The James Beard award-winning restaurant Willie Mae’s Scotch Kitchen has opened their first restaurant outside of New Orleans in Los Angeles. Famed for their fried chicken, they are currently operating out of a ghost kitchen in West LA, before throwing open the doors of their Venice brick-and-mortar restaurant.

I was fortunate enough to try their food at a friend’s house, and am thus unable to comment on how pick up from The Colony/delivery was. The spread included fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, red beans and rice, and cornbread. Their famed chicken was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, just a touch spicy. I am a spice weakling but could handle the heat (I give it a 4 out of 10 on the heat scale).

The tiny cornbread muffins were a tad on the dry side and a little too sweet for me. The last time I ate mac and cheese (from my daughter’s dorm dining hall) was a complete disappointment, so in comparison their version was a vast improvement – decent but not nearly as cheesy or creamy as I would like. The big surprise for me was the red beans and rice. There is no way I would ever order this dish, but I was delighted to find that I really enjoyed the beans, which were spicy, yet comforting.

Considering all the hype, I’d say Willie Mae’s was fine, nothing extraordinary, but perfectly decent. Perhaps the food out of the ghost kitchen isn’t indicative of what would normally be served in their restaurant, so I’d be curious to see if there’s a difference once that opens. In the meantime, I’ll be exploring other fried chicken options as Los Angeles seems to be teaming with new places to get ones’ fried chicken fix.

Location – 11419 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Website – https://williemaesnola.com
Kid’s Menu – n/a
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly – There’s beans (butter and red) and fries (potato and sweet potato)