Falls Church Claims A Place On The 'Fried Chicken Bucket List'

FALLS CHURCH, VA—In the South, few foods stir up the emotions quite like fried chicken. Arguing about who serves up the best yard bird can get pretty heated based on your own personal preferences. Nevertheless, a new list attempts to highlight some of the best fried chicken throughout the South, and Falls Church area can claim one of the best.

Peking Gourmet Inn, a Chinese restaurant often known for its duck, has quite the tasty chicken as well, according to Garden & Gun. The magazine, which covers sporting culture, food, music, art and travel in the American South, rounded up more than 70 experts, including chefs, food and travel writers and the magazine's own contributors.

Erik Bruner-Yang of the Maketto marketplace in DC, described Peking Gourmet Inn's chicken as "cubed fried chicken sautéed with green and red chiles, five-spice powder, and a lot of garlic and ginger.”

The list ranged from chains like Popeyes to local favorites like Mama J's in Richmond and famous Southern staples like Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville and Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken.

"Southerners eat fried chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which is why so many of us are self-professed experts," the article reads.

Different areas of the Commonwealth are well represented on the list, ranging from the DC area to Southwest Virginia. Check out the Garden & Gun list for comments from an expert about each spot.

Here are Virginia and DC's entries on the list:

• Beverley Street Convenience, Staunton
• Mama J’s, Richmond
• Peking Gourmet Inn, Falls Church
• Saison Market, Richmond
• Tanglewood Ordinary, Goochland
• Wade’s Foods, Dublin
• Wayside, Charlottesville
• Florida Avenue Grill, Washington, DC
• Maketto, Washington, DC

Read Garden & Gun's full Fried Chicken Bucket List here.

Do you agree with the magazine's picks or are there any notable places missing? Let us know in the comments.

Reporting by Patch editor Doug Gross

Image via Natthawat.Cha/ Shutterstock