All too much? Yes. Still worth it, especially after a margarita or two? Yes. But only as a one-time or occasional outing. $9.99 and 4,000 calories a day isn’t compatible with surviving.

Hyde Park Bar and Grill is good for dates or birthdays, but I wouldn’t go there for a quick fix: For a couple pieces of steamy, cooked-to-order chicken for a few bucks, go to Bill Miller’s instead.