Chef Linton Hopkins is a highly acclaimed chef and restaurateur based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the co-owner of Hopkins and Company, a hospitality group known for its commitment to Southern hospitality, sustainable...
Hop's Chicken is a popular fried chicken spot located within the bustling Ponce City Market in Atlanta. It is helmed by James Beard Award-Winning Chef Linton Hopkins, offering his take on classic Southern fried chicken. The restaurant provides a casual dining experience, perfect for enjoying meals in the market or taking them to-go. It's particularly known for its 'BYO Biscuits' on weekend mornings.
Customer feedback is mixed but generally positive for the food itself. Many praise the fried chicken for its delicious, moist, and juicy quality, with a flavorful and crunchy breading. The mac & cheese and vinegar-based coleslaw are frequently highlighted as excellent sides. Biscuits are described as light, airy, and delightful, especially with honey. However, some reviewers found the chicken bland, and there were occasional complaints about stale rolls (not biscuits) or the Nashville Hot sandwich not being spicy enough. Service consistency is a recurring issue, with some experiencing slow service, untrained staff, or incorrect orders (e.g., missing ingredients on sandwiches). The price point is generally considered reasonable for the quality, though some felt it didn't always match the experience.
Additional Details
Hop's Chicken took over the space previously occupied by H&F Bread Co. in the Central Food Hall of Ponce City Market in 2015. It's a counter-service establishment, making it a convenient option for a quick meal while exploring the market.
Limited vegetarian sides (e.g., coleslaw, mac & cheese, though not explicitly vegetarian-focused)
Best Times to Visit
The restaurant is open Monday-Thursday from 11:00 am - 9:00 pm, Friday-Saturday from 9:00 am - 10:00 pm, and Sunday from 9:00 am - 8:00 pm. For a special experience, visit Friday-Sunday between 9:00 am and 11:00 am to try their 'BYO Biscuits'.
Awards & Recognition
James Beard Award-Winning Chef (Linton Hopkins)
4
Grabbed a Nashville Hot sandwich. When I see “Don’t touch your face” as a heat warning I’m in! I didn’t find it that hot but it was a good sandwich. I would have one again. Would have been nice if it came with a side for the price .
The service was OK. The kitchen was fast; the chicken was rather bland, the Mac and cheese was very good but the rolls ( no biscuits available) were stale. You can find a better meal.
A souvenir of Atlanta for your Tastebuds.
Imagine this, you are done with your trip in Atlanta and you want a last lunch before you leave. You settle for Ponce City Market. Coming from Ponce de Léon avenue, the first restaurant that great you is Hopschicken, a soul food Chicken spot. My wife and I chosed the Chicken Plater. This is made of a biscuit, a coleslaw, mac & cheese, a jalapeño and of course a breaded chichen. At less than $18, the size is ideal for a lunch menu. Good if you skipped breakfast and perfect for share with someone with a small stomac appetite. Let talk food, forget about your popeyes/kfc biscuit. The one we were served was about two and half the size of a popeyes/kfc biscuit. The biscuit was light and airy. Spreaded with honey, it creates a delight. The only thing missing is a side of butter. Frankly, the biscuit is so well made that it compensate. Next, the colesaw. The choice made for the coleslaw is also spot on. Rather than a coleslaw full of mayo, this one is more on the vinegar side. This is to sublime.the next side of the plate, the mac & cheese. You can easily feel the 3+ cheese they used for mac and cheese. The balance between the cheese and sauce makes you want to go dig and dig again. And to finish, the chicken. 40% of a delicious soul food chicken is made of the breading. The other 60% is reserve for the quality of the cooked chicken. I can tell you hopschicken hit the 110% mark on this chicken. To taste, just start with the bread itself. This revealed to my wife and I that we were in for a treat. The breading displayed a tasteful choice of spice and the crunch you expect in the chicken. This was perfection in itself. Next, the bare chicken was moist and juicy. Not dry and more importantly not over spiced to deter from the breading. Putting both of them together was an explosion of flavor with the juicy taste of chicken that confirm that the chef in Hopschicken is really aiming to please and leaving a lasting impression on customer. Add to mix the pickled Jalapeño and you made a perfect combo to bring back home the soul food souvenir of Atlanta, the one that makes you miss the sunday chicken dinner at Grand Ma. The chef at Hopchicken is not setving food hall grade food at Ponce City Market. This food will have nothing to blush about another soul food selection at a sitting restaurant. Would you like to go home with a souvenir of Atlanta? Hopschicken is where you will find it. With the serving spead of approximately 10 minutes, it makes your last lunch in the city memorable. This was a great surpise and I will be back here
Gave this place a chance as it looked like a pretty authentic chicken place. Didn't look at the reviews beforehand, but now I think I should have. I ordered the special chicken sandwich and the fried chicken livers.
The chicken sandwich was not properly made. It was missing the coleslaw and the sauce. Fortunately, the fried chicken livers came with a separate container of sauce, which I added to the sandwich. Together, it was pretty tasty, but I should not have been the one to make my own sandwich.
The fried chicken livers were tasty, but because I had to use a large portion of the sauce on my sandwich, there wasn't enough left for them.
Overall, it speaks to some issues in the kitchen that the food wasn't properly put together. I made no requests or alterations, so everything should have been standard. Whoever is training the staff should make sure that food standards are being kept up for all items.
If you order from here, make sure to double-check all items before leaving.
It is not a place I could recommend, especially when it is surrounded by much better options in the market.
My experience at Hop's Chicken was extremely disappointing. The food was dry, overly salty, and honestly just horrible. Ordering itself was fine, but the staff clearly had no idea how to put an order together. It took an absurd amount of time just to get some chickens—food that was already prepared—into a paper bag. I genuinely thought they were getting chickens from near by farm and butchering. That's how long it took.
The staff seemed completely untrained and confused, and the price definitely didn’t match the quality or experience. Overall, it was a frustrating visit. Save your time and money and go somewhere else.
