Roost: Great fried chicken in Jerusalem - review

You can get schnitzel in scores of places in Jerusalem. But Roost offers something different – an American-style fried chicken sandwich.

“There is a trend all over the US of fried chicken sandwiches. This is our ode to that,” said Roost owner Ephraim Greenblatt.

“The chicken is brined in pickle juice, and parve buttermilk is used as a binder. Then it’s fried in seasoned flour.”

Enjoying the food at Roost

My husband, who enjoys spicy food more than I, tried the Make It Hurt Doc (NIS 68), which is the same chicken cutlet with “nuclear Nashville coleslaw, pickled hot peppers, and jalapeno aioli,” pronouncing it “spicy but delicious.”

I also took a bite of the From Buffalo with Love (NIS 68), in which the chicken cutlet is dipped in house-made Buffalo sauce, and served with coleslaw and red onion.

But man does not live on fried chicken sandwiches alone, so we tried a few of the side dishes as well. I very much enjoyed the Poppers (NIS 68), which are bite-size crispy pieces of fried chicken breast in both Buffalo Sauce and Chipotle Maple (my favorite). Crispy and crunchy, they are highly recommended.

For the health conscious (there’s one in every crowd), there is a Southern quinoa bowl (NIS 68), with grilled chicken on top of quinoa and vegetables. I brought most of it home and am looking forward to having it for lunch today.

We also tasted the fries (NIS 28), which were good, but I’d rather eat more poppers and skip the fries. We drank something I am already familiar with from Greenblatt’s other restaurant, Hatch, in Mahaneh Yehuda. Called Frosé (NIS 32), it’s a rosé slushie that is fantastic.

While there’s plenty of seating, Roost is mostly a fast-food restaurant. You order at a kiosk, and the food, while made to order, comes out quickly. Deliveries are also available through Wolt, although the prices are slightly higher than at the restaurant.