Awesome Chicken and Great Hospitality
Today, I stopped at Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken for the first time for lunch, and I was impressed the second I walked through the door when the manager greeted me. After he handed me a menu and welcomed me to sit at any of the available tables, I decided to keep it simple by going à la carte and ordered two "dark" pieces. Initially, I was going to order my pieces cooked "Homestyle," but the cashier persuaded me to get two pieces cooked that way and have the other piece cooked with one of the "Sweet Spicy" sauces (I played it safe and went with the mild version). I got my order within under five minutes (it might have been three) and it didn't disappoint.
SIDE NOTE: I arrived at Uncle Lou's just before 11:00 a.m., the restaurant's opening time. Therefore, I was its first customer that day.
First, I started with the thigh that was cooked with the mild "Sweet Spicy" sauce. The sauce was in fact sweet but not overwhelming like the typical "sweet and sour" sauce that one can find at most Chinese take-out joints. It had a blending of sweetness with just the right amount of seasoning to make it, well, "Sweet Spicy." As I was eating it, I imagined myself eating a bunch of chicken wings with this sauce. This made me realize that Uncle Lou's is better than most of wing joints in Memphis.
As for the other pieces, the "Homestyle" was quite spicy and very hot (burnt my tongue when I bit into it). The taste was similar to Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, but maybe a tad bit spicier. However, unlike Gus's, which usually takes about forty-five minutes to fulfill an order, Uncle Lou's had my order ready immediately (during lunch hours, the wait time is about twenty minutes).
In summary, Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken cooks some of the finest fried chicken in Memphis. Compared to the better known Gus's, Uncle Lou's can more than hold its own. Plus, the service is much better, although Gus's will argue that their chicken is better because it is fresher due to the order being prepared when received. However, customer service is an important part of any business, and Uncle Lou's delivers. Gus's should be fortunate that it's not competing side-by-side with Uncle Lou's, because it is a formidable competitor.
A Decent Burger
I recently had the ⅓ lb. cheeseburger at Uncle Lou's, and while the service was up to it's usual standards, the burger was at best average. As much as people rave about its Monster Burger, the Jumbo Cheeseburger was average. With its Black Angus beef patty, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard, it was average in terms of taste. While I'm not criticizing, I expected more given all the hype about Uncle Lou's burgers. That said, I will go there again if I'm the neighborhood and craving for a decent, unspectacular burger.
Website: UncleLousFriedChicken.com
First review was originally posted on Urbanspoon on July 12, 2010
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