[0:00] Hi, can I take your order?
[0:01] Yeah, one second.
[0:02] The top five fast food restaurants
made $115 billion last year.
[0:06] But does that make them the best?
[0:07] I mean,
people have been debating this for years,
[0:09] but what if the best fast food restaurant
was a place we've never heard of?
[0:12] That's why today we're going to the most
unknown fast food restaurants in America
[0:16] to see if they compete with the giants.
[0:18] Some of these are historic
one-of-one locations,
[0:21] but others are just getting their start
and they want to play in the big leagues.
[0:25] So let's answer the question: Is
the greatest fast food gem somewhere
[0:28] out there secretly hiding?
[0:30] And can we find it?
[0:31] The search begins.
[0:32] And we're starting in...
[0:34] Lima Ohio.
[0:36] I've never even heard of this place.
[0:38] Kewpee's been around since 1923.
[0:39] These guys are OG's!!
[0:40] And it's the third oldest fast food
restaurant you've probably never heard of.
[0:43] But they've been around this long,
[0:44] so there's got to be a reason
that they're still around.
[0:46] They once had 400 locations,
but it's been reduced to three.
[0:49] Fun fact: the Wendy's founder
went here when he was growing up,
[0:52] and supposedly that inspired Wendy's.
So in a way,
[0:54] they do play a big role
in the fast food world...
[0:57] Also, look at this line!
[0:58] It's literally wrapping around the block,
so surely it must be good.
[1:01] So we went in to order,
and the vibe is crazy here!
[1:04] You kind of feel at home with
the classic bright seating,
[1:07] all the babies in the corner.
Honestly,
[1:09] I can't compare the inside of this
to any fast food spot I've ever seen.
[1:13] It's almost like AI-generated.
[1:15] But anyway,
we ordered a standard hamburger,
[1:17] fish sandwich, and fries,
[1:18] and it came out in five minutes
for a grand total of $10.50.
[1:22] So far,
[1:23] we're meeting the expectation
of a solid fast food spot,
[1:25] but we're starting with the
unlikely option: the fish sandwich.
[1:29] First of all, no toast on the bun.
[1:31] I've actually never been to a fast
food place that doesn't toast the bun.
[1:33] Toasting hasn't made its
way out here quite yet.
[1:35] Cheers.
Crunch is there, but the flavor is not.
[1:38] This could be so good!
[1:39] I was coming here really
hoping to be shocked,
[1:42] and I am: shocked at how little
seasoning there is on this sandwich.
[1:45] I taste nothing.
[1:46] The texture is nice, though.
[1:47] I like the texture of the bun.
[1:48] The fish is moist, but there's no salt.
There's no flavor.
[1:50] There's no seasoning.
I mean, you know,
[1:52] I might as well just eat a
bag of chips at that point.
[1:54] That's not the end.
They have redemption here.
[1:56] Let's try the fries.
[1:57] These, on the other hand,
are actually not bad.
[1:59] This is like an OG McDonald's fry.
The flavor is good.
[2:01] The texture is perfect.
Great crisp.
[2:03] Fluffy on the inside,
crispy on the outside.
[2:05] They could possibly add
maybe a little more,
[2:06] but I'm not going to deduct points.
[2:08] This is a really good
fast food French fry.
[2:10] Great work, great work.
[2:11] But the most important
part is yet to come.
[2:13] This is the second oldest fast food
hamburger restaurant in the world,
[2:17] second only to White Castle.
[2:19] Hamburgers must be good.
[2:20] Traditional toppings.
[2:21] I got olives and banana peppers
because I noticed that a lot of people
[2:23] tend to order it that way here.
Cheers.
[2:29] It's not bad if your standard
is cafeteria hamburger.
[2:33] I'm sorry, to me,
this is like a standard hamburger,
[2:35] and I don't mean standard
in the sense of good,
[2:37] I mean standard in the
sense of fast food burgers.
[2:39] There's not much Maillard on the meat.
[2:41] It could use more salt,
although the olives are resolving that,
[2:43] so the salt levels are
actually pretty good.
[2:45] I don't know.
[2:46] There's like so little to
talk about in this hamburger.
[2:48] It's definitely not going
anywhere on my top 10,
[2:50] or my top 20, or my top 30.
[2:52] But it's not a horrible burger.
That said,
[2:53] we came all the way out here
for a reason: to see how they
[2:56] line up with the big dogs.
Do they line up?
[2:57] No.
It is better than one place, though:
[2:59] Whataburger.
