Soi Polo Fried Chicken – Is This Bangkok’s Best Fried Chicken?


Soi Polo Fried Chicken ไก่ทอดเจ๊กี (โปโล)
Soi Polo Fried Chicken ไก่ทอดเจ๊กี (โปโล) is a legendary name for fried chicken in Bangkok.
But just like Hai Som Tam Convent, for some reason throughout my many years in Bangkok, I just never got around to eating there.
Anyway, the day came when I had an opportunity to eat at Soi Polo Fried Chicken along with my friends from Nomad is Beautiful.
It’s an extremely famous restaurant, and they are always busy, especially during mealtimes. The day I went, bus loads of Thais were unloading, ready to get some fried chicken for themselves. It’s also quite a famous lunch restaurant in the area, catering to all the office workers.

Waiting to chop up the chicken
You don’t really need me to tell you this, but Soi Polo Fried Chicken specializes in…. fried chicken (ไก่ทอด)!
The chickens are deep fried whole (similar to how a grilled chicken would be cooked in Thailand), and they are pre-fried before the meal rushes.

Fried chicken, ready to go
When someone orders, they pull a crispy bird out of the metal pot and hack it into pieces on the giant cutting board.
They have both a Thai and English menu, so if you don’t speak Thai, you should have no trouble making your order. Staff the day I went were all nice and friendly.

Gai Tod (fried chicken ไก่ทอด)
We got a whole chicken, and if you’re eating with 2 or more people, you should definitely go for the whole thing!
The gai tod (fried chicken ไก่ทอด) was sliced up into manageable pieces, and then quite a generous amount of deep fried crispy garlic was sprinkled on top – a big bonus in my books.
Price – 200 THB full chicken

Beautifully crispy and golden in color
Just look at all that golden crispified skin and that garlic piled on top!
I liked that the chicken was drained quite well, it was dry and not dripping in oil like fried chicken can potentially be.

I love drumsticks!
I’m personally more of a fan of dark meat, especially when it comes to grilled or fried chicken. The drumstick wasn’t too big in size, but it was nice and flavorful, and that golden skin was nice and crunchy.

The garlic is the best part of this fried chicken!
The white meat was a little overcooked, and in my opinion, a little on the dry side. The dark meat, was excellent, and had that country chicken taste to it.

Som tam (ส้มตำ)
Som tam (ส้มตำ), green papaya salad is the sibling of chicken, and when in Thailand, eating grilled or fried chicken simply calls for a plate of som tam.
We had just a normal plate of som tam Thai, which was good. I like the good fresh tomatoes they used in their mix.

Tod man (ทอดมัน)
I actually didn’t even get a taste of the tod man (ทอดมัน), but we did order it, and it looked to be quite good. The sauce in particular looked fantastic, a medley of vegetables and peanuts.

Larb moo (ลาบหมู)
The larb moo (ลาบหมู) at Soi Polo Fried Chicken was unremarkable.
The pork itself was pretty scrappy and not very good quality – actually didn’t taste all that fresh to me. The seasoning wasn’t sour enough for me either, I could have used an extra few squirts of lime juice to pucker it up.
I wouldn’t order the larb moo again, but they also have larb gai (ลาบไก่) and larb bpet (ลาบเป็ด) which might be better options?

Thai sticky rice
Gai tod and som tam goes incredibly well with sticky rice (ข้าวเหนียว)!

Best fried chicken in Bangkok?
Do they serve the best fried chicken in Bangkok?
To be honest, I’m not totally sure.
I don’t actually eat fried chicken all that much in Bangkok, and if I do, it’s normally from street stand takeaway stalls. At restaurants I would tend to go with grilled chicken over fried chicken.
Other than the white meat pieces of chicken being a little on the dry side, the fried chicken at Polo was pretty tasty – but best in Bangkok? – I guess I need some more fried chicken experience.
What do you think?

