Greenpoint is overflowing with outstanding restaurants, and whether you’re craving pierogies, plant-based fare, or fried chicken, we’ve got you covered!
A great piece of fried chicken is juicy on the inside, hot and crispy on the outside, providing that incomparable crunch when you bite in. While Greenpoint outposts of chains like Pelicana and Kennedy Fried Chicken indeed offer some great deep fried poultry, several independent restaurants unique to the neighborhood are worth visiting for their special takes on fried chicken.
Whether you’re looking to tote a bucket of dark meat to Transmitter Park or sit down for an upscale fried chicken sandwich, visit these Greenpoint spots for some of the best fried chicken dishes in North Brooklyn.
Esme
Greenpoint’s patience throughout the pandemic is finally rewarded with the reopening of neighborhood favorite, Esme (999 Manhattan Ave.).
During brunch, find one Greenpoint’s best fried chicken dishes, Esme’s Fried Chicken Sandwich. It comes with red curry mayo, lettuce, and spicy onion, served on a potato roll. You can add bacon and white cheddar cheese, which you definitely should do.
Celebrate Esme’s reopening in the beautiful back garden. Esme is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday 6 to 10pm and serving brunch Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm.
Torst
Tørst (615 Manhattan Ave.) is primarily a bar with a long list of draft beers and natural wines. But if you’re drinking beer and suddenly realize you are ravenous for refined bar food, there’s no better place to be than Tørst.
The menu is not long, and it’s always being updated. This month, Tørst is serving a Chicken Katsu Sandwich with panko-crusted chicken, bergamot ponzu, pecorino Romano, and tats slaw on shokupan bread, served with a side of fries.
Tørst also has elevated bar snacks like an asparagus salad with chèvre and a chaser flatbread with pork belly, cucumber, mushrooms, and chilis.
Tørst is open Monday to Thursday from 2pm to 11pm and Friday through Sunday from noon to 11pm. They offer takeout and delivery.
Little Dokebii
Little Dokebi (85 Driggs Ave.) is a popular Korean restaurant overlooking McGolrick Park.
This cozy spot makes all of their dishes from scratch, including some excellent Korean Fried Chicken, which is double fried for maximum flavor and comes with pickled white mu radish. Different fried chicken flavors include soy ginger, Dokebi spice, and classic American Buffalo, served with blue cheese and carrots.
Other menu highlights include the Korean tacos and burritos. The tacos are made with corn tortillas, bean sprouts, lettuce, and radish, while the burritos are wrapped in a flour tortilla with bean sprouts, lettuce, radish, jasmine rice, and vegan three-bean chili.
Little Dokebi is open everyday from noon to 11pm. They offer takeout and delivery, and their fried chicken is also available at Kimchee Market.
Calexico
Calexico (645 Manhattan Ave.) is a family-owned chain, named for a small town on the border of California and Mexico, that started on a sidewalk in SoHo, selling tacos from a street cart. Now they have locations in New York, Detroit, and Bahrain.
The Greenpoint location is favorite for locals in the neighborhood looking for a fried chicken fix. It may surprise some that a Mexican spot serves fried chicken, but don’t let that stop you from grabbing one of the best fried chicken options in the area.
The Fried Chicken Taco consists of fried chicken, bacon, avocado, pickled serrano chiles, pico de gallo, and chipotle buttermilk sauce on a flour tortilla. It’s contains just the right amount of spice. The menu also features a variety of Mexican favorites like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. They also have rolled quesadillas, salads, and a kids menu.
Calexico is normally open daily from noon to 10pm, however right now, they only offer takeout and delivery. When the restaurant reopens, grab a table in the outdoor garden in the back.
Anella
Anella (222 Franklin St.) is a cozy and inviting restaurant favored by locals in Greenpoint. Anella has a varied menu with traditional yet elevated American food, and a welcoming back patio. It’s the kind of spot that is perfect for a weekday date and also for Sunday brunch with the kids.
Brunch could be the best time to try Anella because it’s the only time the restaurant serves the The Fried Chicken Biscuit. This dish consists of delicious fried chicken, a warm biscuit, jalapeño honey butter, white gravy, and comes with french fries. Part of what makes this fried chicken dish so great is the warm and flaky biscuit it is sandwiched between.
Anella serves dinner Thursday through Saturday 5:30 to 10pm and brunch Saturday 12 to 4pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm. They also offer takeout.
Acre
Acre (64 Meserole Ave.) is a unique Japanese restaurant near the Post Office. The space is sleek and modern but also feels warm and inviting, somewhat similar to the food.
In the morning, you can grab a slice of homemade banana bread or a chocolate croissant. The lunch and dinner menus feature one of Greenpoint’s best fried chicken deals.
The Japanese Fried Chicken Karaage Bento Box contains Shoyu-Koji marinated fried chicken with a creamy sauce. The box comes with rice, salad and an appetizer that rotates daily. You can also get Fried Chicken Karaage as a side from the lunch and dinner menus. The lunch menu also features a breakfast burrito and a scrumptious Japanese egg salad sandwich.
Acre is open everyday from 8am to 4pm and recently started serving dinner Thursday to Saturday 4 to 8pm. They offer delivery and takeout.
Peeps Kitchen
For a 100% Greenpoint exclusive, look no further than Peeps Kitchen (55 McGuinness Blvd.). It’s an unassuming spot on the border of Williamsburg that has gained a cult following for the care they put into making the delivery orders arrive fresh, crispy and hot.
One of the most popular orders is the Peeps Gang Jeong, which is boneless stir fry chicken in a gang jeong sauce, topped with sesame seeds and almonds. It is extra crispy and saucy, gaining it a spot on this list.
The menu also features traditional wings, boneless thighs, drumsticks, and a chicken sandwich, plus a selection of sauces like soy garlic or chicken scallion sauce.
Peeps is open Monday through Friday 4pm to midnight and Saturday noon to midnight. They offer takeout and delivery.
Criminal to leave The Minnows off this list, theirs is amazing!