Chow Chow Kitchen

Went for the first time with the supper club. Ordered the pinto bean and ham soup and the catfish dinner. The bean soup was thick, tasty and had quite a spicy kick to it. I sure wish I had cornbread to go with it to balance out the heat. The catfish dinner included several very thin & crispy pieces of deep fried catfish, homemade chips, & coleslaw. The dinners are made to order and served hot. The fish and chips were not greasy at all, which is a big plus. The catfish was very thinly sliced so you did not get as much fish flavor as the breading taste. It still was good though. Coleslaw was a little spicy, but really tasty. I think they may have put horseradish in it?
This is a to-​go restaurant, but they allowed us to sit at the tables to eat.
The steady traffic of customers kept the staff busy, so the kitchen got a little backed up. The two person staff was working hard. Ordered a to-​go winner chicken dinner and it took approx. 40 minutes to get.
NOTE: If you are looking to make healthy eating choices, this place is not for you. Almost everything on the menu is deep fried.
Overall a good solid choice when you are craving some homemade comfort fried food. I give it a 3.5 star rating, rounded to 4.
Update: Hubby gave feedback on his winner dinner. He loved the mac n cheese and said the chicken was good too. He is not a white meat chicken guy usually, but said this one was very moist. Also, commented that the ham & bean soup was «wild». Translation, spicy but good. He is a fan!

I don’t start off reviews like this but this place was ridiculously good. I had the Winner Dinner with an extra side of hush puppies. The total bill was $ 11.50 ($ 7.50 for the Winner Dinner and $ 4.00 for the hush puppies) which was pretty cheap for the amount of food you get. The dinner is a jumbo fried chicken breast, mac and cheese, and a biscuit with gravy. All of the for $ 7.50 is pretty cheap. The fried chicken was overall the best fried chicken I’ve eaten, the mac and cheese & biscuit were also really good. The hush puppies were really good in the lemon aioli. My only gripe is that you only get 3 (jumbo) hush puppies for $ 4.00. Overall I really really enjoyed this place and will definitely grab some food here again. Keep in mind that this place is take-​out only and calling ahead for takeout is a good idea.

I went to chow with the supper club. It’s so nice meeting fun people who enjoy trying new restaurants& socializing. As an appetizer to share I had popcorn cheddar curds. They were light & crispy& very tasty. It came with a carrot spiced dipping sauce on the side (yum) nice and spicy. I also had the fish & chips. It was cat fish with panko breading & fresh lightly spiced chips. The fish portion was plentiful but I wish I had more chips! Tatar sauce was really good and it comes with good coleslaw. I’m definitely coming back for the fish & chips on Friday.

Walked in at 8:15 pm to place a takeout order and was met with friendly service. I ended up getting the hot chicken because I love spicy food, and subbed the coleslaw for the jojos with cheese (I ended up regretting this a bit later). I ate some gumbo while I waited for my chicken and very much enjoyed it. Nice heat level, I had to take breaks between bites. The roux was dark and deeply flavored, and the serving size is great for the price.
Once I got the rest of my order and hurried out to my car so I could take a peek at my chicken — the breast was HUGE and absolutely beautiful. I munched on my jojos on my way home (they were delicious, both dipped in the cheese and standalone), and then decided to break a piece of the breading off my chicken and give it a try. It was wonderfully crispy and I loved the mixture of spices, it tasted slightly sweet even… then about 30 seconds later my mouth started to burn. And I mean BURN. Water didn’t help but luckily I had a banana in my car, so I half-​peeled it and stuck it in my mouth while I was driving. Not a great look but the burning subsided after a couple minutes. Now I get why you need the coleslaw.
Once I got home, I was able to more carefully dismantle my chicken and hone in on the meat to breading ratio so my mouth wasn’t crying. The chicken was super moist and tender on the inside, perfectly cooked. I will definitely be back to try more, but I doubt I’ll be able to keep myself from that torturous hot chicken. So worth the pain.

