The Commodore

This place is my fucking jam, for real. I found out about it through this list of Top 5 fried chicken places in NYC a while back and I’ve been coming back ever since. Not only is the fried chicken platter insanely good, with 2 different hot sauces and honey butter that’ll make you moan, but I also love getting their queso with chips. Its got just a little bit of spice in it, nothing too overwhelming, and just plain old delicious. On top of that, they have cheap beer (and pitchers, which is a definite plus) and the music is always banging. I’ve been there on nights where its just hip hop, nights where its metal, everything really, and its always so damn good. This is one place that I can’t rave on about enough, my favorite bar in Williamsburg, no doubt.

You’ve heard it in the movies! You know, that saying that says: «It’s so good, make you wanna slap your mama!» Well it’s just that simple! BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK! Hands down!!! I always take friends their as an introductory because this place never fails to deliver! There is some type of magic in that fryer! Consistency! I’ve yet to show up and feel as if it doesn’t taste as good as the last time! Always right! One of my favorite places to eat in NY!
Get the Chicken Plate and a Pina Colada! You’ll be ever so happy you did!

I’m a fried chicken connoisseur and I have tracked down most of Time Out New York’s list of the best in the city. Commodore was a much anticipated stop on that trail and I was really bummed out to be let down but facts are facts. The crunch is out of this world — a crisp, snappy batter concoction that breaks on every bite. But that’s the thing — I was covering my plate in fried chicken crust crumbles but there wasn’t much flavor and what was came mostly from the hot sauce and honey butter dips that they provided.
The kale Caesar was pretty good and the beer selection was nice.
Mostly a hipster crowd. Fun seedy, divey, seat yourself and order at the bar ambience.

Very cool vibe. Went on a Friday night with a bunch of people. Only complaint is the atmosphere is a bit ‘neither here nor there’. Chill, relaxed, low lighting, and very packed. It was hard to tell if it’s cool to dance (there was also a DJ), or a no no because it was very relaxed and people were ordering food at the tables.

Divey, fun, no bullshit place despite the ~trendy~ customer base. Cheap comfort food, cheap drinks, not-​too-​expensive cocktails, lots of space & friendly bartenders. Definitely best during the day/​late afternoon, when it’s not too crowded.

Classic favourite neighborhood bar. Come early and eat food here, or you’re an idiot. The nachos are an investment, but well worth it. If you’re not foaming at the mouth from the cheese flavour hit up the hot fish sandwich or fish tacos. Boom. Done. Yum.

This is a divey place that has bomb fried chicken sandwiches and nachos. The pina coladas are strong, the bathrooms are gross, and the tables (if you can manage to grab one) are sticky – but it’s a great, fun, no-​nonsense bar that doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are three main areas, the bar, the «dining room» and a back patio. Order your drinks at the bar and your food at a little walk up window.
It’s not the fanciest bar, and it’s not pretentious either – a perfect place to kick back a bit and have drinks with friends.

Nothing better than a hot breast sandwich and $ 10 Pitcher of Williamsbru. One of our neighborhood favorites! Great to go with a group too!

Oh man. These fish tacos are amazing. The slaw on top is plentiful (& tons of cilantro too which I love!) 2 salsas that are both equally amazing, and the fish is perfect. Can’t believe how cheap it is, too! Woah. New fave food place

The Commodore might be one of my favorite finds this past summer. Such good food at such cheap prices. There was some confusion about whether we were supposed to order at the bar or wait, I wish that had been clearer initially. Still, can’t wait to go back. I got the fish tacos and they were flakey, crunchy, and not dry (pet peeve of mine for tacos).
Huge meal envy of my friend who got the fried chicken, which has to be one of the best deals here. Huge plate of fried chicken and biscuits with sauces and honey butter for cheap. Also a good choice: stewed black eyed pease and kale on top of corn bread. Very filling and vegetarian friendly.

