Chicks on Fire

Amazing food and value, better and classier than Nandos. The dips and bread are fantastic.

The joy of discovering a place like this is exactly why I am on Unilocal.While the restaurant is in my general area and very easily accessible near a bus stop on a main road, it is tucked away on a random side street I would probably not myself feel the need to browse and discover. What a mistake that would have been! Thankfully Unilocal elites and chicken gods have been merciful — after bookmarking this place upon seeing the glowing reviews, I have finally gave it a go and guess what, now I have one more favourite place to go.
One does not need to write a victorian novel to describe the simple beauty of this place. It goes like this:
— fantastic value chicken — we’re talking yummy, succulent, fresh tasting juicy goodness
— a great range of flavours — we tried the thai green and jerk (which btw was moderately spicy, for any spice-​phobes out there)
— surprisingly good side dishes — the jerk style rice and the salad were lovely on their own
— pleasant and prompt service staff, and
— despite the random location, usually fully occupied and/​or booked on a Saturday weekend — we were really lucky to walk in without reservation and snatch two seats at the bar-​like area near the kitchen (I love how you can partially see what’s going on in the kitchen, btw).
Does this not speak for itself? As Josy said, go and try some chicken.
I am giving four stars as I think that what’s missing to perfection is some more good beer on tap to go with the chicken feast. The botted varieties were nice but nothing to write home about for a beer fan. But hey, this place is golden. If you like good chicken, you won’t be disappointed.

This is one of my favorite places to eat in London. Period. it is tucked away off of Holloway Rd and my partner and I eat here or take away weekly when we are in town.
The triple cooked chips are some of the best chips. and my partner swears they are the best he has ever had. The wings are also outstanding– like no wings I have ever had– large flavorful and unique. Everything is good from the chicken to the sides… they don’t always have slaw on the menu, but will make it on request and I dream about the fajita chicken and the slaw if I go to long without my fix. Eat here.

A little out of the way but definitely worth the trek. The chicken is cooked perfectly and seasoned really well. The staff are friendly and the chef is passionate about his chicken. The only downside is the chicken is made to order there is a bit of a wait for it.

Had a delicious half chicken with green curry, chips and coke for just under £10. A great meal in an unexpected place.

A better jerk chicken and rice & peas than the one I had at Notting Hill Carnival! Delicious salad, too. Simple but appreciated starter of some toasted bread and what seems to be a home-​made chili sauce. Good service, too.

Amazing triple cooked chips, green curry chicken with jasmine rice, and jerk chicken. Cheerful waitstaff and nice rustic table interior. This place is fantastic! Highly recommend.

Come here! Seriously… wander down to Holloway and eat some chicken.
It’s looks like a hipster-​type venue, but the staff are really friendly, and the prices are incredibly reasonable. (yay!) We come here before heading to the cinema.
Yums:
— There are lots of tasty (and even healthy) starters to choose from
— I love all the chicken flavours (Jamaican jerk is the best so far)
— The chicken is incredibly tender (they cook it in a water bath first, then grill it to perfection…)
— The rice and beans goes well with the fire-​y chicks
Less Yum:
— I HAVE to order corn on the cob when it’s on the menu… but the corn here doesn’t really compare with the amazing corn from chicken shop. I guess it needs some kind of herby butter to make this place perfect.
Last time we came they got our bill wrong, and charged us far too little. We told them they’d forgotten to add some items, so they re-​did it for us. However it still seemed too cheap to be correct! We stuffed ourselves and it was still less than £15 for two of us!

Went here a couple of days ago on a Thursday night with 2 friends, after hearing about the place via word of mouth.
I was impressed by the furnishings which were modern yet cosy.
The atmosphere was not great mainly because it was just us and one other couple in there.
And this is the problem, the location is terrible. A tiny side street off the rougher end of Holloway Road with almost zero footfall outside for passing trade to notice.
Now the food, it’s a little bit like nandos would be the easiest way to describe it. Basically grilled chicken. However they do offer some different marinades including jerk, tikka and thai curry.
It was well cooked and tasted good. The triple cooked chips were lovely and the presentation quiet frankly amazing for a essentially a chicken shop. Priced reasonably (cheaper than nandos) one thing it desperately needed other than a better atmosphere, is sauce! I love my sauce hot, bbq anything to moisten up the ½ chicken and 6 wings I was tackling would have improved my enjoyment immeasurably.
Overall I hope this place survives seemingly against the odds. Worth a visit if you’re in the area, also it’s around the corner from the grafton arms for a pre or post dinner beer too.
Had an issue with ridiculously long waits for food, this seems to have improved slightly however it still is slow, so if you are in a rush avoid!

