Readers' Choice 2026
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Best Fried Chicken: Cookie’s Country Chicken
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2026 issue of Seattle magazine.
Cookie’s Country Chicken starts with chicken fried to order. Choose bone-in pieces or tenders—and your level of heat—or go for one of the chicken sandwiches or bowls. Collard greens, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes with chicken gravy keep the comfort-food theme going, and there’s a long list of sauces for dipping. Owner Brian Chandler developed his fried chicken while cooking aboard workboats in Louisiana, where he also picked up the nickname Cookie. After running pop-ups around Seattle and a food truck in Seabrook, he brought Cookie’s to Ballard, and later added a Pioneer Square location.
Runner Up: Sisters and Brothers
About Readers' Choice 2026
Once a year, we turn the tables and ask our readers about their favorite local spots. The neighborhood café with the best coffee, the restaurant you book for every special occasion, and where you send out-of-town guests for top-tier cocktails. Seattleites have opinions, and they shared them with us. This year, we received more votes than ever before, with some familiar favorites returning and plenty of new names making the list.
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