The Hen House
“And if you do need a laugh ask for Raymond and he just might bust out his Michael Jackson impersonation.”
“I don't leave many Yelp reviews, but felt compelled to for the Hen House, because of what I believe are undeserved negative reviews.”
“They obviously do a great delivery and take out business, but from what I see the "dining in" business will be booming shortly.”
The Hen House
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
7 reviews
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I kind of liked this place for the 1/4 rack of ribs I ordered, which came out nice a hot, with corn bread.
The sauce is most likely just Kraft BBQ sauce, or it tastes almost exactly the same. So , that was a downer for lack of originality and uniqueness.
However, it was tasty , and the meat was very good on this short but fat ribs.
The cornbread was cold and kind of stale, or dried out a bit, but that didn't stop me from eating it all.
I had started out with a Hen House Salad, which was pretty large in one of those large platic "tupperware size" disposable bowls. Fresh, and good, and a good deal at $3.50
Total was just over $10 for lunch.
I had inquired if they had wireless internet, since their router is listed when you search, but unfortunately, she never reported back to me.
Friendly counter staff.
Overall, I'd reserve this place for a delivery order of JUST ribs, and call it a day. For that type of order, this place could probably be a solid 3 stars. Gotta improve on that cornbread though.
I happen to like Memphis Rubs a lot more than BBQ Sauce. Unfortunately, I've seen a lion's share of BBQ places that stare back at you with a blank face when you ask about spice rubs. So when the order taker gave me the (audible equivalent to a) blank look when I inquired about spice rubs, I was ready to forgive them.
Honestly, it's really hard to screw up ribs and salmon. Not that this place screwed them up. They were mediocre. Or flawed.
My recommendation to the owner:
1. Dude, you run a BBQ place. Your BBQ sauce is awful. That's like McDonald's having bad hamburgers. Oh, wait… Why not take a sabbatical and investigate sauces? Or how about a spice rub? A spice rub alone will make you stand out among BBQ places.
2. In general, your food is dry and on the bland side. Fix that. The salmon is a perfect example of something flawed: nice flavor, but much too dry.
3. Execute whoever makes your chicken wings and corn bread. There is no redemption for that kind of sin. If you're really hard up for a good corn bread recipe, I'd be happy to donate one to you.
On to the ratings.
Baby Back Ribs: B+
They were OK, but if I want ribs, there are MUCH better places to go. The sauce tasted like it was from a bottle.
Rotisserie Salmon: B+
Nice consistency and lovely flavor, but it was on the dry side and definitely needed the mushroom based brown sauce (at first I wondered who the heck would put brown sauce on salmon). Although the flavor was very good, considering its dryness, I don't think the price was consistent with the quality.
Chicken Wings: C-
A travesty. Bone dry. Very over cooked. Tough. Little flavor.
Corn Bread: F
Dry. Tasteless. Stale. Simply dreadful.
Did not start off on the right foot. Placed an order on yelp. Went there 15 minutes later, the guy was confused and said did not received my order and said the fax machine was down. Since they didn't received my order we had to order on the spot but that defeats the purpose of ordering online and having the food ready when I arrive. Anyway, at least the food was ready in about 15 minutes after ordering.
Had the Jerk chicken meal with the whole chicken and a side of rice and beans. Also added a side of fried sweet potatoes. The jerk chicken wasn't too "jerk." The flavor wasn't mixed too evenly. There would be spots that are spicy and spots where there was not too much flavor. The chicken was not dry but it actually tasted better leftover. It was actually more savory and succulent the next day. The rice and beans was a disappointment. Tasted kind of like can beans and those one minute rice. The meal came with a prepackaged corn bread/muffin sort of thing. Something that is readily available at your corner deli. The fried sweet potatoes came as a surprise. The portion was huge and the taste was mouth-watering good.
This restaurant is more like a fast food joint but prices are fairly high for it to be one. The guy up front helping me was a little clueless and kind of did not know what he was doing. With all this add up, there probably will not be a return trip to this establishment.
rotisserie chicken – good
fried chicken – could not down this. saltiest thing i've ever had in my life!
ribs – okay if you've got a craving, but not great. not seasoned well and tastes like generic bbq sauce.
rice & beans – YUMMM
Oh, it's like a dagger through my heart when BBQ goes terribly wrong. The sauce was very generic.
The broccoli was limp.
Pretty underwhelming, overall. Would I eat here again? Sure, if I really wanted BBQ; it is nearby. Is it my first or second choice? No.
I was literally on my way to the British pub next door based on Yelp reviews, my picky-picky little toddler wanted a chicken drumstick and after my "I-thought-I-thoroughly-cooked-the-chicken" mishap in college, I stay away from cooking chicken.
So I was checking out the menu for the Hen House and was invited to come in by someone who worked there. We discussed the menu and I figured out what would be great for the little one, we sat down and within minutes voila it was there. She enjoyed it, but seems to be a vegetarian at heart like me, and I explained we will eat meat until I can figure out how to cook vegetarian meals at home.
Because of coming in on the fly (pun intended) I didn't really read the Yelp reviews but I noticed that the sanitary inspection was grade A, they were nice, prices were decent so I gave it a shot.
As an afterthought, I ordered a burger and red beans with rice. I could tell they made the effort and I was happy with my burger (though I have had better) and the rice with beans wasn't really seasoned/flavored. I was happy because of the overall experience and great service. Yes, I can be a picky eater too, but it was decent enough that I would be willing to return…..that is unless we become vegetarians lol.
It seems to be a popular spot to watch sports, family-friendly and very easily accessible on the corner of 73rd. The restaurant is surrounded by glass windows from top-to-bottom so random men passing by on the street were drawn into the TV to catch pieces of the game like moths to a bright light lol. Yeaaaa….they pull you in.
Love the sweet potato fries! Sometimes my bf and I come here just to have their sweet potato fries, that's how addicted we are to it. I also tried their rotisserie chicken, rice and beans which was delicious. I like how the beans taste homemade and not like other places where it taste as if they just took it out of the can. I would definitely recommend this place if looking for delicious chicken, rice and beans!
They also serve alcohol now, they have a good selection on tap and has a cozy atmosphere to eat and drink with friends. My new hang out spot in Bay Ridge.