Portland, OR

Without its legendary fried chicken, Reel M Inn would still be a great dive. But with it, it’s one of PDX’s most beloved watering holes. The place is covered in the weird things dive bars are covered in—notes from last decade, wood paneling, an inch of dust stuck permanently caked on over layers of fryer grease, a pool table and lots of local character. But the crown jewels of the bar are the crispy fried chicken and jojos (battered and fried potato wedges) made fresh by the brusque lady bartenders on duty.

On the night of our visit, the line to place a dinner order was about 20 minutes long, only to find out they were two hours behind actually delivering any chicken.