Update: At the end of June 2022, I revisited Sweet Chick LA and had several different items so please see the updated review below!
Have you ever had chicken and waffles before? Have you ever had the vegetarian version before? Well that’s what I will be reviewing in this blog post for a restaurant I’ve been meaning to go to for years! The place is called Sweet Chick and I’ll provide more info about them, pictures, and what I thought about the food in the next few sections but I do want to note I went during my LA trip so read below and give a follow on social media on Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook for more LA and/or vegetarian content! For a preview of what to expect see the videos below (first is from November 2021 and second is june 2022 with more food shown)
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History & Location
Sweet Chick was founded in 2013 in Brooklyn by chef John Seymour. John Seymour is from New York but what inspired him to open up a restaurant was the fact that “Chicken and Waffles” actually originated from New York. The name apparently came from someone else just mentioning it when they were discussing maple syrup and sweet tea when they were experimenting to perfect their brine. However, the reason why I knew about this and a major reason why Sweet Chick has gotten big over the past few years is because Nas was one of the early backers/partners of the restaurant. Therefore, combining Nas’ influence and John Seymour’s talent, the restaurant has now expanded into 5 different locations and have collaborated with different brands such as Vans, Clark’s, Fila, and more! The location I went to is their Los Angeles one, located at 448 North Fairfax Ave. This is located at the iconic Fairfax district (mecca of streetwear check this video out to get an idea) so parking is not really easy but you should be able to get some paid parking near the school.
Price, Service & Set-Up
When I went in November 2021, I believe they did have a mask and vaccination mandates in effect. You can pay by cash at the bar or scan QR code and get the food delivered. The space was a bit cosy and gave a nice dark lit/candle light, intimate vibe but overall good atmosphere. While we were eating (during the day) I noticed they were hosting big group events. Although the wait for the food was a bit long, the customer service was really good and the staff working were nice! Also when I went last month we sat in a booth which was comfortable and they played good music throughout! Please note if you don’t live in the states or have a card that matches the us postal code you would need to pay at the front via card or cash.
Taste
In November 2021, we ended up just getting one plate of classic vegetarian chicken and waffles ($16) along with one lemonade (definitely need to try more the next time I’m there). Nonetheless, the food was great. The waffles were fluffy but also simultaneously crispy, and paired perfectly with the maple syrup. It also comes with their two signature butters, which I believe to be lemon and raspberry. Their is an after taste and you definitely taste the lemon citrus flavour. In terms of the “chicken”, it was vegetarian of course, but man did it taste good. It was filling and had a great texture, and it probably has great flavour on it’s own but since I went with the honey garlic option, it tasted fantastic, providing a perfect contrasting balance of sweet and savoury. In June 2022, we had the vegetarian chicken and waffles again but this time in the honey garlic flavour and it was so good! The lemonade did help wash it down, but it wasn’t as memorable as the chicken and waffles and for $6 a bit pricy.
However in June 2022, I did go with my family and we tried several different items including appetizers and sandwiches. In terms of appetizers we tried the potato salad ($6) and macaroni salad ($7). Both were decent as they were both well seasoned and really creamy but I felt like the macaroni salad had a unique after taste. I really liked the BBQ chicken sandwich ($10) as it was hot and crispy with a nice tang from the BBQ flavour. One item that was good but made me suspicious if it was vegetarian was the Sweet Chilli Glazed Sandwich ($10), and it’s not because it was bad or anything, it was actually because the texture seemed very similar to of a meat type texture. I did enjoy it as a the bun was tasty and had a lot of sauce but the best way I would describe it is that it gives me Bánh mì vibes in the beginning but as you eat it, it tastes like a classic chicken sandwich.
Overall and Recommendation
My go to recommendation is always to add more vegetarian options and I do see that when I look online they do have more so I am curious to try it. I still would like to see what else they can do to the chicken and waffles without taking away from their roots, and so far they are doing a great job. It would also be cool if they had some collab merch at the store and even have some Nas themed menu items. In terms of pricing, it is a bit high especially $6 for a lemonade but the $16 for the waffles was perfectly fine as I shared that with my sister and we still weren’t able to finish it all when dining in. I do recommend Sweet Chick (especially this location) to not only vegetarians, but also people who eat meat as there are way more options for them.
I know this was a fairly brief review, and I will try to update it next time I visit but please let me know your thoughts whether you are curious about these items or if you had it before. Let me know in the comments below or on social media by giving a follow on Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook as I will be posting more vegetarian and LA content!