Daddy's Chicken

What is Daddy's Chicken? After being forced out of its original strip location down the street, this cult-favourite Leslieville fried chicken operation set up shop in the kitchen inside Wei Bar at 1014 Queen Street East. The setup trades the old daytime takeout counter for a moody, low-lit east-end watering hole, where patrons grab high-top seating, banquettes, and bar stools under red neon glow. Every batch of chicken is battered and fried fresh to order by owner "Big Daddy" and the kitchen crew to feed evening bar-goers and late-night regulars.

Daddy's Chicken Menu & What to Order Start with the flagship Hot Hot Sandwich, which balances a gargantuan, crunchy chicken thigh against spicy slaw, lime-jalapeno aioli, and battered deep-fried pickles on a soft bun built to hold up to the grease. The unhinged Big Daddy stacks a double thigh with molten cheese sauce, bacon, and pickled onions, while the Sugar Daddy swaps the bun for glazed donuts drenched in maple syrup. Grab an order of seasoned crispy wings or garlic parmesan corn for the table, wash it down with a Wei Bar whiskey sour or Mexican Airplane cocktail, and take note of celiac-safe dedicated gluten-free and plant-based tender options on offer.

Know Before You Go Seating is entirely walk-in inside Wei Bar, and because every chicken order is fried from scratch, expect a solid 15-to-20-minute ticket wait when the room gets packed later in the evening. Lunch service is gone—the fryers only fire for dinner and late-night cravings from 5 p.m. to midnight, Thursday through Monday. Catch the 501 Queen streetcar to Boston Avenue or Carlaw Avenue, or order pickup directly online to avoid peak delivery surcharges.