Gary Rack’s Fat Rooster

They have a pretty decent happy hour with half off drinks (not the specialty drinks though) and bar bites. I really enjoy the tailgate lemonade! My boyfriend likes the wings, I found them a bit too mustardy but I hate mustard so I’m a bit biased! It’s a good spot for people watching too. We haven’t eaten anything else there but the food does look good. I think the prices a bit steep so we would probably only get happy hour bites here.

Wings. Tacos. Happy Hour ;) Bartenders were very friendly, and the ambience of it, ive been back twice in the past 2 days!

We came in here for happy hour. We ordered the maple bacon wings, Mac and cheese, and fish tacos. Our drinks were Cabernet and Stella beer. We sat outside. For some reason there was a smell of damp mop and raw chicken. Anyways our drinks were great. During happy hour they are half price. The wings were huge, somewhat abnormal looking. Fish tacos were ok. Mac and cheese was great. Overall, wasn’t that satisfied. As soon as we left our stomachs started hurting. Let’s just say the food didn’t sit very well. Don’t think we will come here again. Something wasn’t right with the food.

So management replied to my review with no mention of the horrendous music? Hmmmm.

We had the appetizer platter and it was good except for the fried green tomatoes. They were way too unripe. They weren’t green they were white and way too much breading. The Mac and Cheese however was the best I’ve had in a long time. Hands down worth the drive up from Hollywood for the Mac and Cheese and biscuits :)

Great brunch spot on Atlantic Ave in Del Ray. Lots of outdoor seating, dog-​friendly (water bowls for the pups!), and great menu. We ordered a spread of the s’mores pancakes, PB&B waffles, short rib Benedict special, and the chicken biscuit. Favorites were the Benedict special and the s’mores pancake. Definitely worth ordering any entrée that comes with their homemade biscuits, which are a house speciality — so fluffy and delicious. Also had great drink specials — bloody rooster for $ 9 (reg $ 12).

What should I say about a «fake» southern resturant… it was a FAKE… from the hostess to manager… there was NO southern hospitality to be found… not only to they give you no bread… we paid 16.00 for 4 biscuits… now definitely isn’t hospitable… as a truth NC southerner the food was ok… just ok… my advise don’t fall for the Southern hype… cause that is all it is HYPE

Loved the Chicken and Waffles here. The chicken was very moist and spiced perfectly. The waffle could have been crunchier but it still meshed well.
The sidewalk bar is perfect — although they could use a bigger selection of beer on draft.

They have Victory Golden Monkey!!! Awesome atmosphere to grab drinks… didn’t get a chance to eat. Don’t go there anywhere near their set closing time… they will pretty much clean up and close up shop around you at the bar (uncomfortable).

This is my first Delray review and it was a pretty good experience for such a busy night in downtown on a Saturday night, the day after Christmas. We ordered from the late night menu and had delicious Mahi tacos and the Rooster Mac, which was honestly the best Mac n Cheese I’ve ever had anywhere! The service was excellent by Shane, a witty and highly enthusiastic, yet professional server who went out of his way to please, including, giving us a wine tasting. We decided for the Coppola and no disappointment there! While not outta this world superb, I give this a four star and well deserved! Next time you find yourself hungry late at night in downtown Delray, go in, or take out! Oh and they have delivery as well!

We liked it very much, traditional southern comfort food reasonably priced. Service with a smile, will be back

Unfortunately I wasn’t too impressed with the food on my first visit here. The staff was great and very friendly.
We started off with the sticky cinnamon bun which was Rey rich but fabulous. I had the OMG Buttermilk Pancakes and let me tell you they should have left off the «OMG» part. Yes, I am particular about my pancakes. I don’t want them to taste like flour at all (not too much to ask for). These were HUGE and left my mouth feeling a little dry and pasty. I also ordered a side of the sweet potato hash which was so bland it was very disappointing. I had others at the table try the hash, they agreed.
I will say they give you an extremely generous amount of food and several people in our group of six enjoyed their meal. I will try them again, just maybe not for brunch.

I have been here twice, and had a great experience both times.
The first time, I met a friend for breakfast. We brought our pups with us and sat outside. The staff was friendly and efficient. I ordered the kale omelet (they no longer have this on the menu). It was good and filling.
The next time I came was after the Delray Beach Turkey Trot. It was one of the few places open that early (before 10 a.m.) for breakfast. When I looked over the menu, I noticed a few vegetarian options.
I decided to order some sides and make my own meal. I had two caged-​free eggs, fruit and biscuit. It came out to $ 12 for everything. It was a lot of food and I wasn’t able to even finish it.
I was surprised how large the fruit bowl was. It was like a legit soup bowl size.
When we were filling up, our waitress/​bartender (we sat at the bar) brought us a sticky bun on the house to try. Seriously, that freaking thing was amazing. If you decide to order that, be warned it’s BIG. That alone could have filled me up.
Overall, I found the staff and food to be awesome. I can’t remember the bartender girl’s name, but she was super welcoming and patient with all of our special orders. If she didn’t know if something was vegetarian, she brought the manager over to make sure that we got the right answer. Those are the little things that I really do appreciate.

