I Tried Unknown Fast Food Restaurants

0:00 Hi, can I take your order?

0:01 Yeah, one second.

0:02 The top five fast food restaurants made $115 billion last year.

0:06 But does that make them the best?

0:07 I mean, people have been debating this for years,

0:09 but what if the best fast food restaurant was a place we've never heard of?

0:12 That's why today we're going to the most unknown fast food

0:16 restaurants in America to see if they compete with the giants.

0:18 Some of these are historic one-of-one locations,

0:21 but others are just getting their start

0:23 and they want to play in the big leagues.

0:25 So let's answer the question:

0:26 Is the greatest fast food gem somewhere out there secretly hiding?

0:30 And can we find it?

0:31 The search begins.

0:32 And we're starting in...

0:34 Lima, Ohio.

0:36 I've never even heard of this place.

0:38 Kewpee's been around since 1923.

0:39 These guys are OG's!!

0:40 And it's the third oldest fast food restaurant you've probably never heard of.

0:43 But they've been around this long,

0:44 so there's got to be a reason that they're still around.

0:46 They once had 400 locations, but it's been reduced to three.

0:49 Fun fact: the Wendy's founder went here when he was growing up,

0:52 and supposedly that inspired Wendy's.

0:53 So in a way, they do play a big role in the fast food world...

0:57 Also, look at this line!

0:58 It's literally wrapping around the block, so surely it must be good.

1:01 So we went in to order, and the vibe is crazy here!

1:04 You kind of feel at home with the classic bright seating,

1:07 all the babies in the corner.

1:09 Honestly, I can't compare the inside

1:10 of this to any fast food spot I've ever seen.

1:13 It's almost like AI-generated.

1:15 But anyway, we ordered a standard hamburger, fish sandwich, and fries,

1:18 and it came out in five minutes for a grand total of $10.50.

1:22 So far, we're meeting the expectation of a solid fast food spot,

1:25 but we're starting with the unlikely option: the fish sandwich.

1:29 First of all, no toast on the bun.

1:31 I've actually never been to a fast food place that doesn't toast the bun.

1:33 Toasting hasn't made its way out here quite yet.

1:35 Cheers.

1:35 Crunch is there, but the flavor is not.

1:38 This could be so good!

1:39 I was coming here really hoping to be shocked, and I am:

1:42 shocked at how little seasoning there is on this sandwich.

1:45 I taste nothing.

1:46 The texture is nice, though.

1:47 I like the texture of the bun.

1:48 The fish is moist, but there's no salt.

1:50 There's no flavor.

1:50 There's no seasoning.

1:51 I mean, you know, I might as well just eat a bag of chips at that point.

1:54 That's not the end.

1:55 They have redemption here.

1:56 Let's try the fries.

1:57 These, on the other hand, are actually not bad.

1:59 This is like an OG McDonald's fry.

2:00 The flavor is good.

2:01 The texture is perfect.

2:02 Great crisp.

2:03 Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside.

2:05 They could possibly add maybe a little more, but I'm not going to deduct points.

2:08 This is a really good fast food French fry.

2:10 Great work, great work.

2:11 But the most important part is yet to come.

2:13 This is the second oldest fast food hamburger restaurant in the world,

2:17 second only to White Castle.

2:19 Hamburgers must be good.

2:20 Traditional toppings.

2:21 I got olives and banana peppers because I noticed

2:23 that a lot of people tend to order it that way here.

2:25 Cheers.

2:29 It's not bad if your standard is cafeteria hamburger.

2:33 I'm sorry, to me, this is like a standard hamburger,

2:35 and I don't mean standard in the sense of good,

2:37 I mean standard in the sense of fast food burgers.

2:39 There's not much Maillard on the meat.

2:41 It could use more salt, although the olives are resolving that, so

2:43 the salt levels are actually pretty good.

2:45 I don't know.

2:46 There's like so little to talk about in this hamburger.

2:48 It's definitely not going anywhere on my top 10, or my top 20, or my top 30.

2:52 But it's not a horrible burger.

2:53 That said, we came all the way out here for a reason:

2:55 to see how they line up with the big dogs.

2:57 Do they line up?

2:57 No.

2:57 It is better than one place, though: Whataburger.

3:00 In fact, everything is better than Whataburger.

3:02 This is better than Whataburger.

3:03 Onto the next!

3:04 You might think this place is named "Eat" by the fact that the very front

3:07 door has a giant sign that says "EAT." That is just what you do there.

3:11 This is Happy Dayz.

3:12 They're known for the iconic pork tenderloin sandwich;

3:14 we will eat that at the end.

3:16 I couldn't really compare it to any existing big dog fast food restaurants;

3:19 the closest comparison is Jack in the Box

3:21 because of the random assortment of menu items.

3:23 It took roughly 10 minutes to come out, but to be fair, it was a big order.

3:26 Neither here nor there on speed.

3:27 But first, we're starting with the patty melt.

3:30 I love a good patty melt.

3:31 I have a recipe for a patty melt in my cookbook—New York Times bestseller,

3:34 by the way, links in the description.

3:38 This was not bad; it was really close to being good.

3:40 The only issue, guys: there's no f***ing salt in this at all.

3:44 None.

3:44 Zero.

3:44 What the f*** is going on!?!

3:46 Everything about this was proper, though, besides the fact that there's no salt.

3:49 And I know you're thinking like, "Josh,

3:51 give it a break." It's the one thing that is going to enhance the flavor of it.

3:54 You lose out on half the experience.

3:56 We got the fries next.

3:57 These look promising.

3:59 I thought the fries at Kewpee were better.

4:01 More crispy, better seasoned.

4:02 These aren't bad.

4:03 I mean, they're not incredible and they're not horrible.

4:05 They're mid.

4:05 I'll still eat them, though.

4:06 Fritter next.

4:07 Could this be a redeemer?

4:09 Yes, those are good.

4:10 Weird.

4:10 This reminds me of the coconut griddle cakes that we had in Thailand,

4:14 but like an American fried corn version.

4:16 Super crunchy.

4:17 Almost like McDonald's chicken nugget crunch,

4:19 seasoned with a little bit of salt, which is nice.

4:21 But it's a salty-sweet contrast, because the inside has this, like,

4:24 custardy, creamy sweet corn filling with actual pieces of corn.

4:27 This is a banger hidden gem!

4:28 But it's not over.

4:29 Here it is: the pork tenderloin sandwich.

4:31 And you might be thinking,

4:32 "Is that the sole of my granddad's boot in between two buns?" No,

4:35 that is a flattened-out pork tenderloin that is frozen,

4:38 breaded, fried, and has a tiny bun.

4:39 Here we go...

4:40 See that?

4:40 That's ground meat.

4:41 That is not actually pork tenderloin.

4:43 The seasoning is not bad.

4:44 I like this more than the burger that I had at Kewpee.

4:46 I can say that it could use a little bit of salt.

4:48 It could just use flavor in general.

4:50 I don't taste pork at all.

4:51 That said, kind of into it.

4:53 I feel like I would eat this and be happy,

4:54 but I'm not going to, like, be blown away by it.

4:56 For cost and convenience,

4:57 I think this is pretty up there for the quality of the product you're getting.

5:01 This feels like really low-quality food, if I'm being honest.

5:03 Somehow feels lower quality than, like, an average fast food place.

5:06 I almost want to rate this...

5:07 it's...

5:07 it's...

5:07 I'm not coming back.

5:09 We have a distinct goal here.

5:10 I want to find the hidden gems,

5:12 and I want to find the people that can compete with the big dogs.

5:15 Can this place compete with the big dogs?

5:17 No.

5:17 This is not a hidden gem.

5:18 But I know they're out there and that's what we're fighting for.

5:22 So, we move on.

5:23 So we say goodbye to Ohio and fly back home to Austin,

5:26 Texas, where we're joined on our search

5:28 by our channel favorite, Chef Christian...

5:31 We're at Top Notch.

5:32 I've always wanted to go here.

5:33 It's considered an Austin classic.

5:35 The one interesting thing about this place is, supposedly,

5:38 they're doing actual char-grilled-over-charcoal burgers, which is really unique.

5:41 There's only one location.

5:43 "Can I get just two cheeseburgers served with the works,

5:45 and then just one order of fries, and then that's it?" However,

5:49 I can't resist getting a good old-fashioned

5:50 fish and shrimp platter while we're here.

5:52 Burgers ended up taking about five minutes,

5:54 and the seafood platter, another seven.

5:56 Honestly, for seafood made to order, I'm not complaining.

5:58 And that clocked in to a total of $30.06,

6:01 which makes it middle-of-the-pack for affordability.

6:04 Not bad.

6:04 Grab a fry.

6:05 Cheers.

6:06 These taste like what McDonald's fries used to taste like.

6:09 So crisp!

6:10 Crazy to see such a small fast food joint putting out fries that, to me,

6:14 are gold-standard fast-food-style fries.

6:16 The burger, on the other hand, I'm a little worried about.

6:19 First of all, this burger is cold, which I don't know how that's possible.

6:21 Cheers!

6:21 That's what it is.

6:22 Cheers!

6:23 Flavor-wise, it's actually pretty good.

6:24 Yeah.

6:25 This is, like, 10% meat, and then 90% other shit.

6:29 Flavor's outstanding!

6:29 It tastes great, like, it's seasoned nicely with salt.

6:32 This is like an old diner burger.

6:33 There's not a lot of fat in it.

6:35 There's not, like, juicy, fatty, rich meat.

6:37 It's sort of just like plain, it's beefy.

6:39 I'm glad we didn't get the one with extra sauces.

6:40 Like, this is simple.

6:41 The meat stands out.

6:42 Unfortunately, the meat wasn't warm or hot, but the flavor of the meat is there.

6:45 For a cold burger, I mean, I would eat this.

6:47 I'm having a fun time.

6:48 I would come here for that vibe.

6:49 So, we have the fried seafood platter.

6:51 Comes with fried shrimp, fried fish, fries, toast, coleslaw.

6:54 $14...

6:54 Cheers.

6:55 A little oily, but nice...

6:57 Fried fish is banging!

6:59 Oh my god, it's seasoned so nicely, and it's juicy.

7:01 You know, I actually love this.

7:03 In comparison to Long John Silver's, I think that this is comparable.

7:05 I don't think that it's, honestly, better or worse.

7:07 I think it is good, though.

7:08 I know it sounds crazy, but I would come back for the seafood platter.

7:11 I don't know that I would be as allured by the burger.

7:13 If I was going to compare this to Burger King,

7:14 because that's really what this is comparable to...

7:16 Burger King is doing char-grilled burgers, but it's fake.

7:19 And they come cold, just like theirs.

7:20 These tasted better.

7:21 These actually tasted of charcoal because, guess what?

7:23 They're fucking using charcoal.

7:24 So, they're beating the big dog.

7:26 But we're moving on.

7:27 We're at Buddy's.

7:27 This place is an up-and-comer.

7:29 They're actually attempting to become one of the big dogs.

7:31 The question is: do they have what it takes?

7:33 I do like this "Tossed Season Fries".

7:34 Wait, why is it "season"?

7:35 Wouldn't it be "seasoned"?

7:37 I gotta say, I love the simplicity of the menu.

7:39 There's only four items.

7:40 It's giving In-N-Out vibes.

7:42 Can we get two Double Classics with cheese, the number three?

7:45 And can we do that with seasoned fries?

7:47 All right, your total will be $30.04.

7:49 Thank you.

7:50 Thank you.

7:51 Well, she apologized for the wait, which I thought was really nice.

7:53 I want to be clear: we did wait 15 minutes just to get to the order window.

7:57 And how many cars were ahead of us?

7:58 Three?

7:58 Awesome.

7:59 Thank you.

7:59 That was a 30-minute drive-thru experience.

8:02 Convenience?

8:03 Yes.

8:03 Speed?

8:04 F*ck No.

8:05 Affordability?

8:06 $30 for two meals.

8:07 I'm gonna say it's on the high end.

8:09 Grab a fry.

8:10 Cheers!

8:11 Cheers!

8:11 Oh, that was a good crunch!

8:12 I like that.

8:13 That was a good crunch.

8:14 Very good fry.

8:15 I feel like this is what Five Guys wanted to do with their seasoning.

8:17 Oh, Five Guys fries...

8:18 Bottom of the barrel.

8:19 Yeah.

8:19 These are phenomenal.

8:19 The crunch is good, the seasoning's nice.

8:21 It's got a little spice, it's got, like, a Cajun-cumin spice to it.

8:24 And the salt levels are really nice.

8:26 Salty and crunchy.

8:27 We have a good start.

8:28 But let's see how they go with the burgers.

8:30 Mine's just pretty seasoned.

8:31 Wow!

8:31 They could have been.

8:32 You said it's pretty seasoned?

8:33 Mine is pretty seasoned.

8:34 There's zero f*cking salt on mine.

8:35 Do I have COVID?

8:36 Just...

8:37 Take a nibble of mine...

8:38 Marginally better.

8:39 It's f*cking mid.

8:40 I'm so annoyed looking at this burger.

8:42 I was like, "This has gotta be good." I hate to say it,

8:44 like, I want to see Buddy's succeed.

8:46 It was a huge letdown in the burger, and that's the mainstay.

8:49 They have four menu items, and guess what?

8:51 They're all the same thing with different toppings...

8:53 so really, they have one menu item, not including the fries.

8:56 Something like this that wants to compare themselves to, like, a Shake Shack...

8:59 they're not quite there yet.

9:00 There's a lot of things they need to work on.

9:02 I think that the potential is there.

9:04 Had they seasoned the burger properly, had it been a little bit juicier,

9:07 not so dry in the patty, I think that I would have been more excited.

9:10 I don't think it's that hard to make a burger good.

9:12 And so when I have one that's that mid from a place that's, like,

9:15 emphasizing how it's artisanal and crafted, my expectations are high,

9:17 and I felt kind of let down.

9:19 So we move on.

9:20 I've always wanted to come here.

9:21 It is Sandy's.

9:22 This is an Austin classic, but truly kind of a hidden gem,

9:25 because many Austinites don't know about it.

9:27 Most people in the US definitely don't know about it.

9:29 As far as I know, there's only ever been one.

9:31 Aesthetically, when you look at it, you're like,

9:33 "This is an old-school establishment." Sandy's is exactly

9:35 how fast food worked in the '40s and '60s:

9:38 a walk-up window, a tiny interior kitchen, a short menu.

9:41 This is food designed for speed.

9:43 You know, McDonald's before all the efficiencies.

9:46 Now, while they did have a drive-thru,

9:48 the order window looked too classic to not order through.

9:50 It took around five minutes to get our meal, and it came out to $22.28.

9:54 All great markers of a great fast food restaurant.

9:56 Could this be the hidden gem that we're searching for?

9:59 Starting with our fries.

10:01 It's like an average fast food fry.

10:02 A little dry.

10:03 a little floury.

10:04 Overall, this french fry is below mid.

10:05 It's not great; it's really not great.

10:07 Hopefully the hamburger's better.

10:08 I can see the thickness, the girth on that bag.

10:11 I'm excited for this burger!

10:12 These are big—way bigger than I thought.

10:14 And this is the cheapest one.

10:16 It almost feels like Carl's Jr.

10:18 commercials, where after they take a bite,

10:19 they have to use their whole arm to wipe.

10:21 Supposedly, they won "Best Burger in Austin".

10:23 This is truly...

10:25 so far away.

10:26 It's not even in the top 10.

10:27 Is it a bad burger?

10:28 No.

10:28 Is it a good burger?

10:31 No.

10:31 It's missing flavor.

10:32 I taste nothing.

10:33 It resembles a steamed burger.

10:35 There is no Maillard.

10:36 No Maillard.

10:37 The only umami you get in here is tomato and mustard.

10:39 Maybe I overhyped it, but...

10:40 Kind of a letdown.

10:41 But that's what this video is all about.

10:42 That's why we're going to unknown places.

10:44 Are they as good as people say they are?

10:45 Or is it just because of the vibe of the nostalgia?

10:49 If I'm being real, this is a very, very, very, very, very average burger.

10:52 It's bad.

10:53 Thanks!

10:53 We have our Taco Bell comparison.

10:56 It is El Tacorrido.

10:57 I call it El Tacorrido,

10:58 even though that's technically not the right pronunciation,

11:00 because it was just what everybody called it when you went there.

11:02 By everybody, they were all white people.

11:04 This place is special to me, though.

11:05 I used to come here almost every morning.

11:07 If I was running the morning shift at any

11:09 of the restaurants I ever worked at, I always came here first.

