Ten Best Fried Chicken Joints in Charleston

Though the Carolinas are known for their excellent barbecue (north and south), fried chicken is placed in a world of its own in the south. When I visit Charleston eateries every year, I find myself seeking fried chicken options aside from the abundantly fresh seafood options or tasty barbecue platters.

The city of Charleston is abundant with fantastic fried chicken joints, whether located in the heart of the holy city, or in the outlying areas. Most of these locations are quite capable of beating anything I have tasted up in my home state of Illinois. My fried chicken resume in the low country consists only of the delicious offerings from Jestine’s Kitchen and the Hominy grill (both located in downtown Charleston). I have even appreciated the local Publix chicken in the West Ashley which is a great carryout option.

Because I have tasted only a small sample of fine Charleston fried chicken, I decided to do some fried chicken data research on the web to seek out Charleston’s finest. Learning to determine the best fried chicken in Charleston involved reading and researching other author’s subjective rankings in addition to volume driven ranked lists (e.g. Yelp). My analysis took these currently ranked lists found online, consolidated their results, and weighed their consolidated rankings. For example, if Hominy Grill was ranked #1 on Charleston eater, ranked #5 on Foursquare and ranked #1 on Yelp, it would have a composite score of #2.3 (1+1+5/3), and would rank very high overall.

As mentioned above, the sources for this research consist of polled and researched results of the Charleston Eater, Foursquare, and Yelp. These lists were easily retrievable and I would have included more lists if they were available.  All of these researched websites ranked the eateries from number one through fifteen, with number one being the best fried chicken joint out there. I realize food tasting is very subjective and these results would probably be adjusted again if I were to do this analysis a year or two from now; especially if new competition enters or existing players leave the market.

Sources:

http://charleston.eater.com/maps/best-fried-chicken-restaurant-charleston

https://foursquare.com/top-places/charleston/best-places-fried-chicken

https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Fried+Chicken&find_loc=Charleston%2C+SC

Top Ten Fried Chicken Rankings in Charleston South Carolina

1.       BoxcarBetty’s – 1922 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407

1.       (TIE) – Martha Lou’s Kitchen – 1068 Morrison Drive, Charleston, SC 29403

2.       Leon’sFine Poultry and Oysters – 698 King Street, Charleston, SC 29403

3.       Jestine’sKitchen – 52 ½ Wentworth, Charleston, SC 29401

4.       Poogan’sPorch – 72 Queen Street, Charleston, SC 29401

5.       EarlyBird Diner – 1644 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407

6.       Magnolia’s – 185 E. Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401

7.       HominyGrill – 207 Rutledge Avenue, Charleston, SC 29403

8.       TheGlass Onion – 1219 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407

9.       Bertha’s Kitchen – 2332 Meeting Street Rd, North Charleston, SC 29405

10.   Ms.Rose’s Fine Foods – 1090 Sam Rittenberg Blvd, Charleston, SC 29407