Pioneer Chicken-Bell Gardens

Pioneer Chicken
6323 E. Florence
Bell Gardens
562-927-9135

The fourth and final stop on today's Pioneer Chicken run, is the Pioneer Chicken in Bell Gardens. The other three locations were, Sunset Blvd, Echo Park, and Soto St. While trying a Yahoo maps search for directions to this location they said no such street in the city of Bell Gardens. But I put Bell and found the directions. But when I went there I passed a sign that said City of Bell Gardens and I bought a drink from the donut store next door and their receipt said Bell Gardens. So who knows. But Florence and Garfield is the intersection and it's about three miles east of the 710 freeway.

But this location was great. Very nice friendly serice. Very clean dining area. Very clean restroom. The chicken was as good as the Soto St. location. Hot, fresh, juicy and crunchy!!! I very happy to know that a childhood favorite is still around and still as good as I remember.

Update September 11, 2011.

I wanted to put better pictures for this Pioneer Chicken, so I went there and ordered one breast piece, $2.38.

The breast piece was dry, because it had been sitting under heat lamps forever. The skin was nice and crunchy, just like the Pioneer of old, but I can't get over how dry the chicken was. It was fairly hot, but getting really close to be grocery store fried chicken, that has been sitting under heat lamps for way too long.

Service was pretty good, the woman at the counter greeted me and was fairly nice.

I still love Pioneer, but next time I go I will ask for a freshly cooked chicken.

Pioneer Chicken- Soto St.

Pioneer Chicken
904 S. Soto St.
Los Angeles 90023
323-262-4562

The third stop on the Pioneer Chicken run. The other two locations were, Sunset Blvd, and Echo Park.

The best so far. The chicken was hot, not warm, not cold, but hot. The crunch was great every bit as crunchy and good as I remember. The chicken was so juicy and tender. I was very impressed and happy. The breast piece was $1.72.

This place also had a wide variety of food such a fish, pork riblets and chicken gizzards.

I have already been to this location before and I will continue to come back.

Update November 12, 2010:

Since I reviewed the Pioneer chicken locations, two locations have closed down; Sunset Blvd, and Echo Park.

So I decided to go back to the Soto location I went back to the Soto location, because I want to make sure Pioneer Chickens stay open. I also wanted to get some better pictures and to see how if the chicken is as good as I remembered.



I saw this cup filled with soda, $1.99, so I decided to buy it. I know it's a simple logo, but there aren't many items around with the Pioneer Chicken logo.




I got another chicken breast and this time was a disappointed. The chicken was luke warm, the skin was greasy and soggy; the chicken itself, was very dry, because it had been sitting under heat lamps for too long. What got me was it was about 11:20am. I can't believe they cook the chicken at 10am and let it sit around.

Service was below average. The lady was just going through motions.

If I come back to this Pioneer location, I am going to make sure the fry the chicken, fresh. I don't care how long I need to wait.

Pioneer Chicken-Echo Park-Closed

Pioneer Chicken
1321 Echo Park Ave.
Los Angeles
213-481-1580

The second stop on my Pioneer Chicken run. The Echo Park location isn't too far from the first Pioneer Chicken, that I went to on Sunset Blvd.

I found the breast piece to be warm, not hot but still very juicy and flavorful. The crunch wasn't there for some reason. The breast piece was $2.

I would go to this location again. Much better than the Sunset location.

Pioneer Chicken-LA Sunset Blvd.-Closed

Pioneer Chicken
4376 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles:
323-663-2441

When I was a kid there used to be a Pioneer Chicken right down the street from school. I can remember getting some chicken or fries after school. There used to be a lot of Pioneer Chicken locations. But by 1990 I thought all Pioneer Chicken stores had closed. Many of the locations became Church Fried Chicken. (YUCK) But after some research on the internet I have found four Pioneer Chicken locations that are still open. There is a fifth listed but the phone number listed seems to be a computer ISP number.

So today, Sun. Oct 16 I decided to do a Pioneer Chicken run. I went to the four locations that I called to make sure they were opened today. The other three locations I am going to are, Echo Park, and Soto St, and Bell Gardens.

I ordered a breast piece at each location to compare. I was surprised to find that two of the locations are within three miles of each other on Sunset Blvd in LA. The other two locations Sota St in LA and the Bell location are only about eight miles apart.

The first one was the Sunset Blvd location, cross street is Fountain. I was surprised to see that famous Pioneer Chicken wagon logo. So I made sure I took a picture.