11:11 I haven't been here in a very, very long time, I'm sad to say.

11:14 I think it's sleeper; I'm hoping it still is.

11:16 Shall we dive in?

11:16 Yeah, let's do a pasty.

11:17 Cheers.

11:18 That's tasty.

11:19 My one complaint, though, is it's not traditional al pastor.

11:22 It's not sliced; it's like ground meat.

11:23 Maybe the chicken will redeem it for me.

11:26 Those are good, man!

11:27 It's probably the best chicken taco I've had in a while.

11:29 Those are seasoned...

11:29 nicely.

11:30 They're fatty; they're not dry.

11:31 A lot of chicken tacos are dry, but that's because they use breast.

11:33 Now let's try the quesadilla.

11:36 Whoa.

11:37 Banger!

11:37 Bang, bang, bang!

11:38 Compared to Taco Bell—slaughtered them.

11:40 Not even in the same playing field.

11:42 These are more comparable to, like, a street food taco.

11:44 We got 'em in four minutes and it's delicious.

11:46 You're eating this first thing in the morning before your shift;

11:48 you got enough to pass lunch.

11:49 Now that we've finally found something good, the question is:

11:52 this is the OG, they have a couple more locations.

11:54 Should they be a big dog?

11:56 I think yes, I think they should be a big dog.

11:58 Although, if they became a big dog, would they be able to maintain this quality?

12:01 I mean, they're handling this with two guys who are probably 12 years old.

12:05 Imagine scaling that up.

12:06 I think they would kill it.

12:07 This is a banger of an unknown spot.

12:08 But we're not stopping here, so we move on.

12:11 Next, we're heading to Los Angeles.

12:13 McDonald's got its start here before becoming the giant it is today.

12:17 But are there any upstarts or hidden gems lurking, waiting to break out?

12:21 To help me answer that question, I'm joined by my good friend Noel Miller.

12:25 Not just a comedian, but a man with zero food knowledge.

12:27 He has a good palate and he can

12:29 definitely operate as the tasting voice of the people.

12:31 Okay, so we're at Brolly Hut.

12:33 What's a brolly?

12:34 Well, they got umbrellas everywhere.

12:35 There are sconces or umbrellas.

12:37 The whole thing's shaped like an umbrella.

12:38 It's a UK term for an umbrella—I'm finding this out—and I have no idea why

12:42 they did that, but obviously did not

12:44 help them because they only have two locations.

12:46 The outside is rough, but I'm not going to judge a book by its cover,

12:49 because as soon as I walked in, there was a different story.

12:51 Nice little clean line, everything was organized.

12:53 I was feeling good.

12:54 The menu was super full.

12:55 They have tons of options.

12:56 They even have breakfast, hash browns.

12:58 They have a real grill.

12:59 Got to be good, right?

13:00 After a 20-minute wait,

13:01 we ended up paying $49.45 for two burritos and two sandwiches and fries.

13:05 It's also Ice Cube's favorite fast food restaurant, supposedly.

13:08 So, how good is it?

13:09 So this is their most popular item: it is the pastrami burrito.

13:13 I was expecting, like, slices of pastrami and cheese, but the thing is,

13:17 sliced pastrami inside of a burrito would not move like this.

13:20 Would not have this kind of motion to it.

13:22 Doctors be like, "Go ahead and cough." Why the f*** is there chili in this?

13:26 I don't know, but I don't hate it.

13:27 I gotta be honest, it's not bad.

13:29 It's decent.

13:29 All I'm tasting is chili and cheese.

13:31 This is like 50% chili, 50% pastrami.

13:33 But it's not bad.

13:34 Like, I kind of like it.

13:36 Sh*t's good.

13:36 If you like, like, a sort of soupy bean and cheese burrito,

13:39 this is basically that, but the meat version.

13:41 Okay, so we have the steak sandwich.

13:43 And this was something that's ordered the most.

13:45 You have steak that is genuinely so cooked,

13:48 its entire lineage can feel the pain.

13:50 This is beyond well done.

13:51 This is "Congratulations".

13:52 But maybe it's good.

13:53 Cheers.

13:55 This is a beef jerky sandwich.

13:56 Sorry, I almost suffocated to death.

