Reviews of Highland Fried (Restaurant)

Casey Tinsley

This is one of my absolute favorite spots to eat in all of Boston/Cambridge. All of their food is delicious and packed with flavor. The Nashville Hot Wings are my favorite. I love spice and make a lot of my own hot sauces. Their Nashville hot sauce is amazing. Just enough spice to hit you on the back of the tongue. It's not the spiciest sauce, but the overall balance is amazing. If you are not into spice, I would use some caution.

Rebecca W

I was in the area running errands with my sister and Highland Fried appeared in my Google Maps feed as a restaurant I should try based on other restaurants I've visited. When we arrived they were busy but not packed. We were seated right away and browsed the most concise menu I've seen for a casual dining restaurant. With just the right amount of BBQ offerings and a recommendation from our waiter, Christian, I ordered the Barbecue Chopped Brisket Sandwich. This sandwich came topped with coleslaw and pickles and was served on a toasted buttered bun. The pictures don't do this sandwich justice. Words won't do this sandwich justice! It was Just. That. Good. Flavorful, moist, delicate, filling, fresh, complex... I could go on and on and you could read on and on. Instead, do yourself a favor and pay them a visit so you, too, can be speechless. And satisfied. Very, very satisfied.

Michael kinkoph

Insane burger with awesome beers on tap and unique tiki bar drinks

Erinn Pearson

I love the nachos with the pulled pork and pulled chicken. The freshly fried Chicken is really tasty and crunchy

Jodie Casleton

Great place! I like the atmosphere and they have a lot of fun cocktails. The food choices were only okay for me, but overall I enjoyed it!

Steve Mathieu

Delicious chicken and the Nashville hot sauce is no joke!

Olivia W

If you're looking for a total casual dining experience (food, drinks, service, atmosphere) Highland Fried is the place for you. The staff was so friendly. Our waiter, Christian, was knowledgeable and recommended we try the brisket sandwich. Upon speaking with Christan, we learned that all their meats are smoked in-house. We asked to see the smoker and Christan asked chef/owner Mark Romano, who graciously obliged. It was a great experience to see how the food was prepared (did I mention the kitchen is visible from the dining room?), and an even better experience to meet such a talented chef. When our food arrived, we weren't disappointed. The brisket sandwich was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. My dining companion visited Texas recently, home of the brisket sandwich, and agreed: even if everything is bigger in Texas, it's definitely not better, as this sandwich proved! I absolutely recommend you try them out. No matter where you're from, it's worth the trip, and I can't wait to dine again!

Dave Ekrem

Solid.

Wendy Merk

Great food, big portions

Tammy Y.

Great fried chicken and you can order the whole bird with 3 side dishes for $36 (enough food for 3 people).

Jordan Young

Awesome food! I had the 3 piece chicken dinner and it was moist and well seasoned. I would recommend this place more so because as a southerner I was skeptical at first.

Sterling Archer

Great cocktails! Hurricane will be on the menu soon!

Joshua Mann

Such a great night here. The food was delicious and there were really fun vibes. Will definitely be back.

Michael Kellar

Good, but not great bbq. Would recommend the cornbread highly. But the drumstick was a little dry, great buffalo sauce though.

Aaron S. Weber

Try the wings.

Mark Nahabedian

Much better than my last trip to Sweet Cheeks Q.

Ana Beatriz Bersano

Food was unimpressive, maybe it was because it was Sunday brunch, not sure.

Steven Jin

This place has the best fried chicken and gumbo that I've had in the Boston/Cambridge area.

Rachel W

Delicious fried chicken and fun tiki cocktails. Super friendly staff.

Aimee H

Food and drinks are delicious

Brad McArthur

Tasty food and good service.

Jason Ng

Come for the fried chicken, stay for the griddled burger. And also only go when Joe is bartending haha.

Patrick McGee

Really good burnt ends and ribs. The coleslaw is a bit sweet but still pretty good as well.