The breast piece was $1.70. The outside was crunch as I remembered. But the chicken wasn't hot or even warm. The inside was very dry and seemed as though it had been under a heat lamp for a long time.

They had a large menu including ribs, rotisserie chicken, fish and sandwiches.

Since the Echo Park location is about three miles away, I wouldn't come back to the Sunset location due to the low quality of the chicken.

Outdoor Grill-Closed

Outdoor Grill
18697 Devonshire St.
Northridge, CA 91324
818-363-6500

I've seen the Outdoor Grill's, Culver City location, driving to Tito's Tacos but never stopped in. So I'm in Northridge and decide to try Outdoor Grill. The Northridge location is just west of Reseda Blvd in the Albertson's shopping center.

I order the rib combo ala carte for $10.77. The rib combo included two beef ribs and four baby back ribs. The Outdoor Grill cooks their meat in an oven and then applys BBQ sauce over the ribs. I tried the baby backs first and wasn't impressed. The ribs were small even for baby backs and the ribs were charred all over the place. They were a bit tough to chew and lack any kind of flavor. The spicy BBQ sauce added some flavor to the ribs but the regular BBQ sauce was just glorified ketchup.

The beef ribs wern't any better. They were also charred and tough. Again the spicy BBQ sauce added flavor to the ribs but not enough.

I saw people order the tri tip and it did look very good but I wouldn't go back to the Northridge location nor would I try their Culver City location.

Smitty's Famous Fish and Chicken-Closed

Smitty's Famous Fish and Chicken 9032 Venice Blvd. Culver City, CA 310-815-1053 While going to the Santa Maria BBQ I noticed Smitty's Famous Fish and Chicken. So I decide to go there and try the chicken and fish. I order a chicken breast and a piece of sole fish for $4.52. The sole fish was very good. Nice and crunchy on the outside and flakey and hot on the inside. The tartar sauce added a very nice and tangy twist to the fish. Very nice way to start a new place. But the chicken breast was terrible. They cooked it way too long. It was done dry, I almost choked on it. It also seemed as though they cut off the top portion of the breast to make chicken strips. It didn't look like a regular chicken breast. Wierd and not good at all. I would not order any chicken from them again. The service is OK. After I paid her and got change back, I asked her what was the total again because I thought she gave me back too much change. She all of a sudden got a big attitude, so I said "I'm trying to make sure you didn't give me back too much change. So next time cut the attitude." She didn't say anything after that. The food is cooked to order so you will wait awhile. I would go back for the fish and fish only. I have no desire to eat bone dry fried chicken.

Mr Cecil’s: West LA-Closed

Mr Cecil’s
12244 Pico Blvd
LA, CA
310-441-1550

I wanted to try the original Mr. Cecil's and see if it's better than the Sherman Oaks location.  Interesting that the Mr. Cecil's on Pico is near an adult book store. The Pico location isn't as upscale as the Sherman Oaks location. But the food maybe worse.

I order the 1/3 rack of St. Louis spare ribs to go. The waitress forgot to give me napkins, so I went back and got some. The ribs were small and there wasn't any type of smoke flavor. The ribs were $9.69. The sauce I was given was so sweet and terrible, was is the use?

I will not return to any Mr. Cecil's location again. The ribs are not good and the service at the Pico location can improve.

The Rib Nest

Rib Nest
1766 W El Segundo Blvd
Gardena
310-329-6378

The Rib Nest is just west of the 110 Freeway on El Segundo Blvd. There are a few tables to sit and eat there but it mostly take out orders. I order the half slab of pork ribs with sauce on the side. The ribs are very good. They lack any kind of rub but there is a good smoke flavor and the BBQ sauce is good. It starts out sweet but then the spices hit and makes for a wonderful combination with the ribs. One of the better ribs places I've been to in a long time. And after having skinny St. Louis style ribs the past few times I've had BBQ, it was good to see huge pieces of ribs.

I would go back to Rib Nest if somebody else worked behind the counter. ATTITUDE with all capitol letters!!! She was OK enough taking my order but I only ate two pieces there and wanted to take the rest home. I asked for a wetnap and very rudely she said they don't have any. So I asked her to wet some napkins so I can clean my hands. After a couple minutes to think about she finally went and watered down a couple napkins.

Then I want to put the ribs in a syrafoam container. As the picture shows, the ribs came in a paper basket. I know that won't travel too well. I saw people with the syrafoam containers and asked for her one. She said I can give you a bag. I told her, you gave other people those containers. She saidwe don't put the half racks in those containers and if we did it for me, they would have to do it for everybody. Well duh. She finally relented and gave me the container.

