Fryer Tuck Chicken

If you like really really bland fried chicken then this is your place. First time last time

We’ve been coming to this location for 34+ years and its always excellent. Love their chicken and Little John Spuds!!! I’ve been eating FT chicken since the mid-​sixties and for me, this is the best of its kind. The owner cares very deeply about the business and it shows; excellent kitchen staff (we always do take-​out) makes it even more satisfying.

Something is awfully wrong about how this place is being ran. While the chicken is good, the service is awful. I love chicken. I love their fried chicken but when there’s only two people on the floor with one at the bar just taking her time and not helping out the busy floor. Something needs to change.
The regulars seem to be pretty predatory of their parking spot. Imagine a dinosaur growling at you. That’s how I witnessed it.
This place is a mess.

3.0
Located Between Hillsdale and the village near the JCC.
Fryer Tuck Chicken and Cider Mill is one in the same.
The chicken window/​counter is in the front and is attached to the cider mill restaurant lounge.
There is table service for chicken dinners in the cider mill lounge. Well… sort of.
As per the chicken:
The fried chicken is ok. 3.25÷5 star I have had better. It has medium thick and crunchy breading they need to increase their use of seasoning and it tasted like they forgot to add salt to the recipe. It just didn’t «pop.» The jojo/​potato wedges called little John spuds. There is nothing little about them. A large order is big enough for 4 people. Where do they find potatoes as big as my forearm? They are breaded and fried with the same coating as the chicken. They are OK. They charge for their dill dipping sauce which does have salt that helps boost the flavor of the JoJo/​wedges.
The baked beans 2.7÷5 star were on the sweet side. Heavy with brown sugar and maybe a splash of bourbon. I prefer tangy baked beans. Next time I will order these I will add ketchup and hot sauce to em.
The potato salad ⁴⁄₅ star was very good. It would be even better if the potatoes were cooked just a couple of minutes longer. The potato salad was prob the best thing we ordered here.
The mini pizza. ¹⁄₅ star come on! This is like a frozen kids pizza heated up and served. No creativeness here.
They have a decent selection of beers. My Mr was happy with their choices.
The CiderMill friday night– dark, dive-​y, weird, seedy, dramatic.
The whole place is very dive-​y and a little on the seedy side. Really run down 1970’s vibe.
Prob the last time it was remodeled was the 70’s. Reminds me of Pub at the End or The old Hi Hat or some of the dives they had near campus during my college days.
The place is filled with TV screens showing sports events. They have bands and Karaōke on the weekends. This place is bigger than it looks. They even have a patio off to the side.
The clientele for this Friday night were mostly age 50+ with fashion and hair that have not evolved since the late 70’s early 80’s. Snuff rubbers, non ironic trucker hats, wranglers, etc.
My husband hails from Appalachian mountains, so these people look like some of his hometown characters.
These patrons are prob a regulars that have been coming there since the 70 – 80’s. This place is nothing like the surrounding area in which it sits. This is a time machine to old, old Portland. Pre gentrification.
Most people crowded around the front bar. The staff seem to focus in and around the front bar and ignored the back dining room.
Back dining room– 30 something males with twinges of hipster fashion and huge backpacks playing pool. Very aggressively flirty… and will make a move if your husband gets up to visit the very dingy bathroom.
We sat there in the dining room 20 min until finally my husband went to the front to find out what was going on. I guess there was high drama with some regulars. I guess this was taking up all of their time. Well… this is what they told us when they apologized to us later. I not sure that this is not a regular thing as per the other reviews. The staff only focus on the bar area and not the dining room. Sad for the KJ karaōke or the bands that patrons go to see and they can’t get service in the backroom.
Dear owner, I wonder how much money you have lost because people walk out due to not getting any service? Hire more people to cover peak times. People who care and not just cater to regular barflies. New barflies can become regulars with the right attitude and service.
We might go back there sometime. Decent beer selection. Many characters for people watching. I might like to try the potato wedges again and maybe their slaw. There were only 2 other people singing Karaōke and we got to sing many, many, tracks.
Bring your own wet naps. Finger lickin’ a-​ok.

Really really good fried chicken! The pitchers of beer are a good deal around 12 $. The service isn’t always the best but the chicken is worth it. Courtney is my favorite! Ask for her!

