INTEL: Where to go… for extra crispy fried chicken.
July 6 is National Fried Chicken Day and we know there are a lot of places to go for a fried chicken sandwich to a bird that’s been
buttermilk-brined. But not all fried chicken is equal. We’re talking about the eye-rolling kind, the true meaning of “finger-licking good.” Sure, we’re happy chowing down at Chicken Joe’s or Dave’s Hot Chicken, but that’s not what we’re about. This is opinionated intel. And we have updated + expanded our list for 2026.
Photo: The Nest (JP Elario/The Nest)
Where to go for the best fried chicken right now.
I’ve written about a lot of fried chicken and gone deep in the processes of how the best of the best is made. There are more top tier contenders, but if someone asks where to get the best fried chicken in the Capital Region, you’ll need this list on hand. These 5 aren’t just crowd pleasers - crisp, tender and impeccably seasoned - you can be sure they’re reliably and consistently good.
Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen, 353 Clinton Ave, Albany Visit
Whether it’s love or magic (which is how chef-owner Kizzy Williams-Francisco describes her food), the soul food at Allie B's Cozy Kitchen both baked in. Order the fried chicken, served on a slice of white bread, and crunch through its brittle batter and crisp skin into perfect, steaming meat. Simply seasoned with salt and pepper, a quick dredge in flour ("the trick is to never let it sit") before it’s dunked in a fryer of hot canola oil, this is some of the best fried chicken you’ll have anywhere. This slim subterranean takeout spot in Arbor Hill is a surprising destination but in the day the lunch lines snake out the door and they might sell out before close.The Ruck · Troy Visit
Late-night bar food with a following that extends well beyond the college crowd. Come for the beer. Stay for the fried chicken sandwich. In this case, it’s honey hot chicken with crispy fried chix, American cheese, coleslaw and hot honey on toasted brioche bun.Innovo Kitchen · Latham Visit
The only cold-chicken entry on this list, Innovo's cold fried chicken sandwich is loaded with yellow cheese, ranch slaw, pickled jalapeños, a tabasco-honey drizzle and served fast with crinkle-cut fries.The Nest, 512 State Street, Schenectady Visit
The Nest’s fried chicken that arrives in a craggy, seasoned batter was a radical departure from their former Cuckoo’s Nest fried chicken. In opening The Nest, chef-owner Devin Ziemann introduced a pressure fryer that batch-cooks chicken in 10 minutes — meaning they can fry almost to order — and a built-in filtration system delivers clean fryer oil several times an hour. Since the natural sugars in a buttermilk-brined chicken would caramelize at this heat and burn, The Nest’s pressure fried chicken is not only juicy from its locked-in heat but also entirely dairy free.City Beer Hall, 42 Howard Street, Albany Visit
A lot has changed at City Beer Hall, including Blu Pizza taking over the kitchen and simplifying the menu to salads, pizzas and sandos. But City Beer Hall’s long-standing Southern fried chicken sandwich lives on with its pickle-brined chicken thigh, sambal aioli, bread-and-butter coleslaw, spicy pickles and Martin’s potato bun.Illusive Restaurant & Bar · Rensselaer Visit
Illusive entered the fried chicken chat with their "Eff Popeyes" — and the name made the declaration of (chicken) war clear. Crispy fried chicken topped with maple-and-black-pepper-candied bacon, New York cheddar, marinated pepper mayo, pickles, and greens on a brioche bun is it lands.Tipsy Moose · Latham Visit
Across all Tipsy locations, the Tipsy Chicken Sandwich is their flex: Fried chicken thigh, country slaw, smoked gouda, bacon, pickles, with a chipotle-honey-habanero aioli that brings some real heat. Plus, the moose seared into the bun is a nice touch. A classic build.West Ave Chicken, 99 West Ave, Saratoga Visit
You must try the Guatemalan menu available at West Ave Chicken and West Ave Pizza, adjoining businesses that owner Mario Cardenas connected by knocking through a dividing wall. But we’re here for their ultra crispy fried chicken sold by the half-bird or the piece, either dark or white meat. Mario has a secret way of tenderizing the meat before dredging it in flour for thick, shaggy batter that gives way to perfect, steaming chicken. Order two Junior sandwiches for less than $12, like a pair of oversized sliders with fried chicken dressed up in your choice of two ways. We’re partial to the North Country with coleslaw and tangy pickles and an extreme Nashville Mac & Cheese that literally piles mac and cheese on a Nashville Hot.Hattie's Restaurant · 45 Phila St, Saratoga Springs Visit
Since 1938, and still running the same award-winning recipe, Hattie's is an institution. Their fried chicken sandwich is a boneless thigh on a kaiser roll with spicy coleslaw and house-made chips, and it's the same one that's been making the rounds at Saratoga Race Course for decades. If the full bird is calling you, order the chicken and waffles: two pieces of white and dark on a Belgian waffle with a spicy honey maple drizzle. Bobby Flay challenged this kitchen on national television. He lost.Harvey's · Saratoga Visit
Harvey's fried chicken sandwich earns its reputation: a six-ounce filet brined in apple juice, coated in a cornmeal-flour crust, and finished with housemade bourbon pickles and Harvey's Irish gold sauce. For those who need more heat, the Irish Gangster swaps in capicola, provolone, honey mustard, and a jalapeño-cheddar bun. Either way, this pub sandwich punches well above its weight.Saint Florian, 342 Warren Street, Hudson Visit
Robb Finn, a French Culinary Institute-trained chef who worked at a series of award-winning restaurants from Manhattan to Bogota, Colombia, has a “fried chicken snack” larger than its name suggests and definitely not ordinary. The buttermilk brined chicken, tenderized with the French jacquarding technique, has skin fried to a crisp and its mahogany color from Coca Cola in the batter—just like Willie Mae’s fried chicken in New Orleans.Hotel Lilien · Tannersville Visit
Tannersville is having a moment + Hotel Lilien is reason enough to make the drive into the Catskills. Stop for the cocktails and the Saturday DJ, of course, but don't leave without the brined-and-fried chicken sandwich, with homemade slaw, bread-and-butter pickles, toasted potato bun.🫒 Take Two · Schenectady (Vegan honorable mention) Visit
The vegan lone entry, but we feel it belongs in the conversation. A wheat-and-soy patty — lighter than seitan, with a true chicken-like texture, is topped with tomato, vegan mozzarella, and truffle aioli on a toasted pretzel bun. Don’t skip it; try it.