Sweet, crunchy and kosher, Melrose Bite finds a trendy combo
Fried chicken sandwiches are trending, and the kosher world is part of the trend. Melrose Bite, recently rebranded from a dairy-and-vegan restaurant to a fried chicken and wings spot, just might satisfy all your fried chicken cravings at a location that’s kosher, quick and close by.
Set in the heart of the Melrose shopping district, the small, clean restaurant is located less than two miles from school on the corner of Melrose and North Ogden at 7801 Melrose Ave. – right across from Fairfax High School in one of the trendiest parts of a very popular neighborhood. It also has recently switched its kashrut supervision, from Kosher LA to OK Kosher, which is more widely accepted by the L.A. Jewish community.
On weekends, it’s just opposite the bustling Sunday crowd at Melrose Trading Post, set up on the Fairfax High School grounds and the most popular flea market in LA. So you can wander over to the restaurant and spend some of the money that you saved by buying thrift.
When a new kosher restaurant opens up in town, word spreads like wildfire – especially when it’s fried chicken. So on a sunny Sunday afternoon, my parents and I decided to see if Melrose Bite’s fried chicken deserved the recent hype it was receiving.
I took the first bite of the chicken and waffles dipped in maple syrup, and a celebration occurred in my mouth.”
Melrose on a Sunday is like being plopped into the middle of Times Square. Parking was a problem because of the flea market, but after searching on side streets in the area for a few minutes, my dad luckily found a parking spot a few blocks down from the restaurant, barely big enough for our Mini Cooper.
As soon as you enter Melrose Bite, a calm and peaceful quiet overcomes you. Immediately as we walked through the door, a friendly employee was ready to assist us at the cash register. There were only two visible workers in the entire store — the chef and the cashier-server – but that didn’t stop them from providing top-tier service.
The cashier gave us recommendations and we ordered all three: the OG fried chicken sandwich with an included side of fries, the chicken and waffles, and the mango habanero chicken wings. Once we finished ordering, we chose one of five tables in the small but comfortable storefront.
There are very few kosher places in L.A. that have chicken and waffles. La Gondola does, but at a much higher price – $23 for four bite-sized servings, according to my La Gondola observations, compared to $15 at Melrose for a full meal. Chick ‘n Chow does for $16 on Pico Boulevard. [The Boiling Point has not sampled or seen the items at Chick ‘n Chow.].
But the lunch at Melrose Bite was outstanding. Our food came within 12 minutes of ordering, which was impressive for only one chef. I took the first bite of the chicken and waffles dipped in maple syrup, and a celebration occurred in my mouth. The chicken was crunchy and paired with the waffle was a satisfying sweet-and-savory mix.
My dad, who is considered the wing expert in my family, loved the mango habanero chicken wings. Two of the three sauces we ordered – barbecue, honey mustard and ranch – were disappointing, however. The barbecue wasn’t as tangy as I had hoped it would be, and the ranch lacked creaminess. But the honey mustard was thick and sweet. I believe that sauce is the most important part of any meal, so when the ranch was thin without flavor, it saddened me.
The OG fried chicken sandwich was spicy, but nicely balanced with the slaw and pickles on the bun. The bread was toasted, the chicken was fried to crunchy goodness, the slaw had a nice creaminess, and the slight kick from the spicy mayo added an intense new flavor to the sandwich. My only critique is that it was made with dark meat chicken, which I am never a fan of. However, my dad, who also doesn’t like dark meat, had no problem with the sandwich and enjoyed every bite.
Everything we ordered was slightly pricey, but worthwhile for such delectable food. The fried chicken sandwiches range between $16 and $16.50 and include one side of your choice. Side options are seasoned fries, creamy slaw, sweet corn salad or potato salad. For chicken strips, which cost more, you can choose among three combos: two-piece combo for $13.50, three-piece combo for $17, or a four-piece combo for $21.50. These come with the same side options as the sandwiches.
Chicken shortage bites kosher restaurant on Melrose
Melrose Bite gives up kashrut due to rising prices and shortages, plus cost of mashgiach
Mr. Natan Hassan, the owner, said the change was made for financial reasons.
“Between the cost of a mashgiach, the cost of a [kashrut] certificate and the cost of food, it just was unreasonable for us to continue that way,” Mr. Hassan said in an interview.
Mr. Hassan said that paying a mashgiach — a fulltime employee who watches how food is prepared — is around $25 per hour for every hour the restaurant is open, with an additional monthly fee for kosher certification that varies by restaurant.
