Not all that long ago, chef James Holmes decided it was time for a spinoff. His restaurant Olivia, an upscale farm-to-table driven establishment on South Lamar, had quickly become known for a sleeper hit on its brunch menu – fried chicken. And just like in the entertainment world, if you’ve got a popular character inside an already successful franchise, you spin that f*cker off. How do you think we ended up with Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami? OK, maybe that’s a bad example.

Lucy’s Fried Chicken opened just off South Congress Street in 2011, a far more appropriate venue from which to serve Holmes’ famous chicken. The place basically consists of a bunch of outdoor picnic tables and a few seats inside of some kind of shed looking building, sort of like what you might find on the side of a country road in this part of the world except you don’t need a tetanus shot before you sit down. It’s exactly the kind of environment you want to be in while going wrist deep in some hot greased poultry.

We ended up at Lucy’s for the first a few years back, after trying unsuccessfully to get a table at Olivia on a busy Friday night. The hostess suggested we try our luck at their new fried chicken spot, and promised that we’d be very, very happy we did. Good lord was she right. We have been back many times since, and can tell you Lucy’s Fried Chicken serves some of the best bird we’ve ever had. The meat on these bones is perfectly juicy and moist, and the crispy skin that surrounds it is incredibly flavorful and leaves nothing behind on your fingers. We could eat buckets on buckets of this stuff and never get sick of it. And that’s not to mention all the other ridiculous things on the menu, like grilled gulf oysters and fried deviled eggs. Yes, fried deviled eggs are a thing. And they’re so good they might need a spinoff of their own.

Food Rundown

Fried Chicken

So you want a bucket, and you want it bad. Each comes with all the proper cuts of bird, cooked to perfection and ready to take you to heaven. There are also some pickles and fresh jalapeno slices in there just to keep things interesting.

Blacked Eyed Peas

A side that absolutely must be on your table. These are fantastic.

Deep Fried Deviled Eggs

This is one of those things that you’re pretty sure god never intended to be created, but you’re glad it happened and that you weren’t responsible. There’s no real way to properly describe them other than saying that it’s a deviled egg surrounded by a crispy, salty layer of goodness. So wrong, but so tasty.

Diablo Oysters

Big juicy grilled gulf oysters with bacon, paremsan, and a delicious habanero butter that will burn you good. A must order.

Austin Oysters

Another grilled oyster option with tequila, lime, chili sauce, and cotija cheese. These are amazing.

Fried Chicken Salad Sandwich

This one is such a tough order, because it’s hard to think that you could come here and stray from the fried chicken bucket. But this sandwich is worth the struggle. It’s a perfect chicken salad with chunks of their famous fried chicken, served on a delicious bun. Don’t be scared. Order one.

Pies

You want pie. That is all. Key lime to be specific.