Hybird

To see that Hybrid has closed is anything but shocking.
As soon as I popped open the box with my one drumstick inside, any hopes I had for them immediately evaporated. While it may have been meaty, the batter was brittle and overcooked. This on top of the fact that based on its coloring, it looked like the chicken was cooked in a vat of oil that was overdue for a change.
And BTW, I know it’s pointless to review a place that has already come and gone and I normally wouldn’t bother. However, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to point out that between the chicken and them closing before I could post a normal review, Hybrid found a way to screw me twice.

Hybird* closed a couple weeks after my visit and I’m not surprised…
The biscuit with honey butter offered no nuance, but was still satisfying (because it’s a biscuit). I’d popped over while waiting for the Los Tacos folks to finish my order; Unfortunately I saw no cupcakes or truffled dumplings as had been recommended to me (and see in others’ photos), so they got less than $ 2 out of me.
*Used to drive a Civic Hybrid and everyone always pronounced it this way instead.

Eater has reported that Hybrid has closed.
«…Hybird closed yesterday, and employees were told the closure was due to poor sales. The stall is already emptied out and papered over with signs calling for pop-​up chefs to fill the space in 2014. »

Summary: Nice technique cross over from the Korean fried chicken technology. Great as a two-​fer with Los Tacos No. 1. Extended menu likely changes negative old reviews.
Atmosphere: Clean. It’s in the back of the area with the spices across from Los Tacos No. 1. They have slightly less hype because the reviews on Unilocal are so mixed. You should two-​fer it so you can use the nice large clean counter space this stand offers.
Service: FAST! I got my chicken before my friend got his tacos, and that is despite ordering a good 5 minutes before me. We more or less finished our drumsticks before getting the tacos.
The food:
They’ve added breast and wing options. I love drumsticks though so got the hybrid box to share. For $ 6 it comes with 2 drumsticks and a biscuit with butter honey. I asked for ketchup and their honey sauce. They also have tobascco.
Now, here is what you do. Take the honey and ketchup and mix it together. Dip. I found it to be very juicy chicken with a nice tasty crust. Yummy.

I usually only go to Chelsea markets when a visitor is in town and I’m showing them around or after a long period of time between visits and I’ve forgotten how chockers it gets (that’s Australian slang for unbelievably *insert swear word* packed). There are not many notable food outlets you can’t get anywhere else to eat but Hybird is one.
Hybird is Questlove of the Roots contribution to New York’s culinary scene serving fried chicken and loveslushes.
The fried chicken is great — ultra crispy with a light spice for flavour and most importantly juicy on the inside and only $ 2 a drumstick — you can get other pieces too but I have the drumstick in honour of its owner. I’m less convinced by the chicken sandwich again the chicken was great a huge piece which spilled over both sides of the bun… but the somehow the sandwich left we wanting more… the pickles, mustard and vinegarette were just a little strong and overpowered the chicken and made the bun a bit soggy which always bring down my enjoyment factor. Still for $ 6 its not a bad meal and only really needs a minor tweak.
Bottom line Hybird is a reason to brave the maddening crowds of Chelsea Markets especially as its lines tend to be short. I’d definitely recommend the fried chicken and I’m willing to give the sandwich another shot. Try the honey ginger lemonade it’ll turn your mouth inside but cure your cold :)

So so disappointed. My sister had raved about this spot and I had even had the opportunity to sample their luscious dumpling. I can attest at one time this establishment must’ve been great.
I learned on my recent trip to the market that they no longer offer dumplings of any kind (o_O)in place they have added fried catfish… crickets…there is a huge fresh fish/​seafood place right around the corner…
Take my advice, forget the catfish, bring back the dumplings and work on the chicken. The breading was good, if it stayed on. It fell off to leave a slippery over-​brined drumstick. Good flavor but sometimes less is more.
The honey butter is awesome. I only wish my biscuit was cooked and not gooey with dough in one quarter. What was edible was good.
Completely underwhelmed at the entire experience… the long line for the taco place across from hybrid should’ve tipped me off… well the long lines everywhere except Hybird should’ve told me something.
Pass

CONS… And there are a lot
I really didn’t like eating their chicken; the outside was crispy but the meat was basically uncooked. The only thing that was missing was the seeing blood. I was slimy and it wasn’t cleaned properly… Those of us that can cook knows what I’m talking about, it was pretty darn horrible.
The biscuit wasn’t pleasant either. I have had better biscuits from an Easy Bake Oven. The Honey Lemonade isn’t recommended if you are avoiding a surgery death.
The OK
The Spicy Watermelon had way too much Ginger which was ok for me but I’m sure most wouldn’t be able to drink it.
Pros… Not too many
The service was fast and courteous

The best sweet potato fries I have ever had. That is really all I want to say and this place would still be worthy of five stars.
I ordered the four piece chicken, macaroni squares, sweet potato fries, and a biscuit with apple butter. The chicken was super crispy and perfectly fried, It also was not drenched in oil as you find in most places that serve this fare. The macaroni squares was macaroni shaped liked cubes and deep fried, this was also really good. As I mentioned though the sweet potato fries were the star of the day. They actually tasted sweet, weren’t over seasoned and certainly were not oily. They were simply perfection. This sounds a bit dramatic but they really were perfection. The biscuits were again, a hit. I didn’t realize that they came with apple butter until I had already stuffed my face but even without that added butter they were still really good.
This place is owned by Questlove from the Roots and the chef a really popular chef in the city. With that you would think that this place would be pricey but it wasn’t. Everything I ordered was $ 21. This place focuses on quality and it’s evident in the food that is served.

$ 2 for a fried chicken drumstick. WHY NOT! :D
The drumstick was hot, juicy and tasty. It might have been on the little saltier side, but still nonetheless. Tasty! Where else can you get a fresh drumstick randomly? Fried to delicious goodness.

Good to have a place specializing in fried chicken! I got 2 drumsticks. The portion is pretty big for $ 2! The skin is crunchy but very thick. It would be better if it’s thinner… The meat is juicy. However, I feel there should be some dipping sauce. I got a little tired (both my palate and jaw) after working on the first one.
Also tried Watermelon Jalapeño Slush ($ 4.50). Flavor wise it’s interesting to try, but I couldn’t finish it and wanted to have pure watermelon smoothie to ease the grease of the fried chicken…

After seeing their drumsticks grace the cover of NY Mag’s Cheap Eats issue, I immediately bookmarked QuestLove’s restaurant. A place that sold fried chicken, slushies, potstickers, and cupcakes? But alas, when I made it out here last week, they informed me that they had permanently taken the potstickers and cupcakes off their menu. :(
I was disappointed but I figured that must mean their fried chicken, biscuits, and slushies must be that much more delicious! And I was right! I got the $ 5 box of 2 drumsticks and one of the best biscuits I’ve ever had. Moist and fluffy on the inside, buttery and crisp on the outside, and accompanied by a mouth-​watering honey butter. It was better than the fried chicken (which was good too, but didn’t blow me away. I think I still prefer korean fried chicken more.) The watermelon-​jalapeño slushie is spicy and refreshing! (caution: it’s pretty decently spicy so make sure you can handle it before purchasing a whole cup).
This place is one of the food stands in the Chelsea marketplace. You can pick up the food and eat it along the raised counter next to it, or take it up to the Highline!

I ordered the $ 5 combo (2 drums & a biscuit). Unfortunately, they didn’t have any more drumsticks, so they gave me 3 drummettes instead.
The skin is thick and crunchy, not crispy, and it’s bland. The meat of the chicken is moist and juicy. The biscuits are large, and the (honey?) butter takes it to the next level.
Outside of the breading, the chicken is cool. Not sure if I would go back.

I love chicken as much as Miley loves to twerk. (A timely reference was needed.) Perhaps a better and more fitting analogy is that I like chicken as much as? uestlove loves to rhythmically and soulfully drum.
I did not know about this place until discussing with some friends where we’d be grabbing food from at Chelsea Market on one particular night. Hilary P., and southern girl, therefore, in my mind, authority on good fried chicken, mentioned Hybird, and I was intrigued.
Tucked into the same eclectic kisok as a taco stand, a spice stand, and a nut stand, you it stood our shiny and glossed, and any fan of The Roots would recognize? uestlove’s recognizable and trademark question marks all over the marquee and the serving papers. The server seemed a bit tired when I got there, giving the impression of «Ugh, not another customer», but when I showed her some genuine niceness while ordering, she seemed to perk up and smile genuinely back at me. (Be nice to your servers, people! Everyone deserves some pep in their long day!)
Some reviewers are claiming this is all overpriced. I’ll be honest: I don’t go out and order fried chicken that often, so when I see $ 2 for a drumstick, and $ 4.50 for a chicken breast, I was thinking, «Okay. Seems reasonable.» Am I wrong? Haha. Regardless, I ordered one of the advertised combos: two drumsticks and a biscuit with honey butter for $ 5. Seemed like a damn good deal to me. My chicken’s skin wasn’t crisp in the sense that there was SOME bite to it, but you could tell it wasn’t fried to order; I saw them take it out of a warming oven. It is what it is. Still. The chicken itself was flavorful and moist, and I sucked off most of the meat right down to the bone.
A separate paragraph is needed for the biscuits and honey butter. The biscuits… WERE AMAZING. Soft, flaky, warm, doughy, buttery, salty, and all things a biscuit should be. The honey butter was so good, I ate the remainder out of the small plastic container once the biscuit was gone. I think Lori L and Hilary P. might have been judging me slightly, but we’re all good friends outside of the « Unilocalaverse». I’ve done worse /​said worse things in front of them, so I’m sure they got over it quickly. ;-)
I’d probably give it a higher rating if the chicken was fried fresh to order, but all in all, this is a great spot to go for (in my mind) some reasonably priced good eats. Hell, I’d probably go back just for the biscuits and honey butter alone! Like… I’d order 2 biscuits and ask for 10 containers of honey butter. That’s fine, yes? Yes. It is.

Delicious hand battered crispy/​moist drumsticks served with fluffy biscuits !!! Can’t beat that. The 2 drumsticks and biscuit deal for $ 5 something is a solid deal.
However, please avoid the frozen slushies at all costs (too spicy and strong) at 4.50 each I wish I would have just ordered some chicken instead.

Yum! Sad to see the less than stellar reviews here. Yes $ 2 for a single (albeit giant and juicy) drumstick is pricey, but, it does not degrade from the quality of the yummy chicken. I love how you can stand on the bar surrounding the kitchen to get a first hand look at the golden fried goodness– saucy, plump, well seasoned large drums next to a good looking flour mix.
The drum is big, as they say, and moist and juicy. Not too much fatty soft bone on there. The coating is just pure– not dry, not spicy and not sweet. (They have honey and hot sauce for you on the side).
Didnt try anything other than a single. I did not have to wait too long on a Friday early evening to get my food. I would come back for the biscuit and dumplings. I

Very thick crispy crust, juicy chicken drumsticks.
Great egg truffle dumpling.
Plenty to like.

Fried chicken is in my Top 10 list of foods that I would request for my final meal. So I’d like to think that I’m a fried chicken connoisseur. I’d go back to Hybrid again. I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to go there since Hill Country Chicken is easily available to me and I didn’t find Hybrid that superior to Hill Country Chicken. Plus I’d like to eat other parts besides drumsticks. My favorite fried chicken is still served at Soul Flavors in Jersey City (fried chicken and waffles to be exact) mainly for the spice/​flavor.
I liked Hybrid’s fried drumsticks. They’re ridiculously crispy on the outside, with a thick crust. I’m ok with the crust but I can imagine some might prefer a thinner crust. The meat itself was very juicy. The drumsticks were also decently sized, not some scrawny little drumsticks.
The biscuit was a hockey puck. I think what made up for it was the honey butter. Ideally the biscuit would be light and flakey.
Cupcakes:
Miso Ho-​Ney
Beyond The Pineapple
Of the two, I liked Miso Ho-​Ney better but they were both pretty interesting and not traditional cupcakes. I think they’re worth trying.

