Pioneer Chicken

I will go out of my way to eat here. The chicken is amazing and juicy, not greasy, juicy. It’s very nostalgic for me since I remember it from when I was a kid. Same grear flavor and now I’ve got my kids hooked on it. I hope it never changes a thing.

I grew up near Pomona, home of Donahoo’s Chicken which is the standard to which I rate all of my fried chicken and Pioneer is right up there. Pretty damned good fried chicken and really damned good fried fish. Definitely better than KFC.
I got 4 piece legs and thighs and two strips of fried fish along with a side of mashed potatoes and beans. The batter on the chicken is just right, thick and crunchy/​crispy. The fried fish is super good. The fried fish is like double fried with thick oily batter. When you go to much nicer and more expensive hipster-​style restaurants in Downtown, Pioneer’s is the type of fried fish they are trying to emulate for twice the price. Tacos are to King Taco/Tito’s Tacos as Fried Chicken is to Pioneer Chicken.
If you’re fiending for some greasy fried chicken this is the spot.

I am happy to know that there is another one of these great Pioneer’s around!(The Best Being in Bell Gardens, Calif.) I come in a couple of Months ago and really look at the Menu and notice that some of the Original items (Like Gizzards and Livers) are not on their menu. Just the Gizzards! I order those And They taste great like from my Chlld hood! (The Store’s I use to go to back in the day were at Alvarado and 8^th st. I know the Chicken will be as good (Hopefully next time!)

This IS the BEST fried chicken in town! Pioneer is the OG of fried chicken! How can anyone not love Pioneer? I have introduced my friends & my young nephews to Pioneer & they absolutely love Pioneer! The batter is the BEST part of the chicken! My usual go to order is the fish & chips & of course a piece of chicken which is SO good! I just love the batter on the fish!
It’s great how inexpensive the prices are & also how they have awesome meal deals! Eating at Pioneer brings back many childhood memories! I am so glad I found this place & so happy that it’s close to work! I wish there could be more Pioneer, sadly Popeyes bought 99% of all the Pioneers out there! I like Popeyes, but it definitely can’t compare to Pioneer! If you have not tried Pioneer Chicken you are definitely missing out on what the BEST fried chicken taste like!

Had to pickup some Pioneer chicken being that we were in the neighborhood! I have not had any in many years, since the location in Echo Park on Sunset Blvd. closed!
My son had never had Pioneer either, and I had mentioned the gizzards years ago, he remembered so we ordered some.
Ahhh! The reddish hue of very crispy Pioneer chicken that I remembered as a kid! I remember it being spicier, but then again, I was a kid. It tasted delicious, and so did the gizzards!
This location is clean,(the windows were not even greasy), very well ventilated,(important for a place that deep frys), and accepts credit/​debit cards.
A very pleasant surprise!

This place is great. I had the chicken strip. Let me tell you I am glad I did. It’s definitely enough to feed two people. I also got a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. I accidentally dropped a strip in the mashed potatoes and was even better. I think I started something new. I recommend you try the strips with mashed potatoes and gravey. It’s the Bomb. 5 stars all around.

Pretty good chicken! Not the best I’ve ever had, but very respectable! Mashed potatoes were really good because the gravy was BOMB! I would describe this place as a run down Church’s chicken on appearance, but with slightly better taste on everything.

Im giving it 5 because it brings back memories and they haven’t changed the recipe at all. I like the fish. The store is exactly like i remember them. And the staff is cool. I really don’t know what else to say just really missed this place.

I had the chicken, and memories of the past came flooding back. It was like the 80s again!
I wish it were perfect, but it’s not… but where else will you go for Pioneer Chicken? There are only two old restaurants, and one newer food stand, left.

I been around Pioneer chicken since I was born. It’s just one of those places where you love to eat at. This place has been around for decades and it’s one of a kind. If you love crispy chicken than this place will solve your problem of hunger and craving. Great prices and good people. One of my favorite places to eat at hands down. GREASY GOODNESS!!!

Old school fast food, perfect when you are seriously craving fried chicken. Restaurant feels like a time warp, maybe 30 years in the past? Dinner was under $ 8 for 4 crispy chicken strips, salty mashed potatoes, sweet corn on the cob, and buttery biscuit. The guy behind the counter was so nice and everything tasted exactly how I was hoping. Way better than KFC or any of the other contenders. Cash only, they have an ATM. Easy parking lot. We’ll be back!

Crispy, has that wonderful flavor that Pioneer Fried Chicken is known for, and at prices that are very reasonable. $ 1.69 for a breast a la carte? That’s almost a dollar cheaper than most places like KFC and Popeye’s.
CASH Only at this location. Be sure to park in spaces not designated for business in the office building to the south of them.
Oh, and those booths, tables and chairs look like the original ones put in when the chain was at it’s most popular in the 1970s. Nice retro feel, if you’re into that.

