Downtown Lunch: Mobile Fried Chicken

For some reason there are a lot of lunch’ers outside of Midtown who read this blog.  And even more surprisingly, it has caused some people to actually say they wish they worked in Midtown, so they could eat at some of the places I’ve written about.  Let me speak for everyone who works in this hell hole when I say- you people are insane.  That being said, I’ve decided to allow some of these people to make us jealous, by writing about a lunch in a different area.  The workers of Downtown New York seem to be the most vocal, so this week I turn the site over to Yvo, a downtown lunch’er, and Midtown Lunch reader, who also has a blog of her own (The Feisty Foodie).

Reason for jealousy?  We’ve got a lot of carts and trucks in Midtown.  But none of them serve fried chicken!  Why don’t we have a fried chicken truck.  Wah!!!!!!

You Midtown Lunch’ers think you have it bad.  Try working Downtown.  Any small jewel found in the dregs of Downtown gets me excited… so I was delighted to finally try Mobile Fried Chicken.  What a genius concept; fried chicken in a truck.  Can you imagine anything better?  The execution is a little flawed, but who cares.  It’s fried chicken in a truck, and ever since I began working on Water Street, I’ve had to walk by that smell of delicious fried food every day.  I love fried pretty much anything, although I draw the line at deep fried Oreos and Twinkies.  Something about that skeeves me, but I’m sure one day I will give in…

I got there at a bit past 1, and there was a decent line- but it moves fairly quickly.

What Yvo got, and more Fried Chicken Truck porn, after the jump…

As you can see, they have other stuff besides fried chicken – fish & chips, wings, shrimp… but I stuck to what I was there for and ordered a number 7- two pieces of chicken, fries and a soda for $5.50.  Unfortunately, the guy kept asking me questions after I ordered that I couldn’t hear– he spoke very low and all I did was nod when I heard the word fries and respond “Diet Coke” when I heard “Soda?”  So I’m not sure if you can actually pick what pieces of chicken you get.


All this for $7!

‘course, being a pleasantly plump girl myself (not quite a fat man, but somewhat equivalent!), this didn’t make a difference as the two pieces I received were the drumstick and… the thigh.  Yum!

My food came faster than the two people who ordered in front of me, but only because they just pulled my items out of the warming oven in the truck.  My major complaint at this point was that despite the box being flimsy, the guy still chose to shove it into the brown bag sideways and then stand it up on one end.  My fries, during the block-and-a-half-walk to the water to sit next to Pier 11, promptly fell right out of the box so that when I pulled the box out, it was half empty with my fries all on the bottom of the sack.  I shrugged and emptied the sack out into the box, so the above IS all the food that was given me.  I wish I’d heard him and been able to tell him I didn’t want the roll; I wound up feeding it to the seagulls that were circling me.  (Bad idea, by the way, because then they came closer and closer and were ready to tear me apart for my french fries.)

I also got a side of macaroni salad for $1.50.  So not worth it; this was gummy, oversweet and uninteresting.  Plus I kept getting paranoid about the mayo in the sun but I guess that’s my fault.

The outside is super crispy, though a bit bland; the chicken was juicy but could use some pumping up- maybe with some hot sauce.  The fries also lacked in the salt arena.  I mean, I understand people like to watch their salt intake, but at this point, you’re eating fried chicken, you may as well have some salt with that oil, no???  Just some seasoning in their flour dredge and this place would have a line 3 times as long.

But one of the great things about the location is that after you’ve bought your food, you can walk two blocks to the water and there are plenty of benches by Pier 11 (further south than South Street Seaport) to sit and eat while you enjoy the sun and a nice breeze off the water.

While this isn’t the best fried chicken you’ll ever eat, it is definitely munchable, and they have plenty of other offerings I’ve yet to try.  There is always a line, and though the fried chicken seems to be the quickest, it doesn’t even seem to be the biggest draw.  Most people appeared to be ordering sandwiches or wings, which I must try next time.  Maybe even some of the seafood!  At $5.50 for two pieces of fried chicken, fries and a soda, the prices are extremely reasonable (mine was $7, only because my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I ordered the mac salad!).  There are also a few desserts on the menu.

