Johnnies Dog House and Chicken Shack Menu

Hot Dog wrapped in Bacon, Deep Fried & Topped with Cheese

Bacon, BBQ Sauce & Grilled Onions

Coleslaw & Bacon

Grilled Onions & Cheese

Chili & Coleslaw

Grilled Potatoes, Peppers & Onions

Crushed Potatoe Chips & Pineapple

Jalapeno Peppers, Sport Peppers, Chopped Onions with Mouth Burning HOT Sauces

Coated in Corn Batter & Deep Fried

American & Cheddar Cheese

Spicy Brown Mustard & Sauerkraut or Red Spicy Onion Sauce

Yellow Mustard, Chili & Chopped Onions

2 Hot Dogs Served on a 6" Hoagie Roll, Topped with Mac & Cheese, Chili , Grilled Onions & Hot Sauce

Baked Beans & Chopped Onions

Cream Cheese & Grilled Onions

Famous Homemade Chili & Melted Cheddar Cheese

Mayo, Lettuce, Tomatoe, Bacon & Avocado

Chili, Jalapeno, Bacon & Onions

Yellow Mustard, Relish, Chopped Onions, Tomatoes, Sport Peppers, Dill Pickle & a Shake of Celery Salt

Swiss Cheese, 1000 Island Dressing, Kraut or Coleslaw

Grilled Mushrooms & Onions, Swiss Cheese & Steak Sauce

Pulled Pork, BBQ Sauce & Coleslaw

Grilled Banas, Crunchy Peanut Butter, Chopped Bacon & Honey

The Filet Mignon of Hot Dogs

Breast, Wing & Fries

Leg, Thigh, Wing & Fries

Breast & Wing

Thigh & 2 Legs

Breast & 2 Wings

Breast, Thigh, Wing & Leg

2 Breast, 2 Thighs, 3 Legs & 3 Wings

5 Thighs & 5 Legs

5 Breasts & 5 Wings

4 Breasts, 4 Thighs, 4 Wings, 4 Legs

5 Breasts, 6 Thighs, 7 Wings & 7 Legs

add 2 large sides

Sandwich, served with Lettuce, Tomato, Avacado, Bacon, and Chipotle Mayo

Sandwich, served with Mushrooms, Fried Onions, and Melted Swiss Cheese

Topped with Lettuce & Tomato

Topped with Lettuce & Tomato

Served with BBQ Sauce & Cole Slaw

Served "wit" or "wit-out"

Everyone Loves

with Tomato and Bacon

Grilled Cheese with Mac & Cheese, Pulled Pork or Chopped Hamburger, and Bacon

Topped with Lettuce & Tomato. "The Best You Will Ever Have!"

Breast, Wing & 1/2 Waffle

3 Wings & 1/2 Waffle

Cup or Cone | Vanilla, Chocolate, or Swirl

Choice of either waffle or one small side

Thick and Cream | 20 Gourmet Flavors

Half Lemonade / Half Iced Tea

an iconic take-out chicken shop in the 500 block of Vandever Ave. in Wilmington's Northeast neighborhood. It closed a few years after the 2011 death of longtime owner Harry W. Sheppard

who ran a scrapyard in the city's Southbridge section. Earlier this year, he decided to add fried chicken to his own business Johnnie's Dog House at 3401 Concord Pike near Talleyville, which he has rebranded as Johnnie's Dog House and Chicken Shack

has recreated the fried chicken that Delawareans have loved since the early 1970s, Raphaelson says

is convinced it is the same flavor

Basically, I looked from New York to North Carolina. I've tried fried chicken everywhere. The best fried chicken is from Walt's on Vandever Avenue

"The chicken is really good. I eat chicken all the time. Good job", he says as he stands in the Concord Pike eatery's dining room and pats Raphaelson on the back

who has not tasted Johnnie's chicken but says she has heard from customers who have purchased it, is adamant this is not the original recipe

a 13-year-old take-out business near Little Italy that had been blessed by Sheppard. Or they should call her operation, Walt's Flavor Crisp Chicken Catering, on Wilmington's Lancaster Avenue. These are the only places, she says, that offer the original Walt's chicken

to me, the taste, crispy brown look and seasonings seem very similar. Flecks of black pepper can be seen in both versions. However, the skin of the chicken from Walt's Flavor Crisp Chicken Express seemed slightly more crisp than Johnnie's, while the chicken meat from Johnnie's was a little more juicy

City residents and suburbanites alike lined up for boxes of fried chicken. The number of customers visiting daily proved that great cooking can sometimes triumph over location, location, location

owner Harry Sheppard told The News Journal in 2008, when asked about the neighborhood's unsavory reputation. "I tell everybody as long as you don't pat nobody on the butt and you mind your own business, people are people."

family members and other longtime employees. The business moved across from its original corner store site to its Vandever Avenue location in 1978. The name Walt's comes from Sheppard's former partner, Walter Samuels. But, after the men parted ways, Sheppard never felt the need to change the name. Customers often called him "Mr. Walt."

Customers often lined up outside patiently waiting their turn to order. Word-of-mouth about the uncommonly good flavor was always the shop's best advertising

The chicken, known for its moist meatiness, had thin and crispy skin and traces of spice and black pepper

Yet, when pushed for more details, Sheppard turned coy

The types of spices used were a well-kept Walt's secret

In 2015, his Vandever Avenue shop was demolished to make way for four Wilmington Housing Partnership townhouses. On Wednesday at 10 a.m., a ground-breaking is taking place for construction of the townhomes to be known as "Walt's Way." His wife and business partner Lynch-Sheppard says the street in the front of the townhouses is being renamed for Sheppard

He shared it at least eight years before his death. Since 2003, Larry Fletcher has owned and operated Walt's Flavor Crisp Chicken Express at 103 N. Lincoln St. in Wilmington. Fletcher, a former general manager at Walt's Flavor Crisp, considered Sheppard his mentor. Sheppard gave Fletcher and his wife, Beverly, his blessing to open Walt's Flavor Chicken Express. They offer the same kind of fried chicken as the original Walt's along with many of the side dishes

In 2014, she decided to move the business from its Vandever Avenue location because the neighborhood where the shop was located had continued to decline

We really did not have the walk-in traffic anymore, she told The News Journal in 2014. "We had to make a change." Lynch-Sheppard now runs the Walt's Flavor Crisp chicken catering operation in the Westside Plaza strip shopping center at 2800 Lancaster Ave

While she acknowledges one of the former Walt's cooks does work at Johnnie's, she doesn't believe they're using the same recipe that Sheppard used

And that does indeed seem to be true in Delaware. One of the best places to find it in the state is at Lettie's Kitchen in Hockessin, where it's known as broaster chicken. Other new eateries, such as Oldbanks Craft Bistro in Wilmington's Trolley Square and the new Jimmy's Grille in Rehoboth Beach, are serving fried chicken

chicken is available by the piece, dinner box or by the bucket. The shack also has collard greens, rice and beans, mac and cheese and baked beans

"The marinade is super potent and the breading is potent. The timing of everything has to be exact. It's so sensitive", he says of the recipe he uses

he says he has gotten "tremendous response" on the taste

Around here, word travels fast. Friends have commented, 'It tastes like Walt's

or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico