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Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant first opened in 1934 with Mrs. Knott and her children serving the first customers in their tea room. The restaurant has grown over the years into one of the largest in California, but the classic fried chicken dinner is still made the same way today using Mrs. Knott’s recipes.
American-style spot with cafeteria-like digs known for its fried chicken & boysenberry pie.
Hours
| Friday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Sunday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Monday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–9 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620
Phone: (714) 220-5055
Website: https://www.knotts.com/play/drinks-dining/mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-restaurant
Menu Photos
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Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant – Buena Park, CA | OpenTable
Lunch is served Mon–Fri 11:00 am–4:00 pm; dinner hours vary: Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–8:00 pm, Fri 4:00 pm–7:00 pm, and Sat–Sun 11:00 am–9:00 pm. Because special events …
Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant | Buena Park, CA 90620
A Southern California dining institution, this one-time roadside berry stand has grown into one of the nation’s most popular family eateries.
Reviews
Tracey Macomber
This place is TERRIBLE. gross. Bland. Disappointing. School Cafeteria food. The $26 Knotts chicken dinner is bad. Go to KFC it’s cheaper and 10X better. The $15 sliders I’m pretty sure are fresh out of the frozen food department of some dollar tree somewhere. The buns were hard. The patties were worse than a Tyson Dino Nugget. For a restaurant this pie has to be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.
For $60 this was ridiculous. Edible sure. Bland yes. Hard yes. Dry yes. Gross yes.
And service was SLOOOOOOOW. Which was shocking I thought cafeterias just had it all in a heat box in back scoop a serve. Shouldn’t be as slow as it was.
I looked at the other views and I’m missing something. There isn’t enough bad reviews. I must be spoiled by Disney restaurant quality meals that I can’t settle for Knotts disgustingness.
… moreFor $60 this was ridiculous. Edible sure. Bland yes. Hard yes. Dry yes. Gross yes.
And service was SLOOOOOOOW. Which was shocking I thought cafeterias just had it all in a heat box in back scoop a serve. Shouldn’t be as slow as it was.
I looked at the other views and I’m missing something. There isn’t enough bad reviews. I must be spoiled by Disney restaurant quality meals that I can’t settle for Knotts disgustingness.
Michael Guynn
I grew up in the Midwest. I have been to countless farmhouse diners. Knott’s has all that style, without the substance.
First, the positives. As you’d expect, the restaurant is huge. Multiple rooms, a bar, a huge operation. Decorated well. But to handle a theme park crowd, this is a given.
Additionally, the portion sizes are an incredible value. For the price of one dinner (~$25) you get two appetizers, biscuits, a main, a side, and dessert. It’s a great value anywhere, let alone a theme park.
But that’s where the positives end. I understand this is apparently Cordelia Knott’s original fried chicken recipe, and I appreciate that commitment. But everything is so… Bland. There is no salt anywhere.
The biscuits were kind of stodgy (though the boysenberry jam was pleasant), the soup was very one-note, the salads were sloppy. Even the pie had almost no depth; the crust tasted like nothing at all. Very disappointing.
Then on a service note, if you have a season pass, they have no means to scan your phone tableside, so you have to go on an adventure to the bar with your server, which just seems like an extreme inefficiency.
I’m glad this restaurant is hanging in there, and I’m sure I’ll be back. It’s a nice tradition that they keep alive. It just really leaves me wishing the food was made with a bit more attention to detail.
… moreFirst, the positives. As you’d expect, the restaurant is huge. Multiple rooms, a bar, a huge operation. Decorated well. But to handle a theme park crowd, this is a given.
Additionally, the portion sizes are an incredible value. For the price of one dinner (~$25) you get two appetizers, biscuits, a main, a side, and dessert. It’s a great value anywhere, let alone a theme park.
But that’s where the positives end. I understand this is apparently Cordelia Knott’s original fried chicken recipe, and I appreciate that commitment. But everything is so… Bland. There is no salt anywhere.
The biscuits were kind of stodgy (though the boysenberry jam was pleasant), the soup was very one-note, the salads were sloppy. Even the pie had almost no depth; the crust tasted like nothing at all. Very disappointing.
