Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles

Roscoe’s is one of those places you have to try at least once if/​when you’re in LA. After that, feel free to decide whether to return or not. This place has become such a Angeleno institution that it just has to be in your «to try» list. But at the same time, this has caused them to almost lose their sense of identity; that eerie feeling crept in as I saw the assembly-​line type of setup as I walked to my seat. The feeling that the plate being put on your table was mass-​produced is not the one you want to have in such a revered place as this one.
Finally got the chance the try this place out, even though I’ve been pretty much an LA guy all my life. For myself, I ordered their «combo» that came with a breast, mac and cheese, cornbread, and collard greens. And you wonder why I didn’t get waffles from a place that had waffles in their name. I blame their mac and cheese advert right at the entrance, darn that peer pressure.
This was the first time I had collard greens. As such, I was tempted to try that one out the first. Cold turkey. First bite was a combination of bitter and salty that was not exactly pleasant. Then I had some of the other stuff, and only then did I realize that it’s not supposed to be eaten by itself (or at least that’s how I felt). Combined with the richness of the other foods, the bitterness of the greens was just the right complement and made the whole meal balanced.
The cornbread fell apart too easily when I poked into it. Not the fluffy one that I was expecting. But the flavor was just how I like it, not too sweet.
I’ve got no complaints about the chicken. It was of good size, tender, juicy, but certainly not dripping of lard. Definitely not batter-​laden like those of other chains. I enjoyed every bite of it and wanted more. Perhaps it was *too* perfect.
Their mac and cheese didn’t exactly blow me out of the water, it was decent. Could use more cheese. A bit too bland in my opinion.
Roscoe’s is just one of those places you go to so that you can tell others that you’ve been there. Definitely overpriced considering the overall quality of the food. Strategize what to order before coming, or you’ll end up shelling out unnecessary $$$. Try to get most of your food from the combinations. Ordering side orders is where you’ll get stabbed. Can’t speak for the waffle part of their name (darn it), but you’ll get a good piece of chicken. Other than that, your best bet will be a hit or miss.
Note that it is always almost packed, no matter what time of the day you come, so plan a bit of waiting time, especially since it’s right smack in the middle of Hollywood.

I finally made it to the famous Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles! I wanted to know what the hype was all about. The chicken was good, fries to perfection and seasoned well. I also really enjoyed the candied yams. The Mac and cheese was ok and the waffle was thinner than I thought. I expected a thicker-​Belgium type waffle but it wasn’t bad. I came alone on a Monday night (Memorial Day) and was seated immediately (which surprised me. My sever was also very pleasant and helpful. It was a good experience and I would probably come back some other time I’m in Los Angeles.

I’m an LA native who never found her way here until now.
Fried chicken and waffles sounds good AND it was. It was good, but that was about it.
For me, The waffle was better than the chicken. It was soft and had a hint of cinnamon. Top that with butter and maple syrup. You’re golden.
The chicken was large. Good portions. Had a nice flavor to it.
Had to try the «famous» Mac n cheese. It was tasty, but wasn’t very cheesy. Semi-​cold when it arrived. Plus for $ 5+ bucks id expect a bigger portion.
Biscuit was hard. Gravy kind of bland. Semi-​cold as well.
So like I said, it was good. Fried chicken, waffles, Mac n cheese are all things that are known to be tasty; but it wasn’t anything to stand in line for. It’s a good thing the food comes out fast, that way you don’t have to wait so long to be seated inside.
A little too expensive for what it is, but I do appreciate the idea and comfort it brings. I’m not a hater haha I just can’t see myself making an effort to come again.
The staff was great. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly.

Omg i really enjoyed the waffle! I’ve had better fried chicken but together they wormed really well. We were seated super quickly and the service was absolutely amazing. We had a large party and no one ever felt neglected. Some of the people in my party had omelets and macaroni and cheese and seemed to enjoy it. All in all, I enjoyed it! And it’s the original location!

