Get ready for the journey of a lifetime at South City Fried Chicken, where not one, but eight great Southern cities are uniquely represented via the most delicious mother cluckin’ Fried Chicken Sandwiches this side of the Rio Grande! From the Good Ol’ Boys that redefined and refined elevated Southern cuisine at Preux & Proper, South City Fried Chicken welcomes guests the delectable opportunity to get lost in their nuanced mouth-watering, finger-lickin’ Fried Chicken Sandwiches prepared with the highest-quality ingredients and packed with the finest flavors the South has to offer.
After a year on the road getting in touch with their roots and cultivating the essence of Southern cuisine, South City Fried Chicken Co-Owners Joshua Kopel and Chef Sammy Monsour returned to Los Angeles with the innovation and grit to tackle their second venture together.
“South City Fried Chicken is the canvas on which to experience a story that is important to Josh and I,” says Monsour. “Our food honors Southern culture, the people we come from, and connects us with our guests.”
Setting out with the intent to not only create the most delectable Fried Chicken Sandwiches in the West, but as an homage to the people of the South, Chef Sammy set his standards high from the get-go with an adamant motto: No heat lamps, no freezers, no excuses. Everything on the South City Fried Chicken menu is made-to-order, maintaining farm-to-table concepts by utilizing the same local vendors as fine dining big sister restaurant Preux & Proper.
No detail is too small, from the homemade pepper mixes and sauces, to the employment of Jidori chicken, an artisan-take on poultry farming by utilizing hand-pulled methods over machines, and brioche buns from La Brea Bakery.
Each Fried Chicken Sandwich begins with succulent Jidori chicken in marinade and buttermilk brine, marinating together for a minimum of 24 hours. When it is finally ready to go, the last step is dredging the chicken in the “stay crispy batter” before getting fried to perfection and seasoned according to each sandwiches destination.
Described by Chef Sammy as “A love letter to the South written in flavor,” the South City Fried Chicken Sandwich Menu highlights nine crispy on the outside, succulent on the inside offerings, eight of which feature namesake cities that are major players in Southern cuisine.
The journey begins in the Big Easy with the New Orleans, LA Sandwich, where Chef Sammy pushes the envelope on big, bold flavors on what he refers to as “a funky-ass sandwich to match the energy of NOLA.”
Comprised of Cajun spice straight from Emeril Lagasse’s recipe book, so revered by Chef Sammy that at age 13 he spent hours standing in line to have his book signed and shake the iconic Chef’s hand, along with creole remoulade, Thai basil, collard green kimchi “to add that funk you feel in your soul when you visit New Orleans,” a fried egg, and ginger-miso BBQ for the all-important umami. The tastes at night are big and bright deep in the heart of the Austin, TX Sandwich, Chef Sammy’s personal favorite offering.
“Much like the city of Austin itself, this sandwich is part Tex-Mex, part old world Mexican, and hipster all in one.” Dubbed “the most outlandish creation” on the South City Fried Chicken menu, this sandwich is made with Rojo bean hummus, burrata, Javi’s Tia hot sauce developed and graciously shared by South City Fried Chicken team member, pickled radish, cilantro, blue corn tortilla crumble, and heirloom tomato from Napa Valley. Put down the guitar and pick up the Nashville, TN Sandwich, a masterfully executed multidimensional sandwich that begins with Jidori chicken breast liberally seasoned with Nashville hot, a smoky Tasso spice blend before it ever hits the fryer.
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Next, guests determine their choice of heat – Hot, XXX or Reaper sauce. Each batch of house-made chili oil is then customized according to each guest’s desired level, with a base of ancho, Chile de árbol, and Guajillo peppers before the oil is layered with exact precision to build the desired heat, leveling upwards with habanero, ghost pepper, Carolina reaper, and chili oil extracts. Assuaging the pleasant hellfire are garlicky dill pickles and a sweet and tangy Cookout slaw, so named as an homage to the high school hangout of Chef Sammy’s yesteryear.
Take me home country roads and take a bite out of Chef Sammy’s neck of the woods with the Chapel Hill, NC Sandwich, a true family affair that begins from the recipe box of Chef Sammy’s father himself with Pop’s Slaw, Jenny’s pimento cheese created and shared by Chef Sammy’s sister Jenny, house pickles and crispy Tar Heel country ham from Curemaster Rufus Brown of the straightforward “as real as it’s gonna get” Johnston County Hams. Head due southward and partake in South City Fried Chicken’s answer to the Club Sandwich with the Greenville, SC Sandwich.
House-smoked chicken bacon begins with chicken thighs cured with salt and sugar and smoked hard with hickory before frying them up to crisped golden brown perfection. Other accoutrements include Duke’s mayonnaise, the only mayo of the South, manufactured right in the heart of Greenville, gruyère, shaved baby iceberg lettuce, heirloom tomato, and the incomparable bo-spice, a nod and wink to the legendary Southern chain of chicken and biscuits, BoJangles, whose spice was so guarded that every spice shaker was chained to the tables.
Next, follow the fragrant flavors of Florida’s Caribbean community with the Miami, FL Sandwich. Invoking the Caribbean approach to food with a balance of richness, heat, and a refreshing beginning that starts with a complex, multilayered jerk spice Chef Sammy was taught to make by a member of New York City’s rich Jamaican community, he then adds shaved baby iceberg, heirloom tomato, lemongrass remoulade, mint, lime for bright, clean aromatics, and jalapeño for that integral touch of heat.
Over hill-and-dale is the Birmingham, AL Sandwich, dressed with Alabama white, or as Chef Sammy refers to it: “a gangster version of Ranch dressing” made of Duke’s mayonnaise, horseradish, apple cider vinegar and seasonings. Further accompaniments include hickory-smoked onions, Tillamook cheddar, and house-made horseradish chimichurri made from bright California olive oil and raw herbs including cilantro, scallions, and garlic. “There is nothing in this world that pairs together better than a hot biscuit with butter and jelly,” Chef Sammy declares.
The Louisville, KY Sandwich abides by this unwritten Southern law prepared with pepper jelly, bourbon barrel-aged green hot sauce made with house fermented green chilies and poblano butter, nestled between a piping hot biscuit made fresh every morning by Chef Sammy himself. Channel your inner racehorse and run for the roses because once these sandwiches are sold out for the day, they are gone!
For a touch of sweetness at the end of our savory journey, there is the all new Chicken & Waffles Sandwich, a super Americana ode to New York City’s 4:00 am diners to Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles and everything in between. Comprised of made-to-order homemade cornbread waffles, a cinnamon-sugar spice blend that hits the chicken straight out of the fryer, hickory-smoked chicken bacon, Vermont maple syrup, gruyère, and is then topped with an ooey-gooey fried Chino Valley dark yolk egg.
What is a road trip without a friend to share the experience of discovery with, and what is a sandwich without some Sides to enhance the journey of flavor? Beginning with the robust Memphis Juke Joint Fries, so named by Chef Sammy “for when you leave the juke joint and you want some cheesy carbs to soak up the alcohol,” prepared with brown sugar and a salt-based Memphis rib rub, house-smoked chicken bacon smothered in a Turbodog brown ale cheese sauce and topped with shaved jalapeño and fresh cilantro.
So nice “they cut‘em big and cook‘em twice,” the South City Fries are hand cut skin-on Kennebec potatoes first blanched and then fried twice to secure that crispy exterior, and then served with house-made Low Country boil spice and a Chesapeake Bay style red remoulade. From Chef Sammy’s father’s recipe, the Pop’s Slaw is savory and bold with collard greens, Duke’s mayonnaise, scallions, horseradish and a Creole mustard, while traditionalists will relish the sweet and tangy Cookout Slaw made with carrots, sour cream, celery salt and cider vinegar.
Located inside Corporation Food Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, there is some undeniably delicious cookin’ going on at South City Fried Chicken where guests are encouraged to eat their way through the South, City by City!
South City Fried Chicken is open every Monday through Sunday from 12:00 Noon to 9:00 pm. For more information, please visit www.SouthCityFriedChicken.com or call South City Fried Chickendirectly at 213.278.0008.
