I tried the same exact meal at Hartz and Cajun’s. Here’s my Coast buffet winner.
For as long as I can remember, Cajun’s Fabulous Fried Chicken in Gulfport and Hartz Chicken Buffet in Ocean Springs have been staples for Southern cuisine in South Mississippi.
We recently asked Sun Herald readers to tell us which buffet was their favorite in a friendly competition.
After thousands of responses, the Coast had an answer: Cajun’s got about 70% of the vote.
But as the new food and dining intern, I wanted to choose a favorite for myself after reviewing the more than 1,000 responses on social media.
It had been years since I had eaten Hartz (and I’d only had it once), and I had never been to Cajuns. So I had dinner at both places to find my favorite fried chicken buffet.
Rating the chicken
I ordered a two-piece combo with a roll and two sides from both restaurants. I chose baked beans and fried okra from both places.
Just from the presentation alone, both look very similar.
My husband and I both agreed with Cajun’s had better chicken. It was well-seasoned, cripsy and delicious. The chicken at Hartz was also good and worth the price, but I preferred Cajun’s overall.
Rating the side items
I am very picky when it comes to side items, and I thought Hartz beat out Cajun’s in that regard. My husband loved the baked beans from Cajun’s. He thought they had an authentic taste to them. We both did not care too much for the okra.
The sides at Hartz really cranked up their scores to me, and they had an amazing roll. I loved the crispiness of the okra and the deep barbecue taste of their baked beans.
My final decision for the best fried chicken buffet on the Coast is:
Cajun’s for the chicken, Hartz for the sides.
Now, this was a very hard choice because both places had their high notes and a few downfalls. But I think if you have only been to one or the other, it’s worth making sure you’ve eaten at both to pick your favorite. You can’t go wrong with either buffet.
This story was originally published September 17, 2022 at 1:08 PM.