I have to say the merge of flavors between chicken and waffles made me a little skeptical at first. Is it even legal to have chicken for breakfast or have waffles for dinner? Well thanks to Roscoe’s phenomenal combination of these two gems makes me rethink everything when it comes to food.
First off, if you plan to have your meal at a certain time, I recommend going at least an hour early before when you actually want to eat. The line is usually long and from what my friends tell me it is consistently a long line. Second, parking is not the easiest with the location so another reason to get there early since this may add some more time to the trip. But after having this meal I have no more questions to why there’s so much traffic around this establishment.
These meals come in large portions of food so unless you’re a big eater you can probably split a meal with someone. My buddy and I got the ½ and 2 waffles, which include four pieces of chicken of your choice (we obviously got a thigh and a breast being the larger pieces).
Chicken was cooked to perfection, great seasoning and the hot sauce tops it off. Waffles were fluffy and warm. We also ordered their famous Mac and cheese and that was tasty as well.
I don’t usually say this but I would petition to bring one of these to the Bay Area. I may literally start a campaign if it would work. If someone can confirm that for me and let me know how many signatures I would need I will get it done haha. It’s that good.

*** LUNCH AT TIFFANY’S ***
Obama ate at their Long Beach location. Okay. I get it… They’re world-​famous. But, $ 5.15 for a ½ cup of Chef’s Potato Salad??? Come on! Is the potato the new diamond? Did the price of crude mayonnaise go up? Did the bits of boiled egg [in the potato salad] come from free-​range, highfalutin chickens? Is the potato salad scoop made out of gold? I don’t get it. I don’t get it. I don’t get it.
Two chicken breasts, two chicken wings, ½ cup potato salad, one piece of corn bread and beverage totaled to $ 25… Engraving is extra.

I really wanted to visit a roscoes, mostly because snoop dog loves the chain haha.
I had the chicken thigh and waffle, my boyfriend got the special of the day (2 chicken pieces, a biscuit, and rice and gravy)
The fried chicken is the bomb. Really. It was amazing. I wasn’t even hungry and I still annihilated it. My boyfriend can cook a mean fried chicken but I still think this tops his. It’s extremely crunchy on the outside and dreamy smooth on the interior. It was perfect.
However, I didn’t really think the waffle part of the meal matched up to the chicken. It’s not a sweet waffle (like ihop) I think they toned the sweetness down to compliment the chicken. The waffle texture was bland to me. Not fluffy, not crunchy, not soft. Just normal. It did have a little kick of some spice I couldn’t identify (nutmeg? Cinnamon?) the star of the dish was definitely the chicken.
I tried the rice and gravy, and I thought it was a bit odd. I was going to order the Mac and cheese but the table next to ours ordered it and it didn’t look to appetizing, so I decided against it.
Overall, the chicken is great! It’s definitely a try if you’re ever curious!

Disappointing to say the least. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the famous Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles but my experience last night was very mediocre to put in nicer terms.
I ordered the Obama special for $ 10.60, which came with 3 wings and choice of waffle, potato salad, or french fries. I chose waffle, since I’ve been dying to try «chicken n waffles». The chicken wings tasted way too average — reminded me of a mediocre KFC… not even that juicy! And the skin was fried too long, so it was tough. The waffle was forgettable as well, I would’ve believed it if someone told me they served microwavable waffles. Also ordered a side of Mac n Cheese for $ 5.70 which turned out to be ehhh. The Mac n Cheese was overcooked and the cheese was really whatever.
I don’t think I’ll be coming back :(
Also… I believe Roscoe’s is closing down soon. So there’s that…

Eggs scrambled with onion is the business and a must get every time. Sharing a half order of chicken with one other along with a stack of waffles, side of mac and cheese, french fries and extra syrup is my dietary requirements here. Oh and with a coke. The prices are good and so is the food. The buttermilk on the chicken creates the perfect fried consistency! This place is a landmark and iconic restaurant for a reason. Nothing tastes better after some drinking and a night of dancing or just being out. Love this place! But be prepared to wait on weekends– but it will be worth it!