Soi Polo Fried Chicken ไก่ทอดเจ๊กี (โปโล)
Soi Polo Fried Chicken ไก่ทอดเจ๊กี (โปโล)
Address: 137/1-2 Soi Sanam Khli
Open hours: 7 am – 10 pm daily
Phone: 0-2252-2252, 0-2251-2772
Price: Everything you see cost just under 450 THB
ที่อยู่137/1-2 ซ. โปโล แขวงลุมพินี เขตปทุมวัน กทม. (ใกล้สถานนีตำรวจลุมพินี)
เปิดบริการทุกวัน เวลา 07.00 – 22.00 น.
โทร. 0-2252-2252, 0-2251-2772
How to get there:
From Wireless Road, turn onto Sanam Khli (a small soi), and you cannot miss the big red “Polo Fried Chicken” sign waiting for you on the left hand side of the road. Taxi is probably the easiest way to get there, otherwise it’s about a 15 minute walk from either Ploen Chit or Ratchadamri BTS stations.
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Tim Flaherty
3 years ago
I have eaten at Soi Pollo probably 10 times over the years. It’s good, a little dry, and not much meat. I much prefer Hat Yai style fried chicken with the crispy batter from street vendors. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good. Cheap as well.
Ranjiv
8 years ago
Just ate here….awesome!
Mark Wiens
8 years ago
Glad you enjoyed it Ranjiv!
Ivana
9 years ago
Hi Mark! We are in BKK for a few days and while googling for Polo Chicken, we’ve stumbled upon your article :)
Another awesome thing is that we’ve realized we are staying in a place just 5 minutes walking from the restaurant!
Thanks again for bringing us there and hopefully see you again!
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hey Ivana, great to hear from you. That was a great meal we had here. How long will you be in Bangkok?
Ivana
9 years ago
Hey, Mark, we leave on Tuesday the 1st.
Curt
9 years ago
Was a fan of Polo Chicken years ago. But, after a couple of overly greasy bouts, and some chicken that tasted of fish, we gave up. Haven’t visited for years.
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Thanks for sharing Curt, yah that would definitely be odd if the chicken tasted like fish!
Steven
9 years ago
I love Thai food. Thanks for sharing your experience Mark. While I am in London, I’ll continue to eat at the best Thai restaurant here, Thai Square. Hope to visit and eat at Bangkok soon. Thanks again for sharing.
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hey Steven, glad to hear you love Thai food so much too. Keep eating Thai food!
Kitti
9 years ago
For Gai Tod, I prefer the most that is not dry like more oily.
Maybe Gai Tod Hatyai is more of my taste(especially those that just finish cooking).
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Thanks for sharing Kitti. Do you know where to get good gai tod hatyai in Bangkok?
Kitti
9 years ago
Frankly, I don’t know any because most of Gai Tod Hatyai are pretty much the same in every street food stall. Maybe you can try from Gai Tod Hatayi street stall near your area first.
Arnaud
9 years ago
Hey Mark,
Maybe the first time I have been in a restaurant before you :) Actually, since most the guides recommend it, it was not difficult to discover it. I love gai tod, and this is the best I ever got. The chicken is really crispy, and the fried garlic on the top is amazing. I don’t remember that the white meat was too dry, but I remember that I ate far too much that day: In the same day I went to Soi Polo Fried Chicken, Pratchack, and T&K on Yaorawat. A kind of food marathon.
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hey Arnaud, good to hear from you, glad you’ve been here too. Yes, it’s a really well known place. Wow, awesome food marathon!!
El N
9 years ago
Hey Mark,
Love your blog and all the reviews! I’ve always been a fan of Polo. I agree about the white meat, but next time you go I recommend you give their larb woonsen and their tom saab moo a go. I’d say they’re almost as good, if not better than the chicken itself. I think Polo also benefits from being an oasis in an area otherwise devoid of good Isaan options (forgive me if I’m wrong though).
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Thank you so much, and glad to hear you’ve been here too. Next time I’ll definitely order the larb woonsen and tom saab – thanks for the recommendations!