Chicken and Waffles at Roscoe’s in Los Angeles, California: How Locals Order the Classic

If you’re standing outside the Hollywood kitchen door watching stacks of waffles flip and hearing timers chirp for fresh-fried wings, you’re in the right place. The dish everybody comes for is simple and specific: crispy chicken, a waffle with that faint malt sweetness, and enough syrup to lace every pocket. Order it right and it eats like Los Angeles on a plate.

The plate that made the name: what you’re actually ordering

Roscoe’s doesn’t just sell “chicken and waffles.” It sells named combos that regulars call out by number. The current menu spells them out in plain language, so you know exactly what lands on the table. Country Boy (#9) is three chicken wings with your choice of two waffles or a side like potato salad or fries. Scoe’s (#1) is a quarter chicken, southern style, with two waffles. Herb’s Special (#3) bumps the portion to a half chicken plus two waffles. If you want the one-breast baseline, Carol C. Special (#13) pairs a single breast with a single waffle, and Natalie’s Special (#7) is the move when you came just for the batter: two waffles, no chicken.

That “two waffles” language isn’t a throwaway; it’s why the #1 and #3 plates feel like a full meal even if you split a wing with a friend. The batter is their own mix, printed right on the menu as such, and the chicken “secret recipe” phrasing is there too, which is another way of saying you’ll taste seasoning beyond just salt and pepper. If you like gravy and onions, there’s a smothered version of both Scoe’s and Herb’s that keeps the waffles on the plate but swaps crisp skin for sauced comfort.

Small add-ons matter. The restaurant publishes its add-on charges in black and white: extra butter is $0.50 and extra syrup is $0.50. It sounds like a tiny thing until you’re two-thirds through a waffle and eyeing that last dry square. If you love heat, a bottle of Roscoe’s Hot Sauce (8 oz) is $8, also printed on the menu right next to staples like Red Rooster at the same price.

Hollywood vs. the other LA kitchens: when and where to go

Pick the location by the hours you actually need. The Hollywood dining room at 1514 N Gower St, Los Angeles, CA 90028 runs 8:00 am to 12:00 am Sunday–Thursday and stays open until 4:00 am Friday and Saturday. That late close is the whole play if your night ends after a show and you want something more real than a drive‑thru. Call the host stand at (323) 466-7453 if you’re corralling a big group.

On the Miracle Mile, the La Brea kitchen at 1865 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90019 keeps near‑night‑owl hours too, serving 8:00 am to 12:00 am Sunday–Thursday and 8:00 am to 3:00 am Friday–Saturday. Phone there is (323) 847-5027. If you’re closer to the airport or a game in Inglewood, the Inglewood–LAX outpost at 621 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90301 runs a steady 8:00 am to 10:00 pm daily, phone (310) 981-4141. South LA’s longtime counter at 106 W Manchester Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90003 opens earlier at 7:30 am and closes at 8:00 pm daily, phone (323) 752-6211.

One more local truth so you don’t aim a car at a dark doorway: the Pasadena location is listed as permanently closed by the restaurant itself. If your memory says Lake Avenue, update it and choose Hollywood, La Brea, South LA, or Inglewood instead. Hollywood and La Brea are the late options; South LA is the breakfast-early option.

Late coffee people will care about the drinks board, too. You can order the old-school mixes that regulars pass down to newcomers: Sunrise is lemonade and orange juice, Sunset is lemonade and fruit punch, Eclipse combines lemonade, OJ, and fruit punch, and Lisa’s Delight is lemonade mixed with iced tea. The menu also notes that alcoholic beverages aren’t sold at every location, so if a beer with your bird matters, ask the host before you sit.

The Hollywood order, step by step

If you’re hitting Hollywood after midnight, this is how to order a plate that eats clean and hot. Start with Country Boy (#9) and stick with the waffle option unless you already know you’re a fries-or-potato-salad person. That gives you two waffles to work with. Ask for your wings well-done if you like a firmer bite, then leave the waffle alone until everything else lands. Butter melts by the minute, so put it to work right away and give the syrup a full flood instead of trying to paint each square.

If you’re hungrier or sharing, step up to Herb’s Special (#3), which brings a half chicken. It’s the one you order when you don’t want a debate over who gets the extra wing or whether you should switch to dark meat. For a single-diner play, Carol C. Special (#13) plus a side of greens gets you enough chicken without committing to a full two-waffle stack. The two most common tweaks at the table are the ones the restaurant prices out for you: extra butter $0.50, extra syrup $0.50. If heat is your thing, the $8 house hot sauce is hefty enough to bring home for next time.

There is a smothered route for gravy people. Scoe’s (#2) and Herb’s (#4) both do the same chicken-and-two-waffles formula but with gravy and onions. That’s a different meal. It takes some crisp away from the skin and gives you the kind of plate where a forkful of waffle, onion, and chicken lives on the same bite. If you eat like that, order it that way from the jump and don’t try to split a smothered plate with someone who wanted crunch.

