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Every year, CityBeat publishes the Best Of Cincinnati®, wherein readers and staffers alike decide which bars are the booziest, which people are the coolest and which shops are your best bet for dropping a pretty penny. Cincinnati boasts quite a few delicious chicken restaurants (we do border the state known for its chicken, after all), and our readers have some opinions on which places make the best chicken. Keep scrolling to see the top 10 restaurants with the best chicken, as voted on by CityBeat readers.
No. 10 Best Chicken: Joella’s Hot Chicken
2440 High St., Crescent Springs; 5016 Deerfield Blvd., Mason
Must-try chicken dish: The Pimento Cheese Sammie. It features Joella’s boneless chicken thigh, which you can get grilled or fried or opt for the vegan option instead, and you can choose between seven heat levels, ranging from no-heat Southern to waiver-worthy Fire-In-Da-Hole. The sandwich is topped with homemade pimento cheese and pickles and served with a signature side. Photo: facebook.com/joellashotchickenGreyhound Tavern
2500 Dixie Highway, Ft. Mitchell
The Greyhound Tavern has offered down-home comfort food to Northern Kentuckians since the 1920s. The atmosphere is pleasantly country-fied, with wood paneling, vinyl tablecloths and multiple fireplaces, and so is the menu. The tavern is known for its herbed secret-recipe fried chicken, available daily with family-style specials on Mondays and Tuesdays and a starring role on the Sunday brunch buffet, which also features a carving station, casseroles, goetta, biscuits, mashed potatoes and other hearty fare.
Photo via Facebook.com/GreyhoundTavern Photo: facebook.com/greyhoundtavernNo. 8 Best Chicken: CityBird
Multiple locations
https://www.citybirdtenders.com/locations/
Must-try chicken dish: Get the chicken tenders (it comes in portions of 4, 6, 8 and 10) and pair them with the shoestring fries and Lemon Thyme sauce for dipping. You’re welcome. Photo: facebook.com/CityBirdOTRHitching Post
4535 Kellogg Ave., East End
“World’s Best Fried Chicken” is this diner’s claim to fame. The no-frills eatery also offers burgers and Tall Stacks (overstuffed double-decker sandwiches) in addition to traditional classics like meatloaf and liver and onions.
Photo via Facebook.com/HitchingPostKellogg Photo: facebook.com/HitchingPostKelloggLibby’s Southern Comfort
35 W. Eighth St., Covington
The menu at Libby’s Southern Comfort pays tribute to Southern classics with a touch of Charleston and features dishes like goetta hush puppies, oysters on the half shell and fried chicken. For brunch, try the Kentucky Breakfast Brown, made with goetta. In addition to food, Libby’s serves a wide drink menu that features vintage bourbons, Cheerwine bourbon slushes and Spiked Ice Coffee, among other options. Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 5 Best Chicken: Revolution Rotisserie
6063 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge
Must-try chicken dish: The Pollo A La Brasa is half a rotisserie chicken, made Peruvian style and served with cilantro lime rice, pickled red onion and aji verde. Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 4 Best Chicken: Ron’s Roost
3853 Race Road, Green Township
Must-try chicken dish: Get the Half Chicken Dinner; it comes with a chicken breast, leg, thigh and wing and two sides. Photo: facebook.com/Ron's Roost Restaurant & BarNo. 3 Best Chicken: Silver Spring House
8322 E Kemper Road, Symmes Township
Must-try chicken dish: Try the signature Spring House Sandwich; it’s made with a citrus-marinated chicken breast and can be served regular, barbequed or Cajun. You can also have it made as a wrap. Photo: Facebook/silverspringhouseGalactic Fried Chicken
624 Sixth Ave., Dayton
Former food truck Galactic Fried Chicken recently opened a brick-and-mortar in Northern Kentucky’s Dayton neighborhood, next door to Unataza Coffee. The restaurant, owned by Shane Coffey and his wife Kathy McDonald, serves fried chicken, chicken tenders and sandwiches, along with a variety of sides ranging from mac and cheese to deviled eggs, fries and salads. They also offer a vegetarian option of fried jackfruit nuggets.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 1 Best Chicken Sandwich: The Eagle OTR
1342 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Photo: facebook.com/TheEagleRestaurant