Patrick Chaupham

I’m going to give this place a weak 4. I mean nothing was inherently bad ... but it also wasn’t amazing blow your mind great. First the service was good - but to be somewhat expected on a non-busy Monday night. The food. The deviled eggs were tasty. Coleslaw was light and spirited. Burnt ends were pretty good. albeit a little oily. The fried chicken sandwich was just OK - fried, a little greasy nothing to write home about but just ok-good. The two-patty burger was flavorful but quite greasy and wet, because of the grease + special sauce combo, and you have to manage it to eat it because of the grease and lack of friction ingredients to have it stay composed. Fries were good although could probably use a double-fry technique. Mac and cheese was lackluster, tasted like plain elbow macaroni because the cheese sauce ended at the bottom of the bowl. Fried chicken tasted more homemade - not a bad thing at all, but not the best fried chicken in the city. That being said - overall a good experience. Try it if you want some chicken or BBQ and are in the area, but wouldn’t make a special trip.

Tom Salazar

Great restaurant with great food. I love the staff here!!! Highly recommend it.

Frederick Moore

The tiki drinks are pain killing, the BBQ is soul warming, and the Nashville Hot sauce will burn all your problems away. Just make sure to wash your hands before going to the bathroom Easily the best food and drink place in Inman, I only go other places if Highlands closed

Rob McCarthy

Great, well everything, service was excellent, tiki drinks are always fun, the fried chicken was excellent.

Daniel Patrick Griffin

Excellent wings and Tiki drinks.

Dennis Mariere

That was my first time in Highland Fried and the service was okay but the food required getting used to for the dryness and spiceyness.

Alex Zhu

Outstanding BBQ ribs and fried chicken; tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Sides are spot on, and tiki drinks keep everyone happy. What more could you want?

Taylor Duncan

Really cool vibe and good food! The pulled pork and side dishes are great. We also had a crispy pork belly appetizer that was awesome! Word of warning, if you haven't had the Nashville Hot sauce before, get it on the side because it's intense!

Jason

Except for

Ann Lync

Neat environment with great food

Arthur Safira

Solid! The chicken sandwich was great, but could have been best in Boston if it had a good tomato on it =). I like their BBQ sauce a lot, too. The drinks are fun, try them! The cornbread was fairly underwhelming, not sure why it costs $5 as a side honestly.

Kristopher Stiteler

Excellent Gumbo. Excellent service. The prices seemed high but are normal for the region.

Jess LeDonne

Been here a bunch, ordered different things every time, and haven't had anything but great food!!

John Johanson

Funky place and awesome crew! Loved the app and entree options, and everything was delicious! Look at that poke salad! And the soft bun was perfect contrast to the crunchy chicken thigh.

Daniele Perego

Much better when they were running the Hell's Night

Jonah Jenkins

Always a great time, delicious food, a la carte options make it easy to order exactly what you want. Absolutely one of my top two favorite places for fried chicken...it's as good as Coast Cafe.

Tho Tran

As someone from the south, fried chicken and biscuits is pretty much a staple for me and is something I miss dearly up here. For the fried chicken, it was delicious. The skin and batter was extra crispy and well seasoned. The meat was moist and steaming hot, as it is cooked to order. Be careful eating it because it is piping hot and the hot oil might drip on your fingers. For the biscuit, it was a miss for me. It tasted like white bread with a biscuit texture. It was bland and I had to smother it with the honey butter that comes with it. Tip: ask for extra honey butter since you don't get much. I had the coleslaw for the side and it was well worth it if you want something refreshing in between your chicken. I would go here again for the chicken! Other than that, I recommend going on weekdays as you'll be waiting well over an hour on Friday and Saturday nights.

Andrew Ngui

On the heels of yesterday's take out from Highland Fried, I just had to go there in person to do a follow-up taste test. And the verdict? It's still incredibly flavorful deep fried chicken. I was curious about what they used to coat the chicken and I thought I tasted something in the coating that seemed to remind me of cereal. It was a really light crunchy coating, taking a guess here, probably a mixture of seasoned flour, corn starch, some cereal and semolina. What I'm really thinking about is a deep satisfying crunch of a deep fried chicken skin. With the melt in your mouth, warm, juicy meat. That's a tough one. The search for the world's best deep fried chicken continues. P.s. I would take a pass on the collard greens and coleslaw.