Ordering for a crew: catering math you can actually use

Los Angeles is a picnic-in-the-park town and an on-set-lunch town. Roscoe’s publishes catering in easy tiers so you can do headcount math without calling. Catering #1 is 20 pieces with a half-pan side and is priced at $190 for mixed or $210 for white meat. Catering #2 moves to 40 pieces at $340 mixed or $380 white. Catering #3 covers a bigger crew with 60 pieces at $570 mixed or $630 white. Waffles are sold separately on the catering menu, which matters if your plan is “all chicken and sides” versus “full chicken-and-waffle spread.”

Those side pans are spelled out with prices, too, so you can keep the budget predictable. If your move is mac, the Mac & Cheese half pan is $74 and the full pan is $136. If you want biscuits for a crowd, the half pan is $21 and the full is $32. Greens sit at $63 half and $116 full, and Red Beans are $53 half and $95 full. There’s even a $40 half pan and $70 full for gravy, which tells you everything you need to know about how many locals choose smothered plates for group orders.

If you’re not feeding a film crew but want the good stuff at home, remember you can buy the 8 oz Roscoe’s Hot Sauce for $8 to bring along. The restaurant also ships through a nationwide service if you’re sending a care package to an ex-Angeleno, though you’ll still come to the counter locally if you want it made to order and hot.

Small menu signals that save you a re-order

Spend thirty seconds on the beverage list and you’ll read the shorthand in the dining room. If someone says they “do a Sunrise,” that’s lemonade with orange juice. If you hear a “Lisa’s Delight,” that’s lemonade and iced tea. They’re printed exactly that way, along with Sunset and Eclipse. There’s also a Buckwheat Waffle (#14) for people who like a different grain profile; if you’re ordering for a table with split preferences, that’s the one to ask about.

For early weekday regulars, there’s a standing special on the board: Jean’s Delight as a Tuesday and Wednesday play with mixed greens, a thigh, potato salad, and hot-water corn bread. If you’re trying Roscoe’s for the first time and want to taste a few menu lanes at once, that’s a cheap education in what the sides taste like against the chicken. If you’re the type who only eats tenders, the menu puts three house-made tenders into a combo with a choice of waffle, mac and cheese, or fries.

Finally, a detail that matters if you were expecting a full bar: the restaurant prints that alcoholic beverages are not available at all locations. If a beer with your bird is part of the plan, confirm at the host stand before you sit in Hollywood or La Brea. If you’re in South LA at 7:30 am opening, coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice are the better companions anyway.

Key things to know before you go

• Hollywood’s hours run 8:00 am to 12:00 am Sunday–Thursday and until 4:00 am Friday–Saturday, which is the latest of the LA locations.
• La Brea’s close is 12:00 am on weeknights and 3:00 am Friday–Saturday, a strong second choice for late plates.
• South LA opens at 7:30 am daily and closes at 8:00 pm, the earliest breakfast start in the group.
• Inglewood–LAX runs 8:00 am to 10:00 pm daily, convenient for airport runs and pre‑event dinners.
• Two waffles come with Scoe’s (#1/#2) and Herb’s (#3/#4); Country Boy (#9) gives you the choice of two waffles or a side.
• Extra butter and syrup are each priced at $0.50, printed on the menu so you can plan your sweet spot.
• House hot sauce is sold in 8 oz bottles for $8 if you want to take the flavor home.
• Catering packages start at 20 pieces for $190 (mixed) with a half-pan side; larger tiers and full-pan side pricing are published for easy budgeting.
• Pasadena is permanently closed per the restaurant. Aim for Hollywood, La Brea, South LA, or Inglewood.
• Alcohol availability varies by location. If a beer matters, ask before you’re seated.

Reader Q&A

Which Los Angeles location stays open the latest for chicken and waffles?

Hollywood runs 8:00 am to 12:00 am Sunday–Thursday and stays open until 4:00 am on Friday and Saturday. La Brea closes at 12:00 am on weeknights and 3:00 am on Friday–Saturday. Inglewood–LAX and South LA keep earlier closes.

Is the old “Obama Special” still listed on the menu?

The current printed menu lists the combo by its original name, Country Boy (#9): three wings with your choice of two waffles or a side. That’s the same build regulars order when they want the classic chicken-and-waffle plate.

How much do add-ons like butter and syrup cost?

The restaurant publishes those charges: extra butter $0.50 and extra syrup $0.50. If you know you like your waffle fully dressed, add them when you order so they land with the plate.

What’s the starting size and price for catering?

The first tier is 20 pieces with a half-pan side. The restaurant prices it at $190 for mixed or $210 for white meat, with 40‑ and 60‑piece packages above that. Waffles are sold separately on the catering menu.

If you’re choosing between locations, use the clock. After midnight, go Hollywood or La Brea. If it’s breakfast-early or you’re staying south, South LA opens at 7:30 am. The plate choice is even easier: if you want two waffles, order Scoe’s or Herb’s. If you want wings and flexibility, Country Boy is the move.

Published: September 8, 2026