Pretty good hot chicken for Nashville style in Ohio. It was hot n spicy and good flavor. Very friendly mate working. I will definitely go back!

It is fantastic that this place has opened on my way home! The ham and bean soup is spicy and delicious, and the chicken is moist and flavorful. I’ve never had Nashville hot chicken so can’t compare, but even if they’re different I would be happy to get the hot chicken, as it’s spicy and the hilarious white bread makes a great counterpoint. I wish them the best and will be back often!

Great vegan option for a place you wouldn’t expect a vegan option. Portions vs price were generous! The hand painted menu and signs all over the shop were a great touch. The others in my group enjoyed their dinners as well, we shall return!

Yum! I tried the winner dinner and smoked pork po’boy. Both were bangin! The staff was super nice and friendly. I’m going back for more!

Finally visited last night and let me tell you!!! We are just so excited that Chow Chow is here!
The food is seasoned to perfection and everything we had was amazing. From the cool and attentive staff to the quality of food… This place is a new fave. Always nervous when I get fried food because to many people fried means oily or greasy, not here. Seriously some of the best fried catfish I’ve ever had. Not to mention when we were there they were playing awesome punk music which made our dining experience even better! Dead Kennedy’s and soul food? Yes, please. The server said it was the «chef’s choice»… Another awesome win for the chef!
The Fried Pierogis are a must!!! Can’t wait to try more goodies off the menu… Already thinking about our next visit.

Wha wha whaaaat? Southern food in Lakewood? After a long distance love affair with Tennessee hot chicken, I spied this little gem on my way into work a few streets down. «Hot chicken?» I wondered. One look at the simple menu and the divine goddess of Paula Deen came down from Clogged Artery Heaven and blessed me. Us. Blessed all of us.
Ten minutes later I’m rolling my blubbery ass down the street to pick up my chicken, sides and charred peach sweet tea. Food coma for less than $ 15.
Honey child lemme tell you, I’ve had chicken. I’ve had some chicken, m’hmmmm. This is the best fried chicken in Cleveland, and I’ve been around.
Since that fateful day I’ve been back, say, around a dozen times and I’ve had just about everything, I send out of towers who visit my place of work to Chow Chow. I pride myself on giving good food recommendations to folks and Chow Chow is just about my favorite one to give.

Some of the best Mac and cheese I have had for its price. Really good fried chicken Po Boy. I will definitely be a returning customer when I am in the area. Just tried the Winner Dinner on ½/​16. Really good.

First time at Chow Chow Kitchen after a suggestion from a friend. It is a take out kind of place with a few table to sit. The owner was very friendly /​helpful and walked me through fan favorite menu items. I chose the Salmon Hash Po’Boy with chips and a peach sweet tea. The Po’Boy was delicious and huge! In could had a giant bowl of just that hash and been so satisfied. The house made chips also fantastic… I wanted more! It is a messy meal but amazing. The owner was attentive and made sure I was happy with my meal. I will defiantly suggestion Chow Chow to my friends and look forward to trying other menu items.

Pretty darn good buttermilk fried chicken. Moist, with a thick nicely seasoned crust. The mashed potatoes were OK, but the gravy kind of bland. The cole slaw was also bland. But the biscuit — wow, it was amazing! So buttery! I’ll be back.

Alright, as I am sitting here in a food coma with my pants unbuttoned, I have to update my review for Chow Chow. I think if you go to a place so frequently that you’ve had most of the menu and the employees know your name, then you should upgrade them to five stars cause there’s obviously something about their food that keeps bringing you back. Sure there are a couple things I could nitpick about, but for the most part I really dig this place and look forward to what they’ll come up with in the seasonal menus.
Top Favorites:
Winner Dinner
Fried Pierogies
Smoked Pork Po’Boy (dump a small side of coleslaw on this, sooo good)
Chips (add a side of their cheese dip mmm)
Beans and Toast
Smokey Banana Ice Cream Sandwich
While you’re waiting for your food and if it’s not too busy, I suggest chatting up the staff. Everyone has been very personable which is always nice. Now go check this place out!

I am no soul food critic, but this place speaks to your inner self, and fluently at that! We ordered The Pulled Pork PoBoy, Winner Dinner, Cheddar Curds, Gumbo, and Salmon Hush Puppies. Every item came out cooked perfectly.
The cheddar cheese curds are subtle and perfectly battered. The Winner Chicken dinner was flavorful and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
The pulled pork PoBoy came with fresh made thick cut chips. Ohhhhhhh yeahhhhhh!!! (I could just order these for the rest of my life!)
The Salmon hush puppies were simply the best hush puppies I have ever enjoyed. Just the right hint of salmon without losing their identity.
The BBQ sauce on the PoBoy was a little zippy if you prefer a milder sauce, but had plenty of flavor to mesh with the heat.
This place gets 4.6 stars if only for their shortage of blander fare for my less adventurous companions.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Soul food on Madison! Two things before we get started: 1) Yup, the main character looks like Orlando Bloom. Husbands, keep your wives in the car when you pick up your grub — or you’ll be trading some mac and cheese for the love of your life! 2) not enough mashed potatoes (they call them «mashed taters», which is troublesome on so many levels).
This is not a restaurant. It is a take-​out kitchen like those soul food joints on the east side. It is, if you’ll excuse some racial insensitivity, black soul food for the white hipster. There ain’t no down-​home sweat in these recipes, though, no sir; only tattoo grease and hair gel, cigarette ash and beanie fuzz. Joshin’ about the ash and fuzz, but you get the point; this was no place for an old timer like me (ha, I’m only 53).
We called ahead because another Unilocal reviewer (shout out!) took a blurry image of the menu. We saw «Winner Dinner» — fried chicken, mashed «taters», and a biscuit — and gave the place a call right away. I could taste the biscuit on my tongue.
«Chow Chow,» he answered, and the rest of the phone call was your typical food-​ordering phone call. It was quite boring to talk to him, but they can’t all be big talkers like me, I s’pose. «25 minutes,» he told me. «Fast food…» I mumbled to myself ironically. I knew it wasn’t gonna be fast food, but I was still pretty excited about how quickly the food was going to be ready since I was so hungry. It was just so exciting that food was going to be ready simply 25 minutes after I left the house. My wife decided to join me on the drive so that we could look at the progress of the construction nearby, and so that she could tell me about her difficult day at work (oh, brother). She can be a little much at times, but driving helps take my mind off things.
I walked into the big empty room that is «Chow Chow Kitchen,» and I gulped. I’m not gonna lie, it was a big room and I was intimidated. There was nobody in there. Nobody. Not even workers. Unilocal is right! But I understand that not every restaurant is going to be Outback Steakhouse in its opening month. I get it. So anyway, the fella comes up, gives me some styrofoam containers, and says, «Go to town, Phil.» So we pulled up to the Metroparks, sat at a picnic table, ate chicken, then threw the bones into the woods. Was wonderful.
But, yum. The chicken was moist-​ish, with a cracker-​like layer of fried goodiness all around it. The mashed potatoes were very small in portion, which made me mournful; I like to slather my chicken in taters, folks. Slather. The biscuit was dry and awful, but so are all biscuits. It met my low expectations for biscuits, and I was quite pleased about that.
Now, we took our dog with us. Now, our dog is getting pretty old. We’re gonna have to put the old gal down soon. She’s very tame and no longer needs a leash, so we let her sniff around the park while we ate. But of course, the boys in blue pull up right next to our picnic table and write my crying wife a ticket for having an unleashed dog. I think I might send the bill to Chow Chow.
I went home and had some potty troubles, but I think that was just from stress about the dog. Ah, well. Check out Chow Chow — was pretty yummy.