Then on a service note, if you have a season pass, they have no means to scan your phone tableside, so you have to go on an adventure to the bar with your server, which just seems like an extreme inefficiency.
I’m glad this restaurant is hanging in there, and I’m sure I’ll be back. It’s a nice tradition that they keep alive. It just really leaves me wishing the food was made with a bit more attention to detail.
Noah Lloyd
I drove all the way from Idaho with some friends to visit Knotts Berry Farm for the first time. I was super excited to be able to make a reservation and come to this restaurant with my wife. (Date night!)
Our waiter was super excellent and very friendly. My wife and I were able to order the famous chicken dinner. There is an option that is called split plate so you each get your own of the side salad a side of dessert and one more side, and then you share the chicken dinner.
Now for the dinner, we did like the corn the salad and we really like the chicken dumpling soup. For our drinks, we got the boysenberry punch, which I think is a must try. We really enjoyed this punch. For our dessert, we tried both the apple pie and the boysenberry pie. Now my wife isn’t a cooked fruit person, but I enjoyed both pies a lot , especially the apple pie, which had a great cinnamon flavor to the apples.
Now for the chicken, we were left a little bit disappointed. On our platter, we got three pieces of chicken. My wife and I each had a small smaller piece like a drumstick and it tasted very good and very crispy. But when it came to share the big breast, it tasted like it was sitting under a heat lamp for a while. It just didn’t taste fresh so we were both disappointed in that aspect.
Now when it comes to the atmosphere of this restaurant, I loved it! I thought it was very unique. There are a couple different dining areas that you are able to go to and they seemed a little bit differently. To us it kind of felt similar to a Cracker Barrel, but better.
Overall, I thought this was a good restaurant. I would love to come back and give it another try and be able to try something different. I would highly recommend making a reservation as this place will be a BUSY. If you will also are a season pass holder, you are able to get a 10% discount which I loved.
… moreOur waiter was super excellent and very friendly. My wife and I were able to order the famous chicken dinner. There is an option that is called split plate so you each get your own of the side salad a side of dessert and one more side, and then you share the chicken dinner.
Now for the dinner, we did like the corn the salad and we really like the chicken dumpling soup. For our drinks, we got the boysenberry punch, which I think is a must try. We really enjoyed this punch. For our dessert, we tried both the apple pie and the boysenberry pie. Now my wife isn’t a cooked fruit person, but I enjoyed both pies a lot , especially the apple pie, which had a great cinnamon flavor to the apples.
Now for the chicken, we were left a little bit disappointed. On our platter, we got three pieces of chicken. My wife and I each had a small smaller piece like a drumstick and it tasted very good and very crispy. But when it came to share the big breast, it tasted like it was sitting under a heat lamp for a while. It just didn’t taste fresh so we were both disappointed in that aspect.
Now when it comes to the atmosphere of this restaurant, I loved it! I thought it was very unique. There are a couple different dining areas that you are able to go to and they seemed a little bit differently. To us it kind of felt similar to a Cracker Barrel, but better.
Overall, I thought this was a good restaurant. I would love to come back and give it another try and be able to try something different. I would highly recommend making a reservation as this place will be a BUSY. If you will also are a season pass holder, you are able to get a 10% discount which I loved.
M Ne
It has been years since we have been to Mrs. Knott’s fried chicken restaurant at Knott’s Berry Farm.
The restaurant itself has been remodeled again, allowing for more seating, a bigger bar and a more modern decorative style meshed with old photographs of the restaurant and painted portraits of Walter Knott and Cordelia Knott.
The menu is simple, but well done. Of course it’s claim to fame is Cordelia’s receipe for fried chicken. Still hand made, as well as the mashed potatoes, corn, cabbage and rhubarb. The side of chicken noodle soup was superb, creamy and thick with huge chunks of chicken.
It was great and it reminded us of the times we would come here with family on vacations. It’s an annual must for us when we are here in Southern California.
I think most would say it is a great food item.
… moreThe restaurant itself has been remodeled again, allowing for more seating, a bigger bar and a more modern decorative style meshed with old photographs of the restaurant and painted portraits of Walter Knott and Cordelia Knott.
The menu is simple, but well done. Of course it’s claim to fame is Cordelia’s receipe for fried chicken. Still hand made, as well as the mashed potatoes, corn, cabbage and rhubarb. The side of chicken noodle soup was superb, creamy and thick with huge chunks of chicken.
It was great and it reminded us of the times we would come here with family on vacations. It’s an annual must for us when we are here in Southern California.
I think most would say it is a great food item.
Cody Pham
Childhood nostalgia and a craving for fried chicken led me back to Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner. We came on a Sunday night around 6pm. Parking was available in the metered lot and completely validated by the restaurant. There was a 45 minute wait upon arrival, which went by relatively quickly thanks to the various shops nearby.
One thing that was a little inconvenient was that we could not view our place in line during our wait. Upon checking in, we received a text that said “You’re on the waitlist at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner. View waitlist:” with a link to OpenTable. However, the Opentable page only told us we were on the waitlist and did not tell us how many parties were in front of us. There was, however, a countdown to our “reservation” time which was surprisingly accurate.
The restaurant felt rustic like an antique farmhouse in the south. Martyn gave us great service. He continuously checked up on us and got us whatever we needed.
The food was ok. Definitely not as good as I remembered it was 10 years ago. The bread was decent, and I liked the boysenberry jam it came with. The appetizers were also pretty good. We got the onion rings and the fried mozzarella. The onion rings were served stacked on each other like a tower with ranch and bbq sauce. There were 4 pieces of fried mozzarella in one order. They were shaped like half moons and served with a tomato cheese sauce.
But Mrs. Knott’s famous fried chicken platter disappointed me. The pieces of fried chicken varied in quality. The drumstick and thigh were pretty good. They were crispy and moist. But the wing and breast were very dry. The kicker is that you have the option of ordering all white meat for an extra $5, but the pieces of white meat I received were significantly poorer in quality than the pieces of dark meat. This inconsistency was consistent across all plates at our table – everyone agreed that the breasts and wings were too dry. The mashed potatoes were good… on their own. But I was not a fan of the gravy on top. And the corn… was corn. You have the option of choosing corn or cabbage with ham. Only one of us got the cabbage with ham, and he wasn’t exactly raving about it.
I will say that quality aside, the dinner entrees have pretty good value as they all come with soup, salad, and a slice of pie. Mrs. Knott’s famous fried chicken platter, for example, was $26. We all opted for the boysenberry pie. The pie pastry was good, but the boysenberry filling… really needed like a scoop of ice cream or something on top.
… moreOne thing that was a little inconvenient was that we could not view our place in line during our wait. Upon checking in, we received a text that said “You’re on the waitlist at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner. View waitlist:” with a link to OpenTable. However, the Opentable page only told us we were on the waitlist and did not tell us how many parties were in front of us. There was, however, a countdown to our “reservation” time which was surprisingly accurate.
The restaurant felt rustic like an antique farmhouse in the south. Martyn gave us great service. He continuously checked up on us and got us whatever we needed.
The food was ok. Definitely not as good as I remembered it was 10 years ago. The bread was decent, and I liked the boysenberry jam it came with. The appetizers were also pretty good. We got the onion rings and the fried mozzarella. The onion rings were served stacked on each other like a tower with ranch and bbq sauce. There were 4 pieces of fried mozzarella in one order. They were shaped like half moons and served with a tomato cheese sauce.
But Mrs. Knott’s famous fried chicken platter disappointed me. The pieces of fried chicken varied in quality. The drumstick and thigh were pretty good. They were crispy and moist. But the wing and breast were very dry. The kicker is that you have the option of ordering all white meat for an extra $5, but the pieces of white meat I received were significantly poorer in quality than the pieces of dark meat. This inconsistency was consistent across all plates at our table – everyone agreed that the breasts and wings were too dry. The mashed potatoes were good… on their own. But I was not a fan of the gravy on top. And the corn… was corn. You have the option of choosing corn or cabbage with ham. Only one of us got the cabbage with ham, and he wasn’t exactly raving about it.
