You have to be brave to open a fried chicken sandwich spot these days, because there isn’t exactly a shortage of great ones that already exist. Not only that, but this place in the East Village is right next door to a KFC. But the gamble is paying off for the team behind Chicken & The Egg. They’re serving some of the better chicken sandwiches in the city.

Every version here (except for two vegan/veggie ones) comes with panko-crusted dark meat, and both the Ma Barker with vodka sauce/fresh mozzarella and the Lindbergh with garlic sauce/za’atar oil are really good. Our favorite is the G-Men, which comes with thick-cut bacon, cheese, and a fried egg. It’ll be the first thing you want when you wake up on a Sunday morning and realize those five shots you took last night came from a 140 proof bottle of liquor.

As for sides, skip the way-too-salty cucumbers that are drowning in white miso, and get the orzo made with Velveeta and spicy bread crumbs. It tastes exactly like boxed mac and cheese, and we mean that as a compliment. This place only has a small ledge to eat your food on, but there’s a huge speakeasy (Sincerely, Ophelia) in the back where you can order anything from the menu.

photo credit: Taner Kurtz