[3:00] In fact,
everything is better than Whataburger.
[3:02] This is better than Whataburger.
Onto the next!
[3:04] You might think this place is named "Eat"
by the fact that the very front door
[3:07] has a giant sign that says "EAT."
[3:09] That is just what you do there.
[3:11] This is Happy Dayz.
[3:12] They're known for the iconic
pork tenderloin sandwich;
[3:14] we will eat that at the end.
[3:16] I couldn't really compare it to any
existing big dog fast food restaurants;
[3:19] the closest comparison is Jack
in the Box because of the random
[3:22] assortment of menu items.
[3:23] It took roughly 10 minutes to come out,
but to be fair, it was a big order.
[3:26] Neither here nor there on speed.
[3:27] But first,
we're starting with the patty melt.
[3:30] I love a good patty melt.
[3:31] I have a recipe for a patty melt in
my cookbook—New York Times bestseller,
[3:34] by the way, links in the description.
[3:38] This was not bad;
[3:38] it was really close to being good.
The only issue,
[3:41] guys: there's no f***ing
salt in this at all.
[3:44] None.
Zero.
[3:44] What the f*** is going on!?!
[3:46] Everything about this was proper, though,
besides the fact that there's no salt.
[3:49] And I know you're thinking like, "Josh,
[3:51] give it a break." It's the one thing that
is going to enhance the flavor of it.
[3:54] You lose out on half the experience.
[3:56] We got the fries next.
[3:57] These look promising.
[3:59] I thought the fries at Kewpee were better.
[4:01] More crispy, better seasoned.
These aren't bad.
[4:03] I mean,
[4:03] they're not incredible
and they're not horrible.
[4:05] They're mid.
I'll still eat them, though.
[4:06] Fritter next.
Could this be a redeemer?
[4:09] Yes, those are good.
Weird.
[4:10] This reminds me of the coconut
griddle cakes that we had in Thailand,
[4:14] but like an American fried corn version.
Super crunchy.
[4:17] Almost like McDonald's
chicken nugget crunch,
[4:19] seasoned with a little bit of salt,
which is nice.
[4:21] But it's a salty-sweet contrast,
because the inside has this, like,
[4:24] custardy,
[4:25] creamy sweet corn filling
with actual pieces of corn.
[4:27] This is a banger hidden gem!
But it's not over.
[4:29] Here it is: the pork tenderloin sandwich.
[4:31] And you might be thinking,
[4:32] "Is that the sole of my granddad's
boot in between two buns?" No,
[4:35] that is a flattened-out pork
tenderloin that is frozen,
[4:38] breaded, fried,
and has a tiny bun.
[4:39] Here we go...
See that?
[4:40] That's ground meat.
[4:41] That is not actually pork tenderloin.
[4:43] The seasoning is not bad.
[4:44] I like this more than the
burger that I had at Kewpee.
[4:46] I can say that it could
use a little bit of salt.
[4:48] It could just use flavor in general.
[4:50] I don't taste pork at all.
[4:51] That said, kind of into it.
[4:53] I feel like I would eat this and be happy,
but I'm not going to, like,
[4:56] be blown away by it.
For cost and convenience,
[4:57] I think this is pretty up there for the
quality of the product you're getting.
[5:01] This feels like really low-quality food,
if I'm being honest.
[5:03] Somehow feels lower quality than, like,
an average fast food place.
[5:06] I almost want to rate this...
it's...
[5:07] it's...
I'm not coming back.
[5:09] We have a distinct goal here.
[5:10] I want to find the hidden gems,
[5:12] and I want to find the people that
can compete with the big dogs.
[5:15] Can this place compete with the big dogs?
No.
[5:17] This is not a hidden gem.
[5:18] But I know they're out there and
that's what we're fighting for.
[5:22] So, we move on.
[5:23] So we say goodbye to Ohio
and fly back home to Austin,
[5:26] Texas,
[5:27] where we're joined on our
search by our channel favorite,
[5:30] Chef Christian...
[5:31] We're at Top Notch.
[5:32] I've always wanted to go here.
[5:33] It's considered an Austin classic.
[5:35] The one interesting thing
about this place is,
[5:37] supposedly,
[5:38] they're doing actual
char-grilled-over-charcoal burgers,
[5:40] which is really unique.
[5:41] There's only one location.
[5:43] "Can I get just two cheeseburgers
served with the works,
[5:45] and then just one order of fries,
and then that's it?"
[5:48] However,
[5:49] I can't resist getting a good
old-fashioned fish and shrimp
[5:51] platter while we're here.
