Garfield Ridge’s beloved Mini Hut is sizzling again under new neighborhood ownership. Twenty-one-year-old Brett Gomez, who grew up in the area, has taken over the counter and is back to serving the shop’s signature butter-crust fried chicken. He plans a bigger grand-opening celebration for Sunday.
New owner steps in
Gomez told WGN-TV he has been working in the food business since he was a kid and previously ran Halsted Street Dawgs in Romeoville. Mini Hut is currently open every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Gomez said the restaurant’s phone has already been ringing with customers asking about the reopening.
Mini Hut's roots
Mini Hut has been a Southwest Side staple for decades, with food writers praising its butter-crust technique and old-school counter service, as chronicled by Eater Chicago. The restaurant currently operates at 6659 W. Archer Ave., just off Normandy, according to Chicagoist.
Recreating the recipe
To bring the flavor back exactly as regulars remember it, Gomez told WGN-TV he “had to jump through some hoops to get the exact same breading and recipe” and tracked down former Mini Hut workers to help recreate the butter crust. The station also reported that longtime owner Don Engel ran the shop for years and kept serving customers up until his death in 2022.
What to expect
The chicken at Mini Hut is still cooked to order, which means it can take about 20 to 25 minutes to come out of the fryer, so regulars suggest calling ahead to cut down on the wait. Eater Chicago describes the chicken as marinated overnight and fried in a buttery, seasoned flour that creates the shop’s trademark crust. Diners can expect the classic lineup of fried chicken, crinkle-cut fries and biscuits, along with the familiar neighborhood counter vibe.
