The Budlong Hot Chicken restaurant will officially open on Tuesday, May 21 in the former BBQ Supply Co. location at 1301 E. 53rd Street. A ribbon cutting, organized by the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, will take place at 2 p.m.
In addition to the new Hyde Park location, owner Jared Leonard has Budlong restaurants in Chicago (Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, the Merchandise Mart, the Revival Food Hall in the Loop, and Evanston), as well as in Denver.
The fried chicken is the star of the menu, and customers can request it served “naked, classic, hot, or x-hot” as a sandwich, tenders, chopped chicken salad, on the bone quarters or halves, or jumbo hot wings. House-made sides include biscuits, fries, farmslaw, collard greens, and mac & cheese – be sure to save room for the homemade banana pudding for dessert. Beer, bourbon, and draft cocktails will also be available.
Leonard was attending a BBQ conference in Nashville when he first tried the area’s classic spicy fried chicken. “He was hooked, and the journey began. Hosting chicken labs in his catering kitchen, he spent over a year fine-tuning his recipe for fried chicken and the best way to make it ‘Nashville Hot.’” His first location opened in 2016.
The Hyde Park location will be open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. to start, and open a full seven days a week by July 1. Weekend brunch hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