[5:52] Burgers ended up taking
about five minutes,
[5:54] and the seafood platter, another seven.
[5:56] Honestly, for seafood made to order,
I'm not complaining.
[5:58] And that clocked in to a total of $30.06,
[6:01] which makes it middle-of-the-pack
for affordability.
[6:04] Not bad.
Grab a fry.
[6:05] Cheers.
[6:06] These taste like what McDonald's
fries used to taste like.
[6:09] So crisp!
[6:10] Crazy to see such a small fast
food joint putting out fries that,
[6:13] to me,
are gold-standard fast-food-style fries.
[6:16] The burger, on the other hand,
I'm a little worried about.
[6:19] First of all, this burger is cold,
which I don't know how that's possible.
[6:21] Cheers!
That's what it is.
[6:22] Cheers!
[6:23] Flavor-wise, it's actually pretty good.
[6:24] Yeah.
[6:25] This is, like,
10% meat, and then 90% other shit.
[6:29] Flavor's outstanding!
[6:29] It tastes great, like,
it's seasoned nicely with salt.
[6:32] This is like an old diner burger.
[6:33] There's not a lot of fat in it.
[6:35] There's not, like,
juicy, fatty,
[6:36] rich meat.
It's sort of just like plain, it's beefy.
[6:39] I'm glad we didn't get
the one with extra sauces.
[6:40] Like, this is simple.
The meat stands out.
[6:42] Unfortunately,
the meat wasn't warm or hot,
[6:44] but the flavor of the meat is there.
[6:45] For a cold burger, I mean,
I would eat this.
[6:47] I'm having a fun time.
I would come here for that vibe.
[6:49] So, we have the fried seafood platter.
[6:51] Comes with fried shrimp, fried fish,
fries, toast,
[6:53] coleslaw.
$14...
[6:54] Cheers.
A little oily, but nice...
[6:57] Fried fish is banging!
[6:59] Oh my god, it's seasoned so nicely,
and it's juicy.
[7:01] You know, I actually love this.
[7:03] In comparison to Long John Silver's,
I think that this is comparable.
[7:05] I don't think that it's, honestly,
better or worse.
[7:07] I think it is good, though.
I know it sounds crazy,
[7:09] but I would come back
for the seafood platter.
[7:11] I don't know that I would
be as allured by the burger.
[7:13] If I was going to compare
this to Burger King,
[7:14] because that's really what
this is comparable to...
[7:16] Burger King is doing char-grilled burgers,
but it's fake.
[7:19] And they come cold, just like theirs.
These tasted better.
[7:21] These actually tasted of charcoal because,
guess what?
[7:23] They're fucking using charcoal.
[7:24] So, they're beating the big dog.
But we're moving on.
[7:27] We're at Buddy's.
This place is an up-and-comer.
[7:29] They're actually attempting
to become one of the big dogs.
[7:31] The question is: do
they have what it takes?
[7:33] I do like this "Tossed Season Fries".
[7:34] Wait, why is it "season"?
[7:35] Wouldn't it be "seasoned"?
[7:37] I gotta say,
I love the simplicity of the menu.
[7:39] There's only four items.
[7:40] It's giving In-N-Out vibes.
[7:42] Can we get two Double
Classics with cheese,
[7:44] the number three?
And can we do that with seasoned fries?
[7:47] All right, your total will be $30.04.
Thank you.
[7:50] Thank you.
[7:51] Well, she apologized for the wait,
which I thought was really nice.
[7:53] I want to be clear: we did wait 15
minutes just to get to the order window.
[7:57] And how many cars were ahead of us?
Three?
[7:58] Awesome.
Thank you.
[7:59] That was a 30-minute
drive-thru experience.
[8:02] Convenience?
Yes.
[8:03] Speed?
F*ck No.
[8:05] Affordability?
[8:06] $30 for two meals.
[8:07] I'm gonna say it's on the high end.
Grab a fry.
[8:10] Cheers!
[8:11] Cheers!
Oh, that was a good crunch!
[8:12] I like that.
That was a good crunch.
[8:14] Very good fry.
[8:15] I feel like this is what Five Guys
wanted to do with their seasoning.
[8:17] Oh, Five Guys fries...
[8:18] Bottom of the barrel.
Yeah.
[8:19] These are phenomenal.
The crunch is good,
[8:20] the seasoning's nice.
[8:21] It's got a little spice, it's got,
like, a Cajun-cumin spice to it.
