Mary Brown’s Famous Chicken and Taters

I am in the same boat as Candice here in that I keep wandering into this place just because it is so close to my house. The customer service is really nothing to get excited about. The first time I ever stopped in I asked for the taters with salsa and sour cream only to be told they don’t carry sour cream at this location… ummmm what? The second time I came in there was a little bit more effort on the part of the cashier to be friendly but everytime she rang something in she then had to walk around to the back area and make it herself… ummmm WHAT?! It turned the time spent dealing with a three person lineup into what felt like the wait one experiences when they have ten people ahead of them. I do not blame that on the staff as it was obviously poor scheduling on management’s part but still it was very irritating!
The food is what you would expect for fast food. I don’t find their chicken any different than KFC but that is just my opinion. What really draws me in is the tater poutine. I will give you a pro tip right now and say that when ordering the poutine skip the fries and always get it with taters. It is far more filling and way better value for the money.
Will I be back? Most likely. Will I come in with high expectation? No definitely not. If there was a different chain close by with similar options I would likely be heading there instead.

The only reason I come here is because it’s close, occasionally they have good deals and my SIL and mom like to come here for the odd lunch date.
The service is up and down. There’s one girl that works here who is very friendly and looks like she enjoys her job, most of them never smile and could care less.
I prefer to order in and take my food to work as they don’t cram the fries or taters in the box leaving them smooched and not very appetizing.
It used to be great fried chicken once upon a time… Now it’s a greasy, slimy mess… The wings are decent, I almost always order them.

Just terrible, $ 11 for my big Mary and it was the smallest price if chicken, my husbands meal was $ 18! For a burger and onion rings??? Way over priced. Never coming back.

The «famous chicken» was alright. I wouldn’t overrate it as famous because the flavour wasn’t anything extraordinary. Although the chicken was nice and crispy but it’s just packed with an average flavour. Not a hater nor a fan. I would rather go for the chicken at pizza 73 tbh.

Middle of the road. This location offers fewer in-​store specials than other locations I have visited. It could also do with being a little bit cleaner, but it was admittedly understaffed on the night that I stopped in and the ladies were doing their best just to keep up with the food orders.

I’ve been intrigued by this place ever since I started buying cat food at the Pet Planet next door.
So one day, I decided that I would treat myself to a Big Mary and some of their «famous taters» for lunch.
The Big Mary is essentially a large, flattened chicken breast coated in bread crumbs, spiced, and fried.
And the meat itself is delicious, but the bun, crushed into one of those paperboard take-​out containers was deflated and sad — akin to one you’d find on a Whopper.
Chicken that good is at least deserving of a faux-​ciabatta.
And next time I’ll suggest that they don’t put quite as much mayo on the sandwich. I like a little bit for some additional moisture, I don’t need that much fat.
And the taters were pretty tasty — they are essentially potato wedges tossed in a variety of spices.

When you go to a good Mary Borwns then you will never want fried chicken anywhere else. However, I was very dissipointed with this location. I am hoping that it is because it is new and they are getting use to everything. The chicken was fresh here however lacked the signature Mary Brown’s flavor. It actually tasted like nothing. The same goes for the taters and the gravy. Im gonna give this place a chance and let it settle infor a little bit then try it again.
You should try the other locations they still taste pretty yummy.
Jme

I had a craving for chicken strips and thought I would try my new-​ish local Mary Brown’s.
The person taking orders was either very new or had never had someone order something outside a combo. It took her a long time to get to me because she had to bag other orders before taking new ones. Once she was finished bagging other orders, it took a long time for her to figure out how to ring mine in.
The wait for my order to go was very reasonable. Actually quite fast considering I saw them hand battering and putting it in the fryer through an open window.
The strips are indeed strips — long skinny and not really meaty. Mine were not crispy and quite limp. I had also ordered taters and gravy. The gravy absolutely lacked any taste which made me quite sad. So sad, as I am very serious about my gravy.
The taters were ok on their own but not something I would order again with any great gusto.
I can’t say as I will be rushing back here and my quest for the perfect chicken strip continues on!

I’ve wondered what Mary Brown’s chicken was like every time I would pass by a location — which were all way far on the other side of the city or in St. Albert. However, a Mary Brown’s opened up this week in the west end. I was very impressed with the fried chicken. Here is the inevitable comparison with KFC: it was crispier, less greasy, and very juicy. A definite win. I was not quite as enamoured of the side dishes. The famous taters are quite dry and starchy — I prefer the fries. The onion rings are skinny, but pretty crisp and good. The coleslaw is creamy and the potato salad is fresh and has nice chunks in it, but neither are much different than what you would find in your average supermarket. My favourite salad is the macaroni, which is very creamy and similar to KFC’s.
I have also tried the chicken fingers. They are truly fingers, as opposed to chicken strips — long, narrow, and round. Crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside. The Big Mary signature sandwich is also lovely — a huge breaded breast with lots of tangy mayonnaise. I just wish the bottom slice of the bun would not rip when I try to take it out of the box.
While the sides leave a bit to be desired, the chicken is really great and I hope that the location works out the kinks, which I attribute to being new.