Mia Patel
Top Hat Cafe in Columbus, Georgia, was a local favorite for over half a century. The restaurant served its famous fried chicken from 1938 until it closed sometime in the past 15 years. The exact year of its closure is unclear, but it was still open in 2005, and a new restaurant opened in the same location in 2020. Top Hat's fried chicken was so beloved that it inspired a Facebook chef, Jarrett Farley, to open a new soul food restaurant in Columbus, featuring a dish reminiscent of Top Hat's famous chicken.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of Closure | Sometime in the past 10 years before 2010 |
| Location | Columbus, Georgia |
| Cuisine | Fried chicken |
| Signature Dish | Bone-in chicken breast sandwich |
| Recipe | Soak chicken in brine overnight. Use a batter of flour, cayenne pepper, red pepper, and salt. Fry in vegetable shortening. |
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What You'll Learn
Top Hat Cafe's fried chicken recipe
The Top Hat Cafe in Columbus, Georgia, was a beloved local restaurant that served fried chicken and other soul food classics. It first opened its doors in 1938 and, sadly, closed sometime in the past ten years.
Although the exact year of its closing is unknown, the impact of the Top Hat Cafe on the community of Columbus, Georgia, is undeniable. The restaurant was famous for its bone-in fried chicken breast served between two pieces of white bread, and locals would drive from nearby towns just to get a taste.
The secret to their chicken's unique flavor was a closely guarded one, and it is said that the recipe died with the owner. However, some sources claim to have the original recipe, which I will share with you now:
This recipe is best prepared the night before serving. First, prepare a brine by mixing 1/2 a gallon of water with 1/4 cup of salt. Submerge the chicken in this brine and allow it to soak overnight.
The next day, mix together 6 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of cayenne pepper, 1/2 cup of red pepper flakes, and 1/8 cup of salt. Slowly add ice water to this mixture until a batter with a consistency similar to that of pancake batter is formed.
Prepare a deep fryer by filling it with Crisco solid vegetable shortening and heating it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. To test the heat, drop a small amount of batter into the hot oil; if it floats, it's ready. If you like your chicken spicier, add equal parts cayenne and red pepper flakes to the batter.
Remove the chicken from the brine, pat it dry, and then dip it into the batter. Carefully submerge the battered chicken in the hot oil and fry until cooked through. The cooking time will depend on the chicken pieces you are using:
- Breasts: 14 minutes
- Thighs: 10 minutes
- Legs: 8 minutes
- Wings: 6 minutes
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the fryer and allow it to drain on a colander or paper towels. Serve hot and crispy, perhaps with some white bread and enjoy the taste of Top Hat Cafe's famous fried chicken!
Although the Top Hat Cafe is no longer open, its memory lives on in the hearts of those who dined there and in the new restaurant, The Straw Hat, which aims to honor the history and flavor of this beloved soul food institution.
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The restaurant's popularity
Top Hat Cafe in Columbus, Georgia, was a local favourite for over half a century. The restaurant served fried chicken in a signature style: a bone-in breast served between two pieces of white bread. This style of fried chicken was so famous that it was known as "Top Hat Chicken".
Top Hat Chicken was so iconic that it inspired a new Columbus soul food restaurant, The Straw Hat, which opened in 2020. The owners of The Straw Hat included two dishes on their menu that were nods to Top Hat Cafe: the strawbird, a spicy battered fried chicken, and a sandwich of two bone-in chicken breasts between pieces of white bread.
The restaurant was also popular among celebrities. Ray Charles was said to have been a big fan, and it was described as the "Holy Grail of Fried Chicken".
Despite its popularity, Top Hat Cafe closed sometime in the past 15 years. The exact date of its closure is unclear, but one customer commented that they were disappointed to see it closed when they visited in 2005. The restaurant's closure was lamented by many locals, who missed its unique and tasty food.
