Howlin' Ray's Hot Chicken
☀️☀️☀️☀️ - The Hype Is Real
August 23, 2024
I don’t remember where and how I came across this place, either through YouTuber/Comedian David So or the Artist David Choe. It has been saved on my Google Maps for a few years, I just never found myself in the area, until today.
I was skeptical at first because of the location, right in the center of Chinatown near Downtown Los Angeles. It’s located on the first floor of a Chinese shopping center. There are only two types of people there, old Chinese people hanging around people watching, and their subjects. Being Los Angeles, parking is absolutely horrible. Paid lots and metered street parking everywhere. You just can’t help but wonder, if the city is collecting all this money from everyone parking all around the city, why are the roads and streets still in such atrocious condition? Where is all the money going?
Being an internet famous restaurant, there is inevitably a line out the door. However, it moved along relatively fast. Their menu is simple, which I liked, just a couple options for sandwiches and a few variations of their famous friend chicken.
The restaurant itself is nothing fancy, it’s a takeout only storefront with a small podium for ordering and a long service counter. I particularly liked the retro style microphone hanging from the ceiling for calling out the order numbers, like the announcer in a WWE ring. There is a long bench outside under a covered area for seating, but it’s very limited.
I naively ordered two sandwiches, tenders and a side of fries, thinking it would be the right amount of food for two people. Oh boy was I wrong about that. More on that later. Normally I would have never ordered this much, but I’m never in the area and probably won’t be back for any reason in a long long time, so I though oh what the hell I’ll just order everything.
Here’s my receipt. Inflation is a bitch.
So about these prices. Yes, it’s $14.00 for a chicken sandwich and $13.00 for 3 pieces of chicken tenders, both with no sides. I know, but I soon find out why they cost that much. $0.75 for a small cup of dipping sauce is borderline extortion but I’ve seen people charge way more for some sauce, so this doesn’t surprise me. The sweet peach tea however, is questionable, in my opinion it is absolutely not worth $4.00 for a 16oz can.
The tea. I don’t like it. You might find it delicious, but not me. It’s like diabetes in a can with 53 grams of sugar. Maybe that’s what they fancy in the south? Powered tea with a shit load of sugar. I first thought it was sparkling because there is a sort of sting to it in the end, but no, it was the sugar. It’s literally not my cup of tea.
The dips. Tennessee Tang is basically a buttermilk ranch with extra dill in it. Not too overwhelming and it balances out the spiciness in the chicken very well. Sweet Honey Mustard is very self explanatory, nothing fancy. Very good as well, the mustard isn’t too bothersome and the hint of honey makes it very good with the fries.
The fries. Oh man. First of all, crinkle fries are arguably the best fries shape out there. If I made a fries tier list, it would be in the S tier for sure. Combined with the most amount of seasoning I’ve ever seen on an order of fries, it is defiently a recipe for greatness. Hands down the best fries from a place that isn’t famous for its fries.
The tenders. Tendies, tendies, tendies. The size of them are absolutely shocking, I’ve never seen such big pieces of chicken tenders, really. The supersized tenders come totally covered with a thick layer of seasoning, it’s so red that it looks black, as if they’re overcooked. They taste exactly like the chicken in the sandwich so I’ll just describe it in the next section.
The sandwich. Perhaps the most popular item on the menu. Like the tenders, it’s humongous and comes caked with seasoning. It’s like the cook asked the chef how much seasoning to put on it and the chef just said, “yes.” I would imagine they order their spices and seasonings by tons instead of pounds. It looks intimidating at first but you are immediately disarmed by the taste and texture once you’ve gathered enough courage to take the first bite. I initially wanted to order mild but ultimately went with the medium spice level. It’s got the right amount kick and compliments all the other flavors very well. The most notable flavors are the chili powder and paprika, with a hint of onion powder and sugar here and there. The pickles also contributes to the flavor profile along with the generous helping of coleslaw as the main condiments. There is a sauce in there too but it wasn’t very noticeable to me. The chicken breast is cooked to perfection, crunchy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. Similar to a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, but way bigger and with lots more seasoning. The photo does not show the sheer size of the sandwich. Eating the first half was an enjoyable experience, the second half however, was a battle. It must have weighed a whole pound. I could feel every bite going down into my stomach, the spices disturbing my empty tummy. One sandwich will absolutely fill you up, guaranteed.
Reheat-ability. The portions are so big, there’s no way I can finish two entrees in one sitting. So I decided to reheat the tenders on the stove when I got back home, they turned out alright. Obviously not as good as when they were fresh. Reheating them makes them dry on the inside and soggy on the outside, but it was edible. I would say don’t order too much so you don’t have to reheat any leftovers, because they’re not going to be as good.
The final verdict. It’s great, honestly. Though I wouldn't drive all the way out there and sit through an hour of LA traffic just for a chicken sandwich, but if I’m in or near the area and want a good, hearty, and filling meal, you bet I’ll be making my way to Chinatown for some Nashville hot fried chicken. If you live relatively close to one of their locations, it’s defiantly a must try. I’m not being paid by anyone to say this.
Here are my ratings: (out of 5)
The Food:
The Sandwich: ☀️☀️☀️☀️
The Tenders: ☀️☀️☀️
The Fries: ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
Sweet Peach Tea: ☀️
The Restaurant:
Pricing: ☀️☀️☀️☀️
Atmosphere: ☀️☀️☀️☀️
Service: ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
Speed: ☀️☀️☀️☀️
Final Rating: ☀️☀️☀️☀️
Howlin’ Ray’s Nashville Hot Chicken - Chinatown
727 N Broadway Ste 128 Los Angeles, CA 90012
https://howlinrays.com
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August 24, 2024