Cheeks Chicken & Waffles

Chicken and waffles is where it’s at! Tried out Cheek’s and it’s pretty good. I got the garlic parm wings and a waffle with apple butter. The wings were very large, cooked right, not fried hard, the sauce was awesome. The waffle was just too rubbery to eat. It looked fluffy and fresh but it wasn’t. We waited 30 minutes for our order as well. It is a small spot with indoor picnic tables and no bathroom, zero frills. I came for the food not the ambience so who cares. 4 star wings. We all have off days so I would be willing to come back and give the waffle a second chance.

Highly recommend if you’re in the Manchester area. I stopped by between work and class and got the tenders n waffles. It’s 3 tenders and 1 waffle. I’m a big guy and could barely finish it. Trust me, it’s a lot of food. I got the sweet chili sauce by recommendation of the service representative. Loved it. Kind of like a Thai chili. The waffle was perfect texture and consistency.
Atmosphere is very relaxed. There’s not a ton of space so plan on take out or plan to wait a bit. Everyone from the rep who took my order to the chef were very friendly. All the customers who were eating were laughing with each other like old friends. I was surprised to find out they didn’t know each other. Perfect hole in a wall spot for some of the best specialty chicken in Manchester!

Have wanted to try this for quite awhile but knew if I liked it, it would be maybe a twice a year treat. The place is small, but, most importantly, it has air condition, a must in a Ct summer. The lady at the register is very kind, sweet and caring. Took us a minute to figure out what to get. We got the chicken nugget meal for the little one, hubby got the chicken sandwich meal and I got the Carolina Reaper wing meal. Minus a couple stars because 2 or 3 customers that came after us, got their food before us. Getting hangry people… WTH?!
Food comes. Two of the sides were hash fries and one was sweet potato fries. Man– those hash fries– two very enthusiastic thumbs up for those… even the picky 4 year old loved those. Sweet potato fries were nice but if I had to choose– the hash fries would win every time. Their drinks are all canned soda or bottled tea/​water. No fountain drinks here.
Little one liked her chicken nuggets well enough. The wings are VERY heavily battered. The drummettes don’t look like drummettes! The Carolina Reaper sauce is touted as being the hottest they had but it did nothing for me. Besides it tasted pretty salty and according to hubby– a bit sour also. Wouldn’t order this flavor again but I think that’s just a matter of taste preference. The real winner was that chicken sandwich. That was freakin delish! I would order that in a heartbeat. Like I said, it’s a twice a year thing so I guess I’ll be due again for Christmas. Merry Christmas to me: D

W-​O-​W! This place is great! My other half lives on chicken so this is right up his alley. Decided to skip going to chic-​fil-​a and try something more local. Glad we did! We ordered two of the chicken sandwiches and the chicken tenders… OMG it was SO MUCH FOOD! We didn’t even finish the chicken tenders which were amazing.
It’s a small two person kitchen so plan on waiting 10 – 15 minutes for your order on a busy night if you walk in like we did. No issue with that though, it was worth the wait.
I want to try some of the other chicken dishes on my next visit — everything looks and tastes amazing here!

I’ve been ordering take-​out from Cheeks for the last few months now. The ratio-​to-​quality ratio of this place is amazing! I usually get their tenders and waffle combo but I recently went for the chicken sandwich. My first order with them had a slower turnaround time (probably from newly transitioning from truck to restaurant) but every other order has been fast!
Tenders: I’ve ordered the honey mustard, original (buffalo), BBQ, and garlic parmesan dry rub. The honey mustard is my favorite. The sauces are homemade; I didn’t love the original but the others made up for it. The wings themselves are what make this place stand out from the competition. This place makes some pretty legit chicken. The meat is always the perfect level of juice, the correct proportion of breading to chicken, and the sauces are obviously homemade and delicious.
Waffle: I have a sweet tooth… this is the best thing about this place. This is not a low-​fat waffle. This is a sugar-​crusted, butter-​oozing, piece of heaven waffle. I need nothing more than the powdered sugar to feel like all of my dreams are coming true.
Chicken sandwich: Same quality of chicken with a chipotle mayo sauce. It’s quite tasty, definitely on par with the tenders. I prefer wings and tenders so I imagine I will only get the sandwich when I need a change of pace in the future.
Overall, the price is right for an order with a LOT of food, the food itself (albeit not the best for you) is absolutely delicious. I would recommend this to my friends looking for quick and delicious take out that’s a nice treat for the week.