13:58 What?

13:59 Mother of God!

13:59 It...

14:00 doesn't taste bad, though.

14:00 I'll give it that.

14:01 It doesn't.

14:02 As tough as the steak is, why do I want to keep eating it?

14:04 It's seasoned really nicely with salt.

14:06 Although this, like, quarter-pound of lettuce on this is totally ruining it.

14:09 If there was an image in the dictionary for "mid",

14:12 it would be an image of this sandwich.

14:14 You're not getting anything that special.

14:15 I wouldn't eat it again, but I don't hate it.

14:17 I'm coming back.

14:18 I'm gonna be at Brolly Hut every day.

14:22 You're a Brolly Head?

14:22 I'm a Brolly Head.

14:23 Wait, how are the fries?

14:24 Oh, my bad.

14:25 I jumped ahead.

14:26 I could use some salt on this.

14:27 It's like raw potato.

14:28 I'm gonna be the a**hole in this video.

14:29 This could be good, but the lack of so many things:

14:32 salt, texture, there's no crunch.

14:34 I'm here to show you all that.

14:36 As much as Josh might complain, he's still gonna eat.

14:38 That's how you know he's still a big boy inside.

14:42 All right.

14:43 Brolly Hut.

14:43 Didn't hate it.

14:44 Didn't love it.

14:44 Moving on.

14:45 We are at an unlikely find because it wasn't on the list.

14:48 Thanks to Noel, we have this Storm Burger.

14:51 I think they only have one place.

14:53 I believe it's only one.

14:54 They want to be one of the big dogs.

14:55 We have the classic Storm Burger.

14:55 It's got a great Maillard; it's got a great toast.

14:57 It looks legit.

14:58 I'm not going to lie.

14:59 I feel like Noel wouldn't steer me wrong.

15:00 But there's only one way to find out.

15:02 So cheers, dude.

15:05 I don't even care what Josh says.

15:06 This is my sh*t.

15:07 It's really good.

15:08 If I were to compare this to In-N-Out, this is better.

15:09 That bun, bro.

15:10 I mean, from the sauce, the Maillard is perfect.

15:12 The beef has a great texture.

15:13 If I wanted to be a real a**hole, I would say, like,

15:16 I would prefer no lettuce on it, because I think lettuce dilutes the flavor.

15:19 And I want to taste more of this beautifully crispy, Maillard-seared beef.

15:22 I eat everything here because it tastes like a human cooked it.

15:25 It's a banger.

15:25 The French fries.

15:26 Give them a rip.

15:27 I really don't want to sound like I'm glazing.

15:30 These are peak fry—peak!

15:31 There's almost like a little bit of a batter on them.

15:33 I normally don't love seasoned fries,

15:34 because it feels like a cheat or a shortcut.

15:36 The potato itself isn't crispy; it's just the crust, right?

15:38 But this—this is both.

15:39 Like, the crunch is insane.

15:41 They're seasoned perfectly with salt.

15:43 We're not doing ratings, but if I was going to rate these fries,

15:45 I'd give them like a 9.5.

15:46 That's bananas.

15:46 And let me say this.

15:47 If you don't know me, I know, I know I look like I don't eat.

15:49 I look like this because I'm such a picky little brat.

15:52 "I don't want to eat it." That's me.

15:54 Unless it's this.

15:55 Then...

15:57 It wasn't on the list, but I'm glad we went here because I can

16:00 see these guys becoming a top dog if you're watching.

16:02 This is phenomenal.

16:02 Moving on.

16:03 We are at Jim Dandy, the place with a logo that made me say,

16:07 "We have to go here." And I thought, "Okay,

16:09 so there's only one location, right?" There was one once.

16:11 30 locations!

16:12 They were booming.

16:13 They were doing well.

16:14 They were selling chicken; it was obviously a great operation.

16:16 And then I don't know what the hell happened, but they stopped.

16:19 And then, yeah, went all the way down to one.

16:20 That means that there's still a salvageable reason that they're here.

16:24 And I want to know why.

16:25 Let me describe the interior for you.

16:26 You know how when you go to a bank,

16:27 they're worried about you stealing the money,

16:29 so sometimes they'll count that money behind the glass

16:31 and they'll dish it out into a nice little container?

