Popular Nashville Hot Chicken Chain Debuts First City Restaurant in West Town

A suburban-based Nashville hot chicken mini-chain begins putting down roots in the city proper this weekend. Fry the Coop will officially launch its long-awaited Chicago location on Saturday in West Town, but will give customers a sneak peek on Friday night. The space previously housed Tzuco chef Carlos Gaytán’s restaurant Mexique, where he became the first Mexican-born chef to earn a Michelin star.

Owner Joe Fontana likens the restaurant to Nashville institution Hattie B’s Hot Chicken. He fries the chain’s chicken and fries in beef fat, which he believes provides better flavor. Diners can choose their spice level from heatless “country,” to “mild,” “medium,” “hot,” “crazy,” (with a rub inspired by Thornton Prince, the legendary founder of Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in Tennessee) and “lil’ insanity.”

Meatless options are limited, but vegetarians can order off-menu meat-free sandwiches. Fry the Coop mostly offers sandwiches rather than stand-alone chicken pieces, though tenders are on the menu.

Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Fontana plans to add mac and cheese to his selection of sides, which include potato salad, coleslaw, and cheese fries, and promises more new options at the West Town restaurant in the future. He also hopes to soon debut a full-service bar featuring local draft beers and late-night hours on the weekend.

The space looks a lot different than its predecessor, Michelin-starred Mexique, where customers dined on Mexican-French fusion cuisine. The new dining room seats 62 within the 2,750-square-foot space. It feels a little bit like a college kegger with a hodgepodge of vintage trinkets hanging from the walls.

Fry the Coop first opened in 2017 in suburban Oak Lawn before debuting a second spot in Elmhurst the next year. The brand also operates a stall in the Loop’s Wells Street Market, which allowed Fontana to dip a toe into the Chicago market before launching the full restaurant. In February, he told Eater that he wants to open 15 locations in the Chicago area over the next eight years.

Fry the Coop opens Saturday in West Town, but excited would-be patrons can swing by for free samples on Friday. Take a tour through the space below.

Fry the Coop, 1529 W. Chicago Avenue, Open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday.