Mini-review: Chicken Shop
113-125 N. Green St. 312-754-6941
Rating: !! 1/2 (out of 4) Take it or leave it
The concept: My server at Soho House’s diner-style, no-reservations restaurant Chicken Shop set the stage perfectly as soon as I sat down: “We serve chicken and not a whole lot else,” he said. Chicken Shop chef Devon Boyce moved here from London to run Chicago’s version of the restaurant (his brother, Kyle, did the same for Pizza East) and he promises a full chicken dinner at your table within five minutes or so of ordering.
The chicken: With Chicago’s year-long fried chicken obsession still going strong, it was a welcome change of pace to dig into tender, soft-skinned rotisserie-roasted chicken. Before hitting your plate, whole chickens are marinated in a paprika-heavy spice mix, steamed and marinated again before taking a spin on the hickory-fired rotisserie grill behind the counter. Free-range birds from Indiana’s Pine Manor Farm were selected for “a combination of the meat holding up during the progression [of preparation] and just the actual flavor of the meat itself,” Boyce said. Whether you order a quarter ($8), half ($14) or whole chicken ($22), it’ll arrive chopped into manageable sections with a bowl on the side to discard the bones; the preparation makes it easy to share, but watch out for smaller bits of bone. “I hope their servers know the Heimlich,” said my friend. If it’s fried chicken that you crave, come for weekend brunch, when you can order Chicken Shop’s version of fried chicken and waffles ($14), made from a boneless chicken breast and thigh atop a waffle with egg gravy, a white sauce with chopped hard boiled-eggs.
The sides: Once my friend and I decided to split a half chicken, we surveyed the five side dishes ($5-$6) to build our own spread. The mac ‘n’ cheese was created just for the Chicago location (apparently the Brits know us well enough) and is made with four Italian cheeses: taleggio, parmigiano-reggiano, scamorza and fior di latte. It’s a drier, casserole-style mac rather than the gooey, saucy kind, so order it (or don’t) depending on your school of thought. Crispy, fresh-from-the-fryer crinkle-cut fries arrive steaming hot with a side of housemade mayo for dipping. There’s also a light and tangy coleslaw and grilled corn on the cob—at its best this time of year—and a simple butter lettuce and avocado salad with mustard vinaigrette to add some much-needed green to your plate. All the sides were fairly satisfying in the moment but nothing I’ve given a second thought to since.
The sweets: They’re under the header “puddings,” but that’s just British for dessert; none of the three options ($6) are actually pudding, but they’re all meant for sharing. Super-cinnamony apple pie is dished generously out of the pan at your table, while the ultra-rich chocolate brownie could have used the ice cream or whipped cream promised on the menu. The lemon meringue pie is a highly Instagrammable showstopper with a cloud of marshmallow topping that’s nearly five times as tall as the lemon custard base.
The drinks: One column of food options and three columns of drinks means deciding what to imbibe will take a little more time. If you go for wine, you can choose from red, white or rose in three sizes—by the glass, small jug (500 milliliters) or large jug (750 milliliters, the equivalent of a standard bottle)—and three price levels: house, decent and good ($7-$35, $9-$45 and $11-$55, respectively). It’s a cute way to order wine, but probably more complicated than intended. In the cocktail department, you can’t go wrong with Bourbon & Lemonade (exactly what it sounds like, plus thyme and honey) or the Ginger Brew, a rye-spiked cooler with serious spicy ginger kick (both $12). It’s a huge bummer that the Chicago beers are missing their brewery names on the menu; luckily, most locals know that Domaine DuPage and Dog Days are from Two Brothers and that Anti-Hero IPA is a Revolution creation, but Moody Tongue’s Crushed Green Coriander witbier isn’t well-known enough to be recognized without the brewery name. Whether it’s carelessness or ignorance, it doesn’t earn any local cred in my book.
The bottom line: Decent but forgettable, Chicken Shop is the kind of restaurant that was fun to try but I can’t say for certain when or if I’ll be back. If you’re looking for a quick sit-down meal near Randolph Street or just an excuse to check out the Soho House, it’s a relatively affordable, no-reservations way to do just that.
RedEye reporters visit restaurants unannounced and meals are paid for by RedEye. lmarnett@tribune.com | @redeyeeatdrink