I enjoyed the ribs, one of the better ribs places in LA. But the terrible service and attitude isn't something I want to deal with. If you can put up with the attitude, you will have some of the best BBQ in LA.

Update April 26, 2009



I finally went back to Rib Nest, three years after I first enjoyed their great ribs.

I got the lunch portion ribs with mac and cheese, $8.15. The ribs still had the great smoke flavor, a wonderful bark, and were tender. But this time the ribs had a lot more fat and grizzle!! Not sure why, maybe the Rib Nest is using lower quality ribs? Not sure what the exact reason is, but I didn't enjoy these ribs as I did before, because they just had too much fat.

The mac and cheese was pretty good but I think they could have had more cheese. Tender, well cooked pasta but not much cheese. The small amount of cheese was nicely melted and tasted good, they just need to add more cheese.

Service was much better. A young man was very nice and friendly. There wasn't a fork for the mac and cheese and the guy was nice about giving me a fork. No attitude. He even said sorry for not putting a fork in the bag. Service was much improved.

I still would go back to Rib Nest, they smoke their ribs right. But I wasn't impressed with the amount of fat on the ribs, during this trip.

John’s Philly Grille-Closed

John’s Philly Grille
1784 Euclid Ave
Anaheim, CA 92802
714-491-2733

John's Philly Grill is better than Philly's Best for cheesesteaks. The cheesesteaks are more expensive, the cheesesteak pictured is $7.53 , but bigger and with more meat than Philly's Best. The meat is cut thicker and there is much more of it. John's doesn't add as much cheese but I think overall, John's is better than Philly's Best.

Now this Anaheim location the owner is rude and gives the impression you're bothering him when you're ordering. Or at least he was the day I was there.

There are three other John's Philly Grill in Orange County. Two in the Huntington Beach area. Anaheim is closer to me but I would go to the other locations to see if there is any difference in quality. I'm sure service would be better, it can't really get much worse.

Dinah Fried Chicken

Dinah Fried Chicken
4106 San Fernando
Glendale
818-244-4188

Update January 8, 2006.

Well I went back to Dinah's and I was a little disappointed. I ordered the three piece (breast and two wings) dinner for $6.98 with mac and cheese and well done fries. The chicken was very salty and the portions were small. Also the chicken was either sitting under a heat lamp for a long time or the oil they used to fry the chicken was dirty because the skin was much darker than I remember. I liked the mac and cheese which was nice and creamy. The fries were well done but weren't all that hot or even warm.

The cashier was rude when I went to pay. No, How was the meal or anything pleasant. Her attitude was just give me the money and get out. I won't go back to Dinah's any time soon. Pollo Campero is the better option in Glendale.

June 2005 Review.

Even though I lived in Glendale for a few years, I never went to Dinahs' Friend Chicken. But last week, I finally had my first taste of Dinah's. And let me tell you, I will go back to Dinah's very soon.

I ordered the 3 piece Box O Chicken, all white meat for $5.27. Two sides were mac and cheese and mashed potatoes and gravy. I got two good sided breast pieces and a wing. The breast pieces were very moist and tender. The skin, which I usually don't eat, had a nice crunch with a nice bit of spice in there.

The mac and cheese was very creamy and the macaroni had the perfect firmness. I hate soggy, overcooked macaroni. The mashed potatoes and gravy were just OK. The gravy was very bland. The potatoes seemed made out of a box.But the chicken is one of the best chicken I've had.I ordered the chicken to go but had to get a piece while driving. The chicken, mac and cheese, and the potatoes, held up very well after a 45 minute drive.

Ribs on the Run-Closed

Ribs on the Run
24881 Alicia Parkway #C
Laguna Hills
949-380-7427

Ribs On the Run is just south of the 5 freeway in Laguna Hills. They like to brag that the Yankees, Angels and other major league baseball teams order ribs from them. Well I think the teams could find another place to order ribs from.

I order the 1/3 rack of St. Louis ribs with double mac and cheese for $9.69. Once I saw the guy place the ribs on a grill and start "finishing" them I didn't hold up much hope that this was going to be a good place. I was right. The ribs lacked any kind of smoke flavor. No question the ribs were cooked in an oven and finished on the grill. I don't know what it is but the past few times I've had St. Louis ribs they have been on the small side. The BBQ sauce was just a spicy ketchup mixture that didn't add anything to the ribs. The mac and cheese was mostly hot mac and about 1/4 teaspoon of cheese. The idea of mac and cheese is equal parts mac and cheese. Not 98% mac and 2% cheese.

I noticed they had Nathans hot dogs there so I decide to order a Chicago style hot dog. Big mistake. The hot dog didn't come with mustard, an important part of a Chicago dog. The hot dog itself didn't taste like any Nathan's hot dog I've ever had. The onions were fresh but they were cut in bigger portions than normal. The relish seemed like any relish on the supermarket shelf.

I will not return to Ribs on the Run.

Art's Chili Dogs- Closed

Art’s Chili Dogs
1410 W. Florence Ave.
LA
323-750-1313

Closed in 2020!

Somebody on the Chowhounds LA Message board mentioned Art's Chili Dogs. So I decided to try it for myself. Wow what a surprise. A very good hot dog at a low price.

The second picture is the Art's Chili Dog with mustard, onions, and chili which is $1.80. The hot dog itself isn't anything to write home about. The standard hot dog with no natural casing thus no snap. But the chili is wonderful. It has a bold flavor but not spicy.

The last picture is the Jumbo turkey chili cheese dog for $2.89. I thought the jumbo dog was all beef, but it was turkey. I'm not a big fan of turkey dogs. But this turkey dog was ok. A nice mixture of spices. The chili was great and the real cheddar cheese on top made this an outstanding hot dog. I will go back to try the all beef jumbo dog.

Art's has a nice selection of sodas by Boylan for $1.25.

Art's is located on the southwest corner of Florence and Normandie. Yes that's the corner where the riots started in 1992 after the police officers were found not guilty, even though they beat the hell out of Rodney King. No, there weren't any problems when I ate there. The owner is a very nice person. He treats everybody with respect. The people eating at Art's are just hungry people who know a good place when they see one. There is nothing to worry about eating at Art's.

If you're heading east on Florence, just past Art's is a very small road, if you drive a SUV, your car may not fit, which leads to about four parking spaces. There is a gas station next to Art's where you maybe able to park and get your order to go.

I had a very nice experience at Art's and I would gladly go back. Only one problem, they have limited hours. They close at 5:30pm and are closed on Sundays.

Johnny Reb's-Closed

Johnny Reb's
2940 E. Chapman Ave.
Orange
714633-3369

Johnny Reb's was listed as one of the Top 9 BBQ places in the LA area by 9 On The Town.

http://www.9onthetown.com/Segments/1199top9bbq.htm

So I decide to try what it's all about. First thing I find out Reb is short for Rebels. Not politically correct but the servers are far from being a Southern racist idiot.

I ordered the half rack of the St. Louis Style ribs for $12.29, with Texas caviar and well done fries as my two sides. I only ordered the Texas caviar as a way to say Thank you to the T-sips for beating the FRAUD usc team the other night. Texas caviar is black eyed peas in a vinaigrette, served chilled. I like black eyed peas but Texas Caviar isn't for me.

The well done fries were ok. A little better than normal but when I first tasted them, they weren't that hot. So either it was sitting around for awhile in the kitchen or the server took a while to delivery our order.

The ribs lacked a rub or at least I couldn't taste any rub. The ribs weren't that meaty and they had a little too much fat for my tastes. Backwoods had more meat on the ribs. A good smoke flavor though not overpowering. The BBQ sauce was very good, maybe the best BBQ sauce I've had in a long time. Just the perfect blend of sweetness and spice. The sauce doesn't overpower the ribs.

I liked Johnny Reb's and enjoyed eating there. Johnny Rebs is about two blocks east of The Rib Trader. I would like to go back to try their chicken fried steak and their Southern breakfast.

The Rib Trader-Closed

The Rib Trader
2710 E. Chapman Ave.
Orange, CA
714-744-9288

The Rib Trader is just off Chapman Ave, east of the 55 freeway. A very nice, friendly place. I ordered a rack of St. Louis Style ribs to go. The guy taking the order was great. Very nice and welcoming. The Rib Trader has a Merlin's Magic Dinner Theater. The server answered all my questions and even gave me discount tickets to the show. I'm not sure if the server was the owner or not. But he knows the meaning of customer service.

Now for the ribs. The ribs were $16.11 for a full rack. The ribs lacked any rub. They were tender but not all that meaty. They lacked any smoked flavor. The grill marks show the ribs were finished off on the grill after baking in the oven. The sauce was very sweet.

I wouldn't go back to The Rib Trader for the ribs. I would go back to try their steak and prime rib. I would also go back to see the Magic Dinner Theater.