A Taste of Tradition: Agatucci’s Restaurant in Peoria Has Served Its Legendary Fried Chicken Since 1945

Tucked along North University Street in Peoria, Illinois, Agatucci’s Restaurant has been feeding families since 1926, making it one of the state’s longest-running family-owned eateries. Somewhere around 1945, the family added a fried-chicken recipe that locals still talk about today. The story behind that dish is worth telling carefully, because the real history is more interesting than any headline that oversimplifies it. Agatucci’s Is the Strongest Illinois Match © Agatucci’s