Pickin’ Some Chicken
Go beyond the chicken sandwich at these unconventional Pittsburgh restaurants
With the chaos of the holiday season and post-holiday slump approaching, here are five of our favorite chicken spots to find your new comfort food and fight off those winter blues. You'll note we avoided a lot of the big names here, instead focusing on minority-owned restaurants and outside-of-the-box experiences for a delicious chicken meal you can find Only In Pittsburgh.
Chicken Latino
Authentic Peruvian cuisine is the focus of this Beechview restaurant. After relocating in 2020 after more than a decade in the Strip District, owner Shelbin Santos appreciated the new spacious location with indoor/outdoor seating along with an opportunity to add the visual warmth of her native Peru with festive bright paint colors.
The restaurant’s signature chicken, Pollo a la Brasa, is marinated overnight and roasted in their authentic Peruvian oven. Grab some Sweet Fried Plantains or Crispy Yuca to complement the savory, tender chicken.
Flavors Famous Street Food
Dubbed by owner Curtis Drane as ‘Pittsburgh’s first and only Chicago Style Street Food concept,’ Flavors Famous opened in the Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood 2019. While their full-size fried wings and kid-friendly chicken tenders offer a dozen seasoning options from Chicago Mild Sauce to Wet Hot Cajun, they’re no slouch on the sandwiches either.
Italian Beef, plenty of sausage options, and the intriguingly named Jim or Gym Shoe Hoagie—a Chicago sandwich staple—make for more than enough to keep everyone happy.
Mad Chicken
One of the newest additions to downtown Pittsburgh, Mad Chicken is now open on Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. Focusing on organic, made-to-order chicken with roughly twenty dipping sauces to choose from, the co-owners believe, ‘Being born into the Egyptian culture, food was the main thing that brought our family and friends together, and we wanted to bring that passion and home feel for our customers as well.’
With late-night hours stretching past midnight Monday thru Thursday and until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, it makes for a great location to grab a bite after a show at one of the downtown theaters or a North Shore game.
Chick'n Bubbly
In prime starving college student territory, you’ll find this chicken coup in Oakland. Korean-style fried wings are the highlight with additional Asian-based items including Tatsuta Age, a Japanese fried chicken with a ginger flavor. There’s even takoyaki (deep-fried octopus in a ball shape) and fried pork dumplings.
Quench the heat of spicy chicken with an extensive list of boba tea—hence the ‘Bubbly’ part of its name—with adventurous flavors such as lychee, red bean and taro joining favorites like blueberry and peach.
Mandy's Pizza
It may seem like cheating to have a pizza place on a chicken list, but hear us out. With a universal love of chicken, it’s important that everyone gets a chance to enjoy, regardless of dietary restrictions or preferences. This West View location offers incredible vegan and allergen/gluten free options including Hot ’n Honey Chix, a house made, sweet habanero vegan grilled chicken along with traditional (non) wing offerings like buffalo, bbq and ranch style.
Not surprising given their name, but Mandy’s also has an extensive pizza list following these same guidelines, as well as traditional meaty fare on their menu for incredible variety.