He said he is hopeful that by switching to non-kosher, the restaurant will remain successful.
“It significantly drops our cost of goods, whether it’s the products we brought in, or it’s our labor,” said Mr. Hassan. “It allows us a lot higher margin for the product that we’re selling, and it gives us a little more breathing room.”
For example, kosher chicken breasts cost more than twice as much per pound as non-kosher ones, he said.
“Kosher, we used to pay approximately $6 a pound, and currently, [non-kosher chicken] is in the ballpark of $2.50 to $2.75 a pound – both of which are higher than what they used to be,” Mr. Hassan said.
Mr. Hassan also said that when the restaurant was kosher, he noticed the effect of a national chicken shortage on his restaurant. In the non-kosher world, Mr. Hassan has not seen much of a chicken shortage, he said.
“The added strain on having to supply kosher chicken made it that much harder and that much more inconsistent, with not only the availability of the chicken but also the quality of the chicken and the prices we were getting,” Hassan said.
Melrose Bite first opened as a vegetarian and dairy restaurant in 2019, then switched to meat in 2021.
Located about a mile from school in the heart of the Melrose shopping district, it had been popular with students not only at Shalhevet but at Fairfax High School, which is located much closer and has many more students.
The chicken shortage – caused at least partly by an epidemic of bird flu – is taking a toll on the national Jewish community, and Los Angeles stores are feeling the effect.
At Glatt Mart on Pico Boulevard, in the days before Pesach, chicken was sometimes absent from the shelves. Noticeably missing on April 12 were boneless chicken thighs and breasts, two very popular cuts of chicken. At Livonia Glatt market nearby, on April 6 there were also no boneless thighs and a very limited supply of boneless chicken breasts.
The reason that the retail places like restaurants or the supermarket across the street … charge more is because our suppliers and vendors are charging us more.”
— Stuart Feldman, the manager of Lieder’s on Pico
Stuart Feldman, the manager of Lieder’s on Pico, described his situation on April 14. Passover was starting the next night.
“We’re gonna run out,” Mr. Feldman said in an interview. “What it is is that the vendors have now rationed to the restaurants. Where I used to buy, let’s say, 20 boxes of chicken breast a week, now they’re only gonna give me three a week.”
Mr. Feldman also said that the rising prices of his products were a result of suppliers’ increasing prices and in particular Pesach considerations.
At Lieder’s, with one location on Pico and one on La Brea Avenue, prices on the Pesach menu were almost double what they charge on their typical menu. For example, while their chicken fire poppers were usually $15.99 per pound, Pesach chicken fire poppers were $23.99 per pound. Chicken schnitzel, usually $15.99 per pound, was $25.99 on their Pesach menu.
Part of the reason was the cost of kashering the store for Pesach.
“Kashering the kitchen, kashering the equipment, takes about a day-and-a-half to two days usually, and it can run anywhere between $5,000 to $9,000 or $10,000 to kasher the store,” said Mr. Feldman.
But he said suppliers were also raising their prices.
“The reason that the retail places, like restaurants or the supermarket across the street, whatever it might be, the reason that they charge more is because our suppliers and vendors are charging us more,” Mr. Feldman said.
At Melrose Bite, skipping Passover kashering altogether and ending the sale of kosher meat has already benefited the bottom line, Mr. Hassan said.
“The consistency of the product is a lot more manageable,” he said.
Our chicken and waffles, which came with two chicken strips and a typical-sized waffle, cost $15.
The cleanliness is noticeable and the decor is delightful, with a simple theme and a hand-painted, fun map of L.A. on one wall. My mom always says that the cleanliness of the bathroom reflects the cleanliness of the kitchen, so we asked where the restroom was to go to take a look. We were surprised to hear that their restroom wasn’t available to the public, and that the nearest option was to go across the street and use the bathrooms inside Fairfax High School, which are open to the public on Sundays.
However, where can people use the restroom Monday through Friday? My suggestion is to go before you leave your house – or grab some takeout and eat at home.
On Sundays, parking around Melrose is quite difficult because of the flea market. But any other day of the week, I would highly recommend stopping by Melrose Bite for a satisfyingly crunchy, filling, speedy and decently priced meal. For Shalhevet eaters with off-campus privileges, this option should be at the top of your list.
These stories received Third Place in the 2023 Jewish Scholastic Journalism Awards for “Ongoing Reporting” Judges said “A new kosher eatery gets a rave review; a follow-up recounts how the restaurant has decided to turn non-kosher due to the high cost of running a kosher establishment.”