[8:24] And the salt levels are really nice.
Salty and crunchy.
[8:27] We have a good start.
[8:28] But let's see how they
go with the burgers.
[8:30] Mine's just pretty seasoned.
Wow!
[8:31] They could have been.
You said it's pretty seasoned?
[8:33] Mine is pretty seasoned.
[8:34] There's zero
[8:35] f*cking salt on mine.
Do I have COVID?
[8:36] Just...
[8:37] Take a nibble of mine...
[8:38] Marginally better.
It's f*cking mid.
[8:40] I'm so annoyed looking at this burger.
[8:42] I was like, "This has gotta be good."
[8:43] I hate to say it, like,
I want to see Buddy's succeed.
[8:46] It was a huge letdown in the burger,
and that's the mainstay.
[8:49] They have four menu items, and guess what?
[8:51] They're all the same thing
with different toppings...
[8:53] so really, they have one menu item,
not including the fries.
[8:56] Something like this that wants
to compare themselves to,
[8:58] like, a Shake Shack...
they're not quite there yet.
[9:00] There's a lot of things
they need to work on.
[9:02] I think that the potential is there.
[9:04] Had they seasoned the burger properly,
had it been a little bit juicier,
[9:07] not so dry in the patty,
[9:08] I think that I would
have been more excited.
[9:10] I don't think it's that
hard to make a burger good.
[9:12] And so when I have one that's
that mid from a place that's,
[9:14] like,
[9:15] emphasizing how it's
artisanal and crafted,
[9:16] my expectations are high,
and I felt kind of let down.
[9:19] So we move on.
[9:20] I've always wanted to come here.
[9:21] It is Sandy's.
[9:22] This is an Austin classic,
but truly kind of a hidden gem,
[9:25] because many Austinites
don't know about it.
[9:27] Most people in the US
definitely don't know about it.
[9:29] As far as I know,
there's only ever been one.
[9:31] Aesthetically, when you look at it,
you're like,
[9:33] "This is an old-school establishment."
[9:34] Sandy's is exactly how fast food worked
in the '40s and '60s: a walk-up window,
[9:39] a tiny interior kitchen, a short menu.
[9:41] This is food designed for speed.
[9:43] You know,
McDonald's before all the efficiencies.
[9:46] Now, while they did have a drive-thru,
[9:48] the order window looked too
classic to not order through.
[9:50] It took around five
minutes to get our meal,
[9:52] and it came out to $22.28.
[9:54] All great markers of a
great fast food restaurant.
[9:56] Could this be the hidden gem
that we're searching for?
[9:59] Starting with our fries.
[10:01] It's like an average fast food fry.
[10:02] A little dry.
[10:03] a little floury.
Overall, this french fry is below mid.
[10:05] It's not great;
it's really not great.
[10:07] Hopefully the hamburger's better.
[10:08] I can see the thickness,
the girth on that bag.
[10:11] I'm excited for this burger!
[10:12] These are big—way bigger than I thought.
[10:14] And this is the cheapest one.
[10:16] It almost feels like
Carl's Jr. commercials,
[10:18] where after they take a bite,
they have to use their whole arm to wipe.
[10:21] Supposedly,
they won "Best Burger in Austin".
[10:23] This is truly...
[10:25] so far away.
[10:26] It's not even in the top 10.
[10:27] Is it a bad burger?
No.
[10:28] Is it a good burger?
[10:31] No.
It's missing flavor.
[10:32] I taste nothing.
[10:33] It resembles a steamed burger.
[10:35] There is no Maillard.
[10:36] No Maillard.
[10:37] The only umami you get in
here is tomato and mustard.
[10:39] Maybe I overhyped it, but...
Kind of a letdown.
[10:41] But that's what this video is all about.
[10:42] That's why we're going to unknown places.
[10:44] Are they as good as people say they are?
[10:45] Or is it just because of
the vibe of the nostalgia?
[10:49] If I'm being real, this is a very,
very, very,
[10:51] very, very average burger.
It's bad.
[10:53] Thanks!
We have our Taco Bell comparison.
[10:56] It is El Tacorrido.
I call it El Tacorrido,
[10:58] even though that's technically
not the right pronunciation,
[11:00] because it was just what everybody
called it when you went there.
[11:02] By everybody, they were all white people.
[11:04] This place is special to me, though.
[11:05] I used to come here almost every morning.
[11:07] If I was running the morning shift at
any of the restaurants I ever worked at,
[11:10] I always came here first.
