After a long wait, legendary fried chicken spot Charles Pan-Fried Chicken has reopened in Harlem at a brand new address: 340 W 145th Street and Edgecombe Avenue.
It comes a year after chef and founder Charles Gabriel abruptly closed the location at 2461 Frederick Douglass Boulevard near W 132nd Street—and surprised everyone by announcing the restaurant would be expanding into a chain.
Gabriel has crisscrossed the neighborhood since the 1990s, serving up fried chicken he prepares in old-fashioned cast-iron skillets and offers with sides like cornbread, mac & cheese, and collard greens.
Along the way the Harlem chef has received a James Beard nomination, been profiled in the New Yorker, and, most recently, gained a new chief operating officer and investors.
Last month the first Charles Pan-Fried Chicken under the planned expansion opened at 146 W 72nd Street on the Upper West Side. The Harlem outpost followed this past Saturday, March 26. (Brooklyn, Washington D.C. and Atlanta could be next.)
Gabriel was on hand this weekend in Harlem, receiving a rock-star welcome while giving out free food to anyone who had the patience to wait in the long line.
The new outpost, complete with updated logo and vintage-style look, is takeout-only for now.
As well as the famous pan-fried chicken, the menu includes all the old favorites plus new items like pulled pork and barbecued ribs.