I love chicken and waffles. While in Hollywood for a night we had planned on having a light breakfast but when roscoes popped up on Unilocal I knew we had to come here.
We are from the east coast and woke up super early so we were able to get here right as they opened. We were not the only ones though and the restaurant was getting busier as we sat.
The coffee here is so good. Super strong! I had the carol c special which is a breast and a waffle. My husband had the Obama 3 wings and a waffle. Both were so good. We also shared a biscuit and gravy. I would highly recommend getting some gravy– dipping pieces of chicken in it was so so delicious. Service was quick and food came out incredibly fast.
Highly recommend!

Dang good chicken. 3+
I was really impressed with the chicken here. Very crispy and a lot of flavor. I see why it’s so famous. The waffles are warm and fresh and pair well with the chicken too. I’m not sure how adventurous I would be but I may try some other things on the menu next time.
The atmosphere was a bit dank though. Bad lighting, dusty fans, felt like a community center cafeteria. And I don’t even want to know why a restaurant has a bouncer. I don’t even think there’s a bar so a bouncer seemed a bit sketchy.
Good overall and I definitely recommend trying it.

Roscoes. I was finally able to try you after so long. Staying at the W hotel on the weekend, we saw that roscoes was nearby and wanted to finally try it .
We were a party of 4 and the wait was about 20 minutes which is reasonable for a popular location like this. Once we got in, we were immediately greeted, drinks ordered, food ordered, and within 5 – 6 minutes everything was on the table .
I ended up ordering the breast and waffle meal and I must say that is definitely the route to go. The chicken breast itself was tender and juicy. It was extremely delicious and definitely hit my chicken spot. The waffle on the other had was also amazing .
The waffle was a pretty good size and had a good amount of butter with a side of syrup. I wanted another one but I knew I wasn’t going to finish it. The waffle is really that good .
The best part about it was the price. A large chicken breast, large waffle, cornbread, & soda for $ 15 with tip. This place is a must try if you haven’t already. It really is a great bang for the buck. Thank me later

Came to cali and had Roscoes and fell into a food induced coma. Dense is one word that comes to mind. Mixed crowd which was cool; from locals, European tourists in tight pants, to wanna be gang bangers and a few hipsters… All here for the experience. Service was good– cool ambiance. I could say I’ve tried Roscoe’s and won’t be having it again. It was just too heavy.

