Marie’s Chicken Joint

One of the worst food experiences that I’ve ever had. Simply a huge disappointment. Marie needs to retrain her chef to cook fresh food… Here are the details.
I was excited to try Marie’s Chicken Joint because I enjoy their Italian food. I came on a Tuesday night and it was very quiet with just one table of two when I entered. I decided to try the fried chicken platter because who doesn’t love good fried chicken. It arrived surprisingly quickly and I was first surprised that it was two boneless pieces of chicken. That would have been fine but the chicken was dry as a bone and a huge disappointment. I’m not one to complain so I just powered the food down and didn’t think much of it.
I was sitting at the counter and noticed two pieces of fried chicken sitting next to the flat top grill and wondered if that was garbage. Probably half way through eating my meal, three high school kids come in and order chicken sandwiches. I watch the chef start to batter and fry chicken — then later grill the buns and start to assemble the sandwiches. This is the shocking part. As he assembles the sandwiches, he grabs those pieces of chicken that have been sitting next to the flat top for at least 15 minutes and probably many more; and serves them ice cold. One lucky kid got a fresh piece of fried chicken. I was totally floored that the chef would serve those ice cold pre-​fried chicken to anyone. I realized that I was also served similar food and that’s why mine was so dry. The chef later asked if I like the food and I told him that I saw him serve that cold chicken. He told me that the chicken takes 7 – 8 minutes to cook so he cooks some early. This may make sense on a busy Friday night, but is a terrible strategy on a quiet Tuesday night. I would have been happy waiting 7 – 8 minutes for freshly cooked food, instead I got pre-​cooked dry chicken that was sitting cold for God knows how long. He did offer to give me another piece of chicken but I had already eaten so I declined. In the end, Marie better retrain her cook because serving food like this just isn’t acceptable and will drive customers away.
If you order fried chicken of any kind, I suggest watching the chef to make sure you don’t get served cold chicken that is sitting out to the right of the flat top!

We called to order delivery. The phone just rang and rang and rang. No one answered but the website said it was open. So we called again after the 15^th ring someone finally answered. They said delivery time is between 1 & 2 hours! So we decided to pick up. We ordered two FRIED chicken sandwiches and one order of Old Bay wings. My husband came home with the order. Completely opposite of what we ordered. Two (extremely dry) GRILLED chicken sandwiches with American cheese on stale rolls and the wings were naked (not seasoned). I wanted to like this place but sadly will not be ordering anytime soon.

Very unique place that has a very nice menu and selection of options.
I visited with my daughter on a Saturday, and there was just about no one there, but it was still a 15 – 20 minute wait for my food. It was very slow, and seemingly inefficient.
The food itself was a 4-​star. They have a small, yet very suitable kid’s menu.

I really hate to write this, and I looked for a contact email on their website so I could register this complaint without turning to Unilocal…
The food I ordered for me and a friend was delicious, but the advertising was false…
An order of chicken wings is listed at OVER 1lb per order. We ordered 2 orders of wings and I decided to not even remove the blue cheese from the packaging when weighing my order because it should be over 1lb, right???
Alas, one of them was over 1lb and the other was only 13 ounces! This included the blue cheese and the packaging. Most places have an order of wings being a number (10 or 12), but these 8 little wings were under 1lb and I was pretty pissed about it!
So I have to give this place 1 star… You’ve got to give people what you advertise

Unilocal, bringing people together since… well, since Marie and I met up and ate some chicken! It’s always nice to hear from a business owner of a reviewed location, especially if you didn’t have a stellar experience the first time. Marie reached out, and said «Come on by, and I’ll make you the best fried chicken you’ve ever had.» … bold words!
Marie’s Chicken Joint… Part Deux.
I took her up on her offer, and showed up to a much busier place on a Friday evening. It was a delivery and to-​go order machine. I had the bone-​in fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cheesy biscuits, and even a southern chicken fried sandwich. (Yeah, I ate a lot).
The chicken was excellent. Bone-​in, as I had requested, and I recommend for everyone. The batter is good, and is mainly a salt & pepper batter without heat. It was fried to order and was solid. Was it the best fried chicken? Listen… I’ve been to Gus’s… and once you’ve been there, you stop going to church because you already found heaven. That said, this is worthy of your money and worthy of me visiting again in the future. We had a discussion about getting some Louisiana Hot Sauce or Texas Pete’s in there to bring up the «southern-​ness» of the experience.
The corn bread was solid, the mashed potatoes were quite good this time. On that note, I mentioned that the southern style is a balance of cool and heat, and so potato salad or a cool cole slaw goes with hot chicken. They do have a cole slaw available that some reviewers seem to like, others not so much. I think hot mashed potatoes and hot chicken is more of a «chicken dinner» style, which is probably more of what people expect in the north east US.
Lastly, I’ll say that the passion and cordial attitude of an owner can go a long way, and in this case, it most certainly did. Marie, you run a good shop there, and it’s clear you’ve got some great fans in the area. Keep it up… and I’ll see you again soon, when I’ll be back to cover my chicken in hot sauce!