Hearty servings. Great mix of tasty southern cooking while not being overly rich.
I had the chicken fried steak. I now have a happy belly.

Well honesty is the best policy, so here we go. The place is cute. It has that modernize cute southern look to it. The décor was basically the best part of the place.
Let’s proceed to service and food. Our server was nice, but I’m not sure why it seemed like giving our order to the server was rather difficult. It seems like she was rather inexperienced. Maybe with some time she will get better. Onto the food, we were a table of 5 and we ordered chicken and waffles, cheesy grits, and their take on the Cuban sandwich. Maybe because I live in Miami I have become accustomed to a certain type of way to have a Cuban sandwich. It was a rather interesting take though, it did have pork (good good) and the other usual elements of the sandwich, but they then also added chicken tenders. It wasn’t bad, but definitely missed something to tie it all together (perhaps if they had pressed the sandwich). The chicken and waffles were good. The chicken tenders were well prepared and it had a spice to it that I really enjoyed, but it was anything that I would rave about to be honest. The cheesy grits were nothing special. Just grit with very little cheese on it. Overall, the food was mediocre and not really worth the price. The Cuban sandwich was 17 dollars oh and if you want to order a biscuit (not to be confused with an order of four but just one, uno, solo biscuit) it will cost ya 4 dollars per biscuit. Also we sat in doors and were bombarded by flies. Needless to say I am always willing to give a place a try, but other than happy hour (which they do seem to have a good deal) I really wouldn’t want to come back.

I didn’t want to try this place because of all the negative reviews about the service. I went at a brunch time on Saturday sans snowbirds and I had no issue with the service. I could definitely see there being a problem with speed of food because I was alone and ordered a waffle. It took at least 15 minutes. And that is all I got. No juice, no sides. Nothing. And it was raining out so there were not many customers.
The waffle was amazing. Nice crispy outside and soft inside. It was very airy unlike the heavy ones that you can’t finish. This one was great. They have a butter concoction that was very good. I detected cinnamon and honey but there was more to it than that.

I love that they offer Saturday Brunch! Most places on the Ave only offer brunch on Sundays, so this is a real treat for us. Everything exceeded our expectations except my latte. Read on.
The brunch menu is different from most establishments in Delray and yes, it screams Southern cooking! Despite those undertones, there are many choices for vegetarians albeit not many truly «healthy» choices. That’s ok. There’s a time and a place for healthy food, which doesn’t need to be 100% of the time. We indulged in a few items to share:
Fried Green Tomatoes on a Biscuit — All biscuit sandwiches come with sweet potato hash, which is seasoned perfectly and an excellent «extra» carb that no one really needs, but most will love. This sandwich comes with American cheese (not my fav, but a fav in S. Florida) and avocado. YUM! The biscuit itself is really what makes the sandwich good.
Rooster Mac — We’ve all had mac and cheese that tastes like… well…you could lick the air and taste the same thing. Not here. It’s the creamy flavor of the Velveeta that makes the macaroni seem to melt in your mouth, and seriously, the mac is swimming in it. It’s topped off with a dusting of biscuit crumbs. Thinking about this dish? Order it, but order something else, as it’s a pretty rich dish that will wane on your taste buds a bit. We wrapped up about half of ours to take home, and we’ll love our indulgence later tonight when we bust open that to-​go container.
Sticky Cinnamon Bun — As we walked in, we saw one of these puppies on display, so when our server suggested it, we didn’t even let her finish her sentence before we both said (in unison), «Yes, we want one to go!» Haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently sitting next to the leftover Rooster Mac in the kitchen and will hit my belly before nightfall.
Latte — Ok, so normally I wouldn’t even include anything about a latte in my review, but this is worth mentioning, but not in a good way. $ 5 lattes can be found up and down the Ave, but the difference here is that theirs are SMALL! It was seriously served to me in a typical small coffee mug, not a latte mug, and for $ 5 I expected a larger mug. It was also room temperature. I know it wasn’t sitting around cooling off because I saw our server making it in the back (through the open kitchen).
My recommendation for Rack’s (Fat Rooster) — Keep this $ 5 latte on the menu, but serve it in latte mugs, or at least larger mugs. Reserve the basic coffee mugs for straight coffee. We expect more than ¹⁄₃ cup of foam and 5 sips of espresso/​milk for $ 5. I felt yucky about this. (It could explain why the table next to us brought their Starbucks lattes with them.)
We will absolutely return here for another brunch and also for Happy Hour, which is 7 days per week, 3:30−7pm. I won’t purchase another latte here again unless I can verify I’ll get a fair serving, though!