The 2016 Unilocal 500, Review #055:
I know I am breaking my own rule of refraining from giving out 5-​star rating after only one visit… but seriously… I don’t even eat fried chicken. I am not opposed to it but, I simply try to do things healthier.
Thoughts as the plate hit the table:
I hate slimy skin… it had none.
I hate dripping grease… it had none… Hmm… I’m in! And the table had plenty of bottles of hot sauce! :-)
WHY AM I HERE?:
I came here due to a reference in the 1996 Vince Vaughn & Jon Favreau movie «Swingers». I am not kidding you… and paying attention to his script has granted me a most grand and flavorful experience.
DATE:
Easter Sunday
March 27, 2016
TIME:
2200 hours.
LOCATION:
1514 North Gower Street
LATE NIGHT HOURS:
Sunday thru Thursday until midnight.
Friday and Saturday until 4am.
MY QUOTE:
Chicken so good that it made a dead «The Colonel» realized that he needs to bump his game up several notches, maybe until he hits the culinary rank of a Five-​Star General Then, maybe — just maybe, he can start thinking about touching Roscoe’s.
THE LOW DOWN:
What I ate was fully satisfying, completely flavorful and purely magical. The chicken was crispy and so tasty that I am salivating just typing this. I am talking chicken with no sign of slimy skin. The fries need work. They were white and soggy instead of golden with a hint of a crispy, almost entertaining, crunch. I wanted more than the one piece of chicken, that is no lie. Somehow I controlled my urge. I have no idea what I was thinking leaving without any for the next day’s lunch. Everyone has their knucklehead moments. This was one of mine.
Please note that this is a review from a guy who had his last sit-​down meal of fried chicken in 1988!
SPECIAL THANKS:
To Jon Favreau for writing in the character, Sue, into his movie «Swingers».
EXPLANATION:
1996 movie: «Swingers»
Starring:
Vince Vaughn as Trent
Jon Favreau as Mikey
Ron Livingston as Rob
Patrick Van Horn as Sue
Alex Désert as Charles
Scene:
When Mikey shows up at Sue’s prepped for a night on the town with his boys and he sees the guys that they all ran into behind the Dresden, earlier in the movie. That scene ended pretty much when Sue drew a gun on the guys, scaring them off. Well, here they all were sitting around playing an NHL hockey video game with Trent.
When Mikey sees them inside Sue’s apt., this goes down:
Mikey: «What are they doing here?»
Sue: «Oh, no, no, it’s totally cool, man. We saw ‘em that night at Roscoe’s. Trent cleared it up. I apologized, bought ‘em some chicken and waffles. It’s totally fine.»
And so I tracked down Roscoe’s and a memory was created as I saluted (and silently thanked) Favreau and Van Horn.
MY BUCKET LIST:
To buy any or all of the above guys a meal here… Heck, toss in Snoop Dogg as well (simply because I loved that he and Larry King ate here together). Checking that off would be bragging rights for life. How many can say that they had a meal with any of those guys! And if you are one of them and you are reading this message me… If I am not out on a missile tracker doing my job for Uncle Sam, let’s do some chicken.
Keep reading my reviews… «Swingers» is mentioned often when this Florida boy visits Los Angeles.
Now on to the next «Swingers» related eatery!
EDIT: This is the morning after I wrote the above review and I just got a text with link to a story about Snoop Dogg buying Roscoe’s because he heard that Roscoe’s parent company filed for bankruptcy.
WHAT A GUY!
THANKS SNOOP!
(Not sure if I can buy him dinner here now, lol. It might sounds odd, huh?)
Anyway, hopefully he’ll keep the name and the same menu. It is awesome. Oh great! NOW I am craving chicken again but, not from the old white, bearded guy in the white suit — we don’t need to bring military ranks into this at all, this is about good chicken not war strategies — I am thinking Roscoe’s.

The Quick: Good old chicken and waffles. Nothing fancy or classy about it, just delicious soul food with a crazy cult following. There will likely be a long line, but it moves quickly.
The Details: Portions here are huge. I recommend splitting the small Mac and cheese to start– delicious but very heavy. I ordered one waffle with the chicken breast, with a side of biscuits and gravy to split. It was a ton of food and everything was tasty and smothered in butter. definitely not the spot to be on a diet. Expect a food coma to follow.
The Damage: ~ $ 15 per person before tip. Great value.

One of the main places a person thinks of when they hear about chicken and waffles.
Came to location on Gower. This place is always packed and there will be a decent wait no matter the time of day you come. For myself and one other person, we waited 45 minutes on a Sunday afternoon — I guess that’s not that bad?
This location is most likely very different from their WeHo location — I will let you assume why.
Once we got inside — you could tell that the food was mass produced and turn around time was fast to try and get as many people in and out. I ordered the #13 which was a single waffle and one large breast and got a side of their macaroni and cheese. Hands down, the chicken was the best part of the meal. Juicy, tender and large. Yay for hormone injected chickens and their voluptuous breasts! The mac and cheese could’ve used some more cheesiness. And the waffle was just meh.
I noticed there is a lot of Obama tributes inside he restaurant and even on the menu. Wonder if this is the must go to spot when he is in town?
Our food came out about ten minutes after ordering and quite frankly, I wasn’t that impressed and almost immediately regret not ignoring the hype.
But hey, you have to try chicken and waffles at least once in your life… Why not do it at Roscoes?!
I won’t be back.