16:33 Banker opens the door, puts the money in, close the door,

16:35 you open the other side, you get the money.

16:37 They want this chicken.

16:37 They be stealing for the chicken.

16:39 They do.

16:39 It must be really good then.

16:41 I'm telling you, it is.

16:43 That's how f*cking good this chicken is.

16:44 All in all, it took about eight minutes to get our order.

16:46 And for the experience we had, I'm not complaining.

16:49 And I want to clarify: we got a full meal:

16:51 four-piece fried chicken, a full thing of French fries, and two fritters.

16:54 That comes in at $15...

16:55 In L.A.!

16:56 Maybe that's why they're suffering.

16:58 They're charging reasonable prices.

16:59 They're not greedy enough.

17:00 I'm going to go for a fry first.

17:02 High school cafeteria fry.

17:03 Chicken?

17:04 That sh*t is so hot.

17:05 Cheers.

17:05 That is hot.

17:07 Like they just fried this.

17:08 Not as greasy as I thought.

17:09 Wait, this is actually really good.

17:10 Because if I were to compare this to a KFC, right?

17:13 Because I would say this is KFC-adjacent.

17:15 They are f*cking them.

17:16 They're stomping them.

17:17 The salt level: absolutely f*cking perfect, like, to the limit.

17:20 But from a spice standpoint, you got the garlic, the cayenne.

17:23 It's got a little bit of heat to it.

17:25 It's not too spicy.

17:25 I would like maybe a little bit more spiciness.

17:27 The flavor is delicious.

17:28 The best part is the chicken is not lost.

17:30 It works together in harmony.

17:31 This is a beautiful piece of chicken.

17:33 As someone who is on Josh's level in terms of, like,

17:35 culinary knowledge and experience, this chicken is good.

17:38 It's actually sad that this is the only location.

17:41 If they took this concept and put these buildings across America,

17:44 I think they would kill if they were all this good.

17:47 This is like homestyle fried chicken.

17:48 I mean, my mom makes a really good fried chicken,

17:50 and this kind of reminds me of hers.

17:51 We're going to try a fritter and then we're out.

17:53 I feel like this is either going to be really good or really bad,

17:55 so I'm just going to go for it.

17:57 That's actually insane.

17:58 Jesus.

17:59 Come take my left foot because I'm getting diabetes today!!

18:01 Unbelievably crispy on the outside, super, super soft and fluffy on the inside.

18:05 And it just, like, melts.

18:06 It's kind of like a cake donut, but way, way, way, way, way crispier.

18:09 It's like the fried chicken of donuts.

18:11 I have gone to premier coffee shops

18:13 in L.A.—no names being named—that sell donuts.

18:16 None of them as good as this right here.

18:17 I ate the whole thing.

18:18 I'm going to have diarrhea later.

18:19 This is so awesome.

18:19 Moving on, up next is an unknown spot that actually

18:22 has an insane amount of influence on fast food today.

18:26 Glen Bell started El Taco before completely

18:28 ditching it to kickstart the Taco Bell empire.

18:31 This location before us is the last one to remain.

18:35 Is it better than Taco Bell, or is there a reason it was ditched by its creator?

18:39 We have these incredibly liquid bean burritos.

18:43 It's not bad, but it's not good.

18:45 This is like the soup dumpling of burritos, though.

18:48 This would be good if the beans were actually,

18:49 like, cooked and had all sorts of flavor in them.

18:51 This just tastes like canned pureed beans.

18:52 I know I'm eating, but I don't taste anything.

18:55 So the original Taco Bell is no longer open,

18:58 but this could be the closest version of the original crispy shell taco.

19:02 It looks like Taco Bell.

19:04 Yeah, it really does.

19:04 How do you feel about Taco Bell?

19:05 What's your opinion?

19:06 I think they've done a great job serving us rat meat for 40 years!

19:09 No, I mean, I love Taco Bell.

19:11 I eat it all the time.

19:12 Iron stomach, man.

19:12 I put it down.

19:13 See how they live up to it.

19:15 Kind of same as the burrito.

19:16 It's like, I don't feel like I taste anything.

19:18 You have COVID.

19:19 I was going to say, maybe I have COVID.

19:21 That is ass.

19:22 Like, the seasoning is not bad, but it's just—there's no flavor.

