Southern California is such a wonderful Mecca of food choices, including some amazing fried chicken.
I recently returned to a childhood favorite, Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. Knott’s Berry Farm started as a berry farm and roadside chicken dinner restaurant in the 1934 by Walter and Cordelia Knott. It grew into a large amusement park, but has kept its historic roots, including the restaurant. Walter was a horticulturalist as well and developed the boysenberry, a mix between a European blackberry and raspberry.
Growing up, I remember many birthdays spent in the restaurant…it was worth worth the 45-minute drive from LA and became a cherished tradition. When my wife Heidi immigrated to California five years ago, I remember clearly the day I took her Buena Park to try out the restaurant for the first time. Being health conscious, she did not share my enthusiasm and ordered a salad. Oh well…
Crowds used to be a huge problem here. The restaurant underwent a remodel a couple years ago and is now much larger before (a bar was also added) and looks much more modern. I’d say it has lost some of its charm, but the food remains unchanged.
How the dining room used to look:
The restroom area hasn’t changed…it was the same when I was a kid.
The menu is small, which is often the mark of a great restaurant. The “Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner” includes fresh baked buttermilk biscuits with boysenberry jam, chicken noodle soup or cherry rhubarb, salad, and a half chicken with corn or cabbage and mashed potatoes. So American. So tasty.
Dessert is included as well, including boysenberry pie or boysenberry sherbet (or apple pie or vanilla ice cream if you are not as adventurous).
CONCLUSION
On my last visit a couple weeks ago, I took one of my employees and he raved about it. There are so many food choices in the greater LA area, but if you’re in the mood for good fried chicken, the historic Knott’s Berry Farm is worth a visit.
Noticed they are serving the boysenberry jam in generic plastic cups. Last time I was there it was “Smucker’s” packages and I also noticed that in the gift shop, the jams/jelly’s were sold as Knotts “Berry Market” brand since Knott’s no longer owns the Knott’s Berry Farm name with respect to selling jam/jelly.
That being said, as a native of SoCal and someone who has spent a lot of time at Knott’s and Disneyland as a kid, Knott’s seem to be returning to days before Cedar Fair bought them and made the experience somewhat generic. The park really had little capital made towards improvement/upkeep and it showed. Fast forward to the past 5 years or so the park is a lot cleaner, the older/original attractions have been refurbished and updated, and it represents a better value than that other park down the road.
Right now the kitchen is being remodeled so they are cooking at the hotel and bringing it in the back door.
If you are planning on going there, wait until the kitchen has re opened or you will be disappointed like we were .
The only SoCal fried chicken joint I’ve been to is Roscoe’s, which is great, though this looks good, too. Now that my son likes to fly, I’ll bring him here for dinner one random Saturday. 🙂
Traffic is brutal on Saturday, but spend the day in the park. It is a great experience.
Throwing in my vote for Crack Shack in San Diego.
Damn! In the past, I’ve criticized you for your grammar and opinions. But fried chicken? I got nothing to say except this is now on my bucket list.
I’d go to California just for their biscuits. Amazing
I must admit, those are also my favorite part of the meal.
It is fantastic chicken. Growing up in the Chicago area, my go-to best fried chicken will always be Brown’s. But Knott’s Berry Farm is definitely second and the most delicious in So Cal.
I can see that when rationing is introduced for beef ( A certainty within 8-10 years), you’ll be comfortable in transitioning to chicken. Good.
I love chicken and fish. Not pork.
@Paolo,
I’m not going to worry about beef rationing in 10 years, since we’ll all be dead in 12 according to the climate change “experts”. I’m just going to eat as much beef as possible before then.
On another note, that chicken and those biscuits look freaking amazing!
In Chinatown, Howlin Ray’s draws the longest lines of any place I’ve ever seen. Nice to take to the nearby LA Historical Park.