THE quest is on for the crispiest coat and juiciest meat as we celebrate National Fried Chicken Day. Whether piled on top of waffles for a loaded breakfast, cooked southern-style or served cut up and glazed with a gochujang-based sauce, there’s something superbly satisfying about fried chicken.
Thankfully, Cebu is home to many fried chicken joints with various price points and even non-fried chicken restaurants that have come up with their version of it.
Dishing up beautifully browned chicken that’s perfectly crisp on the outside yet incredibly moist and flavorful on the inside, these are our top picks in town.
Tagala Chicken Butterfly
No closely guarded secret blend of spices but the chicken here remains a favorite among families, students and the working class. A standard order would include breast and/or thigh parts, ngohiong and free crumbs to top your puso with. Tagala has two signature dips (original and spicy) although its chicken can very well stand on its own.
Sunburst Fried Chicken
The fact that it has been around since 1971 says a lot about Sunburst. People come here for that comforting taste of the classic. Prime cuts include thighs and ribkeel served alongside its creamy coleslaw (another crowd favorite) and thick-cut fries. While you’re here, order the chicken skin too. You’ll thank us later.
Ramen Yushoken
Fried chicken is not what diners mainly come here for but trust us when we say that this “house of the ramen gods” might as well be known for its chicken karaage. What it lacks in the crunchy exterior department, it makes up for in the juiciness and tenderness of its boneless thighs. Salt and aioli are served on the side but these babies need very little of them or none at all.
Chosun Chicken
KFC—and we mean Korean Fried Chicken,3 not Colonel Sanders’—is marinated in spices including ginger, coated in potato or corn starch before hitting the scorching oil twice, making it crunchier but less greasy. The sweet, spicy and slightly sticky sauce complements the already savory meat but doesn’t overpower. If you can’t take the heat, order the plain variant and have the spicy sauce served as dip. Just like the other KFC, this one’s finger-lickin’ good too!
The 8th Mug
This new cafe serves coffee, brunch and dessert. Go as a group so you can split the portions (and bill) because you will want to order everything on the menu—cream cheese-filled pancakes, pork confit bites, croque madame, anyone? One winner though is the cornflake-crusted chicken which comes in half-bird and quarter-bird servings. Dipped in buttermilk breading and then fried to golden-brown deliciousness, it hits the spot like nothing else. As with everything else at The 8th Mug, the gravy and pickled veggies are made from scratch.
Weekend
No visit to Weekend is complete without The Fat Bastard but next time, give its buffalo wings a try. The chicken wings, though tossed in Buffalo-style hot sauce, aren’t the least bit soggy and the blue cheese dip, divine.
Birdseed Breakfast Club + Cafe
It’s no secret that a luxurious soak in buttermilk is the secret to flavorful and tender fried chicken every time. Birdseed’s chicken hints of rosemary and thyme and is served with buttermilk waffles, its in-house gravy and spiced maple syrup. It’s a classic breakfast combo which you can have any time of day, thanks to brunch places like Birdseed.
Mr. Griddle
Chrissy Teigen is right about a lot of things, one of them being chicken should go with pancakes, not waffles. If you want to test that out yourself, look no further than Mr. Griddle. The contrast of sweet and savory, crunchy and fluffy will make you want to cry tears of (chicken) joy.