Howlin Rays Hot Chicken - Chinatown

I believe this place started the fried chicken frenzy in LA. There are so many talk at this place that we finally found our way to visit the famous place. It's located in the middle of Chinatown and we had no issue finding a paid parking lot right next to the plaza ($5 all day parking). It's easy to find the place because you will see the long waiting line before you see the restaurant. The line was long and the server told us the wait is around 40 min and another 10 min for our food. Luckily, we received our order under 35 min. Even the guy in line told us usually the wait it 1-2 hours long ? We ordered their famous chicken sandwich with spicy level of 4/hot (there are 6 level of spiciness). And we also ordered Half Bird with spicy level of 3/medium. The server warned us about level 4/hot and it contains ghost pepper. When our number was called, the manager/owner was friendly and asked if we forgot to add fries. I said we ordered enough for two and he gave us a bag of fries for free to try! ?♥️ So, why only 3 star review? Well, the food was just average, unfortunately. The chicken sandwich was tasty and cooked well, but the patty was thin (4/5 ⭐). The fries was tasty. But the half bird was a disaster!!! They were too salty and we couldn't finish them. We only ate 1.5 piece out of 4. (1/5 ⭐). I do want to point out that everything cooked to perfection, but the half bird was the most salty food we have tried! And plus the usual wait time of 1-2 hours, I can't recommend this place.

This place lives up to the hype! In my opinion the winning ingredients for me are their sauce and coleslaw. I'm usually not a big fan of coleslaw but it pairs really well with the burger and fries. The sando ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: super juicy with coleslaw sauce and a soft bun. Medium plus has some ghost pepper so was near the peak of spicy I could handle so I would recommend mild or medium to be safe for people who don't eat super spicy. Mario style fries ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: crinkle cut fries with coleslaw pickles and a generous helping of sauce on top.

This place is magical!! I’ve only been once, and it was a really great experience. Can’t wait to go back! We purchased a fast-pass type of thing way before COVID and finally had the chance to use it just recently. The process was so easy. We ordered ahead of time via email and got to choose our pick-up date and time. I think what we ordered ended up being $1 or $2 over the gift card price and they didn’t charge us the difference. The person replying to email was the absolute sweetest and I’m so appreciative of their generosity! When we went to pick-up the food we only waited a few minutes and then received our order. The person who gave it to us was so friendly and made sure we didn’t need anything else before we left. We ordered tenders, a sandwich and fries, all varying degrees of spice level. All were amaaazing. I think my favorite thing was the tenders in medium hot. You definitely need to try this place out, you won’t regret it! Definitely lives up to all the hype.

Medium-Plus Spice Chicken Strips / 5 ?! Shake Fries / 5 ?! Comeback Sauce / 5 ?! I've known Howlin Ray's since their brief but glorious food truck setup. I didn't try them until their Chinatown location opened. I did the 2 hour wait and sat at the bar seating and it was glorious. Their modified setup with online ordering makes stopping here a heck of a lot easier! I highly recommend ordering for pick up and wait for it. This meal is best fresh out of the fryer. Fresher the better. Fair warning. Their spice levels get intense fast. Heed their warnings about their top 3 spice levels since those are going to ko you. I had medium-plus and even that was a trip! I had the sweats and a runny nose the entire time I ate. And it was worth it. Their flavors are so strong and so complex, every sweaty bit is worth it. If you ever wonder why LA has a lot of hot chicken places, these guys are the reason why. Such a great meal. So much flavor. So freaking hot. And fresh is best.

I had a craving for fried chicken and decided to give this place a try located in Chinatown LA. The slaw, sauce & pickled definitely is a must on The Sando! Otherwise, it wouldn't be good without it. The kitchen was nice enough to unpack my Sando & cut it in half when I picked up my order. Glad I ordered online because there was already a line around 11am. You line up outside of the door to place an order. You line up outside in a separate line to pick up online orders. No one is allowed inside the restaurant that I noticed. The collard greens was okay I'm flavor, yet tender. I suggest adding the Crystal brand hot sauce included with the order. It's braised with bacon, not smoked with turkey or ham hocks so it doesn't have that smokey, meaty taste that I'm accustomed to. It's take out & pick up. There's delivery through Postmates I believe. They do have a good ordering and pick up system down. We were able to find curbside parking and there are nearby lots as well. We ate our order in the car because let's face it, fried chicken tastes better while it's fresh & crispy.

Tried here for the first time. The taste was awesome, but a lot of problems afterwards! Stomachache and sore throat started the minute after the food finished. Tried the medium on the sandwiches and fries. There is no sauce with the food, not even one, so you need to purchase it separately! That’s so cheap when you buy a sandwich before tax for $13 and you need to pay another 50 cents or so for the sauce! I’d recommend other hot chicken sandwiches even the ones with a lot of branches!

Hands down best hot chicken sandwich in LA! You can get wings, tenders, legs etc too. There are 6 different heat levels. There is usually a long wait. Parking can be tough on the street. Order online ahead of time! Restaurant is carry out only but there are a few places to sit nearby.

I was expecting to be let down because of how much it gets hyped up... But they really were the best chicken tenders I've ever had. Crispy and juicy with LOTS of flavor in the breading. For those who can't handle spice. Just get the country style, you won't be disappointed!