Parson’s Chicken & Fish: What We’ve Been Dreaming Of

At long last, Parson’s Chicken & Fish (@parsonschi, 2952 W. Armitage Ave.) has opened its doors to the public. The latest project from the team behind neighborhood favorite Longman & Eagle has been highly anticipated, not just by the neighborhood, but by the big dogs at Eater National.

Thanks to the handiwork of a friend at I AM Logan Square, I scored a seat at the restaurant’s soft opening earlier this month. Overall impression: affordable, delicious, nice to look at, and best of all, they’ve got a huge patio for outdoor eating and drinking.

For drinks, Parson’s will offer a creative selection of cocktails. I tried the Negroni Slushy—a frozen concoction with Letherbee gin, luxardo bitters, sweet vermouth and citrus. This one is definitely a patio staple, but dangerous in that can’t-taste-the-booze way. Our friendly table neighbors (the beauty of picnic table community dining) highly recommended Bobby’s Choice—a combination of Starlite vodka, Seasons raspberry/mint soda, dimmi liquore di Milano and lime juice.

Food-wise, the menu is broken down into three sections: raw, fresh and fried. So basically, you can choose to be really healthy, slightly health conscious or disregard good judgment altogether. The fried chicken is certainly something I’d go back for, but that’s to be expected. Surpassing the restaurant’s namesake, in my eyes, was the shrimp toast—a shrimp salad with crème fraiche topped with butter lettuce and avocado.

The menu’s lone desert item is a funnel cake with green peppercorn brittle—a well-executed classic (think crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside) with a bit of a twist. I’ll admit, I actually tried this before eating the rest of my meal and did not regret it in the least.

Last but not least, we capped off our meal with a pickle-back. There’s a vodka option, but vodka being my arch enemy and all, I went with the dark option: a shot of Old Barton 90-proof bourbon followed by a shot of pickle brine. It sounds outrageous but works brilliantly.

Another highlight is that the restaurant is a step down the snooty ladder from Longman & Eagle. Don’t get me wrong—I love everything about Longman, from the roasted marrow bones to Old Milwaukee specials on Monday. But you can stop by Parson’s for a quick drink or bite any day of the week without spending a fortune. Most dishes were in the $8 range, with sides at $4 and cocktails around $6.

Soft opening isn’t fair game to comment on service, but in a nutshell you can expect the same young, trendy vibe found at the many newer haunts around Logan.

For decor, the crew went for what they’re calling a “1970s Americana vibe.” Mirroring the logo, lots of red and white fill the tiny indoor space. Although I’ve yet to see it with my own eyes, a screen printer friend reports rumors of a custom painted El Camino—so we’ll see where that ends up.

With only a handful of tables inside and a few seats at the bar, the majority of seating options are outside on the patio. Great news, since despite the influx of new restaurants as of late, Logan Square seems to be a bit lacking in terms of outdoor seating options. Luckily, Parson’s took over the former parking lot, allowing for at least a dozen long picnic tables.

Personally, I couldn’t be more excited to welcome this spot to the neighborhood. My only worry is that with a menu and prices like this, the Longman-style lines are inevitable.