Not an extensive menu and no need for one. It is was it says it is in the name. Chicken and waffles and chicken and waffles done right.
This place moved from a truck to a small restaurant with 3 tables this past January. We went there around 6 o’clock on a Friday night and when we left at 7:00 the place was packed. There were at least a couple of first-​timers along with us and many regulars the woman at the counter was friendly with. Kudos to her for doing her job well and guiding us in our meal selections.
I was pleased with the Buffalo chicken tenders and waffle. The sauce had a good taste and didn’t overwhelm you. My girls had the garlic Parmesan wings with onion rings and and Mac and cheese bites. I tried theirs like any good father would do and the sides were above par.
The prices were normal and I recommend doing the combo with a soda and 1 side. The bill came to just under $ 30. Reasonable. We will definitely be back.

So good! Got the wings and waffle. Order looks small but the wings are plump :)
Got the sweet chili Thai sauce on the side yum!!!
Agree the wait is long — but just call ahead… Either way it’s worth the wait!

Best food I’ve had in about a decade. Definitely my favorite wings I’ve ever had. Extra crunchy on the outside like the rind of a good fried chicken. The bacon aeoli was delicious.
The waffle was chewy and yeasty with a yummy buttery caramel sauce on top. Definitely better than I was expecting.
1÷29÷16 Update: call ahead should take 30 minutes. Try 60 minutes
4÷22÷16 Update: call ahead times have improved. Same great food

I really am not sure how there are so many high reviews for this place. My husband and I stopped in on a Saturday afternoon to check this place out because who doesn’t like a great piece of chicken?! The location is not the most appealing but something about the outdoor picnic tables inside gave the place their unique charm. There were maybe two other people in the «restaurant» and it was a little overwhelming for the employees.
The reason why I say «restaurant» is because there are no bathrooms in this place. NONE! I honestly don’t know how that is possible for a restaurant these days. When I asked if there was one I could use, the employee told me to go next door to the Chinese restaurant or the package store. I picked the package store… who told me that the restroom was for employees only. At that point, I gave up and just patiently waited at least 20 long minutes to get our chicken nuggets and chicken sandwich.
The chicken nuggets were beyond dry and I ate only a handful. The orange zinger sauce was a little too sweet for my liking. I also ordered a side of macaroni and cheese which was such a disappointment. Now, don’t get me wrong, the quantity is A LOT but it was mushy, over cooked and straight out of a box. My husband had the spicy chicken sandwich which wasn’t spicy at all but at least wasn’t a dry piece of meat.
I was amazed by how many people came in for take out food while we waited so long for our food. Not sure I’ll come back to this place.

Damnn, Cheeks! Back at it again with that chicken?!
No seriously, spicy chicken sandwich? Do it. You won’t regret it.
I really have no good reason for not trying it sooner, other than «trying to be healthy». Who needs that right? But, that spicy chicken sandwich doe? Bangin’! Topped with american cheese, pickles and spicy chipotle, the chicken is juicy on the inside yet crispy on the outside. Simple and delicious!
The wings aren’t bad. I’ve tried the orange ginger citrus, garlic parm, honey garlic and sweet chili. Sauces were just OK, will have to try the rest for a full report next time. For a 6-​piece order, you get one sauce only. To split the order for two sauces will be an extra $ 0.25. A small order of hash fries is all that you’ll need, they’re tasty but can get soggy in the take-​out containers. Have no fear, throw them in the oven at home for a hot minute and they crisp up pretty nicely.
Restaurant is bare bones, there are however 3 picnic tables. Orders take a bit to make, so call ahead and pick-​up if you can!
FYI
Open Monday thru Saturday: 11am-​10pm
Sunday: 11am-​9pm

