Charles Pan Fried Chicken.

Born into a family of 21 kids, Charles Gabriel grew up picking cotton near Charlotte, North Carolina before moving to New York City at 17 to peruse a career in cooking. He worked at Copeland’s for two decades before venturing off on his own, selling expertly-executed fried chicken in Harlem.

The meticulous process pays off, thick and crispy skin gives way to succulent meat you have to experience for yourself. Order a handful of sides like baked mac & cheese and collared greens and cap the meal with the creamy banana pudding.

The story of how Charles Pan Fried Chicken became one of the best restaurants near Central Park is a loaded with hard-work over several decades, I’ll give you the quick run-down. Charles Gabriel was born in 1947 as one of 21 (yes, 21) kids in a family of sharecroppers. He learned to cook in his mother’s kitchen before moving to New York City at the age of 17. 

Once in New York Charles started working at restaurants, learning and building a career through hard work and talent. In the 80’s Charles decided to start working for himself, setting up a table outside of his apartment building in Harlem and selling chicken to his neighbors. 

The table turned into a food truck and eventually into brick and mortar locations (with the flagship in Harlem). From then on Charles Pan Fried Chicken has become the pinnacle of soul food in New York City. The secret lies in how they fry the chicken – in a large cast iron pan, flipping each piece individually. It’s more arduous than using a deep-fryer, but the results are hard to argue with.