Brown’s Chicken & Pasta

I don’t usally come here even though it’s only a few blocks away from my house. My experience want one to bring me back either.
Staff was friendly and happy to have me. (I was the only one in the store for about five minutes before a regular came in the cashier knew by name)
I got a hot dog, Mac n’ cheese and mashed potatoes and gravy. I ended up only enjoying the mashed and gravy. The Mac and cheese was unlike anything I ever had. The cheese seemed to be made up of some the you get at a ball park game and the noodles we way I get cooked. The dog was a wanna be Chicago dog, but I didn’t really expect it to be the quality of a cart being at a chicken joint. All in all I would more then likely try this place one more time just to try the chicken they pride themselves on.

Brown’s Chicken has been around in Chicago since ’49. The menu offers their special fried chicken, made with cottonseed oil and buttermilk, as well as pastas, seafood, sandwiches, and sides. I usually get their 12-​piece family dinner, which comes with 3 large sides (you can choose from Broccoli & Cheese, Mac n’ Cheese, Onion Rings, Corn on the cob, or Mostaccioli). The chicken has a nice thick battered skin — it’s crispy and flavorful, and the meat inside is tender and juicy. Don’t forget to try their Golden Mushrooms, which are battered and fried fresh mushrooms. Make sure that you request the chicken to be hot and fresh, right out of the fryer — it makes a difference! Eat in or carry-​out.
+fried chicken
+Golden Mushrooms
+request for hot out of the fryer
+parking available

I used to sometimes stop here on my way home from work. They have some good and greasy chicken at decent prices. I have taken out-​of-​towners here that specifically request their fried golden mushrooms. A pound for about $ 10. They also have some specials and lots of sides to choose from.
It’s a solid place to get some good not-​so-​good-​for-​you food.

So my buddy has been raving about Browns Chicken. My sister has been raving about Browns Chicken so we went to check it out tonight. This was my 2^nd heart stopping, greasy portion of fried chicken in one day. I wasn’t impressed with either place that I had chicken
After all the hype about how great Browns Chicken is I found that the chicken is bland and was also very greasy. I really enjoyed the mashed potatoes and the gravy though. The fried mushrooms were pretty good too.
It was kind of late around 7:30 or 7:45 pm. Maybe it was the timing, but it tasted like the chicken wasn’t very fresh & sat under a heat lamp for awhile.

Very friendly staff. Have eaten here several times. Always clean. Always good food at a fair price. I def recommend.

A big heads up to the franchise owner of this Brown’s…albeit, my husband and I arrived late (8ish) last night. We ordered the 10 piece wings and a ½ pound of gizzards. We had to move tables three times. The first table was not steady/​rocked, so we moved to another. The second table was okay but we were right under an air conditioning vent that leaked water. Third table, okay. Food arrived in a prompt manner but as we started eating, a worker began to mop the floors with a very pungent disinfectant. I could barely eat and nearly choked down my meal in order to finish. Chairs were put up and away as we were eating and people were still coming in — if you are going to close at 9:30, clean-​up should NOT begin until the establishment is closed. Period. In addition, the air conditioning here is always up too, too high, thus, making it uncomfortable to enjoy our meal. I’ll be back but probably for carry-​out only.

Ehh, their fried chicken is not as good as Popeyes. I’ve tried their italian beef at a different location, but it was soaked with so much juice and was pretty cold. All I can say is that their food is not that special.

Decent fried chicken at very reasonable prices. Over the years they have expanded their menu to include Chicago-​style hot dogs, polishes, Italian beef, etc. They have huge chicken sandwiches! Also regular sides and premium sides. Lots of choices. What they are lacking is salad. (green salads with lettuce.) Even a Caesar salad or regular garden salad would offset all of the fried and fattening foods. Oh well…
My daughter loves their pasta bowls. (Fettuccini alfredo with Italian sausage. Yum!)
I like their cole slaw and corn fritters… and their french fries are great when I go off my clean eating once every few months. ;-) Good mashed potatoes, too.
The staff are always very nice and service is prompt. They always have specials too.

I ordered fried mushrooms today and started eating them in the car on the drive home. I had some left and put them on a plate to nuke them, there were black mouse droppings in the bag. I called back I was told they were burnt crumbs, burnt crumbs would not be in the bag. They were mouse droppings. I plan on sending the health dept. there. DO NOT EAT THERE ! I feel sick to my stomach ! This is beyond the yuck factor ! I ate maybe 2 on the drive home. Just the fact of mouse droppings in the bag. Mice are around the food prep area !

I had gone to this establishment last week and ordered a 16 pc family dinner with 3 sides. I can say the beans and okra had been cooked good.
However the chicken was ok and not so special. I rather order from popeye or KFC with more selection of chicken.
What browns chicken make up for mediocre chicken would be their other selections of food such as: hot dog, polish, roast beef, italian beef and other fast food items.
You will not find those other items in other chicken restaraunts.
They have parking and an outside patio area to sit down facing a small garden. Also the place is clean and restrooms ok.
Price is moderate. Some people may think its expensive because everyone has a different budget.

