Excellent | Worth a Detour
Willie Mae’s Scotch House
Review by: Michael Stern
Willie Mae’s Scotch House | What to expect
Willie Mae’s got famous for fried chicken. The once-inconspicuous bar that started in the Treme neighborhood has become a destination for culinary pilgrims from New Orleans and beyond. It was a locally-loved gem before 2005, when a James Beard anointed it as an American classic. But then, hurricane Katrina virtually destroyed it. The reborn restaurant, located in the 6th Ward not far from the French Quarter, is bright-white, clean, and welcoming.
What to eat at Willie Mae’s Scotch House
The chicken is worth a visit — moist and dark-meat-luscious inside an amber crust so fragile that it tends to flake into savory shards when you bite into it. The brittle pieces of crust melt into a flavor halo around the meat they enclose.
Fried-food frowners (who really should find someplace else to eat) can order a pork chop cooked without batter and hence crustless. It’s simply a good piece of pork that has been enthusiastically seasoned.
Directions & Hours
Information
| Price | $$ |
| Seasons | All |
| Meals Served | Lunch |
| Credit Cards Accepted | No |
| Alcohol Served | No |
| Outdoor Seating | No |
What To Eat
Willie Mae’s Scotch House Recipes
Discuss
What do you think of Willie Mae’s Scotch House?
2 Responses to “Willie Mae’s Scotch House”
Debra L Essex
February 26th, 2023
No doubt about it, Willie Mae’s fried chicken is the absolute best I have EVER had!
If I didn’t live in Ohio, I’d be on their doorstep DAILY!
Carl Perry
May 10th, 2011
There is no shortage of restaurants in the South advertising the “World’s Best Fried Chicken” (about as many as Texas joints with the best BBQ, I suppose). In New Orleans, a persistent claimant to that title is Willie Mae’s Scotch House.
Operating out of a renovated shack in Treme, Willie Mae’s next generation (she’s in her 90s now) carries on the family tradition that creates a line out the shack door each day from 11AM to 3PM. Photos of the family and local musicians, and a sign that says “Love served here,” decorate the walls.
The chicken comes with two sides (butter beans and a side salad for me) and homemade lemonade. Well, I must admit this isn’t like the fried chicken that I’m used to having (and that’s a good thing). Her coating is thin, light, good-tasting, and clings to the skin when you take a bite. Alone, it’s salty but it complements the chicken well.
The butter beans and lemonade were good comfort food and the side salad was upscale enough to look out of place in this neighborhood. There may be other claimants to the BFC title but right now Willie Mae, you are the one to beat.