Thank you for the immediate and generous response!
It may take me another year to get back though since I live nowhere close!

I've stopped by twice now and sampled the range of options except Extra Hot and the milkshake. Everything has been excellent and is by far my favorite, the chicken is superior to The Roost which I had in between my two visits. Definitely my favorite hot chicken sandwich as well and medium heat was perfect with the slaw and mayo but still a pleasant numbing effect on the lips. The fried chicken was perfectly crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside and perfectly spiced naked and only enhanced by making it hot. The sides are all top notch, I wish the slaw was available as a side option though. I noticed last week that they are already delivering through Grubhub now, not sure of the boundaries though.

My only other comment is in all of the lead up, the articles talked about the chicken being cooked to order and to expect to wait 15 minutes. Both times I stopped (between 5:30 and 6:00), the restaurant was empty and my food was being assembled within 5 minutes of ordering and I was out of there in less than 10 minutes. Definitely not the same definition of cooked to order as The Roost where 15 minutes is the quickest I ever got my order.

The insanely talented Jonathan Zaragoza just posted on Facebook that he has left The Budlong.

watson wrote:The insanely talented Jonathan Zaragoza just posted on Facebook that he has left The Budlong.

I wouldn't be too worried. Having eaten Jared's hot chicken a few times prior to opening, I have no worries that it will be any different.

I wouldn't be too worried. Having eaten Jared's hot chicken a few times prior to opening, I have no worries that it will be any different.

No worries at all - I'll be at the helm in the kitchen until further notice. Chicken recipe will be the same, sides may change slightly.

laikom wrote:I wouldn't be too worried. Having eaten Jared's hot chicken a few times prior to opening, I have no worries that it will be any different.

Yes, same as laikom, no worries at all that the chicken will change. In other words, it will stay spicy, hot and delicious.

Budlong Nashville Hot Chicken, Count me a Fan!

One order, delivered to our place via GrubHub, made it pretty clear that The Budlong is the real deal. If it can be this good on a delivered basis, that's a very good sign. We tried the Hot, Nashville Hot and X-Hot (in various forms) and they were all delicious and worth ordering again. I liked that the chicken itself was flavorful but not over-brined. Underneath the tasty skin, the chicken actually tasted like chicken. Hallelujah!

I enjoyed the sides we tried, too. Elote was perfectly tender, savory and mildly spicy. Red-skinned Potato salad (named after the NFL team? ) -- not usually my thing -- was tasty and better than most - maybe a bit too much celery for me. The Black Eyed Peas were tasty, too. They were tender without being mushy and I really enjoyed the vinegar. As for the gigantic and polarizing biscuits . . . I really enjoyed them. The texture was quite hard, relative to other biscuits I've had. They actually resembled scones in appearance but the flavor was there right from the very first bite. Really untraditional. In fact, if I'd been served these without knowing what they were, I may not have identified them as biscuits. But again, great flavor, even without the herb butter drizzle they were served with. I actually didn't mind that aspect but I would have love to have tried them with some unflavored butter.

One nit-pick: I liked the chicken component of the chicken sandwich but felt the chicken itself got a bit lost under the garlic aioli and slaw. It was a bit busy but I appreciated that they were going for something bold and distinctive. It just didn't work for me.

I can't wait to check it out in person. I'm not in that part of town very often but maybe after the next Cubs game I attend . . ?

=R=

Budlong's hitting on all eight cylinders, juicy spicy crispy chicken, tender flavorful greens, black eye pea salad with a palate refreshing hint of acidity and fast friendly service.

No problem parking, there were at least 3 spots open right in front of Budlong Broadway at 2pm, and a perfect day for eating outside.



The Budlong, Count me a Fan!

Planning to visit Budlong for the first time tonight. Is it BYOB? I'm having a little trouble finding out.

Stopped in this weekend. I liked their chicken a lot. Very nicely fried and all the components really came together in the sandwich. I dislike the need to enrobe everything in a brioche bun, but that didn't hinder the excellence here.

I was not as enamored with the sides (we tried them all). They were competent but only the bean salad stood out in my mind.

Also I can't say that the Nashville flavor is doing much for me and I found even their HOT level pretty tame. However, I can't deny their ability to fry a chicken.

Planning to visit Budlong for the first time tonight. Is it BYOB? I'm having a little trouble finding out.

Hope I'm not too late, but yes - we are BYOB..

The Budlong is on GrubHub! Had a photo shoot the other day and we ordered out. I grabbed the Hot Chicken Sandwich (X-Hot), and the Vanilla Bourbon Milkshake.

Even delivery, the delicious chicken sandwich remained crispy! I will say, the X-Hot may be one of the ten spiciest things I've ever had. Practically downed my milkshake in one slurp. They are not kidding.

It actually burned me twice.

You win, Budlong.

incite wrote:The Budlong is on GrubHub! Had a photo shoot the other day and we ordered out. I grabbed the Hot Chicken Sandwich (X-Hot), and the Vanilla Bourbon Milkshake.

Even delivery, the delicious chicken sandwich remained crispy! I will say, the X-Hot may be one of the ten spiciest things I've ever had. Practically downed my milkshake in one slurp. They are not kidding.

It actually burned me twice.

You win, Budlong.

LOL, yes. See my post above. GrubHub + Budlong = Good

=R=

hoppy2468 - sorry to hear about your inaugural trip out.. Our supplier didn't drop birds in time for us to dry brine, slurry, and batter them for lunch service. We made the tough choice to not shortcut our system and serve a less-than-our-standard bird at lunch... we did have some butterfly breasts in stock early AM, so we started the day with only sandwiches and the 5 sides. We got back on our normal system by about 4pm. Stop by again, I'll buy you lunch. Ask for Jon or Jared.

