610 E. Napier AvenueI feel like I’ve been in Benton Harbor a lot recently. That’s weird but it’s outside of the area I’m responsible for at work. Occasionally, something will pop up and I’ll need to take care of it but Benton Harbor isn’t a place I’m supposed to be working at.
I got sent to Benton Harbor pretty late in the day last Wednesday. The task I was assigned to do took longer than I had hoped and I actually ended up working past my scheduled out time.
I had been in Battle Creek earlier in the day and kind of had to rush across on I-94 to get to my job assignment on time.
I worked past my scheduled out time and with no chance for a lunch break so I was pretty hungry when I was done.
My in-laws were at my house watching the boy as J and L were out of town prepping for a figure skating competition. I figured 20 more minutes wouldn’t make much of a difference so I passed on the fast food and grabbed some fried chicken instead.
New York Fried Chicken is on Napier Avenue just to the west of Union Avenue on Benton Charter Township. The standalone building was a Domino’s Pizza many years ago and a Load-A-Spud after that. It’s been a late night fried chicken and sandwich stop since 2016.
The first thing you’re gonna ask is probably the same question I have. Is this the same restaurant as the Grand Rapids area New York Fried Chickens? I mean, I just blogged about one a few weeks ago.
The answer to that question is, yes. The Benton Harbor restaurant was opened by the Grand Rapids restaurant’s owner and his brother who lives in St. Joseph.
I was working out near Lake Michigan College and when I got done for the day and headed back to the car, I put in an order online so it would be ready for me when I got there. I was already late getting home. No sense in making it take longer.
I chose the 12 chicken wings and added on an order of French fries. The cost before tip was right around $21.
The restaurant is pretty small. You can tell it was a carry-out/delivery pizza place before. The first thing you run in to as you walk in the door is the order counter. It’s a long counter with TV screens hanging above it displaying the menu. A woman saw me walk in and asked if I was the online order.
I was a little surprised to find some seating just off to the side of the counter. I had assumed this was a carry-out only business but they had a few tables off to the side in a little alcove.
The cook was finishing up my fries when I walked in so it took a few minutes when I got there. When it was all boxed up and ready to go, the lady working the counter pointed me towards so seasonings and sauces sitting on the counter to add on my food if I wanted. I grabbed the seasoning salt for my fries and put a light drizzle of hot sauce on the wings.
I started with the fries in the car because I can eat fries while driving. The fries were pretty simple frozen restaurant fries. These kind of fries are fine but they definitely need a little seasoning or something to dip them in as there isn’t much flavor on their own. I’m glad I put a pretty hefty sprinkling of season salt on them as it really helped with making these fries not just average.
I can’t eat chicken wings in the car so I did have to wait until I got home. They were still pretty warm though and there seemed like there were a lot more than 12 in the box. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. I didn’t actually count there but there just seemed like there was a lot of food.
Like every piece of chicken I’ve gotten from New York Fried Chicken, this chicken was fantastic. It was tender. It was juicy. Even without the hot sauce, there was a ton of flavor. The chicken has a pretty thin breading on it but there’s a lot of flavor packed in to each bite. I took it kind of easy on the hot sauce and I’m glad I did. I wanted that spice but I also wanted to be able to taste the chicken.
I used to eat at New York Fried Chicken pretty often when I worked regularly in Grand Rapids. It’s not really hard to see why there’s somewhat of a cult following in the area. It’s good chicken.
I’ve driven by this store in Benton Harbor several times over the years but never really had time to stop and eat. I’m glad I made time on this trip. I was really hungry and needed a delicious, hearty meal. I can say I left the table full but still wanting more.