[11:11] I haven't been here in a very,
very long time, I'm sad to say.
[11:14] I think it's sleeper;
I'm hoping it still is.
[11:16] Shall we dive in?
[11:16] Yeah, let's do a pasty.
[11:17] Cheers.
That's tasty.
[11:19] My one complaint, though,
is it's not traditional al pastor.
[11:22] It's not sliced;
it's like ground meat.
[11:23] Maybe the chicken will redeem it for me.
[11:26] Those are good, man!
[11:27] It's probably the best chicken
taco I've had in a while.
[11:29] Those are seasoned...
nicely.
[11:30] They're fatty;
they're not dry.
[11:31] A lot of chicken tacos are dry,
but that's because they use breast.
[11:33] Now let's try the quesadilla.
[11:36] Whoa.
[11:37] Banger!
Bang bang bang!
[11:38] Compared to Taco Bell—slaughtered them.
[11:40] Not even in the same playing field.
[11:42] These are more comparable to, like,
a street food taco.
[11:44] We got 'em in four minutes
and it's delicious.
[11:46] You're eating this first thing
in the morning before your shift;
[11:48] you got enough to pass lunch.
[11:49] Now that we've finally
found something good,
[11:51] the question is: this is the OG,
they have a couple more locations.
[11:54] Should they be a big dog?
[11:56] I think yes,
I think they should be a big dog.
[11:58] Although, if they became a big dog,
[11:59] would they be able to
maintain this quality?
[12:01] I mean,
[12:02] they're handling this with two
guys who are probably 12 years old.
[12:05] Imagine scaling that up.
[12:06] I think they would kill it.
[12:07] This is a banger of an unknown spot.
[12:08] But we're not stopping here,
so we move on.
[12:11] Next, we're heading to Los Angeles.
[12:13] McDonald's got its start here before
becoming the giant it is today.
[12:17] But are there any upstarts
or hidden gems lurking,
[12:20] waiting to break out?
[12:21] To help me answer that question,
I'm joined by my good friend Noel Miller.
[12:25] Not just a comedian,
but a man with zero food knowledge.
[12:27] He has a good palate and he
can definitely operate as the
[12:30] tasting voice of the people.
[12:31] Okay, so we're at Brolly Hut.
What's a brolly?
[12:34] Well, they got umbrellas everywhere.
[12:35] There are sconces or umbrellas.
[12:37] The whole thing's shaped like an umbrella.
[12:38] It's a UK term for an umbrella—I'm
finding this out—and I have
[12:41] no idea why they did that,
[12:42] but obviously did not help them
because they only have two locations.
[12:46] The outside is rough,
[12:47] but I'm not going to
judge a book by its cover,
[12:49] because as soon as I walked in,
there was a different story.
[12:51] Nice little clean line,
everything was organized.
[12:53] I was feeling good.
The menu was super full.
[12:55] They have tons of options.
[12:56] They even have breakfast, hash browns.
[12:58] They have a real grill.
Got to be good, right?
[13:00] After a 20-minute wait,
[13:01] we ended up paying $49.45 for two
burritos and two sandwiches and fries.
[13:05] It's also Ice Cube's favorite
fast food restaurant,
[13:08] supposedly.
So, how good is it?
[13:09] So this is their most popular
item: it is the pastrami burrito.
[13:13] I was expecting, like,
slices of pastrami and cheese,
[13:16] but the thing is,
[13:17] sliced pastrami inside of a
burrito would not move like this.
[13:20] Would not have this kind of motion to it.
[13:22] Doctors be like, "Go ahead and cough."
[13:24] Why the f*** is there chili in this?
[13:26] I don't know, but I don't hate it.
[13:27] I gotta be honest, it's not bad.
It's decent.
[13:29] All I'm tasting is chili and cheese.
[13:31] This is like 50% chili, 50% pastrami.
But it's not bad.
[13:34] Like, I kind of like it.
[13:36] Sh*t's good.
[13:36] If you like, like,
a sort of soupy bean and cheese burrito,
[13:39] this is basically that,
but the meat version.
[13:41] Okay, so we have the steak sandwich.
[13:43] And this was something that's
ordered the most. You have steak
[13:46] that is genuinely so cooked,
[13:48] its entire lineage can feel the pain.
[13:50] This is beyond well done.
[13:51] This is "Congratulations".
But maybe it's good.
[13:53] Cheers.
[13:55] This is a beef jerky sandwich.
[13:56] Sorry, I almost suffocated to death.
What?
[13:59] Mother of God!
