Restaurant Review: Turntable Chicken Jazz

The first time I dined at Turntable Chicken Jazz (yes, that’s actually the name of the restaurant), I was on a date. It was 11 pm, it was our second date, and he had already figured out that I was the kind of girl who wasn’t afraid to eat fried chicken in front of a guy. The environment was fun, the food was outstanding and the music was totally on point.

The second time around, I was on a date again but this time with a girl friend, during the day, and neither of us has any issue eating unladylike in front of each other. Let me just say that both experiences were magical.

I have one word for you. Dumplings. Don’t worry about anything else at first, just go with the dumplings, get them fried and get them fast. The glazes are delicious- I’m a particular fan of the soy garlic ones but the spicy are pretty tasty too. If you’re not into spicy things, just stick with the soy garlic. You can also do the half and half- an excellent choice if you’re sharing with someone- but either way, you won’t be sorry.

Now that you’ve achieved the first step of Turntable Chicken Jazz glory, let’s move on to the chicken. I always thought I had the best fried chicken in the world- made by a southern woman- but I was sorely mistaken. I don’t know what the magic secret is, but holy moly, Korean Fried Chicken wins everything. It’s kind of hard to make coherent sentences that accurately depict the absolute magnificence of this place so I’m just going to list some words and hope that you get the idea: crispy, crunchy, salty, tangy, juicy, perfect. Did it work?

For some reason, the bone-in seems to have a crunchier crust, maybe it’s because it’s thicker breading. Again, the spicy is pretty dang spicy, so proceed at your own risk. There’s something incredibly satisfying about the sound the perfectly distributed, epically crispy breading makes when you take a bite. Be careful- the crust is so smoothly coated on the drumsticks that it really keeps in all the heat.

The boneless is also an amazing option. It’s superbly cooked, still maintaining moisture and juiciness. We asked for extra sauce, and it was the best choice. The soy garlic glaze is probably a really simple recipe but goodness, it’s amazing. We split a medium portion of boneless, and that combined with the dumplings was a perfect amount of food for the both of us. Don’t be alarmed at the lack of fancy presentation, the food more than makes up for it. 

The truly best part about eating at Turntable Chicken Jazz is the music. Some days there’s a throwback playlist happening, the kind that makes you want to get up and dance, some days it’s just quality classics. Either way, you can never lose. It’s simple and easy but yet truly amazing in flavors and quality. Not every girl is a food-obsessed crazy woman like me, so evaluate before bringing a date here.