This place is awesome. Had the full thai green chicken, chips, jasmine rice and house salad between myself and another big eater and was fully satisfied. Will be going again. Service is nice, area is nice, all is nice.

They weren’t lying… this place really is the dogs proverbials.
We ordered a collection from here last night and it was spectacular. We opted for half a chicken with the Thai green curry marinade, some triple cooked chips, a chop salad, tzatziki and alioli. This was the perfect size for two people and an absolute bargain at £11.
The chicken was beautifully tender, and the marinade was packed with flavour. The triple cooked chips were to die for, especially when smothered with alioli and the chop salad was zingy and so fresh, arguably the best part of the meal. That’s no slight on the other dishes but it was just so tasty — it’s not often you finish a meal raving about the salad.
As everyone else mentions, the staff are super friendly. This really is one of the hidden gems of North London — get in there before you have to book a week in advance.

This place is awesome. This is the second time I’ve been and both times its been very quite, this is probably due to the fact it’s on a small side street. Now for the food. it’s similar to nandos but cheaper with better flavours. Thai green curry, jerk, tikka masala and there home made spicy sauce chicks on fire. They also do triple fried chips but as unhealthy as they are they are amazeballs. This is a place people need to visit so you can experience the goodness of the chicken.(Good portions).
update 4/4/14…the wait for food is ridiculous… I’m talking an hr for the starters. If service was improved I would give it ⁴⁄₅ stars.

Despite its enticing name, this is not the latest addition to London’s West End Shows… although a visit to Chicks on Fire might involve show-​elements such as flames and sizzling sensations!
While the chicken is definitely worth a visit at this place, what I most liked about it is the wonderful service that we experienced here. The owner and the staff were super-​friendly and not helped us making up our minds when it came to the food, but they were also just very attentive.
We ordered the Piri Piri Chicken, which turned out to be really spicy. The house salad on the side was terrific… really loved that!
Thumbs up! I definitely recommend coming here if you’re planning a visit to the Odeon Cinema.

I agree with all the other reviewers. Definite thumbs up. I had the schwarma (sp.) wrap & it was delicious!
The owner was really friendly & welcoming too, which is always good.

Over the past few months I’ve heard rumblings about a chicken restaurant off of Holloway Road that’s worth detouring for. As most chicken joints on Holloway are of the famed «cottage» variety I wasn’t completely convinced at first, but eventually all of the chit chat and whispering got the better of me and I decided to give it a try. I headed there last night for a casual mid-​week meal and THANK GOD I DID! Chicks on Fire is absolutely bangin’! Tucked away on a quiet road, and pretty much only visible by a wooden sign featuring a chicken provocatively dressed as Marilyn Monroe, Chicks on Fire doesn’t appear to take itself too seriously… but then there’s the food. This fuss-​free, hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant serves some of the best rotisserie chicken in London. It’s menu is an amalgamation of 6 cultures in one. In terms of marinades, you’ve got Caribbean jerk, Tika Masala, Fajita, Thai Green Curry, and of course, the penultimate chicken marinade… Peri Peri. Middle eastern inspired starters and light bites include everything from hummus and Babghanoush, to falafel wraps, sandwiches and mixed salads. You must try the Babghanoush — it’s without a doubt one of the best recipes that I’ve ever had! Yep, I said it and I mean it! But with all of the options available, one thing is certain at this place… chicken is king! So if you’re not a veggie, I advise that you get involved. Diners can choose between a whole, half or quarter chicken and an assortment of sides and sauces all for under £10 per person. It’s the best bargain meal that I’ve had in a heck of a long time. And it doesn’t end there. The quality of the food and the service is top notch. The chicken is moist, plump and spiced to perfection (sorry Nandos, you’re dry chicks haven’t got anything on this place), portions are huge and the service lovely! The owner is such a hands on guy. He greets everyone himself and is more than happy to explain how the menu works and help make suggestions. My dining partner and I ate and drank like kings and the cost came in at under £20 per head — including a bottle of wine! We literally had to be rolled out, blowing a kiss to Chicky Monroe on the way, and vowing to return as soon as possible. I’m telling you peeps — get over there now while it’s still relatively unknown… in 6 months time, this fiery joint is going to explode!