Okay.
Our friends decided to come here for a UYE event one of them put on. Excited for the chicken as I LOVE fried chicken… we left pretty disappointed. We showed up with about 6 of us and there was only a bartender and 1 server for this whole place (seems pretty ridiculous for it being pretty large and there was a band playing… and it was nice outside so the patio was full).
I ordered at the bar not knowing there was even a server around until she eventually came out like 15 minutes later and said they would transfer my tab (which never happened).
Apparently, we didn’t order fast enough… well one of us snuck one in there… but not soon after that, our server disappered for almost ½ hour. The bartender had brought out some drinks and said she was in the back? It wasnt until later we found out that the owner or manager decided to pull her aside to have a chat… in the middle of dinner rush and shes the only server? SMART. She then returned telling us that food was going to take an hour… what do you only have 1 fryer/​cook? I get it, it was busy but its seems that the place was just being run a little poorly at the time being.
She did her best (she seemed pretty annoyed when she got back, given) and brought out another round for us as requested but we were pretty down that we didn’t get to order any food and decided to go somewhere else to eat.
The food that was ordered was shared among most of us and it was actually pretty good so I’d like to come back and try again maybe at another time and give their rating another chance, but the fact that the series of events basically led to such disappointment and us leaving to eat else where marks my current rating.

I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from this quaint little place, and it’s much less of a restaurant and more of a bar than I had guessed. However, this didn’t take away from the quality of the food, let alone the service. We seated ourselves and within a few minutes we were asked for our drink order, and we ordered our food at the same time. The beer was cold and the Long Island was mixed well. There was a bit of a wait for the fried chicken, but the server was kind enough to make us aware so we weren’t left hanging. We ok’d the wait, because why come to a place famous for their chicken and not get their chicken right?
Unsure of the portion sizes and seeing as how I was so hungry I could eat a horse, we opted for the chicken dinner for 4. Big mistake… Or was it a big blessing? We now have enough chicken, jojos, Cole slaw and potato salad for both lunch and dinner tomorrow as well. The portions were generous and none of it was soggy or covered in grease, which was a pleasant surprise. Our meal was brought out in a large «tub» which had enough room for all of our grub, and realistically with the amount of food it was the only logical choice for a dish. We dug in and were greeted by moist and tender chicken with good flavor. The potato salad and Cole slaw were equally tasty.
We ate what we could, and boxed up the rest. There was just no way we could finish that much chow. We will definitely be returning for more of their chicken, although next time we may remember how huge their serving sizes are. Great job all around from start to finish!

It’s been a while since we tried this Multnomah standby, our last experience was very disappointing, and the owner started an email feud with me over my review.
However, a craving for fried chicken came over me and the wife recently and I decided to give Fryer Tuck’s another chance. We ordered the meal for 2, four pieces of fried chicken, fries, rolls and a side. Sorry to have to report that there’s been little to no change in the intervening years. The 20 minute wait we were told a to-​go order would take stretched to 50 minutes, the kitchen forgot to pack our side of beans, there was a hair in the breading on the limp, incredibly greasy jojo potatoes, the chicken which used to be notably huge pieces, now sized average to small, was burnt tasting and dry inside. Hopefully someday someone will bring quality fried chicken back to the SW Barbur/​Multnomah area. For now, you’ll hjave to drive to East Burnside.

The last vestige of a once mighty Portland fried chicken chain… and it’s attached to a charming dive bar. The chicken… is incredible. I would argue that they are among the best on the west side, if not the entire city. It’s flavorful, it’s moist, and it’s tender. Their garlic fries and gizzards/​livers are where they shine. Show up early in the day or they will mist likely be out of those delicious organ meats. The taplist is decent, the regulars are adorably quirky, and the staff is positively incredible. Oh, they do takeout, too. If you find yourself on the westside craving some old school fried chicken (you know, the wonderful, heavy, greasy stuff that requires a nap afterwards.) you need to check ‘em out.

Once a year, my wife and I make our pilgrimage to Fryer Tuck’s. The most awesome chicken meal, always worthwhile and we always look forward to it.

So yesterday my friend and I decided to go here for lunch.
We got an order of mozzarella sticks and two small orders of chicken tenders or chicken strips.
We got 10 mozzarella sticks and at least 10 chiken strips for 18 $.
They were all not the chicken was flavorful and crispy but very juce and tender and way more food then we expected not only did I have enough to take home to my honey but I gave enough for lunch today as well. And it still tastes great heating it up in the toaster oven.
The location isn’t fancy and could use so updating but the food was great.
I’ll be going again.