3÷30÷16 I tried this spot after finding it on Unilocal.It had such great reviews but it didn’t meet up to its five star reviews. I had the southern fried chicken sandwich with ch tots. It was just okay. Nothing to write home to. My friend had the Bufflo chicken sandwich with fried pickles. We both agreed we would never return to this spot. However, it served its purpose of feeding our hungry bellies. If you in a bind I would say go for it.

Marie’s smelled great when I walked in a very friendly and helpful person greeted me right away. I had the grilled chicken over a garden salad with some cheese tots (I couldn’t resist) and it tasted great. This is the perfect place to grab lunch!

Fantastic place to satisfy any Southern food cravings. Tried the original fried chicken sandwich with their special sauce and pickles on a potato bun. Tender and well-​seasoned with the right amount of crisp. Chili cheese tater tots were also delicious, but may have been a tad overdrenched with chili for my preference. Collard greens with bacon was a welcome addition to balance out the meal. Looking forward to returning and trying out other items on their menu!

Chicken was tender and crispy with every bite! The mashed potatoes were creamy and was a great combo with the Cole slaw. I’d go back to try all the other wonderful food offered at Marie’s!

Nothing has been reconciled since my
original review which is fine. I don’t need hand outs.

I was impressed with Marie’s Chicken on my first visit! I had the weekday Fried Chicken Sandwich combo with fries and a drink. Sat at the counter, and was greeted by the staff. Sandwich was excellent, tender chicken thigh meat fried to a perfect crisp. The ‘Joint Sauce’ is a nice condiment compliment. My pal had the Carolina Gold Chicken sandwich and was more than pleased. Looks like the interior is yet to be fully completed, I’m guessing. Going back today for lunch to try their burgers. This place is a great combo of reasonably priced American pub/​grill fare, with quick service in a decent location. Nice job Carl & Co. Cheers

I guess fair is fair — if you recall my experience at the regular Marie’s, you would be right to question what caused me to try the chicken joint. Mostly it was nearby and I was hungry.
I didn’t try the chicken so I can’t comment on it, but I had an Italian hotdog — an old Jersey mainstay. The roll was just right for an Italian hotdog — kind of white bread-​y and chewy, but not to the point of being difficult to bite into. Hotdog was flavorful, veggies could have been cooked a bit more and the inclusion of mushrooms was perplexing but not unwelcome. I think if I had to pinpoint its biggest weakness it would be the French fries. Fried potatoes a la Jimmy Buff’s would have sealed the deal for me, but by no means did it ruin the experience.
Also had a salad which is hard to mess up, but portion size was great, dressing was good, and because I’m very picky about what goes into my salads I was really glad that they had some fairly simple options on the menu.
I’ll be back to try the chicken!

I rarely give a 5 star rating, but if there is anywhere that deserves it, it would be Marie’s. So far my approach with both of Marie’s locations has been to just pick something completely random from the menu because I’m confident that it will always be fantastic. Every time I go to maries, I order something and walk away thinking «wow I can’t believe how good that was». If there is a certain dish you don’t like, order that at maries and I guarantee it will change your opinion.
Both of Marie’s locations deserve every bit of 5 stars, and you’re missing out big time if you’re from the area and aren’t a regular!
On a side note I’m please to have been informed of a planned 3^rd location in Madison, concentrating on seafood. Can’t wait!