It...
[14:00] doesn't taste bad, though.
I'll give it that.
[14:01] It doesn't.
[14:02] As tough as the steak is,
why do I want to keep eating it?
[14:04] It's seasoned really nicely with salt.
Although this, like,
[14:07] quarter-pound of lettuce on
this is totally ruining it.
[14:09] If there was an image in
the dictionary for "mid",
[14:12] it would be an image of this sandwich.
[14:14] You're not getting anything that special.
[14:15] I wouldn't eat it again,
but I don't hate it.
[14:17] I'm coming back.
[14:18] I'm gonna be at Brolly Hut every
[14:21] day.
[14:22] You're a Brolly Head?
[14:22] I'm a Brolly Head.
[14:23] Wait, how are the fries?
[14:24] Oh, my bad.
I jumped ahead.
[14:26] I could use some salt on this.
[14:27] It's like raw potato.
[14:28] I'm gonna be the a**hole in this video.
[14:29] This could be good,
but the lack of so many things:
[14:32] salt, texture, there's no crunch.
[14:34] I'm here to show you all that.
[14:36] As much as Josh might complain,
he's still gonna eat.
[14:38] That's how you know he's
still a big boy inside.
[14:42] All right.
Brolly Hut.
[14:43] Didn't hate it.
Didn't love it.
[14:44] Moving on.
[14:45] We are at an unlikely find because it
wasn't on the list. Thanks to Noel,
[14:49] we have this Storm Burger.
[14:51] I think they only have one place.
[14:53] I believe it's only one.
[14:54] They want to be one of the big dogs.
We have the classic Storm Burger.
[14:55] It's got a great Maillard;
[14:56] it's got a great toast.
It looks legit.
[14:58] I'm not going to lie.
I feel like Noel wouldn't steer me wrong.
[15:00] But there's only one way to find out.
So cheers, dude.
[15:05] I don't even care what Josh says.
This is my sh*t.
[15:07] It's really good.
[15:08] If I were to compare this to In-N-Out,
this is better.
[15:09] That bun, bro.
[15:10] I mean, from the sauce,
the Maillard is perfect.
[15:12] The beef has a great texture.
[15:13] If I wanted to be a real a**hole,
I would say, like,
[15:16] I would prefer no lettuce on it,
[15:17] because I think lettuce
dilutes the flavor.
[15:19] And I want to taste more
of this beautifully crispy,
[15:21] Maillard-seared beef.
[15:22] I eat everything here because it
tastes like a human cooked it.
[15:25] It's a banger.
The French fries.
[15:26] Give them a rip.
[15:27] I really don't want to
sound like I'm glazing.
[15:30] These are peak fry—peak!
[15:31] There's almost like a little
bit of a batter on them.
[15:33] I normally don't love seasoned fries,
[15:34] because it feels like
a cheat or a shortcut.
[15:36] The potato itself isn't crispy;
[15:37] it's just the crust, right?
[15:38] But this—this is both.
[15:39] Like, the crunch is insane.
[15:41] They're seasoned perfectly with salt.
[15:43] We're not doing ratings,
but if I was going to rate these fries,
[15:45] I'd give them like a 9.5.
That's bananas.
[15:46] And let me say this.
[15:47] If you don't know me, I know,
I know I look like I don't eat.
[15:49] I look like this because I'm
such a picky little brat.
[15:52] "I don't want to eat it."  That's me.
Unless it's this.
[15:55] Then...
[15:57] It wasn't on the list,
[15:58] but I'm glad we went here because
I can see these guys becoming
[16:00] a top dog if you're watching.
This is phenomenal.
[16:02] Moving on.
[16:03] We are at Jim Dandy,
the place with a logo that made me say,
[16:07] "We have to go here."
[16:08] And I thought, "Okay,
so there's only one location,
[16:10] right?" There was one once.
30 locations!
[16:12] They were booming.
They were doing well.
[16:14] They were selling chicken;
[16:15] it was obviously a great operation.
[16:16] And then I don't know
what the hell happened,
[16:18] but they stopped.
[16:19] And then, yeah,
went all the way down to one.
[16:20] That means that there's still a
salvageable reason that they're here.
[16:24] And I want to know why.
[16:25] Let me describe the interior for you.
[16:26] You know how when you go to a bank,
[16:27] they're worried about
you stealing the money,
[16:29] so sometimes they'll count that money
behind the glass and they'll dish it
[16:32] out into a nice little container?
