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:
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
