Taco Wars Quarantine Style: Crazy Little Chicken

Due to some family illness, Hubs and I have been slow finishing up our quarantine comparison of three of Florence's favorite taco stands. After Taco Mama, a hard act to follow, we finally made it to the Crazy Little Chicken.

Their Facebook page said we could order online at their website, but after searching, we could never find any such site, so we phoned instead. We live a few miles north of the Chisholm Road location (some restaurant directories still list North Pine, so beware getting lost), so we weren't sure if our order would be ready when we got there. It was!

As we did with Taco Mama, we got a family pack of tacos and they were delish! There was plenty of everything to go around for us for the next day as well. Online guides give price as on the low end, but if it's not Taco Tuesday, it's a little above what we'd call low end of price scale.

We went through a make-shift drive-thru and got our food in less than two minutes. Courteous employee pointed the way out of the back parking lot and we got a glimpse of the new club in back. Hubs and I aren't barhoppers, but for those who are, it looked nice. Covered outdoor seating (so not the much talked about deck, but very appealing) for the summer months and a great way to feel safer from the virus.

Hubs said there was less traffic than at Taco Mama, but it may have been the time of day. All in all we give it five stars for food and four stars for its innovative drive-thru. Give them a try!

Next up: Taco Garage

Cherry Pitts 

Return to Taco Bell & the Crazy Little Chicken

It’s been a busy time at work and I volunteered to pick up lunch for some of my co-workers at Taco Bell in North Florence. After placing several orders, one went like this:

Me – An order of taquitos with extra quacamole sauce.

Girl – Extra guacamole sauce is twenty-five cents.

Me – That’s fine.

Girl – We don’t have taquitos.

Me – I think you call them rolled chicken tacos.

Girl – Yes, but we don’t have them anymore.

Me – You had them two days ago.

Girl – Yes, but we discontinued them.

Me – Discontinued as in you don’t have them on the menu anymore?

Girl – That’s right.

I drive to the window just as two employees are changing out the drawer. So I think I’ll try my luck again.

Me – You’ve discontinued your taquitos?

Second Girl – Oh, no. We just ran out of shells Friday night and the warehouse ran out too. They’re really popular. We’ll get them back in eventually.

So I decide to try the Crazy Little Chicken since I hated to come back empty handed for my co-worker. I park, bop up to the door, it’s locked. Then I see the sign. They’re closed for two weeks or so, or even more when I check their Facebook page on my phone. Who knows? At this point, who really cares?

This makes two not so perfect experiences at Taco Bell and the Crazy Little Chicken. Maybe God doesn’t want us to eat Mexican?


Cherry Pitts  

The Crazy Little Chicken—Take Two

Almost as soon as I had posted my review of the Crazy Little Chicken in North Florence, a local blogger tore it apart. I probably wouldn't bother to respond if it has just been some differences in opinion, but this blogger indicated that I had tried to intentionally mislead someone about a restaurant that I had given a very good review to.

Sure, “Cherry Pitts” is a pen name. You criticized me using one. Does that mean “Original Bama” is your real name? Explain how that works again?

Variety? Sorry, 80 chicken dishes, 15 bean dishes, and 5 beef dishes don't make what I call variety. I don't know why anyone would expect a lot of variety in a cafe' that had the word “chicken” in its name. I love chicken. That's good enough for me!

My co-worker had wanted beef fajitas. That's not on the menu. Yes there are five beef dishes but if all you want is beef, it's still my advice to dine elsewhere.

Restroom traffic? I've seen nitpicking, but I think Mr. Bama's comment takes the prize. Yes the table to the left of the front door is not immediately next to the restroom doors. It's next to the door to the hall that leads to the restrooms. My point was that all restroom traffic has to pass this table coming and going. There are really no tables that are not immediately next to traffic areas.

I don't know how much money this young couple have to invest, but I would take out the tables, all two-tops, and put in a counter on each side of the door. It wouldn't affect conversation and would give a lot more room.

Parking? Mr. Bama says “plenty.” I'll spell this out especially for all the women out there. If you want to park in a marked space, there are only two “in front.” There's parking in the back, sure. If you get off work at 5:30 or 6:00 like I do, that means it's dark in late fall or early winter. I would prefer to not have to walk around the building from the back. I don't know if anyone has ever been robbed in that neighborhood (houses behind the diner), but I don't want to be the first.

Deck? I didn't see any deck and didn't mention one in my review. Yeah, who's making up things now?

Language difficulties? My point was the day we were there the only one in the cafe' that was speaking English was the owner's wife. That's just telling readers to be prepared. If the young lady owns the shop next door, she can't always be behind the counter. For all I know, the entire staff may speak English, Hindustani, and Mandarin Chinese, but I didn't see or hear it the day my friend and I were in.

That brings me to the last point, that I had just made up some names for this couple. I'm very sorry that I misunderstood their name. No, it's not “Cortez” as I had understood. but it was close as I'm sure my critic knew. I wasn't sure how to find out the correct name, so I called a friend at the police department. He was aware of the couple and told me their name was “Martinez.” Again, apologies to Mr. and  Mrs. Martinez.

Has the blogger taken down my work as he was asked to? No. I guess that means I get to pick one of his blogs, copy it, and then critique it?

Cherry Pitts 

The Crazy Little Chicken

The Crazy Little Chicken is located on extreme North Pine Street in Florence and specializes in all things chicken.


A workmate suggested we try The Crazy Little Chicken, a new cafe' in North Florence. She had wanted a working lunch, but my hunch was there would be no room for actually working if we ate inside. The eatery was extremely clean, in fact looked spotless, but there were only a few two-tops, so it was impossible to spread out. If you should want to eat in, you'll be sitting next to the either the order line or the restrooms.

There's quite a variety of menu items, all chicken based. I loved this, but my friend wanted beef. I'm not sure why anyone would expect anything but chicken considering the spot's name, but if you love chicken, this is your place.

It opened only recently, so even though it was lunch hour, we were the only customers. All items are cooked to order, so expect a small wait, but the food was delicious. They include ketchup, ranch, and honey mustard with the menu items, but if you want salsa or other dips, expect to pay extra. Chips are unseasoned, as seems to be the current trend.

We both had fries with our lunch and the portion size was quite large. Prices are in the mid range for a casual spot, but we both thought the food was worth it.

There are only two parking spots located next to the diner, but the owner's wife told us there is more in the back. The pavilion that served the former tenants is not in use at this time, but may be opened later.

Everyone was pleasant. The owner Cortez and all the staff speak Spanish, but “Mrs. Cortez” owns the embroidery shop next door and was present to communicate with us. It appears that the couple has invested in menus and signage, but word of mouth is often the best advertising.

If you don't like chicken, don't go. If you love chicken, this is well worth your time. Lack of variety, lack of parking, and communication problems are the only downsides to the establishment, so I suggest, all things considered, you give them a try.


Cherry Pitts