The best fried chicken in Dallas at Babe's
Babe's Chicken Dinner House1456 Belt Line Rd. #171Garland, TX 75044972-496-1041
5/5 drumsticks
Note: Sorry, no photos for Babe's; the restaurant was just too dark.
We enjoyed trying out a new place in Dallas, but then I had to return to an old favorite. Every time I go to Dallas, I have to eat Babe's. I first discovered the Southern cookin' delight in 2005 thanks to Karen who took me to a fast food version of the diner. The last two times I ate Babe's, however, it was at their actual restaurant which has the feel of a true Texas eatery with its heavily wooded interior and the quaint Southern drawls of the surrounding staff and patrons. I prefer this Belt Line location because ambience and atmosphere often add to the elemetn of experience.
But most importantly, the chicken is damn good. How it works when you dine in is you choose a meat (entree)--pot roast, chicken fried steak, chicken fingers, fried catfish, etc.--and then the sides come "free" with the meal. I highly recommend the fried chicken; even though I haven't tried any of their other dishes, this is their signature entree. For $11.99, you get the entree (in our case, it was a basket full of fried chicken), crushed buttered corn, green beans, buttery mashed potatoes, and biscuits. The fried chicken is completely awesome. The skin is fried to a golden brown: crunchy and full of all the right flavors. It isn't too salty, which is a problem a lot of tasty fried foods seem to possess. The corn and mashed potatoes were yummy (probably full of butter) but I found the green beans a little too "canned"-tasting.
John says this is the best fried chicken he's ever had, and I may have to agree (although I'm sad to say I think my husband may have a more discerning palate than me). Better than Popeye's, Frenchy's, KFC's original recipe, and Catalan's gourmet fried chicken. Besides improving the green beans, the only thing I'd say would make the place even better is if they'd start serving sweet tea. I mean, sweet tea is a Southern thing, so why not?