The New Fried-Chicken Joint You Have to Check Out in Calgary

Local chef and Top Chef Canada alum Nicole Gomes debuts Cluck ‘n’ Cleaver.

Caterer and Top Chef Canada alum chef Nicole Gomes has a new mission: to bring the best fried chicken to the masses along with her sister Francine (a fellow chicken enthusiast) who for the past decade has been a chicken farmer in the Kootenays. The sisters have been working on this new casual take-out concept for about a decade, and the newly revamped, tiny brick stand-alone building on 14^th Street and 15^th Avenue SW finally opened this spring—to enthusiastic fanfare.On the wall: poultry paraphernalia—rubber chickens, vintage KFC swag and other chicken-themed trinkets they’ve accumulated (and friends have brought them) over the years. On the menu: crunchy fried (by the piece or box) and rotisserie (by the quarter, half or whole bird) chicken, buttermilk biscuits, hand-cut fries, potato and egg salad, corn and black bean salad, slaw, cookies and milkshakes—comfort food at its best. They have a few stools at the window, but it’s mostly geared to-go (there are even vintage sodas and perfectly chilled chicken and salads in the cooler). It’s a picnicker’s dream.Cluck ‘n’ Cleaver, 1511 – 14 St. SW, 403-266-2067, cluckncleaver.com. The newly revamped brick building on 14th Street and 15th Avenue SW finally opened this spring—to enthusiastic fanfare. Chef Nicole Gomes (right) has just opened up the Cluck ‘n’ Cleaver with her sister Francine. On the menu: crunchy fried (by the piece or box) chicken, buttermilk biscuits, hand-cut fries, corn and black bean salad.MORE: How Vikram Vij Reinvented the Chicken NuggetMORE: Cocktail-Forward Klein/Harris Opens in CalgaryMORE: Is This the Most Foodie-Friendly Hotel in Canada?