Willie Mae’s Scotch House
The fried chicken at this soul food joint, now run by the third generation of Seatons, is some of the best you’ll ever eat, as the lines of people from all over the world who form outside before the restaurant opens will testify. Wonderfully seasoned, juicy, and so nongreasy the skin feels dry, try to wait a few minutes before taking a bite—it’s boiling hot! The Scotch House opened as a bar in 1957, added a beauty salon in front until the early 1970s, and finally started serving its legendary fried chicken to feed the bar customers. It was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, but reopened in 2007. The key side is butter beans with rice.
PRO TIP: Get there early: A long line forms well before lunchtime.
THE DETAILS: Closed Sundays. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
