Eat & Drink Duluth Review
Chicken ‘n Whaaat?!
The “Duluth Grill Family” has hit another home run with their new fried chicken joint, aptly called Chicken ‘n Whaaat?! This new restaurant offers a tightly-focused menu centered around fried chicken and a few well-paired sides.
While this new addition to the “family” might have come as a surprise to some, it’s been in the works for a while. “We’ve actually been practicing frying chicken at our other restaurants for many years, in anticipation of this ‘becoming a thing,’” said co-owner, Louie Hanson.
The choice to focus solely on one thing was a solid business decision. The chicken recipe received all the attention, and it has been honed to scrumptious perfection.
Please join us for this edition of Eat & Drink Duluth, where we enjoy fine fried chicken in a casual atmosphere.
History
Chicken ‘n Whaaat is located at 231 North Central Avenue, in Duluth’s Spirit Valley neighborhood. The space was formerly home to a Charley’s Philly Steaks, and is attached to the Korner Store convenience store owned by local businessman, Derek Medved. The restaurant opened in December 2024.
Chicken ‘n Whaaat joins the Duluth Grill empire of restaurants and other businesses, including Duluth Grill, OMC Smokehouse, Corktown Deli & Brews, Minnesconsin Merch, Goat Hill Marketplace, Burger Paradox, and a VRBO, located in the Duluth Press Building.
The businesses, including Chicken ‘n Whaaat, are co-owned by Tom and Jaima Hanson, Jeff Petcoff, Louie Hanson, and Dan LeFebvre.
Vibe
Chicken ‘n Whaaat offers a super fun, casual vibe. Talented artists Mela Nguyen and Kevin Ballecer – both of whom are servers at Burger Paradox, and also completed that restaurant’s unique “graffiti art” – were once again hired to paint interior and exterior murals on the walls.
Their art at Chicken ‘n Whaaat features anthropomorphized chickens and pigs in some pretty hilarious situations, such as floating down a beef tallow river, exercising, and receiving massages. The art is a huge point of focus and interest for the restaurant.
Beyond the artistic panache, the restaurant features blue-gray walls, and light wood table tops. There is table, booth, and counter seating, or you can take your order to go. Online ordering is also available. The restaurant is “fast casual,” meaning you head up to the counter, place your order, and then staff calls out your order number once it’s ready.
On the day we dined, our fellow patrons included singles, couples, and a family of four. During the hour and a half we were there (for an early Monday dinner), the restaurant remained steady.
“We only have 26 seats, so we are consistently pretty full,” noted General Manager, Nick Schutz. “We often fill up faster than we can clean the tables.”
Schutz also noted that they often see a pretty big lunch rush when students from Denfeld High School stop in to grab a bite.
Food and Bev
As noted, Chicken ‘n Whaaat focuses on doing one thing really well: buttermilk fried chicken. On their menu, they offer it two ways: as “tendies” (chicken tenders) and “sammies” (chicken sandwiches).
Chicken ‘n Whaaat proudly uses only hand-dredged/hand-breaded chicken (specifically, Red Bird chicken, sourced from Colorado). The food is always made fresh, to order. And, when it comes to frying their chicken and French fries, they only use beef tallow.
“We believe it’s healthier to remove seed oils, and use beef tallow instead,” Louie Hanson explained. “Our bodies seem to accept the beef tallow better than seed oils.”
They also offer some yummy, complementary sides, including cole slaw, garlic bread, beef fat crinkle cut fries, and desserts. Their sauces, which are also homemade, include honey mustard, ranch, Dr. Pepper BBQ, hot honey, and Whaaat sauce (a creamy horseradish aioli). And, beverages include Pepsi products, iced tea, homemade lemonade, and Jarritos slushies.
Mike selected a tendie combo. From the menu:
Chicken Tendie Combo (3- or 5-piece)
Choose Nashville Hot or Plain Tendies. Buttermilk-fried chicken tenders, beef-fat crinkle-cut fries or coleslaw, garlic bread, sauce and soda.
Mike selected five plain tendies, which come with two sauces. He selected honey mustard and ranch. For his side, he opted for the beef-fat crinkle fries, and also received garlic bread and a soda.
The chicken tenders arrived crisp and hot. A portion of five was perfect for a hungry man … especially when his wife wanted a sample.
The chicken was juicy and perfectly cooked. The huge portion of fries were seasoned. The crinkles give that delicious flavor lots of extra places to hide. The fries are crisp on the outside, and softer on the inside. The thick garlic bread was crisp and buttery, and remained hot nestled under the chicken tenders.
The sauces are all scratch-made, featuring ingredients like Hellman’s brand mayo, Lawry’s seasoning, and Nashville hot dry rub. The honey mustard is sweet, but not too sweet, and slightly tangy. The ranch is creamy, rich, and flavorful.
I selected a chicken “sammie,” the Cluckin’ Dill‑icious.
From the menu:
Red Bird buttermilk-fried chicken dusted with vinegar powder, shredded lettuce, pickles, dill aioli, on a toasted brioche bun.
This giant sandwich arrived piping hot, and served up on a shiny brioche bun. The portion of chicken (sammies are made using chicken thighs) was generous, and the savory buttermilk breading is the same as the tendies.
Dill is the name of the game with this sammie, featuring both pickle slices and dill aioli. A sprinkling of shredded lettuce added some delicious crispiness. The bun was toasted, giving it a wonderful crunch. This was definitely a knife-and-fork sandwich, as it’s a bit messy due to the aioli.
While I intended to only eat half, I cleaned my plate, along with a generous sample of one of Mike’s tendies, and a few fries.
For drinks, Mike ordered a Starry soda. I selected the homemade lemonade, which is made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and simple syrup, giving it a perfect sweet/tart blend.
A couple desserts, including fried apple pie and a mini raspberry cheesecake chimichanga, are also on the menu. We were way too full to consider dessert, but we’ll definitely plan to try one next time we visit.
Service
As noted, Chicken ‘n Whaaat is fast-casual, so you don’t receive table service. But, staff at the counter are very friendly and engaging, and can help you make a selection.
We chatted with shift supervisor Charlie Yankowiak, and employees Mason Hastings, Elliott Baker, and Karen LaBare. At Chicken ‘n Whaaat, staff are cross-trained, so they can all handle tasks ranging from cooking and cleaning to cashiering.
We were also visited table-side by co-owner Louie Hanson and GM Nick Schutz, from whom we learned all about the menu and ingredients. Chicken ‘n Whaaat employs 19 people, and similar to the other Duluth Grill family restaurant employees, turnover is low.
Verdict
Chicken ‘n Whaaat offers amazingly flavorful chicken served up in a fun and quirky setting.
It isn’t a fancy sit-down establishment, but the food is delicious, staff are all very friendly, and the restaurant is super clean and tidy. If you have a hankering for fried chicken – in either a tendie or a sammie – and a few comfort food-type sides, Chicken ‘n Whaaat should definitely be first on your list.
Ownership is currently considering some updates, including expanding their menu to include chicken wraps, and adding some exterior seating. So, stay tuned to their socials and website to learn more.
