Hodak's Restaurant & Bar is located on Gravois and McNair, Hodak's has been St. Louis' premiere stop for chicken lovers since 1962! Dine in or carry-out and bulk rate and banquet services are available

 

Hodak's Restaurant and Bar
- Readers' Choice

Hodak's opened in 1962. Ralph and Charlene Hegel bought the place in 1988 and expanded the restaurant to more than twice its original size. Kirk Jaudes, general manager, notes, "We pride ourselves on value, and we fry chicken here 12 hours a day." Fried chicken is the specialty here, though other items are available. Hodak's spicy wings ($4.75) were just that, served hot with a spicy batter wrapped around tender chicken. Tangy sauce is served on the side for dipping, if you want to increase the level of heat. Half a fried chicken ($5.10) melted in the mouth once the meat cooled down - it comes to the table straight from the fryer. The crust was crispy and delicious and the meat inside was tender and juicy. Fries and slaw came alongside. Hodak's is a serious chicken restaurant, enthusiastically decorated for each holiday and season, with one of the most beautiful tin ceilings in town.

 

I'm in the mood for ... Ribs

By Joe Bonwich, Post-Dispatch, 06/16/2005

As expected, my thoughts last week on good rib restaurants generated a blaze of reader commentary in response, often with passionate advocacy of their favorites. In some cases, we also heard about ribs from places that aren't necessarily known as barbecue joints:

Hodak's, 2100 Gravois Avenue, 314-776-7292, got a big thumbs up from Steve Hinchcliff. "I know it's sort of heresy to speak of anything but chicken when mentioning Hodak's, but their ribs ... sure taste like the ribs I have always been accustomed to (while) growing up and living here in south St. Louis," Hinchcliff says.

 

Hodak's

By Emily Dulcan, Post-Dispatch, 06/22/2005

On a recent lunch hour, a friend and I stopped by Hodak's on our way to Tower Grove Park. Although we appreciated the lively atmosphere, the restaurant's dark and smoky interior made us glad to take our meals outside.

After ordering at the window labeled "carry outs," we waited less than five minutes for our food. I was on a mission for fried chicken and was surprised to find I could order a half-chicken or an all-wing dinner but not chicken by the piece. The half-chicken meal ($6.15, plus 40 cents for a side of barbecue sauce) comes with your choice of two side dishes; the meal was big enough for two people.

Seated in the grass at the park, I opened my bag to find a thoughtfully packed lunch. We found ourselves with more than enough napkins and plastic forks, but a lack of plastic knives forced us to pull apart the chicken with our fingers (which probably accounts for the extra napkins).

My side of baked beans and the not-hot "Hot BBQ Sauce" were stored in round containers with lids. Four pieces of golden fried chicken sat atop a slice of white bread in the Styrofoam container next to a gigantic scoop of potato salad. The moist chicken meat was encased in a uniform layer of breading and fried to a point of near-perfect finger-licking greasiness.

There weren't enough potatoes to justify the large amount of creamy dressing on the potato salad, and I would have liked a larger container of the lightly sweetened baked beans.

My friend sat down to an equally massive luncheon special of chicken and dumplings ($5.50), which also came with two side dishes. He took a healthier route than I did, accompanying his main dish with a slightly sweet and vinegary coleslaw that could have used more pepper and soft green beans with onions. The dumplings were exquisitely doughy, but the meal's real standout was the chicken, which had been roasted, not stewed, and whose juicy, pepper-slathered skin peeled back to reveal perfectly cooked meat.

To round out my meal, I finished with one of the two featured desserts, a slice of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cake ($3.35) packed in its own Styrofoam container. While you can't really go wrong with the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, the cake had a grocery-store quality that made it easy to leave half eaten. I recommend saving the calories for the fried chicken.

Hodak's is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

 

Stepping Out: Hodak's Restaurant and Bar

By: Matt Kaufman and Ryan Jacobson, 3/6/06

Hodak's Restaurant and Bar
2100 Gravois Road
Price: $5-12

When we saw the people - young, old, white and black - lined up like cattle, we knew we were in for something tasty. Some were wearing business suits, others Dale Earnhart baseball caps, and somehow, this restaurant was managing to bring them all together.

Such was the scene when we first entered Hodak's, a greasy but worthwhile family restaurant in South St. Louis. We took our place at the end of the line, taking in the scene around us. The large dining room was bustling, and everybody seemed to be going for the fried chicken, piled high on plastic plates. The line moved slowly at first and our appetites grew as the hostess and her crew cleared out an entire half of the restaurant for the next wave of diners. After about 15 minutes, we were escorted to our booth.

Before we could even take our coats off, an exhausted-looking waitress appeared and demanded our drink order like a kidnapper demands ransom. We hastily ordered sodas, but given more time we would have studied what Hodak's extensive bar might have offered. Finally, we were able to settle in and decide what was for dinner. The fried chicken was an obvious choice. Half a chicken, two sides and a slice of white bread cost a hungry college student a mere $6.15.

We clutched our silverware in anticipation of the emergence of our mounds of deep-friend poultry from the kitchen. Time and time again, we watched as a pile of food was delivered to the table next to us, and then the booth behind us. Then, in a moment we may never forget, the waitress burst forth carrying two plates of chicken, shimmering in the distance. Unlike Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is soggy and carelessly cooked, you could tell that Hodak's chicken had some real time put into it. We started with the legs, chomping into the meat with a satisfying crunch. The meat itself was perfect: hot and moist. We found it flavorful but not excessively greasy. We were hooked immediately. We reached for the thighs and wings and found them equally delectable. We saved the breasts for last. We're not breast men by nature, but they were real, and they were spectacular.

(cut off....sorry!)

 

Citysearch Editorial Profile

By Melissa Martin

This down-home restaurant serves the kind of tasty comfort food you'd find at a 1950s Sunday dinner.

The Scene
For years, Hodak's has been drawing converts to its modest quarters surrounded by industrial warehouses. It's noisy and crowded, filled with folks enjoying themselves. In fact, the whole place--diners, dining room and all--seems to belong to some homier, friendlier time.

The Food
You know the fried chicken's good when it's sold on the regular menu at bulk rates. Worlds apart from chain-store chicken, Hodak's serves supple, fleshy pieces dressed in puffy, golden skin. The breading is light, crisp and floury, with a pleasing crunch. The kitchen knows how to fry other foods too, including oysters, catfish, shrimp and even frog legs. Try warm, tender baked beans and creamy slaw or potato salad on the side. Finish off this Southern-style meal with apple pie a la mode. Who needs exotic ingredients and fussy presentation when simple food tastes this good?

Last updated: Friday, November 14, 2008