I will say that quality aside, the dinner entrees have pretty good value as they all come with soup, salad, and a slice of pie. Mrs. Knott’s famous fried chicken platter, for example, was $26. We all opted for the boysenberry pie. The pie pastry was good, but the boysenberry filling… really needed like a scoop of ice cream or something on top.
Jack Byrne
This place is a must do on each visit to Knott’s Berry Farm, or even just a visit to Buena Park. The fried chicken platter is sooo worth the money. Look at the hunk of chicken they give you. It’s one of the best meals you can get at any amusement park anywhere.
… moreE
I went for the midnight brunch avalible only select days during Knotts Scary Farm
The entrance for the midnight brunch is at the back. Opposite of the main entrance.
It was of course delicious. The must haves were the boysenberry sausages and biscuits with boysenberry jam. Everything else was filler.
Coffee was hot and had a good flavor and the juices was ice cold super good.
Plastic utensils were provided with sturdy disposable plates.
No other toppings for the scrambled eggs other than salt pepper and ketchup.
Parking is $40.
This midnight brunch about 24 per person.
All in all not bad especially if you don’t like crowds but miss a buffet setting.
There is a choice of:
Waffles
Pancakes
Biscuits
Scrambled eggs
Country fried potatoes
Fried chicken thighs and legs
Bacon
Boysenberry Sasuage
Sasage gravy
Boysenberry jam
Hot syrup
Fruit
Coffee
Orange juice
Apple juice
Water
… moreThe entrance for the midnight brunch is at the back. Opposite of the main entrance.
It was of course delicious. The must haves were the boysenberry sausages and biscuits with boysenberry jam. Everything else was filler.
Coffee was hot and had a good flavor and the juices was ice cold super good.
Plastic utensils were provided with sturdy disposable plates.
No other toppings for the scrambled eggs other than salt pepper and ketchup.
Parking is $40.
This midnight brunch about 24 per person.
All in all not bad especially if you don’t like crowds but miss a buffet setting.
There is a choice of:
Waffles
Pancakes
Biscuits
Scrambled eggs
Country fried potatoes
Fried chicken thighs and legs
Bacon
Boysenberry Sasuage
Sasage gravy
Boysenberry jam
Hot syrup
Fruit
Coffee
Orange juice
Apple juice
Water
W
Alexa! Play “You should’ve gone elsewhere” by Knotts Chicken Dinner….
Attempted this location after a long day at Knotts Berry Farm..
This chicken was drier than my eczema
ZERO flavor and not a piece of seasoning in sight! Not to mention I had to send an undercooked piece back to the kitchen.
Don’t let the presentation fool you. A lot of things “look” good when you’re hungry but for almost $24+ a plate and $6.99 for drinks, you would at least expect something great.
The hostess was obviously ready to go home and had a lot of people waiting with plenty of tables open…Yeah, we should’ve gone elsewhere…
… moreAttempted this location after a long day at Knotts Berry Farm..
This chicken was drier than my eczema
ZERO flavor and not a piece of seasoning in sight! Not to mention I had to send an undercooked piece back to the kitchen.
Don’t let the presentation fool you. A lot of things “look” good when you’re hungry but for almost $24+ a plate and $6.99 for drinks, you would at least expect something great.
The hostess was obviously ready to go home and had a lot of people waiting with plenty of tables open…Yeah, we should’ve gone elsewhere…
PJ, SMJ & DNJ
In 1934, to make ends meet during the Great Depression, Knott’s wife Cordelia (1890–1974) began serving fried chicken dinners on their wedding china, for dessert, Knott’s signature Boysenberry Pie was also served to guests in the small tea room…
… moreMegan DeRemer
My dad swears that this is the best fried chicken he’s had. I had to find out if he was right. We must have come during an odd time because my chicken was REALLY dry. Tasted fine just…left me wanting more. My husband loved his spicy chicken sandwich. Soup was ok, I let hubs have the salad. Sides were… sides. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it here and the staff was nice. But was hoping for more tender chicken. Maybe next time?
… more