I’ve been going to Brown’s chicken since I was a kid. I pretty much figure I have a love, hate relationship with them. The key to Brown’s is timing. For best results you need to go really early at lunch or when the parking lot is full and the restaurant is busy. This way you guarantee you get fresh chicken. When you get them on a good day, I’ll take them over KFC or Popeye’s. I guess you can say their problem is consistence. If you get on a bad day it’s usually dry. This location has friendly service. I’ve always managed to get pretty fresh chicken myself here. I find their crust simple but tasty. I love the fried mushrooms. Not a lot of people order them so I always seem to get fresh and crisp. Brown’s has great buttery salty biscuits (they’re best fresh, ok when reheated). From this location I go at lunch and I usually order the the 3 wing, 1 side, 1 biscuit special for $ 3.99
Most of the time Brown’s chicken is rather expensive and over priced. If you can find a coupon you are better off. In my experience I’ve seen more good over bad at this location so I will gove them a solid 3 stars.
They do have other menu items like italian beef, hotdogs and even pizza, but I’ve always only ordered chicken so I can’t review them. Give them a try and best of luck to you.
Oh, and I also love their corn fritters.

Had a nostalgic craving for Browns, went in got a two piece dinner with two sides. The chicken was skimpy (almost no meat on the wing, and very little in the thigh) and way over cooked, the sides were subpar at best, and tasted like they had aged a bit. Half way through my meal I realized I was over charged, not by much, but still over charged. (I was in a rush so I didn’t have time to say anything). Either way, this is my last time at this Browns, and I wouldn’t recommend going here. There are many other places around the area that actually care about keeping a good reputation. I would give zero stars if I could.

I love eating here when I visit my family in Joliet. I am actually shocked at all the bad reviews! Their food is perfection when you’re craving deep fried chicken. It’s the best !

Love that chicken from… whoops wrong chicken store. anyway still love Browns their chicken is good! Simple fresh and crisp and not too many spices. This service here is quick although a bit brusque. The staff don’t smile or say «can I help you», just that look you get with the head popping up to gesture «yeah what do you want». Anyway, it is fast food after all… chicken is delicious!

For a fried chicken place, the inside is really nice. The chicken is decent, definitely better than KFC or Popeyes.

Had a nostalgic craving for Brown’s. Just got their fried mushrooms. ~$ 3 for a quarter pound, but the crust was stale. Not as good as I remember.

1 star.
I’ve been in Chicago for almost 7 years now — and I’ve never had Brown’s chicken. So, when I passed it today on the way back to the office, I stopped in.
Big mistake! Total waste of $ 7.19.
Where should I start?
Fries — edible, nothing specatular
Mushrooms — actually mushroom was quite tasty, that half-​cooked breading type subtance was disgusting; I pulled it off and just ate the mushroom
Chicken — order 3 wing special; chicken tasted and felt like it had been cooked yesterday; lukewarm; dry, not juicy; overall gross; not edible
Cashier was nice and efficient. Wait time was far longer than I would have expected. Especially, since nothing I ordered was cooked fresh! I have no idea what I was waiting for.
Parking is good.
I guess I’ll just order a Jimmy John sandwich…

I always liked their simple recipe over the competition. And with their deep discounted value pricing, I love them even more. C’mon, how can you beat 8 pieces of dark for $ 5.99, $ 4.99 with a coupon? You can’t even buy a bottle of oil and raw chicken for that.
And out of the big 3, only Browns has liver and gizzards. Have not tried all the other sandwiches but the Italian Beef is pretty good.
Service is pretty fast too.

It’s fried chicken. Of the many fried chicken choices available Browns is consistently good. We love the fried mushrooms well done.
This one is clean and friendly.

I’ve wondered about this Brown’s chicken. Driving passed on my way back to Chicago I would often see the parking lot semi full with cars and that would make me curious as to what is attracting so many. I’ve had Brown’s chicken before, it’s not all that. It’s decent for fried chicken, but it’s also very mild. I would suppose they make most of their money now on the many other items they offer and affordable combo meals. Stopped in to try some chicken the other day, I was amazed at the difference of décor here in comparison to some other locations I’ve seen around town. Must be because they are in Skokie, a kid could bring a candle and order a plate of spaghetti and do his own version of Lady and the tramp. Instead of lying on the floor, they’d be seated on tables and chairs far finer than what you could expect at a Burger King.
So I placed my order and stood to the side thinking this would be quick since I only ordered a two piece box. I should also mention that I could see fresh chicken just lying under the heat lamps. There were only a few people ahead of me. Not even one group ordered chicken. The favorites were anything fried, like catfish, fish, fries and mushrooms. Two employees stood manning the counter; one of the two (Jason) did far more than the other. Greeting customers, serving food and putting together take out orders. A few families were there placing orders and pickups. It seemed they were locals, maybe regulars based on the smiles volleyed between them and Jason. I’m just pointing out, in case management reads this, that this kid needs a pat on the back and some recognition. The other dude took my order, «two piece box dude is all I needed, whenever you’re ready», I thought. For serious, thirteen minutes later I’m walking out with my chicken. The same chicken that sat there in the heat basket thirteen minutes earlier. I don’t know why I ordered their chicken, it’s so bland. Perfectly crispy, but tasteless for me.
There were a number of deals offered throughout the restaurant, $ 9.99 for any type large pizza and a list of combo meals with fries and drink for $ 5 dollars. A good idea when eating with the family or trying to save a few bucks on a decent meal.
**What the… Just read a review which says they have spicy chicken! See that counter dude blew. I asked if they offered spicy chicken, to which he answered no. WTH**