Finally I can paraphrase a Kings of Leon song! A fitting tribute to my 100^th review!
You
Your your chicks are on fire
Consumed, with what’s to transpire
Hot as a fever
Rattling bones
I could just taste it
Taste it…
…
I have to admit the first time I heard about this place from Uli B I did wonder whether a new super extreme cabaret night had started. I mean seriously, Chicks on Fire… along with a new bar in the area called ‘Filthy’s’ the area I’ve moved to is getting more and more interesting by the second!
Contrary to my expectation of daytime dancing girls this wonderful little chicken place served some of the best chicken I’ve ever had. The Iraqi owner stopped and spoke to us even telling me that he had originally thought about setting up in the complex I live in, damn capitalists making it too expensive for him to be there and for me to be lazy, happy and fat!
There is a wonderfully complex method of grilling their chicken which is outlined in their menu. It involves 4 stages including marinating, vacuum packing and boiling. However he does it the results are sublime. We started with complimentary flat bread and tzatziki and then moved onto our mains.
There was an epic peri peri half chicken with a flame whisky glaze and another marinated in jerk sauce. They were perfectly cooked and perfectly spiced. Along with that he said our included sides could be any of the small dishes on the menu. We went along with rice n peas, triple cooked chips, an aubergine dip/​pâté called zalouk and a wonderful hefty garden salad. Even more shocking was the price with the whole thing coming to £17…for two of us!
I have been raving about this place ever since going. As they are a little remote they need all the publicity they can get and deserve to do well!
We left happy, very full and now think that the theme song should be «We are the Champions» !

Amazing value to price ratio! More great food than we could comfortably eat and a beer a head for £15. It’s also great to find somewhere you would want to eat out at in holloway. For all that holloway has going for it, restaurant-​wise it’s pretty damn awful. Hence the five star. It’s a five star plus for holloway! Very friendly owners and obviously fresh, tasty food.

«Celebrate good times, come on! (do-​do-​do-​do-​do-​do-​dun-​nu!) «Woo! Come on Unilocalers, sing it with me. «Celebrate good times, come on! (do-​do-​do-​do-​do-​do-​dun-​nu!)» Come on! You know you want to!
«There’s a party goin’ on right here…» OK OK, sorry. I’m just overcome with excitement. I’ve lived in Holloway for 10 years — in that time, I’ve seen the opening, closure and re-​opening of a hundred different pound shops, the invasion of greasy takeaways and worst of all, The Gaff being replaced by a Costa. It’s about time something good happened to Holloway and I couldn’t be more pleased that Chicks on Fire have joined the ‘hood.
The food is simply outstanding and everything is made fresh to order. Their specialty is the fantastic chicken (choose from 3 marinades and a variety of portion sizes). I can’t remember exactly how it’s cooked (it’s explained on the menu) but I think there’s a combination of steaming and grilling involved, leaving you with juicy, tender meat and a gorgeous crispy skin — exactly how it should be!
VEGETARIANS, reprezent! There’s an excellent selection for you too from delicious falafels wraps, stuffed pastries, hearty salads and a fantastic mezze selection. Oh my god, those dips and that guacamole! My veggie partner was over the moon. Not to mention all the side dishes like buttery corn on the cob that pops in your mouth, rice and beans and the almost holy triple cooked chips (done the proper way, thankyouverymuch).
If you’re eating in, everything is served on big slate trays and it looks as great as it tastes. You can also choose from a variety of different sharing platters and they do takeaway too.
Chicks on Fire is far better than any of these ‘trendy’ chicken joints popping up across the capital — the prices are much more reasonable (I couldn’t believe how cheap our bill was) and you don’t have to eat in the company of annoying foodie scenesters who witter on about the nduja stew they had at a supperclub in a converted toilet in Peckham (it’s the new Dalston, yah), as they twiddle their handlebar moustaches.
The staff are lovely too and are clearly passionate about what they do. The first time we went, we ended up going back the next night for takeaway! Don’t chicken out, say bye-​bye to paltry poultry, show your support for this great little place, or I’ll give you a good grillin’!