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Its closure date
The Top Hat Cafe in Columbus, Georgia, was a local favourite for over half a century. It was founded in 1938 by Henry Jackson and his sister, Mary Jackson-Hudson. The cafe was then sold to Charles Vaughn in 1945, who, along with his wife, Willie Mae Underwood-Vaughn, made the chicken famous for its signature spicy, clean-your-sinuses quality.
Underwood-Vaughn took over the restaurant after her husband's death in 1959 and continued to run it until her retirement a few years before her death in 1989. The cafe closed sometime in the past 15 years, with a comment on a 2010 article mentioning that it was still open in 2005.
The exact date of the cafe's closure is unclear, but it is likely to have been between 2005 and 2010. A comment on the same 2010 article mentions that the cafe has closed, and a 2020 article also refers to the cafe in the past tense, indicating that it had closed by that year.
The Top Hat Cafe was well-known for its fried chicken, which was served as a bone-in breast between two pieces of white bread. Ray Charles is said to have been a big fan of the cafe's chicken. The recipe for the chicken was a closely guarded secret, with many attempts to replicate it falling short of the original.
The building that once housed the Top Hat Cafe still stands in Columbus, Georgia, and the memory of its beloved chicken lives on in the minds of locals and visitors alike.
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Other popular dishes
Although Top Hat Cafe in Columbus, Georgia, was best known for its fried chicken, the restaurant served other popular dishes.
One of the most popular items on the menu was the breast sandwich, a bone-in breast served between two pieces of white bread. This sandwich was particularly well-known for being served late at night, satisfying customers' cravings.
The restaurant also served other fried chicken dishes, including chicken livers. Chicken was prepared by submerging it in a mixture of water and salt overnight. The next day, it would be dipped in batter and fried in a mixture of Crisco solid vegetable shortening and spices, including cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes.
In addition to its chicken dishes, Top Hat Cafe offered a range of soul food classics. Oxtails, baked chicken, chitlins, beef tips, greens, and yams were all part of the restaurant's rotating menu.
The exact closing date of Top Hat Cafe is unclear, but it was still operating in 2005 and is believed to have closed sometime in the following ten years. The restaurant left a lasting impression on its customers, many of whom fondly recall the unique taste of its chicken and the warm memories associated with their visits.
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New restaurants honouring Top Hat's chicken
Top Hat Cafe in Columbus, Georgia, was a local favourite for over half a century. The restaurant served its famous fried chicken from 1938 until it closed sometime in the past 15 years.
The exact year of Top Hat's closure is unclear, but it was still operating in 2005, and one source mentions it closed within the last 10 years of 2010. The restaurant's signature dish was a bone-in fried chicken breast served between two pieces of white bread, and it is still remembered fondly by locals.
Despite Top Hat's closure, its legacy lives on in Columbus's food scene. In 2020, a new soul food restaurant called The Straw Hat opened, headed by owner Christi Murrell and chef Jarrett Farley. Two items on their menu pay homage to Top Hat's famous chicken. The first is the Strawbird, a spicy battered fried chicken. The second is a dish that replicates Top Hat's signature: two bone-in chicken breasts sandwiched between pieces of white bread.
The Straw Hat's owners are not the only ones keeping Top Hat's memory alive. One former patron recalled the recipe in detail, and others have attempted to recreate the famous chicken at home. In addition, a restaurant called Uptown Hot Chicken served chicken fried "Top Hat" style, although it is now closed.
The impact of Top Hat Cafe on Columbus's culinary culture is undeniable, and it seems that the memory of its beloved chicken will persist for years to come.
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Frequently asked questions
Top Hat Cafe in Columbus, Georgia, closed down sometime in the past 15 years, with one source placing the date before 2005.
Top Hat Chicken was famous for its fried chicken, specifically its bone-in breast served between two pieces of white bread. Ray Charles is said to have been a big fan.
The Top Hat Chicken recipe was passed down from one of the founder's daughters. It involved brining the chicken in a salt solution overnight, coating it in a spiced batter, and frying it in solid vegetable shortening.