Came for the hot breasts.
Got the hot breasts.
Completely satisfied with said hot breasts.
PS: Breasts bigger than your mama’s home-​fried chicken breasts, but do not come with any sides. So order some fries, yo!

That fried chicken! Whohoo! It is so light! Not heavy at all! Compared to your usual fried chicken. The Pulled Pork sandwich is also good! They give you a big amount of meat. Great flavor, moist and satisfying! They also got some really good maple butter or was it apple butter? I don’t recall, that comes with the biscuits you order. Of course the biscuit are not Red Lobster cheesy biscuits, but they’re a good one nonetheless.
Love the concept like food court services, order your food at the bar, you get a number tag, once the food is ready they’ll bring it out to you. That’s pretty much it.

Probably my new favorite bar/​food spot. Absolutely 5 stars.
For food — I would highly highly recommend any of the fried chicken they have. The mild breast was amazing and the chicken could not be better. I also extremely highly recommend the biscuits with honey butter. That honey butter is so delicious and I wish I could buy a whole jar of it. The mac and cheese is fine, but I’d recommend other things first because you can find better elsewhere and there are options that are so much better here.
The place gets pretty crowded, even on weeknights. I’d recommend walking to the back room because there seems to be more space over there, plus you can find a table to sit down. It’s a fun spot though for some good, casual food and cheap drinks with friends.

I will start off this review with one key fact — I don’t really like fried chicken.
A group of three of us went to the Commodore on Friday, as recommended by a colleague. The bar is in a bustling part of Williamsburg. It is unmarked but big and easy to find.
My only real problem with this place is that it is a «seat yourself» establishment. While we had no issue getting a table within our first five minutes of being there, I could see that getting frustrating.
We were seated at a large table in the back (good place for groups) which is bordered by a fish tank. We ordered a round of drinks, an order of biscuits, and chips and queso for the table. The two others ordered the fried chicken platter whereas I went with the medium fried chicken sandwich.
Holy. Cow. I had previously only met one piece of fried chicken that I actually enjoyed (at The Dutch) and now am happy to add this place to the rotation. The sandwich had a bit of a kick to it but wasn’t overwhelming by any means. The bun was perfect and flavorful and the chicken itself was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I was honestly shocked at how much I loved this sandwich. I almost ate the entire thing (see corresponding picture to understand why that’s a feat). The whole meal was reasonably priced, including drinks. None of us spoke during the entire meal. Hint: dipping the chicken sandwich in the queso isn’t a bad idea, either.
The service, for a self-​seating, order-​at-​the-​bar kind of place, was attentive. Our server brought our food out promptly and had no issue grabbing us extra sauces/​condiments. My roommate forgot her sunglasses at the restaurant and when we went back to retrieve them, our server had not only told the new people at our table that she had them, but remembered us and had placed them in the kitchen for us.
Great experience overall; would definitely go back. Be prewarned though — after this dinner, all three of us had consumed so much food/​salt that none of us made it out that night. Worth it.

2.5
I’ve heard good things about this place. I will edit this review if I ever go back for the food. The place is dark, very typical bar-​esque. This place has a great frozen drinks menu. I tried the margarita and piña colada, both so-​so. Not enough alcohol and not enough flavor.

Cheap drinks
Good inexpensive comfort food
Seat yourself, help yourself
I kinda like it!
You go up to the bar, order your drinks and food. You take the number they give you and bring it to the table with your drinks.
–Fried Chicken: For $ 11 there were 3 large chicken pieces along with fries and a biscuit. Pretty good but felt like 5000 calories. lol
–Queso & Chips: A must order (if you’re not getting the nachos)
Note: We saw another table order the nachos MUST GET!!!
–Fish Sandwich: Nothing to brag about.