Let me start by saying that the food here is delicious. This is a chicken place, so there aren’t many «healthy» options on the menu, a few salads, but that should be expected. I have been to this restaurant twice, dined in, and both experiences were on the bad side. While the food is fantastic, I have found the service to be a bit lack luster.
The fried pickles are awesome– they are spears, not chips which is always a win in my book. Personally I am a big fan of the Carolina Gold and the Sweet Chili sauce. I’ve found that the platter is the best deal for the price and what you get. The dirty smashed potatoes were very delicious. I was not impressed with the slaw, it had a sour taste to it and lacked flavor otherwise. If you order a sammy, that’s all you get (i did see that they recently added some lunch combos) so if you want a side remember to order it. The wings were crispy and juicy, some of the best i’ve had in awhile.
The first time, it was a party of four and we went in 30 mins before close. Upon arriving, we almost ended up not going in, because they appeared to be closed. All the tables were cleaned and the chairs were all flipped. Two platters were ordered and they were out of mashed potatoes, but the gave us fries (understandable given that we did go in so close to close). Everyone agreed that the food was good, and we’d give it another try.
The second visit, it was a party of three and we went around 6:30 (plenty of time before closing) There were lots of take out orders and deliveries that night. After placing the order (fried pickles, 2 sammys, and a platter) it took 35 minutes to receive the pickles and first sammy. There was an additional 20 minute wait for the platter and second sammy to come out. The mashed potatoes, which come with the platter, were delicious but came out to the table about five minutes after the platter. They gave us an extra order of the pickles to make up for the wait, which was a nice gesture and appreciated, but not exactly ideal after having all our food.
Bottom line– the food is delicious. Seems like a place that might be better as a take out or delivery option though.

Pretty happy to have found this place as I just moved to town. Went here for lunch and got the smothered chicken sandwich. It was very good and the bread was surprisingly the best part. My wife got the garden griller, which she really liked. One tip, if you go there during lunch time there is a grab and go section and they have the standard chicken sandwich for $ 6 instead of $ 8+. Everything in that section has a reduced price.
Also if you call ahead they are very quick.

Marie killed it again! The new chicken spot is off the hook! Everything we got on the menu was awesome! The tater tots were great, the fried chicken special was amazing with the chili sauce. Kid’s hot dog and burger were also great. Can’t wait to go back!

My 1^st time here for lunch. Neat place. Great food and Marie was very helpful and sweet. I’ll definitely be back and be sure to tell my friends :)

This is a new establishment from the same people that brought you Marie’s Italian Specialties right around the corner. Marie herself was actually working the kitchen this evening when my wife and I visited here for the first time. It’s a fairly small establishment, designed with an open kitchen and a very casual, almost diner vibe. They do have plenty of seating around the counter though if things get a little tight and they also do take-​out orders as well.
They have a plethora of menu items including grilled and fried chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, chicken platters. wings and lots of appetizer options. I ordered the grilled buffalo sandwich, my wife ordered the grilled classic and we shared an order of cheese fries and onion rings. However, I think our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and next time we’ll just split an appetizer order; that was a lot of food. The sandwiches were very tasty and they use the same bread from the Italian place. The sandwiches here are much more reasonable in size though but you’ll still get your moneys worth and will not be leaving with an empty stomach. We’ll be returning again for sure.

Carl & Marie are at it again. First they perfected the casual, hearty Italian specialty style. Now, in a short time, they have perfected the casual, dog/​burger/​wing/​chicken joint!
The place isn’t all that big but their décor is this: turf floors (yes you read that correctly), menu on the wall, a few seats at the counter with super comfy chairs, small picnic style seats and a good amount of elbow room. Mind you this is not a true sit down place (mostly takeout) but if you decide to dine in, there is room.
Here’s what to order: EVERYTHING! Seriously there is nothing not worth ordering on the menu. Their dogs are quality! My wife and I split the Joint Dog (their coleslaw is great and I don’t even like coleslaw, bacon, joint sauce — it’s a secret so don’t ask… well maybe they will tell you and pickles… all on a potato bun)…extra points for the potato bread… so key. Texas Weiner — truly the traditional style — raw onions, mustard, chili and cheese.
Wings are plump and they have numerous types of sauces. We so happened to be there when they had Bacon Me Crazy as a sauce… think honey bacon… ridiculous. Boardwalk fries are even better than the Jersey shore, the cheese they use is pure bliss. BCB Burger — American, bacon, lettuce, tomato and joint sauce. They use quality beef and it’s cooked medium well (not well like most spots do).
Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich — like the true southerns do it… check out my pics for more detail.
Their prices are great! Their staff is awesome.
This place is definitely worth stopping by and checking out. Go now! ENJOY!

First time here after its recent opening and because of my love for the original Marie’s a few doors down. The preface to this is that it’s just opened so I’m expecting an overall improvement once they work the kinks out.
I got the crinkle cut fries and the buffalo chicken sandwich while my mom got the Chicago dog and boardwalk fries. The buffalo chicken was tasty and a good portion while the fries were underwhelming in terms of crispness and salt. My mom enjoyed the Chicago dog but felt the tomato needs to be more cut up. Similarly the boardwalk fries were under salted and had no vinegar.
Overall I will return in a few months to hopefully see an improvement. Also I felt the price was a little high for what we ordered. If given a choice between this and the original Marie’s I will choose the original ⁹⁄₁₀.