Sitting at the bar is great on a warm summer day in Florida. The atmosphere is great, right on the corner of Atlantic Ave’s most popular intersection. For happy hour, wine, liquor is discounted and draft beer is $ 4– which they also have a great selection of, including Strongbow and Harpoon UFO. Ordered off the Happy Hour menu and got the deviled eggs and the peel and eat shrimp. But we’re incredibly flavorful and large portions for a friend and I to share before a meal. Ordered the Chicken and Waffles for an entrée and it comes with a whiskey honey that is great for syrup. Chicken is delightful and the waffles are soft and go beautifully with the chicken.
I’m impressed and I could see myself here in the future for some summer happy hours during the week. Thank you Racks for this great addition to the Delray area!

First impressions, the atmosphere is small but KILLER. I LOVE the rugged vibe and country/​barn motif!
We came for happy hour (4 – 7) and sat at the inside bar. Our bartenders were Jen, John and Karyn. My friend and I both ordered UFO’s for our first drink. $ 4 drafts and ½ off «nibbles». Our first order was 2 orders of Cola Glazed Ribs, Fried Green Tomatoes and Wicked Devil Eggs.
The ribs were OUT OF THIS WORLD! I would definitely say the portion size was appropriate for being an appetizer and happy price can’t be beat!
I’d never had fried green tomatoes and I have to tell you… they were AWESOME. They really do NOT taste like tomatoes, more like how eggplant sometimes doesn’t taste like anything at all… they were CRUNCHY and the blue crab remoulade was tasty as anything!
Next we tried the Wicked Deviled Eggs. They were presented deliciously with bacon strips between and when bitten into you realize that the creamy filling was quite a bit. So much creamy filling! More than I expected for sure. Definitely delicious.
Next we ordered the Rooster Mac… I am a fan and a critic of mac & cheese. While I was expecting a thick layer of crispy cheese coated noodles what I got was a biscuit dusted bowl of creamy flavorful noodles. I was very surprised that mac & cheese could be THIS good without layering on all the cheese I thought I required.
Not on the menu but suggested by John were the wings. I wanted to get two sauces mixes but was told they don’t do that (a little disappointed in that but oh well)…John suggested we get the wings dry and then order sauces for the side. When the wings came out they looked dry and unappealing. I thought not to judge a book by it’s cover and dug right on in. I first dipped the wing flat in the gold dust sauce then a dip in the bbq then a dip in blue cheese. WOW, they were MOIST AND DELICIOUS! Unassuming and just perfectly crisp.
All in all my first visit to the Fat Rooster was EPIC! Great atmosphere, great staff, great food ! I WILL BE BACK!
Yet another spot to love in my neighborhood!

The Fat Rooster is a new Gary Rack restaurant with a Southern dining theme and offers traditional comfort food with the benefit of a full bar and a great Downtown Delray Beach location.
This place is brand new, opened in March 2015, and is a HUGE improvement over the Linda Bean’s that used to be here. The décor is upscale Cracker Barrel in a tiny location and the corner bar that had half inside seating and half outside seating was clearly the most lively location. The restaurant is pretty small, so I expect this place to have long waits on the weekends as there are only 7 tables inside (28 people) with about 8 inside bar stools. There are probably another 30 seats outside at tables and 10 or so more at the bar.
I had lunch here and asked the waitress for a recommendation and she, of course advised the Chicken & Waffles ($ 17) with a side of Salt & Pepper Curly fries ($ 5) and I also added a diet Coke ($ 3).
The Chicken was three very large fried chicken strips that had some spices that gave a nice kick. I would say that these are about as perfect as chicken strips can get and are far superior to PDQ or Chick-​fil-​A.
The buttermilk Waffles were four triangle pieces that together would make one large waffle similar to First Watch, but slightly better quality. The syrup was a whiskey honey sauce that was served in a small container and was very tasty.
The curly fries were slightly undercooked and definitely not as good as what I was expecting for this location. I am not sure if this was normal or just due to the newness of the restaurant, but I will not order these next time.
There were tons of servers working as the restaurant is new and everyone was dressed nice and extremely friendly. Part of the fun at this location is that the kitchen is open with windows to watch and will definitely be a popular draw for Atlantic Ave.
Overall, I enjoyed the chicken and waffles, would pass on the overpriced fries, and will definitely be back again, especially for happy hour or late night dining, but I must confess that I found the prices to be extremely high for a regular lunch outing. With $ 1.50 tax and a $ 5 tip, I spent a total of $ 31.50 for lunch for one person and it was just chicken, waffles, fries and a soda.
I have eaten lunch at The Capital Grill and other fine steak houses for less and I wish this place would serve a lunch portion with only 2 waffles and 2 chicken strips. In addition, I noticed the menu advertises a side of fries for $ 4, but I was charged $ 5, but that may be a different type of fries and that add-​on was in very small print on the menu.
This place is a solid 3.5 star Unilocal rating, but I am rounding down due to high prices.