Whenever my work sends me out to LA and I have time I try to swing by THIS location in particular. I have tried all 3 LA locations and this one on Soto St NAILS IT. It is like going back in time– they even have the orange whips, corn on the cob, and the bbq sauce in ON. The chicken strips were our family thing back in the 80’s and we would watch Night Rider and MacGyver– the strips here aren’t EXACTLY the same (shape/​consistency) but the flavor of both strips and bone-​in is as good as it gets.
Its clean, good customer service (bathroom is outside and requires a key– kinda bad neighborhood might want to hold it if you have to). Wish the chain would make a come back– waaaaaaay better than KFC or Popeye’s.

I’ve always loved this chicken since my dad got me hooked as a kid. This has to be one of the last standing if not THE last standing Pioneer chicken. It’s the coating that makes it taste oh so good! If you want a change from the colonel, Popeyes or Church’s this is the place. My lil ones love the chicken tenders and fries and I go for a 3 piece combo with spicy rice.

The food was awesome, but the dining area and building could use a upgrade.
Would definitely re-​visit.

I drive by the place all the time after work so I decided to give it shot. Had the 2 piece meal. Chicken was crunchy and hot. I liked the breading. Not too salty, just right. For the money and value, you can’t go wrong. I would go back again.

Cash Only!!! Ok let’s start with the sign outside, has not changed! I felt like it was 1985 again! Everyone was great!!! The place has not changed, same ol Pioneer Chicken and its great!
Ordered to go and had for dinner, had to reheat and was still excellent! We will eat there next time but oh man this place is worth the time to stop and enjoy the food!
Ordered the Economy plan meal and paid extra to have 6 breasts and 6 legs and 3 large sides, mashed potatoes with gravy, Spanish rice, fries, 6 pack of biscuits and one large orchata drink!
You won’t be sorry what you order here! Enjoy

Wow! Being a kid in the 80’s my family use to eat at Pioneer chicken all the time, it was our favorite chicken place, they use to be all over the place. why it was our favorite, because it’s just God darn good. For fried chicken, it’s not that greasy and the chicken is so juicy! Mashed potatoes and gravy were just right, not salty at all. The biscuits, well damn, they were warm and fresh, and not dry.
I actually been craving fried chicken, looked it up and to my suprise, they actually were still around! So, I had to drop by because I missed this place, wanted to avoid LA traffic, and was just straight out hungry.
So I get here and see the Old sign high up in the air, and you can tell, time and the elements have hit it, but it was beautiful, I missed it, being a child that could barely see over the window in the car, that sign was what you could clearly see if you drive by it. I walk in, and BAM! I’m back in 1980 something. the décor in there and menu is exactly the same. nostalgia I tell Ya’!
The food. Looks, taste exactly how I remember it. I bought the 2 piece special that came with a biscuit and Mash potatoes, Again it was just delicious. If you like fried chicken, and never had Pioneer’s, it a must you try, it’s pricey for fried chicken, but who cares, it doesn’t taste like anything else. Let’s hope they never take the remaining locations down. Best believe I will be coming back soon.

I think that you may have had to grow up on this stuff in order to appreciate it!
I am from New Zealand so I grew up eating Vegemite and Drinking Ribena, but most people that try either don’t like them, or actually find them disgusting… so I think of Pioneer as an acquired taste. I happen to have acquired that taste over on Devonshire and Balboa when I first came to America in 1980. Whenever my Mom would go shopping at the 24 hour Hughes Supermarket, she would let me get a chicken finger basket. Those delectable greasy orange colored sticks of processed chicken brought tears of joy to my childhood. Therefore Pioneer Chicken holds a dear place in my heart!
So yesterday someone put a post on Facebook asking if anyone remembers Pioneer… and my mouth started watering. Before I knew it, I had thrown my hair in a ponytail, put on my shades and drove to the Soto location.
I ordered the two piece special, which is a leg and a thigh with mashed potato and a biscuit. don’t remember how much it was but it’s cheap.3 or 4 bucks, and for memories sake I also ordered a chicken strip, not quite the same as the chicken fingers I had in my childhood but close enough…
I’m 39 now, so even I must admit the chicken is too greasy. Does it taste good? Well Hell yes, but afterwards I can feel the grease swishing around in my gut and that doesn’t feel that great! Would it stop me from returning to Pioneer Chicken? Hell NO! As long as there are any remaining Pioneers, I will remain a loyal fan.
I brought home a 9 piece chicken strips $ 11.99, and ate a few more, and gave one each to my Chihuahuas, who beyond appreciated the greasy orange colored salty goodness!!!
Long Live Pioneer Chicken! It’s the Bomb!

Oh man… This was my first time trying Pioneer Chicken since I was little and honestly, I should’ve just kept it buried in my memories because this place was a waste of money and calories.
Not only is the food overpriced like hell here, it just isn’t any good. Not only was our chicken cold, it tasted nasty. Tasteless, just like their mash potatoes, fries, and corn on the cob. Seriously, the corn here is probably the worst one ever served anywhere.
What really sealed it were the terrible attitudes of the workers here. I asked them if they can give me a smaller cup because our large drink was so huge it wouldn’t have fit in my car cup holder. They told me they are not able to give or sell a cup to me because it goes against company policy… Are they serious???