Welcome to Lakewood, Chow Chow! We have been waiting for some southern/​soul food here on the West Side. Chow Chow had all the southern comfort foods on the menu. As mentioned before, it’d be wise to call at least 20 minutes ahead. I called before I got off work and swiftly picked up 25 minutes later. There were about a handful of folks waiting to pick up their order.
I couldn’t decide between the Winner Dinner fried chicken or one of the Po’boys. After a coin flip I went with the Po’boys. Then another coin flip between the two Po’boys that sounded the best to me. I ordered the bangers and beans w/​chips. The Po’boy came on a nice roll with a sliced down the middle andouille sausage tipped with coleslaw and surrounded on BBQ baked beans. There wasn’t much coleslaw to cool, but still a nice compliment. The beans got a bit messy, but it came with a fork so all is well.
What I was pleasantly surprised with was the chips that came as a side. I was expecting just regular chips, but they were homemade!!! Excitement level = 10!
The sausage and a really good spice to it and the beans did as well. It was definitely a comfort meal after a long day at work! I cannot wait to try other items on the menu!

Nice addition to Lakewood that is already vibrant in the food scene. Basically a takeout place for those who want to dine in though. They do have tables, but you basically get takeout containers and plastic forks.
I’m not normally a fan of sweet tea, but they are very very good. Fresh and bold full body taste. We got a few things to sample — salmon hush puppies, mashed potato, pork sandwich, and gumbo. All very good. Do agreed with the other reviewer that some more bbq sauce on the sandwich would be great. Portion of the items we got is not generous as the other reviewer has mentioned. Thought it might be only the case for dinner plates. Definitely would go back for the friend chicken which are supposed to be the signature. Give it a try!

If you like southern cooking, of any kind. I highly recommend you stop by this place. They have most of the greatest hits of southern cooking, such as gumbo, buttermilk fried chicken, fried shaved catfish, Nashville hot chicken, etc.
We went opening night (I believe just an hour after their initial open) I got the hot chicken with a side of gumbo and my girlfriend got the buttermilk chicken and they were amazing. My girlfriend claims it’s some of the best fried chicken she has ever had, though I still think that claim still lays with Mahall’s. But it’s definitely up there as a possible 2^nd.
Only complaint was that we had a wait a while for our food. But it was all made fresh to order (and fried chicken takes a while, which everyone there was ordering). And the fact it was their opening night, I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they will work the kinks out over time. Also the prices are very very reasonable for the quality of food you get back. Well worth it.
Also note there are only 2 tables as it is meant to be a place you order and then take back home or to work, so I recommend maybe ordering ahead.
I can easily seeing this becoming a staple of Lakewood’s food scene.

Chow Chow hits the mark on so many gaps that Cleveland doesn’t offer outside of the sketchy east vacant banks between Cle Heights and downtown.
1. It’s good soul food
2. It’s CHEAP — the way soul food should be
3. Local takeout
After changing my mind 6 times because everything sounded amazing, I settled on the salmon hash po’boy and was not disappointed. The salmon was good quality and mixed with potatoes, peppers and a deviled egg aioli that I didn’t realize would have been so delicious until I had it. I opted for a side of gumbo rather than the house chips with my sandwich and a side of mac and cheese.
The portions were heavily generous. They still threw in a handful of chips with my sandwich and the gumbo was easily a 12 oz. serving — not something you’d expect with a $ 7.25 sandwich, chip replacement meal. The mac and cheese was large side as well for only $ 4. My only complaint is that the gumbo could have definitely used more seasoning and spice and my mac and cheese was definitely on the dry-​noodles-​topped-​with-​untoasted-​white-​bread side.
All in all, I had enough food that could have probably fed 2 people for $ 11. I cannot wait for this place to smooth out the [minuscule] kinks and make this a regular for nights I’m too lazy to cook.
This is where it’s at, people.