DTLA: Fried Chicken and Waffles at Mabel’s

Mabel’s has finally opened in Downtown Los Angeles. I’ve been waiting for it to open since I first heard about it in the fall of 2013. Every so often I would walk or drive by hoping to see it open. A couple of days ago, I heard it’s in soft opening. I reviewed the menu online before popping over. The menu online is slightly different. It’s a much shorter list now but there is an option for a combo that includes a drink.

Mabel’s is Chef Jason Harley’s restaurant. He has worked as a private chef and was also at Pici and Parq (I loved Parc back in the day– and particularly liked the seafood dishes).

The combo includes two pieces of chicken, a waffle, a side and a drink. We planned on eating in so it was a bit odd everything came packaged to-go. While I admired the checkered paper, it did become a bit of a nuisance when cutting the waffle, leaving bits of paper everywhere. I recommend getting rid of it first thing.

I found the chicken crispy and quite tasty. Some thought it was a little salty. You get a choice of sauces including two that are made in house. I opted for the sweet Asian chili sauce. I’m not really used to eating fried chicken with sauce but found it an interesting twist. The waffle was quite fluffy, almost cake-like. I did wish the sides were a tiny bit crispier. Also, they don’t give you much sauce for your waffle. I opted for plain ol’ maple syrup but there’s one with spice and another with bacon (!!!). You can get additional sauce for a fee.

I am definitely coming back though. I hope the menu expands to the one online (currently down, I assume they’re tweaking the site) with a chicken sandwich and red velvet waffle.

Mabel’s 

314 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015

© The Minty  2015