Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and Waffles you say?  That doesn't sound good.  Well, you haven't had Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles...together.  So yummy.  And it's not just the food, it's the experience.

The Chicken and Waffles combination was brought from Harlem to LA in the 1970's by Herb Hudson. The restaurant became popular among Motown artist and, spread through word of mouth, it became a legend.  The Los Angeles Times refers to Roscoe's as "such an L.A. institution that people don't even question the strange combo anymore." It is known for the signature Chicken and Waffles but they offer so much delicious soul food that it's a great home away from home for food.  When I go I always get the greens and mac and cheese in addition to the signature.

Now, I must admit, I've never been to the restaurant before midnight, it's usually a late night visit but that's what makes it so great.  (Side note, I have had their take out during the day and it's just as good.) On this particular weekend I went at around midnight and it was as packed as ever. There was about an hour wait so we went into the lounge where they had a jazz band (The Long Beach location has a jazz lounge as well.)  When we were seated we knew exactly what we wanted,  I usually get the #1: SCOE'S 1/4 Chik prepared southern style, 2 waffles but since we were sharing we went with the #3 which subs the 1/4 chicken for 1/2.  We also got a side of greens and mac and cheese.  More than enough food to satisfy our appetite that night.  The food takes around 10-15 minutes to come out and about that long to devour it all!  As usual it was good.

As I said, the thing that makes Roscoe's so special is the late night atmosphere, everyone is happy, hungry, and quite loud.  I think just about anyone could walk into the restaurant at night and they would be accepted and have a good time.  The staff is nice and somewhat tolerant of the late night shenanigans.  There is security just in case but I've never seen anything get out of hand.

Roscoe's is popular with a lot of celebrities most notably Snoop Dogg and Larry King.  It's also been mentioned in countless movies and songs. If you're in LA, you definitely need to try the chicken and waffles.  Even if you've had this combination before, their recipe will impress you!