Feda Afaneh

Good atmosphere, great service, amazing fried chicken, delicious coleslaw!!!

William Dale

If you like all thing bbq, then go here.

Alana Lynch

Apparently Highland Kitchen decided to make a whole restaurant out of their Monday night fried chicken and tiki drink specials. It was a good idea; the fried chicken is still mighty tasty and the drinks are plenty strong. We got great, fast service at the bar. The desserts are great too! If you ask nicely they'll spike your milkshake. :)

Jahfree Duncan

Excellent fried chicken!

Calvin Stone

All of the food looked delicious here. I tried the gumbo and it had a good flavor and the right amount of heat, but was lacking a bit in depth compared to gumbos that I've tried in New Orleans. I also tried their buttermilk pancakes, which are delicious and fluffy.

Tom Jaques

A new gem in Cambridge! The BBQ is authentic southern/Midwest style, with sides for days. The tiki drinks are well balanced and lighten up the delicious fried chicken and briskest. To top it off, HighFri has some of the nicest staff you’ll find in Massachusetts

Bri H

The food was delicious, good atmosphere and the people were so sweet and helpful!

James Vogel

One of my favorite places to eat in Boston area. Everything I’ve tried there has been excellent; fried chicken and deviled eggs my favorites.

Mike Wallace

Never had a bad dish here, food service is crazy quick and beer selection is solid. Their Nashville Hot chicken is ACTUALLY hot unlike most places nearby, which I loved.

Alex Powers

Burnt ends out of this world

Kevin O'Connor

We had a fantastic time, we got oysters to start they were good, we also got nachos with burnt ends, probably the best I've had. They were loaded and eat chip had good coverage, we even had toppings left over we eat with a fork. They had a good craft beer selection also.

J B

Great food and atmosphere. It can be a bit loud which can cause some confusion with orders.

Wayne King

Excellent place, great environment, great service!!! And awesome food!!

Aran Nathanson

Great fried chicken and decent barbeque. The tiki bar isn't bad either

Alison Welsh

Great food, great service. Fun place for a birthday. Highly recommend the Brussels sprouts!

Melissa James

Everything is delicious here!!

Question Mark

I went there yesterday and was disappointed. I called for picked up and ordered a fried chicken sandwich and deviled eggs which they said would be ready in 15 minutes. I explained that I did not want pickled celery on anything because I hate anything pickled. I get there in about 15 to 20 minutes after ordering. As soon I get back with the food, in about 10 minutes, the box with the deviled eggs has a puddle of pickled celery juice in it with celery all over them. The fried chicken sandwich was so soggy the bread felt like it had been put in water. I threw it all away. Waster of $20. What a shame because I think it would have been good otherwise.

Aaron Sherman

Really great fried chicken!

Colin Callahan

Delicious, good service, good space. AND tropical drinks to boot

Bow Stratton

Friendly spot with great comfort food

James Lantry

Well made chicken, sides and tasty beers.

Lauren Yang

Fried chicken is delicious. The "Nashville hot" sauce is really hot.

henry goldfarb

Really great BBQ. Chicken and Burger are also tasty. They have a 4 sides as an entree that is a nice option, as is being able to order single pieces of chicken or ribs. Rum centric tiki drinks also a plus big ups to the banana hammock!!

Heidi

Wowzers. The food here is de.li.cious. The staff was very friendly, helpful, attentive, and welcoming. The cocktails were amazing, and they did NOT skimp on the alcohol. There's a lot of food for the price, and I didn't find a single thing that wasn't flavorful, well-seasoned, thoughtfully-prepared, and absolutely perfect. This will be a staple of our trips to Boston.

steven michael

Outstanding! Great brisket and fried chicken

Cynthia Cortes

I love this place

Antoni Abella Vendrell

Just delicious, everything! Save some room for the keylime pie!

Angela Kou

Really great fried chicken in the old East Coast Grill space. Note that the Nashville Hot sauce is super hot!!

Christopher Taylor

Very tasty fried chicken, very.

Andrea Falcone

Great food, service and cocktails

Joshua Gerber

Casual place focused on fried chicken from the minds behind Highland Kitchen. There’s pool, cocktails, and well priced food. What more can you ask for?