There aren’t many things sweeter than fried chicken from a truck, and you really can’t beat the location; grab your food and walk two blocks to sit on the water and soak up some rays during your lunch hour!  ~Yvo

Mobile Fried Chicken, Old Slip btw. Water & Front, Downtown New York City Map

Do you work somewhere outside of Midtown, and want to write up one of your favorite lunch spots?  Email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

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20 Comments

  • that was a great review, I particularly enjoy the pictures.

  • I really think its time for a Downtown lunch blog… for the sake of my wife, please!

  • I work in downtown Chicago right on the border of Greektown and UIC. When I stay in midtown west I can find at least 5 average-good places for lunch in a 3 block radius, here I can find nothing except for a Chicago thin crust pizza parlor with a crazy italian guy.

    Yes, I am to lazy to walk another 5 blocks to a good Greek place or college student restaurant.

    So be happy about living in the semi-food hell (hells kitchen) place called midtown.

  • fried chicken truck is a thing of beauty…i think the truck food trend is blowing up right now, I live in w’burg / g’point and i see dessert trucks, smoothie tucks and of course coffee trucks. Its the new restaurant. Rent is too high, so put it in a truck, i can’t wait to see one with seating. i think I need to take a Ferris Bueller Day Off and hit that fried chicken truck downtown.

    http://www.ilsvont.com

  • hmmmmm salmonella on wheels

  • great idea zach! i work in downton now but got hooked to ur blog when i used to work in midtown….having worked in both areas, let me just say midtown is food heaven compared to the slim pickins down here…..oh how i miss kati roll, minar, and the kwik meal carts (the best falafels!)

  • [ils vont said: I live in w’burg / g’point and i see dessert trucks, smoothie tucks and of course coffee trucks.]

    I live in Greenpoint and I’ve never seen a truck other than those carrying industrial waste! Where are the friendly, food-related trucks??

  • Rudy – don’t hate cuz you don’t have this in London or wherever you really are. :P

  • True, in London we still throw shit into the streets and burn witches.

    Ive never seen a horseless carridge before.

    Once again your typing,given the position of your head, is really rather decent.

  • All this food-truck talk reminds me… when I lived in Warsaw one summer, there was an all-night food bus that parked in the center of town. You entered and got cheap, delicious food at a counter, and there was even seating on the bus. It was seriously the best thing ever after a night out… if this concept were transferred to midtown, I feel like it would be even better than the late-night chicken and rice cart.

  • Have a nice weekend everyone!!!

    well….nearly everyone :)

  • Does anyone else wonder if Rudy has the hots for Yvo in a 2nd grade tease the girl kind of way?

  • I know this is totally off topic but Rudy is like the Crying Game of Midtown Lunch. He’s in London, but reads a NYC food blog, sometimes he claims to be ‘Nancy’ and he’s got the personality of like 4 separate ppl. I have a feeling if we were ever to lay eyes on dear Rudy, we’d be in for quite a surprise.

  • Peggy:

    I live in G’point but I only see the trucks in the Bedford are north and south of north 7th. Keep and eye out and if you see one tell them to come north.

    http://www.ilsvont.com

  • Sarah,Im not Bipolar. and we’re both of me adament about that.

  • screw you guys who work downtown and are complaining. i live down there, and wish that some of this stuff was open while I was actually home! Mobile Fried chicken! Roti Truck! Sohpie’s Cuban, Bon bon chicken, come on! Anyone work down there and want to trade jobs for a month? I’m on 59th and Lex.

  • Zack- where is the roti truck and Bon Bon Chicken?! You see, WE DON’T HAVE A NIFTY WEBSITE LIKE MIDTOWN LUNCH TO TELL US WHERE >:T so please share :)

  • Sorry for the furor:

    Here’s bonbon http://www.bonbonchicken.com/

    They’ll deliver down to the Wall St. area if you aren’t up for the walk.

    The roti truck I think is on Front St. between Maiden and Pine.

    Good luck!

  • The food, the pictures, the boxes, the sideways placement, that is completely identical to the Kennedy Fried Chicken that is my next door neighbor on 14th and B.

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