[16:33] Banker opens the door, puts the money in,
close the door, you open the other side,
[16:36] you get the money.
[16:37] They want this chicken.
They be stealing for the chicken.
[16:39] They do.
[16:39] It must be really good then.
[16:41] I'm telling you, it is.
[16:43] That's how f*cking good this chicken is.
[16:44] All in all,
[16:45] it took about eight
minutes to get our order.
[16:46] And for the experience we had,
I'm not complaining.
[16:49] And I want to clarify: we got a
full meal: four-piece fried chicken,
[16:52] a full thing of French fries,
and two fritters.
[16:54] That comes in at $15...
[16:55] In L.A.!
[16:56] Maybe that's why they're suffering.
[16:58] They're charging reasonable prices.
[16:59] They're not greedy enough.
[17:00] I'm going to go for a fry first.
[17:02] High school cafeteria fry.
[17:03] Chicken?
[17:04] That sh*t is so hot.
[17:05] Cheers.
That is hot.
[17:07] Like they just fried this.
[17:08] Not as greasy as I thought.
[17:09] Wait, this is actually really good.
[17:10] Because if I were to
compare this to a KFC,
[17:13] right?
Because I would say this is KFC-adjacent.
[17:15] They are f*cking them.
[17:16] They're stomping them.
[17:17] The salt level: absolutely
f*cking perfect,
[17:19] like, to the limit.
[17:20] But from a spice standpoint,
you got the garlic, the cayenne.
[17:23] It's got a little bit of heat to it.
It's not too spicy.
[17:25] I would like maybe a
little bit more spiciness.
[17:27] The flavor is delicious.
[17:28] The best part is the chicken is not
lost. It works together in harmony.
[17:31] This is a beautiful piece of chicken.
[17:33] As someone who is on
Josh's level in terms of,
[17:35] like, culinary knowledge and experience,
this chicken is good.
[17:38] It's actually sad that
this is the only location.
[17:41] If they took this concept and put
these buildings across America,
[17:44] I think they would kill if
they were all this good.
[17:47] This is like homestyle fried chicken.
[17:48] I mean,
my mom makes a really good fried chicken,
[17:50] and this kind of reminds me of hers.
[17:51] We're going to try a
fritter and then we're out.
[17:53] I feel like this is either going
to be really good or really bad,
[17:55] so I'm just going to go for it.
[17:57] That's actually insane.
[17:58] Jesus.
[17:59] Come take my left foot because
I'm getting diabetes today!!
[18:01] Unbelievably crispy on the outside, super,
super soft and fluffy on the inside.
[18:05] And it just, like, melts.
[18:06] It's kind of like a cake donut, but way,
way, way,
[18:09] way, way crispier.
It's like the fried chicken of donuts.
[18:11] I have gone to premier coffee
shops in L.A.—no names being
[18:14] named—that sell donuts.
[18:16] None of them as good as this right here.
[18:17] I ate the whole thing.
I'm going to have diarrhea later.
[18:19] This is so awesome.
Moving on,
[18:20] up next is an unknown spot that
actually has an insane amount of
[18:24] influence on fast food today.
[18:26] Glen Bell started El Taco
before completely ditching it to
[18:29] kickstart the Taco Bell empire.
[18:31] This location before us
is the last one to remain.
[18:35] Is it better than Taco Bell,
[18:36] or is there a reason it
was ditched by its creator?
[18:39] We have these incredibly
liquid bean burritos.
[18:43] It's not bad, but it's not good.
[18:45] This is like the soup
dumpling of burritos,
[18:47] though.
[18:48] This would be good if
the beans were actually,
[18:49] like,
[18:50] cooked and had all
sorts of flavor in them.
[18:51] This just tastes like canned pureed beans.
[18:52] I know I'm eating,
but I don't taste anything.
[18:55] So the original Taco
Bell is no longer open,
[18:58] but this could be the closest version
of the original crispy shell taco.
[19:02] It looks like Taco Bell.
[19:04] Yeah, it really does.
[19:04] How do you feel about Taco Bell?
What's your opinion?
[19:06] I think they've done a great job
serving us rat meat for 40 years!
[19:09] No, I mean, I love Taco Bell.
[19:11] I eat it all the time.
Iron stomach, man.
[19:12] I put it down.
[19:13] See how they live up to it.
[19:15] Kind of same as the burrito.
[19:16] It's like,
I don't feel like I taste anything.
[19:18] You have COVID.
[19:19] I was going to say, maybe I have COVID.
[19:21] That is ass.