Dillon Ryan

Just sat down and had the best mojito I've had in Boston. Can't speak for the food here but I trust these people! (see: highland kitchen)

ahilya sawh

The food is ok, not as good or as creative as highland kitchen. The service was good, but slow.

Joshua Margulies

Amazing food with tremendous bar tenders!!!

Katie Grillo

Buffalo Brussels and fried chicken were delicious! Tennessee hot is definitely hot!

Althena Gaines

The drinks are fabulous. The food is excellent too. Catfish was really good

John Boyles

Great fried chicken and exotic drinks!

Brianna Opperman

Food was great and atmosphere was a lot of fun!

Nicholas Demusz

Fried chicken is excellent dont get Nashville hot unless you love spicy!

Mary Katerman

Amazing spicy southern food with surprisingly strong and delicious cocktails!

mohdع muneer

Juicy fried chicken, quick service, but the restaurant is a bit dark.

SALAZUCARR

El mejor pollo frito que podrás comer

Phil Probert

Highland Fried is a terrific spot. Very solid drinks, food, and staff. The bartenders will basically make any drink/cocktail for you. Highland Fried is a big space with a pool table and Big Buck too. Fantastic ribs. Can’t go wrong here. Dave the bartender is the man!

David Murguia

Love this place! Delicious southern fried chicken and awesome tiki drinks.

Pete Karl II

YES.

paul trunnell

Great barbecue, chicken, sides & drinks.

Keith Baker

Great addition to the highland family. It will never replace kitchen for me but still awesome.

Tommy McConnell

Really tasty but BEWARE. The Nashville Hot is HOT with like 18 “Ts”. I pride myself on my spice tolerance but I am currently in pain right now eating it. It’s so good but so hot.

Steven Guayaquil

The food was amazing! Everything was extremely flavorful and delicious. We tried the burnt ends, pulled pork, ribs and the fried chicken and they were all excellent. We also got the buffalo and honey chili sauce

Christine G

Fried chicken 5/5 - extra crispy skin, juicy meat, all around would eat again and worth the money Mac and cheese 1/5 - undersalted, all around too “soft”. The elbow mac was cooked too long and just blended together with the cheese to eat like one soft texture. Wish they either cooked the pasta less time, picked a more assertive cheese flavor, added more salt, or picked a different type of pasta. We added some hot sauce which made it a little more flavorful but would not order this again Biscuit- 5/5 - very flaky and crispy. We had a side of chicken gravy for our fried chicken so dipped this in which was tasty. Probably also would’ve been good with honey butter Ribs - 5/5 - would order this again. All around tasty ribs Beef brisket- 3/5 - a little bit dry and underwhelming. We left 2 pieces because other parts of our meal were more worth the stomach room Potato salad- 4/5- all around good potato salad with pieces of carrots and other veggies to add a nice crunch. Would’ve possibly liked a pinch more salt Sausage- 2/5 - the 2 is for the nice snap that sausages should have. Otherwise we didn’t expect it to be SO spicy! I’m all for spicy but the spice wasn’t so balanced with sweetness or anything and the spice just gradually increased in my mouth to the point where I was coughing. I wasn’t sure how exactly the sausage tasted other than the spice. Would not order again Cornbread 1/5 - super dry and crumbly. Just not something I would order again Would definitely come back here for the fried chicken, ribs, and biscuit. Other than that this place has should refine some of their menu options (mainly season their food better and add more balance to their flavors)

Thomas Radtke

Great food, atmosphere, and A+ service. Bravo to the staff here. Prices are very reasonable, too. Would 100% come again. The only negative thing I have to say is that our table was an old school arcade game cabinet. Cool idea, but you can't put your knees under it and you have to sit awkwardly side saddle in an already crowded restaurant.

dblcheesebrgkid

Yummy and laid back

Florian Berscheid

Cheeseburger, fries and chicken wings are super delicious. Would highly recommend this place.

Rick

The chicken was not bad, but honestly a bit overcooked, dry, and just not enough seasoning in the batter. I'll definitely give it another shot soon.

