For this issue’s installment of Bay Area Bites I bring you to the bustling streets of downtown San Jose where my brother Chris and I stop at Scratch Cookery! Known for its Nashville hot chicken, Scratch Cookery is guaranteed to supply you some of the best chicken around. Starting from a food truck in 2018 Scratch Cookery expanded into a physical location soon after, becoming increasingly more popular during the 2020 pandemic with the rise of delivery apps like door dash.
Arriving at the restaurant, we walked into the small store where we were greeted with a casual and welcoming atmosphere. I ordered the classic three piece chicken strip meal with a side of fries and Chris got the Nashville HOT Chicken sandwich. Although the wait— which was a little long— was well worth it as the aroma of our food filled the air as our meals were brought to us by one of the many employees. The tenders, dipped in house seasoning, were everything you want from chicken tenders, they were crispy, juicy, and HUGE, and the in house seasoning on both the Chicken and the Fries still make my mouth water just by thinking about it.
For Chris his chicken sandwich tasted the same, crispy, juicy, and deliciously doused with the in house seasoning. Unfortunately he may have gone too spicy as he turned a tomato red right in the restaurant.
Overall the food was some of the best chicken we’ve had in a while and the fries were next-level. However, despite the good tasting food, the prices weren’t as delectable. The Chicken tenders and fries combo set me back about $19, and the chicken sandwich combo about $20.50 . Making our whole meal come out to $45 including tip. However Scratch Cookery does offer cheaper options, ranging from the classic Cheeseburger and Fries for $13.50 all the way up to options like the four piece tender meal priced at $22. Overall here are our ratings for Scratch cookery in downtown San Jose.
Cameron: 4 / 5 – The food was delicious but the wait time was longer than I expected, and the pricing was kind of high, but I’d still give it a 4 /5 because I’d say the food itself made up for it.
Chris: 4 / 5 – “The food was good but the wait time was long, and it’s kind of hidden because it’s in downtown San Jose. I had to pay for parking which was expensive as hell.”