A very good friend of mine, Robert F. from Santa Clarita, invited me to go out and come to Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. It has been on my to-​do list for at least 7 years. Thanks to Robert, I can cross this one off my bucket list!
After careful consideration, I ordered their #2 meal for $ 12.60. The meal includes ¼ of chicken (Meat type, I requested 1 breast and 1 thigh) smothered in their homemade gravy, 2 waffles and their own version of maple syrup dressing. I asked for 2 chicken breasts, but was told that a second breast would cost me an additional $ 4! That’s not a reasonable price, but I will not ding star for something as small as that.
The chicken was not over cooked, which often happens and the meat comes out dry. The batter was fried and slightly crunchy. The meat was hot, tender and juicy when I received my plate. The gravy was generously poured and completely covered the chicken and was not salty, which was what I was expecting. Rather it went rather well with the chicken.
The waffles were large and soft with a distinct vanilla flavor. The maple syrup was either intentionally made to be less sweet or it could be partially diluted with water, which may explain it’s consistency. Either way, the combination worked and I was happy with the waffle and maple syrup combination.
Their menu is extensive and has a lot of options to choose from. Salads, burgers, sandwiches, omelets and so much more.
My understanding is the restaurant recently expanded by purchasing additional space the building and extending the foot print of the restaurant to accommodate additional customers. Even with the expansion, the place is packed. Probably for a good reason… the same reason that I gave them 5 stars!
Parking can be a nightmare, so be prepared. Particularly around the weekend and dinner/​late dinner time.

I came here tonight to see what all the fuss was about! I’m not a big meat eater but I was really excited to try the mac & cheese.
We were seated at our table very fast and our server took our drink order right away.
I ordered the Mac & cheese and a biscuit. All inexpensive. My friends ordered actual entrees which were actually pretty pricey. Surprising for a diner type restaurant.
All the food was extremely delicious. The Mac & cheese was outstanding. My friend got the mashed potatoes and gravy which could have been my favorite of the bunch!
Overall the service and food were both incredible. The reason for four stars is because of the high prices and he atmosphere. It felt very closed in.

In attempt not to recycle what has already been said about Roscoe’s, I’ll just list some thoughts–
If you haven’t gone yet, go.
If you have already gone, use Unilocal and find a local soul food restaurant to support. $ 6 for a side of mac n cheese is absurd and you should only do it once.
You can get fried chicken like this at any good chicken place, so make sure to order some waffles, they are unique and just amazing.
The greens are a mix of mustard and collard, that is important to know ;)
The locations in Pasadena and LA are the best, with Long Beach and OC in the rear.
Be strategic when you order, or you will be spending $ 20 + plus per person.
If you are still clubbing on Sunset, this is a great place to go if you need to eat before making that jump to OC or where-​ever.
It was nice to go to this location @ Sunset and Gower… so many memories!!!
¹⁸⁄₂₀₁₆

Roscoe’s is like an old friend you haven’t seen in months but once you’re reunited it’s like you’ve just seen them yesterday.
FOOD: Nothing beats the fluffiness of the waffle to the crisp and juiciness of their chicken all sealed in with the sweetness of their syrup and the butter melting on top of that perfect bite! They harmonize savory & sweet very effortless which is why Roscoe’s has always been one of those spots you can’t help but revisit! And yet. There are still tons of combos and extras I still have yet to try but that’s because why go for anything else than what’s in their title?
SERVICE: Faaaast. When you crave Roscoe’s. Do your best to crave for it on days or hours when it isn’t busy so your cravings will be satisfied that much sooner!
Parking can be a little testing but like any other type of street parking, be patient or hope that luck is on your side that day!
Heads up:
— Place is very dim so pictures really don’t do the food justice.
— Weekends can be pretty busy where I’ve had to pass up on the place, so just be aware of their peak hours & such!
— You cannot park in that plaza next door!

Es la primera vez que venimos a Roscoe’s.
Simple y sencillente BUENISIMO.
Super recomendable: D

We went eatinh there for breakfast on a sunday. As expected it was full of people waiting outside. But we were lucky that we were only a group of two and skipped the line and were seated in less than 10 sec. It was the first time eating chicken and waffles together. It was good but not excellent. The atmosphere was cool but just too crowded! The service was polite but slow.