I'll stop by before the Cubs game tomorrow 9/2. See ya then!

Unfortunately it sounds like the drama with Phil Tadros has not ended and has claimed the Lakeview location of the Budlong as a victim.

As both a neighbor and a big fan of fried chicken, I am sad to see this happen as it means another vacancy in the Clark/Diversey/Broadway area. It does sound though like the Budlong brand will live on.

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/9/27/1307 ... -bow-truss

I've had to keep my comments short re: Budlong/Tadros - but I will say this: Budlong is in fine health, and will be open again at 1008 W. Armitage in a month or so. We had to close the Broadway location to 100% separate from Phil Tadros, to allow me to operate my brand We're still open in Revival, and the Armitage location is a short drive from Lakeview (and 1 block from the Armitage El Stop). Come see us soon!

-Jared Leonard
Owner, The Budlong

That's a huge bummer and it's a shame that access to such great food will be limited until the Lincoln Park and Lincoln Square locations open.

From the times I've (briefly) interacted with him in person and the fact that he posts regularly here, Jared seems like a stand up guy and the facts look to be on his side. Tadros will likely spew an endless stream of bullshit, so hopefully a legal resolution is quick so that Budlong can move on.

Jared, best of luck to you, these business splits happen. What is the status of the planned location in Lincoln Square on Western?

Jared, best of luck to you, these business splits happen. What is the status of the planned location in Lincoln Square on Western?

The long and short of it - we still intend to open in Lincoln Square. If the building owner at 4619 N Western isn't finished with construction by the time we open Lincoln Park, we'll look at other locations in the area. We love Lincoln Square and very much still intend to open there....

Phil Tadros is at it again - he's suing Jared Leonard (AKA rubbbqco) over the closure of the Budlong at 2928 N. Broadway, and the ownership of the Budlong business, citing ". . .breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. . .".

Phil Tadros is at it again - he's suing Jared Leonard (AKA rubbbqco) over the closure of the Budlong at 2928 N. Broadway, and the ownership of the Budlong business, citing ". . .breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. . .".

Yes, he certainly did. I won't go into great detail, but lesson learned: if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck - throw it in the smoker !

At the end of this, team Budlong & I will be fine - but it certainly has been a circus dealing with him. He's made a lot of enemies in this industry, and doesn't seem to mind. It's in the hands of qualified attorneys now, my main goal is to let it bother me as little as possible, and focus on our restaurants. Back to fried chicken & BBQ....

A related tangent . . . good news for coffee fans in Chicago?

TV Host Marcus Lemonis Now Owns Bow Truss Coffee

Chicago just received a jolt of news, as Marcus Lemonis, the entrepreneur and host of TV’s The Profit, has reportedly purchased a majority stake of Bow Truss Coffee Roasters. Founder Phil Tadros confirmed the news, which was first reported by Crain’s. Neither party disclosed the purchase price.

=R=

As a courtesy to Jared and The Budlong, I've started a new thread about Bow Truss, Phil Tadros, etc. here:

Bow Truss, Phil Tadros, etc.

=R=

Budlong Lincoln Square, 4619 N. Western Ave., is licensed and will open by the end of the month

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017031 ... ed-leonard

rubbbqco wrote:

Planning to visit Budlong for the first time tonight. Is it BYOB? I'm having a little trouble finding out.

Hope I'm not too late, but yes - we are BYOB..

I take it this is true for the Western location, too? Congratulations on the opening! Can only imagine it has been a challenging process, hopefully mitigated by the successes of the other locations while this one was gestating.

Yes, Lincoln square is also BYOB...

rubbbqco wrote:Yes, Lincoln square is also BYOB...

Thank you, Jared. Had a delicious meal tonight with a bottle of prosecco, hot dark's, collards, mac & cheese, and a biscuit. (And now I'm feeling guilty since I also posted on the Passover thread.) Congratulations, again! So glad to have you in the neighborhood. -Shari

Thank you, Jared. Had a delicious meal tonight with a bottle of prosecco, hot dark's, collards, mac & cheese, and a biscuit. (And now I'm feeling guilty since I also posted on the Passover thread.) Congratulations, again! So glad to have you in the neighborhood. -Shari

Thanks for stopping in... I was at a Pit-to-Plate @ BBQ Supply last night, but chef said it was happily busy... thanks for the warm welcome to the neighborhood (finally)...

Jared

I'm not sure which Budlong location prepares Caviar.com deliveries to Logan Square but a recent order was quite possibly the best food delivery I've ever had. And considering some of my previous experiences with Caviar, I certainly wasn't expecting it. Unlike so many other orders placed through Caviar, not only was this order not delivered late, it was actually 10 minutes early. I was shocked . . . SHOCKED!

As for The Budlong's part, it could not have gone better. Everything we ordered was actually delivered. The packaging they use, mostly paperboard clam shells, is perfect for the application. Our food arrived in stellar condition . . . hot, still crispy and, as an extra bonus, looking beautiful. Even the pickle slices were still sitting nicely atop the glistening leg quarters. I really was pleased to see it. Everything we ordered was excellent. The chicken (the aforementioned pieces and a well-made sandwich), the biscuits, the greens, the slaw . . . just excellent across the board.

I'd just about sworn off Caviar but I had so many credits from all the gaffes they'd made in the past, I decided to place one last order just to use up the credits. The Budlong performed so well, they pulled Caviar right out the fire. But still, next time I'm going to eat there. I'm actually excited to experience it in person.

=R=

FYI, the delicious expanded menu of sides available at the other two Budlong's is now also available at the Revival location. Only downside is that the beans that used to be sold at Revival are gone (and I thought they were darned good). Still, I'll gladly trade the beans for those terrific collards.