[19:22] Like, the seasoning is not bad,
but it's just—there's no flavor.
[19:24] All I taste is cold cheese and lettuce.
[19:26] I can barely taste the meat.
[19:27] The crunchy taco shell is really crunchy.
I'll give it that.
[19:29] The crunch is surprisingly good on it.
[19:31] It makes me want to keep eating it.
And you're like,
[19:33] "Maybe the next bite
will be more exciting."
[19:35] But then you take that next bite and, ooh,
the crunch.
[19:37] And then you keep chewing and you're like,
"Oh, another letdown."
[19:39] Until it's gone and you
have no more self-respect,
[19:41] and you're sitting on the couch sweating.
[19:43] And that is how Josh got fat.
[19:48] The last thing is their cinnamon dessert.
[19:50] Cinnamon—this is about 100 times
better than anything we just ate.
[19:53] Taco Bell.
[19:54] Whatever that bull you're doing
with the cinnamon twists is,
[19:56] knock it off.
Go back to this.
[19:58] Now I feel like I'm seeing the heart
[20:00] of Taco Bell and what
it could have been: mid,
[20:02] with something exciting at the end.
Moving on...
[20:05] We are at what could have been the
biggest competitor to KFC in the
[20:08] world—maybe even put them out of business.
Except...
[20:11] it's a sad story.
[20:12] They were up to 300 locations.
[20:13] They were skyrocketing.
[20:14] The food's doing well.
[20:15] People are loving it.
[20:16] But due to bad management, bankruptcy,
etc.,
[20:18] they were reduced down to only two...
more locations.
[20:21] The name?
Pioneer Chicken, I might add.
[20:23] The inside of this restaurant is
actually pretty decently designed and
[20:26] surprisingly clean for fast food.
[20:28] The service was great.
[20:29] The food came out in under five minutes.
[20:31] I mean,
we might have a big hidden gem here.
[20:33] The branding looks good.
The chicken looks good.
[20:35] The fries look good.
The inside is clean.
[20:37] I mean, I'm kind of sad for them.
[20:38] So let's see if the redemption is here.
Banger!!
[20:42] Seasoned to the bone.
[20:43] The crust is like...
glass.
[20:44] I don't know how they're doing this.
[20:46] This reminds me of Willie Mae's.
[20:48] We went there and they
had a battered chicken.
[20:50] This is better than Willie Mae's!
[20:51] This is a fast food restaurant
and they're outdoing,
[20:53] in my opinion,
[20:54] what's supposed to be one of the best
fried chicken restaurants in America.
[20:57] I mean, this is bananas.
[20:58] Yeah, that's how good it is.
[20:58] That's all I can say is, "Yeah!"
[21:00] You couldn't live in LA between the '70s
and '90s without seeing a Pioneer Chicken.
[21:03] It's sad that this is
one of the only ones.
[21:05] I've lived in LA my whole life.
[21:07] I'm ashamed to say I've
never eaten Pioneer Chicken.
[21:09] Mom, dad...
what the f---?!
[21:11] God, the fries are great.
[21:12] The fries are perfectly salted,
perfectly crispy.
[21:15] This is one of the best fast food
experiences I've had in a long time.
[21:19] And if I got this in a nice
restaurant and paid good money for it,
[21:22] I would be happy.
You could go to Pioneer Chicken,
[21:24] put it on a nice plate
with some nice tableware,
[21:26] charge me 40 bucks for this,
and I'd be like, "Yeah,
[21:28] this is f---ing good."
[21:29] This was $15.
[21:30] Come on down to Pioneer Chicken!
[21:32] Pioneer Chicken, kick it into high gear.
[21:34] This is your chance to take it back.
[21:36] Take back the win!
[21:37] Kill KFC, please!
[21:38] We need good fast food restaurants.
[21:41] Let me tell you right now,
[21:42] the Midwest brain will not
be able to handle this.
[21:44] Shout out to all my people in the Midwest!
[21:45] If they put one of these in your city,
[21:47] I promise you: the diabetes
is coming twice as fast.
[21:49] And that's what this video is all about.
[21:51] We went to unknown fast food restaurants.
[21:53] The whole point was to figure out: do
the big dogs deserve their placement,
[21:56] or are there little guys out
there that are doing it better?
[21:59] And there are.
[22:00] The reality is you just got
to go out and find them,
[22:02] and they're probably everywhere.
[22:03] And I'm sure there are others
that we didn't even cover.
[22:05] So that being said, love you.
Subscribe.
[22:06] Bye!