Visit these Edinburgh and Glasgow restaurants and pop-ups for the most finger lickin' braw fried chicken
Watch out KFC.
There’s no food that seems as zeitgeisty as fried chicken.
However, it’s independent Scottish businesses that are doing it, and way better than the colonel.
Just a year ago, you could barely find the good stuff anywhere. Now they’re springing up all over the place, as pop-ups, or specials.
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Hide AdHere’s a round up of the Edinburgh and Glasgow businesses that are making the craggiest, crunchiest, most fox-coloured and decadent fried chicken creations.
TWO KINGS SANDWICH BAR
Originally a pop-up, this place has set up as a takeaway at Edinburgh’s High Dive premises for the foreseeable. Their creations include a Pollos Locos Burger, with sweet glazed fried chicken, roasted pineapple, salsa taqueria, American cheese and cabbage. If you prefer your fried chicken neat, they also do fried chicken boxes with sides of pickles and dips. Pre-booking (and many napkins) required.
81/85 St Leonard’s Street, www.twokingssandwichbar.co.uk
JIMMY’S FRIED CHICKEN (JFC)
Chef James Murray (aka Jimmy) has worked as a head chef at Michelin-starred restaurant, Nur, in Hong Kong, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, Lyle’s and most recently as head chef at Edinburgh Food Studio. How did he end up cooking humble fried chicken?
‘When lockdown came last March it hit our industry very hard”, he says. “I started doing pop-ups and realised how many other people shared my love for good fried chicken.”
Head to Edinburgh’s Swanfield Industrial Estate and order from his hatch, where you can choose from a menu that changes on a weekly basis.
Follow him on Instagram @jimmys_fried_chicken or Facebook Jimmy’s Fried Chicken
BUTTA BURGER
Open for a couple of months, this place doesn’t just do hamburgers, there are also poultry creations. Choose from Kiev, with fried chicken, Parmesan and black garlic dip, or the truffle chick, with fried chicken, American cheese, crispy fried onions and truffle dip. They’ve just moved into a permanent home at 137 George Street, Edinburgh.
BUCK’S BAR
Chef Lorna McNee, who recently bagged a Michelin star for Glasgow’s Cail Bruich restaurant, told us that she’d want her last supper to be the fried chicken from this joint, which is currently offering takeaway. Their options include the Nashville chicken, available as hot, damn hot or the scary sounding double XX hot. There’s also the less nuclear Buff Chick with buttermilk fried chicken tossed in a buffalo glaze with blue cheese mayo.
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Hide Ad111 West Regent Street and 96 Trongate, Glasgow (www.bucksbar.co.uk)
EL PERRO NEGRO
This much loved place, which unashamedly piles its fillings sky high, has just launched a rather lush-looking new burger - the chicken parm, with buttermilk marinated thigh in a Panko coating, marinara sauce, aged Parmesan cheese, confit garlic mayo and shredded iceberg. Delivery through Deliveroo and Ubereats.
152 Woodlands Road (0141 332 8440, www.el-perro-negro.com)
KOXEDO
The chefs behind Glasgow’s Ka Pao and Ox & Finch have launched this pop-up. Be speedy though, as options are pre-ordered and it sells out fast. Dishes include their Box Meal, which contains two boneless thighs, two tenders, chips, coleslaw and pickle, plus three dips – their garlic and herb, red Koxedo and barbeque.
Ox & Finch, 920 Sauchiehall Street (www.koxedo.com)