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Hands reach in for fried chicken on a wide plate atop a wooden table.
A feast at Willie Mae’s in Venice.
Eddie Sanchez

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World-Famous Fried Chicken Champ Willie Mae’s Has Arrived in Venice

Take a look inside the first full service expansion for the legendary New Orleans restaurant

by Farley Elliott
Photography by Eddie Sanchez

The Willie Mae’s wait is over, Los Angeles. The first full-fledged, not-in-New-Orleans restaurant from the famous James Beard Award-winning family has arrived in Venice, meaning that — starting tomorrow — some of America’s best fried chicken is right here.

Willie Mae’s is a cultural institution for Louisiana. First opened by Willie Mae Seaton in 1957, the restaurant has gone on to become world-renowned for dishes like its Southern fried chicken, gumbo, mac and cheese, and butter beans, and now great-granddaughter Kerry Seaton-Stewart (who has been running the restaurant since 2007) has brought it all to Los Angeles. “It has been a joy to introduce Willie Mae’s to the Westside through Colony,” says Seaton-Stewart of the group’s previous delivery and takeout opening earlier this year at West LA ghost kitchen Colony Kitchens (which remains open). “We can’t wait to bring the full traditional experience to Venice.”

The space on Lincoln Boulevard will offer plenty of nods to the original, with a rustic yet bright dining room filled with wood, brick, and colorful New Orleans art. Unlike the takeout at Colony Kitchen, this Willie Mae’s restaurant will offer full dine-in service for dinner beginning this week. The most popular dish on the menu is sure to be the signature Taste of New Orleans, a two-piece fried chicken plate served with three smaller sides and cornbread. There are also wings, chicken tenders for the kids, baked chicken, and family-sized meals with up to 12 pieces. The opening menu is below.

The new West Coast flagship was built in partnership with Jerry Greenberg (Sushi Nozawa Group) and Lowell Sharron (HiHo Cheeseburger). Kerry Seaton-Stewart and husband Mike Stewart will split their time between here and Louisiana. Willie Mae’s opens Friday, December 9 at 324 Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, keeping hours from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily (closed Tuesdays). The restaurant also delivers nationwide via Goldbelly shipping and at Colony Kitchen for takeout and delivery.

Several plates of fried chicken, potatoes, greens, and more on a wooden table.
Fried chicken and sides.
An overhead shot of a plate of fried chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread.
Tenders for the kids.
An oval white plate with seasoned baked chicken and a rice side dish.
Baked chicken, too.
A metal bowl with handles showing seafood gumbo with rice on a wooden table.
New Orleans-style gumbo.
A sunny daytime restaurant with wooden tables and lights.
Inside the new Lincoln Boulevard location.
Afternoon light pours into a brick room with colorful art on the wall.
Colorful art on brick walls and a wooden table beneath.
Signage on etched glass showing a new restaurant established in 1957.
Outside Willie Mae’s, with a cloth awning showing the front of a glassy restaurant.

Willie Mae's Scotch House LA

324 Lincoln Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90291
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