A Harold’s Chicken stop before an Amazon run

On November 6, 2025, before an Amazon van run from Chicago to Cedar Falls, Iowa, I stopped at Harold’s Chicken #55 at 129 W. 87th St. I had heard so much about Harold’s that I wanted to try it myself.

I ordered fried chicken and catfish. The chicken tasted like flour and chicken. There was no seasoning. The catfish was better, but not by much, because it was not seasoned either. I was also expecting a half catfish fillet, the way I am used to getting it. What I got was catfish steaks with a lot of bones, and I almost choked on one.

The TikTok blowup

I opened the video by saying people in Chicago are crazy. The TikTok version took off, drew close to 500 comments, and started a real argument with people from Chicago. The YouTube version above did not get that reaction.

@cuethecritic on TikTok

The main pushback was that I ordered wrong. Harold’s is known for its sauce, especially on the wings, not for plain fried chicken, and I should have gone with sauced chicken or at least salt and pepper.

Why I still say seasoning comes first

I do not usually like sauced meat, and I have said that publicly many times. I will eat it, but I prefer meat that is seasoned before it is cooked. My view is that if you have to sauce your meat, the food may not be good to begin with. That applies mostly to barbecue, but I think fried chicken should be seasoned before it is fried.

Buffalo wings work the same way: fried, then tossed in sauce, and the sauce can hide the fact that the chicken was never seasoned. I am not sure I am being fully fair about that. When I make wings, I season the meat no matter what goes on it afterward. Harold’s apparently fries the food and tosses it in sauce after the fact, and that is supposed to be delicious. I do not agree with that at all.

This is one visit to one location, not a verdict on every Harold’s.

129 W 87th St, Chicago, IL 60620

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