Sonneth Aguilar

Loved the service, the ribs, their muffins, their cocktails!

Rob Gant

Delightful drinks, awesome fried chicken

Ted McPherson

Excellent food and amazing staff. Drinks are always well made and the atmosphere is fun. Definitely a must go!

David Allen

Everything you see here was done beautifully. Okra was the only exception. Ribs and pulled pork were the highlights!

J Fulton

CHICKEN

Michelle S

Fried chicken was hot and juicy and the drinks are fantastic. Funky atmosphere inside. Can't wait til the next time.

Cesara Walters

Delicious southern food!

Keith Polott

Fantastic fried chicken and barbecue. Worth a trip even if you're not a fan of either of those just for the tiki drinks- they do a pretty good Saturn, which I feel is a little esoteric even for tiki.

Terevos

Fried chicken and Nashville hot wings were great. But the brisket was simply amazing. So tender and juicy, but not too fatty. Barely even needed to chew.

Catherine Vasquez

It was good! The friend chicken we didn't love but the tray with brisket and pulled pork was pretty good.

Peggy Sah

I have spent so long looking for good fried chicken in Boston and I have FINALLY FOUND IT. I don't have anything else to say. The mashed potatoes were fine, very buttery. The gumbo was fine, very spicy and everything in it was still flavorful but also cohesive. But the chicken.

Laird Nolan

Liked it!

Bob Watts

We had ribs, fried chicken and brisket. They were all great. I’m a big corn bread fan and loved their version. The hot bbq was a perfect compliment to excellent meats.

Carrie Allen

I had the chicken sandwich and it was great. Messy to eat, so once you pick it up, you need to keep eating. My husband had the 3piece and gumbo. He said gumbo was good and a bit of heat. The dark meat was good but breats was a little dry. Otherwise, great spot and definitely more things we want to try.

Daniel Hofvander

The fried chicken was just a piece of comfort, along with some of the sides e.g. the garlic greans, the beans and the gumbo. Not long wait for a table even on a late saturday. Service was excellent. I would definitively come here again.

Vilechild

fantastic!

R Frasinescu

Great food !!! Name of the place is changed but the same tasty and fresh food

Zachary Zimmerman

I went in with a vague interest in trying some of their Nashville hot chicken, a style I'm familiar with but had never tried from any place that advertised itself as a serious chicken joint. explained this to my lovely bartender, who was patient, friendly, and thoughtful in guiding me away from a full order (which in retrospect would have gone to waste) and toward a "test" order of one drumstick. This was some seriously hot chicken--moist and tender, very flavorful, with layers of heat that kept building from "oh, ok" to "yup, that's spicy!" to "I'm sorry, I stopped paying attention to what you were saying because I'm trying to manage this heat in my face." A side of perfect biscuits, a glass of beer, and the best pickleback I've had in a long time helped keep the spice from going from fun and exotic to a bad decision that won't go away.

Leah Xylona

Highland Fried is a vibrant, millenio-hipster spot in Cambridge boasting basically the best fried chicken for miles. This is a colorful place to tuck in by the windows and enjoy one of their lovely cocktails, likely served in an appropriate glass with enough ice to cool the arctic and a lovely orchid or other equally elegant cocktail garnish. They are almost too beautiful to drink-- almost. The service is fine but don't expect the staff to bear the same southern disposition as the food; they retain the cooler, Cambridge aloofness that would be considered rude south of DC, but here is just totally normal. I was there for brunch and, though the menu is somewhat limited, the food was all well-prepared. Pancakes with fruit were voluminous. The blackened catfish was nicely spicy but a bit buried under eggs, so it lost any crunch. But above all was the fried chicken, which I had with biscuit and collards. The chicken was salty, crunchy, and just greasy enough so that you can be sure you are somewhere called _Highland Fried_. The collards were almost equal parts bbq pork & greens. I suppose there might have been an equivalent number of calories in the greens as the chicken. The biscuit was very typical, but rounded out the plate to help you reach the pinnacle of calories for the whole day in one plate. I walked back to my friend's place nearby as penance for that little plate of heaven. Check out highland fried- but bring your most hungry self because the name says it all.