Seat yourself
Order at the bar
Kinda dingy, drinks come in plastic glassess, feels like I stopped by on my RV (don’t have one, but) trip or something.
I took my parents who were visiting from Tokyo, they loved it. they loved the quirkiness, glad they didn’t use the bathroom, because that is another level.
The food was all great. 3 sandwiches, 3 drinks for about $ 70.
If I had this next door to my place, I’ll probably go there more often, it’s strangely comfortable.

Prepare yourself for some awesome comfort food at The Commodore. If you are craving fried chicken especially, this is a spot you will want to check out. Really cool, unsuspecting bar/​restaurant in the Williamsburg area. I specifically came on the recommendation of a friend, plus reading mostly positive reviews, especially with regards to the fried chicken and burgers. Finding decent fried chicken seems more the difficult task in the city, but The Commodore seems to have nailed it.
Easy to pass this spot, because there is no sign out at front indicating the name of the restaurant. And perhaps that makes it all the more special and secret. Should there be a reason to drop by The Commodore, their Fried Chicken with Biscuits plate (three thighs and biscuits served with honey butter and hot sauces) and the Cheeseburger, without a doubt. The drinks are also pretty great. I ordered a Bloody Mary and the Hurricane. The Fried Chicken is a substantial dish for the price, and good for sharing with another. The skin is nice and crispy, flaky and flavorful. Chicken inside is moist throughout. The hot sauces that come on the side is a plain hot sauce while other is more on the sweet and sour side. The biscuits are a nice complementary, and you will want to dip those into the delicious honey butter. Texture and flavor wise, really enjoyed this dish a lot. The cheeseburger, I was able to try a bit of it, and I liked this as well. These are two essential, must-​try dishes to order at The Commodore, but I will need to come back again to try other signature dishes.
I have recommended this spot to a bunch of people already, and in writing this review, I urge all others to go check out The Commodore if you have not yet. It is worth the trip, and the Fried Chicken with Biscuits plate and the Cheeseburger should not disappoint. These are super simple, comfort food dishes, in a no-​frills, chill restaurant/​bar. You may want to come a little earlier in the day, as tables get filled up rather fast. There is also outdoor seating in the back. In terms of service, not too much to say, other than we ordered our food and drinks from the bar. They give a number for your order, which is placed upon your table, and the server will come around. All in all, this may be my favorite fried chicken spot at the moment, and I will be sure to return soon.

I used to hate this place-​too hip for me! However, the service and quality of beverages recently changed my mind. The male bartender with tattoos wearing the cocksparrer tshirt re-​made my $ 10 margarita when it was initially wayyy too frozen. He was also really cool and personable and did a shot with my friends and I.
A nice place to get day drunk with your homies. The cocktail list is a bit expensive but fun and interesting, and they have some affordable draft beers.

I can sympathize with some of the poor reviews here, I really can. But at the same time, Commodore is awesome if you go at the right time.
I’ve been trying to get their fried chicken for a long time, and finally did on a Tuesday night. You see, there have been several times I’ve come here and it’s just so packed that you can’t get a table. There were other times where I had just finished dinner and just sat down for drinks.
But the stars aligned, I was alone, and I got myself a seat at the bar.
If you’ve never been to Commodore, here’s how it works — you walk in and seat yourself. If you want food, go to the bar, ask for a menu (don’t trust the outdated one on the wall), place your order and tell them where you’re sitting. In due time, delicious food will arrive to you.
The fried chicken plate is $ 12, and comes with 3 – 4 pieces (depending on size). Buy a drink and you easily cover the $ 15 credit card minimum. As for the chicken itself, it’s pretty damn good. Definitely top 5 in NYC. It’s fried to a crisp, to the point where you will definitely get fried batter with no chicken inside. But the chicken itself is also great. It comes with biscuits and three dipping sauces (honey butter and two types of hot sauce — one creamy, one vinegar-​y).
Like I said, the place can get a bit crowded (especially later), but for good reason. They play good music, have classic movies playing on the old TV, and have a surprisingly good beer selection.
The bartenders are super cool, especially Ryan. They definitely like to have fun and treat their regulars right.