JOLIET — If you are in the mood for delicious and tasty fried chicken, with a little bit of lemon seasoning, you don’t want to drive to downtown Joliet’s Harold’s Shrimp & Chicken.
The sign along Cass Street may say this is Harold’s Shrimp & Chicken, but it’s not. Harold’s has closed its doors at John Bays’ Catholic Charities building in the 200 block of North Ottawa Street, and the fast-food restaurant is no more.
It’s history. This Harold’s franchise opened back in December 2019.
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The downtown Joliet had a Google Review rating of 3.9 stars out of 5.
The last review ever posted on Google gave that Harold’s a lowly 1-star rating.
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That customer wrote: “Tables not cleaned, food not seasoned. Not a single white person worked, so I expected seasoning, but no, not even salt on the fries. Chicken was tough and hard to chew through. Fries were edible, needed salt. Onion rings were okay. Bread was partly cooked, light butter on it not the best. Expected better for waiting 30+ minutes.”
On the other hand, a different customer, named Nakia, gave the downtown Joliet Harold’s a perfect 5 stars in her review from two months ago.
“Always great service. Food is always cooked fresh. I ordered a large catfish and shrimp and was NOT disappointed. Everything was made to perfection and seasoned just right. This is the best spot to go in Joliet for chicken and fish.”
If you are bummed that the downtown Joliet Harold’s has closed forever, you can still visit the other location —which is called Harold’s Chicken Shack — on Route 59 near Caton Farm Road.
It’s in the same shopping center as the Tony’s Fresh Market grocery store.
Related Joliet Patch coverage:
Hello, Harold’s Chicken Shack, Goodbye Giovan’s Pasta & Pizzeria
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