It’s fried chicken, in the tradition of the classic Portland chicken joint that this is the last example of, co-​located with the Cider Mill, a dive bar to end all dive bars.
It’s not quick. Henny Penny fryers take a hot minute to cook, and they use big, juicy Draper Valley chicken pieces, so you’re gonna wait a little longer for a cooked bird but once you take a bite you’ll get why. It’s perfectly juicy, from the first bite to the last, just like in the old days. Also, jojos. If you’re not from here, you may not «get» jojos, though most of the West Coast seems to. They’re one way to cook a potato, and personally I think it among the best ways.
The bar next door will pour you generous glasses of wine and has a pretty competent beer list for a dive. Much like the Ranger in St. Jentrificatiohn’s, it’s an old dive with good prices and great in-​house chicken.
For the record, the Fryer Tuck chain used to be mighty. Don’t miss the real highlight of this joint, though, the dip for your jojos. It doesn’t spare the dill or the cool and creamy. Portions are large, yes even by Portland standards, and the service is real and great. You might not get the unlimited butt-​kissing you want, but if you want that go somewhere that tries too hard.
Fryer Tuck’s never tries too hard. It;‘s just right.

So my wife and I disagree on this one but if you can accept that you are eating fried chicken and you probably won’t go for a run right afterwards then you should check this place out. They cook this fresh so it take awhile. Call ahead and bring the box of happiness home. Also the spuds are battered behemoths of potato that are a wonderfully dipping stick for the tasty dill ranch sauce. The baked beans are pretty good too. The bar next door is a bit divey but you can sit out back in the summer.

Ols school Portland fried chicken goodness.
Just had a work fuction catered at the office. All the goods dropped off hot and fresh!
Man that’s some good chicken and taters! Just like I remeber them as a kid. There was a lot of happy folks heading back to their desks.

I’m another who has a long-​term, intermittent, relationship with Fryer Tuck.
For me, I would travel a long way for dipping sauce — the Jo-Jo’s are exactly what I think of when you say Jo-​Jo, okay so far, a 5… the chicken, is… alright, it’s fried chicken, it’s kinda bland for me, nothing special. I come here for the Jo-Jo’s and that dip, did I mention the dip? Get the dip!

If I could give this place less stars I would. Shame on them for making something delicious like fried chicken disgusting. Why does this place even exist, is it a drug front?

Gloriously slow. The chicken and potatoes take forever. Henry Penny cookers are not quick. But the chicken here is fantastic, the potatoes are amazing and huge orders! This is a venerable spot is an in-​the-​know Portlandia tradition. A little treasure you’ve got to find if you’ve never been!

A rock solid 4.
Fryer Tuck and I go back a long ways. I remember my grandparents bringing me here in the 1960s. My first time eating jo-​jos was here and in my mind, I always compare all others to these. Few others make the cut. Here’s what I ate and what I thought of it;
Jo-​jos: wonderful. I’m quite sure I’m tasting the memories more than the food itself. Perfectly allowable as a geezer.
Chicken: the dark pieces were all right but the breast was kind of dry. I ended up taking it home and topping a salad with it.
Coleslaw: sorry but if it ain’t my Babushka’s, I ain’t liking it.
My Babushka was one of those little 4’9″ ladies from the Old Country. A pint-​sized pioneer, if you will. Her typical old-​school type of day was something like this;
Wake up, pick flowers and brew them into tea.
Light housekeeping, start planning lunch.
Defeat Hitler.
More tea.
Make wonderful coleslaw for Nicky.
All in all, it’s probably a place that is more appealing to old-​school type eaters.
Having said that, I would (and did) travel to have some of their jo-​jos.

This review is from a portland native that grew up on this stuff.
The food is great. great in regards to what it is. It’s a grease trap. Don’t come here expecting to have a salad or anything vegan… it’s just not that kind of place.
Through the years like any long time portland institution it’s had its highs and it’s lows. I must say that over the past couple of years the food has been very consistent and the place is way cleaner then years past. I suspect a new owner.
If you want deep fried chicken and Jo Jo’s go here. The dill dip is also amazing.
While waiting for your food drop into the cozy old bar next door and check out the copper ceiling.
I

I will admit I wasn’t sure how good the chicken would be but again I was reminded why you can’t take reviews as face value, Fryer Tucks chicken is awesome! Great staff, dive bar, awesome happy hour menu & specials, tons of TV’s on the Cider Mill side which is a plus for sports fans like myself. Their taters and dill dip… To die for! Prices are totally reasonable, not to mention the portions are huge and I will definitely be back.