I’ve had Federal Donuts before (you can read about it here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/federal-donuts/), but I haven’t had them at their shop, super fresh. Also, we heard about their delicious chicken sandwich, so we decided to go for a visit. They have a few locations, and we picked the one that is in more of a residential area than a busy center of the city.

There was no line when we arrived shortly after 11am. But, it was still busy, it can get crowded very quickly with a very small interior. They have five counter seats, and that is about it. While we were there, most of them were there to purchase the food to go, so the seats were not in high demand. Or, maybe they just decided not to stay since there was no seat available???

They had glazed donuts welcoming us at the entrance, they all looked really good… The donuts listed on the menu above the counter is not always all available. They have what they make fresh at that time.

Since they also serves coffee, they had a little spot by the donuts with sugar and milk. They also had complimentary water which is always appreciated.

Even though this is mainly a donut shop, they also offer enticing fried chicken. Interesting mix, sweet donuts and fried chicken… But in a way, it is kind of similar to chicken and waffle combination, right? They have few kinds of chicken flavors, just like their donuts. We were there for their very popular Fried Chicken Sandwich ($7.50). I heard that this was not on their permanent menu until it became so very popular. And just like other chicken items, they are available from 11am. It is made with Boneless Chicken Breast, Buttermilk Ranch Seasoning, American Cheese, Dill Pickle and Spicy Rooster Sauce on a Martin’s Potato Roll.

The sandwich itself was smaller than I thought it would be, but I always take quality over quantity. The chicken is double-fried, providing super crunchy exterior and super juicy inside. The potato roll was very soft and fluffy. The sauce had a nice kick to it which I enjoyed a lot. Ranch dressing calmed down the spicy-ness, creating nice balance of flavors. Thickly sliced pickles gave crunchy texture, great accompaniment to the chicken.

 

We couldn’t just order chicken from a donuts shop, so we got a couple of donuts from their Hot Donuts selections. We chose Cookies & Cream and Strawberry Lavender ($1.75/each) It came in their paper bag, no matte if you order them to go or to stay. They were warm to hot, super soft and super fresh. The dough was so nice, dense but airy, almost “velvety” and rich. As for the flavor of Cookies & Cream, it had a kind of chocolate flavor, but not anything that is noticeable or strong. If it was giving to me as a blind test, I would not have guessed Cookies & Cream.

Strawberry Lavender had much more noticeable flavor. These donuts are coated with flavored sugar, and this one had strong strawberry flavor that was a bit tart. Good mix of sweetness of sugar and tartness of strawberry. I didn’t really get the lavender part though. We both liked the strawberry one better when it came to the flavor itself.

Since it is a small shop, there was one person in a kitchen and one person at front, taking orders and processing payment. The female staff taking our order was nice and polite. They don’t have bathroom for customers. I think we made a good choice of going to the location in less busy area. We enjoyed their fried chicken sandwich and donuts, definitely a place to visit if you are visiting Philly!

Federal Donuts – 1219 S 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19147