Came back with a friend who was visiting and he wanted to try Hybird out. He ordered the drumstick, biscuit, and the «sexual chocolate on chocolate» cupcake. I got the Mornay’s truffled egg dumplings and sampled both honey ginger lemonade and watermelon jalapeño slushes.
I wasn’t sure what I felt about the slushes. I liked it, and then I didn’t, my taste buds were so confused. I love honey, hate ginger; love watermelon and love jalapeño, but separately, and jalapeño in a drink? No thanks. However, the cashier said if you mixed it together, it tastes better, so I tried that, and it wasn’t bad at all! Still a bit confusing for my tongue though because it felt like 4 different flavors swirling around right after the other. Definitely a weird experience, and I think it’s a taste you just have to get used to. I might get this next time (order it «twisted» for both — they swirl the slushes and it looks really cool).
Cupcake was meh. Tasted like boxed cake mix mixed with cocoa powder and was a bit dense. I don’t know what it was, but I don’t think I would get the cupcakes again.
The truffled egg dumplings also were not worth it. It was literally an egg omelette with scallions in truffle oil cut into pieces and wrapped in wonton skins and fried. I expected something more innovative, don’t know what I was thinking. Would not get again. The only reason why I kept Hybird at 4 stars is because the drumstick and biscuit was still good and I wouldn’t mind eating the crab dumplings again.

I’m disappointed in Questlove. I figured he had that Jimmy Fallon money now and wouldn’t need to overcharge so hard for everything at his new food stand.
But he sure is. And the stuff isn’t even that good to begin with. The first major problem is that the only kind of chicken they even offer is drumsticks. No breasts, no wings, nothing else to choose from. Just $ 4 drumsticks. And instead of drumsticks, they should really just sell clumps of chicken skin, because that’s what these are. Yes, the fried chicken skin is very delicious, but the chicken itself was pretty nasty. The few tiny pieces of it I could find under all that skin was undercooked and very stringy. Not good. Did I mention these are $ 4 each?
The other major item to get here are the dumplings, which are also a rip at $ 7 for an order of 5. I tried the Curry Up Chicken, which were decent but not really memorable at all, and The Mornay’s Truffled Egg, which were just pure fried batter again. Strike 2.
I also got the Biscuit with Honey Butter ($ 2), which was actually pretty good and was easily the best thing I had here. Along with the meal, I also figured I should try one of the Love Slushes, so I got the Watermelon Jalapeño one ($ 4.50). This was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever tried. The beginning of the sip is pretty tasty and very refreshing, but then it burns the whole way down with each swallow from the jalapeño. Not very pleasant. Strike 3.
Lastly, I figured the cupcakes must be decent enough, and these were just ok. Again, pretty overpriced at $ 3.50 each, as these were tiny. Out of more novelty than anything, I tried the Miso Ho-​ney, which you should only get if you really really like the taste of both corn and miso, as this is super heavy on both. I also got the Sexual Chocolate, which was actually very good.
The cupcakes and biscuit couldn’t salvage the rest of the experience though. It also took an extremely long time for my food to come and there was only one person ahead of me. Somehow though, I don’t envision them having a problem with long lines here. I don’t see how they will survive with these prices, though you never know since Chelsea Market is always crawling with tourists who would be willing to drop their money on this subpar food. For me though, I’ll stick to the several other much better options in and around the market from now on.

UPDATE ⁹⁄₁₃ — Prices have come down so I’m coppin’ chicken here on average 2 – 3 times a week. They have also added other chicken parts such as wings and thighs to the menu. Best chicken in Chelsea hands down. No longer labeled «Payday Chicken» Biggups
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The two-​piece drumsticks were amazing and seasoned to perfection. One of the legs provided was a little pink in the middle which I do not like at all, but I’m sure they cooked it to the proper internal temperature.
I was hesitant to purchase at first because of the hefty price tag for just two drumsticks. The staff at the front was very good at pushing their product and my coworker and I caved in.
I really did not like the fact that I had to purchase my biscuit separately for $ 2 and not have it presented to me as part of a meal. I will say the biscuit was very buttery, fresh, and tasty, but very pricey at $ 2 per biscuit.
Overall the food was delicious and fresh. In comparison to other chicken dives in the area the price tag does not match the portion size. Also adding a meal combination to the menu wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
With all that being said I will Mos Def eat there again considering I work in the building… Just not very often because of the price tags