19:24 All I taste is cold cheese and lettuce.

19:26 I can barely taste the meat.

19:27 The crunchy taco shell is really crunchy.

19:28 I'll give it that.

19:29 The crunch is surprisingly good on it.

19:31 It makes me want to keep eating it.

19:33 And you're like, "Maybe the next bite will be more exciting."

19:35 But then you take that next bite and, ooh, the crunch.

19:37 And then you keep chewing and you're like, "Oh,

19:39 another letdown." Until it's gone and you have no more self-respect,

19:41 and you're sitting on the couch sweating.

19:43 And that is how Josh got fat.

19:48 The last thing is their cinnamon dessert.

19:50 Cinnamon—this is about 100 times better than anything we just ate.

19:53 Taco Bell.

19:54 Whatever that bull you're doing with the cinnamon twists is, knock it off.

19:57 Go back to this.

19:58 Now I feel like I'm seeing the heart of Taco Bell and what it could have been:

20:02 mid, with something exciting at the end.

20:04 Moving on...

20:05 We are at what could have been the biggest competitor

20:07 to KFC in the world—maybe even put them out of business.

20:10 Except...

20:11 it's a sad story.

20:12 They were up to 300 locations.

20:13 They were skyrocketing.

20:14 The food's doing well.

20:15 People are loving it.

20:16 But due to bad management, bankruptcy, etc.,

20:18 they were reduced down to only two...

20:20 more locations.

20:21 The name?

20:21 Pioneer Chicken, I might add.

20:23 The inside of this restaurant is actually pretty

20:25 decently designed and surprisingly clean for fast food.

20:28 The service was great.

20:29 The food came out in under five minutes.

20:31 I mean, we might have a big hidden gem here.

20:33 The branding looks good.

20:34 The chicken looks good.

20:35 The fries look good.

20:36 The inside is clean.

20:37 I mean, I'm kind of sad for them.

20:38 So let's see if the redemption is here.

20:41 Banger!!

20:42 Seasoned to the bone.

20:43 The crust is like...

20:44 glass.

20:44 I don't know how they're doing this.

20:46 This reminds me of Willie Mae's.

20:48 We went there and they had a battered chicken.

20:50 This is better than Willie Mae's!

20:51 This is a fast food restaurant and they're outdoing, in my opinion,

20:54 what's supposed to be one of the best fried chicken restaurants in America.

20:57 I mean, this is bananas.

20:58 Yeah, that's how good it is.

20:58 That's all I can say is, "Yeah!" You couldn't live in LA between

21:01 the '70s and '90s without seeing a Pioneer Chicken.

21:03 It's sad that this is one of the only ones.

21:05 I've lived in LA my whole life.

21:07 I'm ashamed to say I've never eaten Pioneer Chicken.

21:09 Mom, dad...

21:10 what the f---?!

21:11 God, the fries are great.

21:12 The fries are perfectly salted, perfectly crispy.

21:15 This is one of the best fast food experiences I've had in a long time.

21:19 And if I got this in a nice restaurant

21:20 and paid good money for it, I would be happy.

21:23 You could go to Pioneer Chicken,

21:24 put it on a nice plate with some nice tableware,

21:26 charge me 40 bucks for this, and I'd be like,

21:28 "Yeah, this is f---ing good." This was $15.

21:30 Come on down to Pioneer Chicken!

21:32 Pioneer Chicken, kick it into high gear.

21:34 This is your chance to take it back.

21:36 Take back the win!

21:37 Kill KFC, please!

21:38 We need good fast food restaurants.

21:41 Let me tell you right now, the Midwest brain will not be able to handle this.

21:44 Shout out to all my people in the Midwest!

21:45 If they put one of these in your city,

21:47 I promise you: the diabetes is coming twice as fast.

21:49 And that's what this video is all about.

21:51 We went to unknown fast food restaurants.

21:53 The whole point was to figure out: do the big dogs deserve their placement,

21:56 or are there little guys out there that are doing it better?

21:59 And there are.

22:00 The reality is you just got to go out and find them,

22:02 and they're probably everywhere.

22:03 And I'm sure there are others that we didn't even cover.

22:05 So that being said, love you.

22:06 Subscribe.

22:06 Bye!