This place is why you need half-​stars on Unilocal!It’s so far from five stars, but not deserving of just three stars. Cheeks makes me wish for an upgrade to the Unilocal!rating model.
This is a food truck with a solid roof over its head.
But dayam… like many food trucks, whose space confinements force them to focus on a solid core menu, Cheeks’ limited menu is top shelf. The food truck reference is not a metaphor… on our visit, the old food truck is still sitting out in the parking lot, and the storefront sign still features the name of a former pizza restaurant tenant. Don’t let that distract you.
Honestly, this place looks like someone just moved in yesterday and didn’t have time to re-​paint or mop the floors. But they apparently got a good deal on big screen TV’s. They grabbed some picnic tables from someone’s back yard instead of buying actual restaurant furniture. I’m not kidding… the veneer surface on the counters is chipped and worn, the paint is old. And yet, I’m stilling giving it four stars (almost considered five). Why? Because we enjoyed some of the best chicken — and waffles — I’ve had. That’s it.
One guy walked in and asked why he couldn’t choose thighs or legs or other parts. I think the answer he received underscores why the food is so good. «We do chicken breasts.» Yeah, and wings. But by focusing on breasts, using them for sandwiches, tenders, everything else, they can control costs and food inventory… and get consistently great results.
I got a «Spicy Chicken Sandwich,» a basic sammy which came topped with pickle slices and cheese, and a mild Chipotle aioli. Sadly, not spicy at all. But still, It was sublime, if a bit messy. But the waffles part of the nom de plumage came with «tenders.» Forget Tyson frozen food or Mickey’s D nuggets… these were big chunks of fresh chicken breast. Like, each tender was probably ¹⁄₃ of a chicken breast. Big, meaty, tender, perfectly cooked. AND THEY WERE ON A WAFFLE! Oh, eat me. The sauce (you get a choice) was wonderful, the textures, flavors, everything… spot on. This is food that brings you to a happy place.
I’d be willing to paint the so-​called dining room and fix up the place in exchange for a lifetime of free waffles and chicken, but I fear I’d soon be found dead in a pile of maple syrup and wing bones.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention… the girl at the counter was super nice, happy to explain the menu, very attentive, offered to exchange stuff if we didn’t like it. Top shelf. Okay, maybe I need to up it to five stars. Only if the place wasn’t so divey.

Stop by for a chicken sandwich the other day. This is the first time since they moved into the strip. Bare bones décor but still a quality chicken sandwich. The best I ever had. I always order the spicy deluxe. Which comes with pickles, let, and tomatoes. I always hold the cheese. Never been a fan of cheese on my chicken sandwiches. It came out pretty quick as we were there just after the lunch crowd. It was piping hot. So wait a min before you take your first bite. There spicy chipotle sauce is right on. Will definitely be back and may even try something else next time. Cheeks chicken is a great lunch stop if u are in the Manchester area. They operate out of their food truck. In the near future they will have a spot in the strip mall they are in front of.
I’ve been there 5 times and the spicy chicken sandwich is the best I’ve ever had. I can’t find my self ordering anything else.
It’s made fresh while you wait, so it does take a few mins. Be patient quality takes time. You can also call ahead or email them.
The chicken sandwich is served on a hot buttered roll. It’s a piece of freshly breaded chicken with lettuce tomato pickles and their special sauce.
Some day I will try the waffles, but the sandwich is just that good it’s hard to switch

Simple good food.
Decided to try this place a few months after they moved from the trailer in the parking lot to the store front to get their stuff together in a real kitchen. I called in an order of a regular chicken sandwich (no sauce-​wanted to true taste test) a order hash fries, fried macaroni bites and 6 piece wings with teriyaki sauce.
I walked in and the place was empty. One employee was on the phone manning the counter, and two more guys in the back. Told them that I called in my order, one guy comes up front and the counter guy checks the different containers, verifies the order.
Arrive at home, the chicken sandwich was good sized piece of meat but could have used some salt or pepper or some kind of seasoning. The pickle was a nice touch on the sandwich but maybe two or three would have been really great. The hash fries were good but lacked seasoning. The fried macaroni bites were good but once again they lacked seasoning. The fried wings were soaked in teriyaki sauce, which was good but extremely messy.
Because the food was being eaten at home, we could sprinkle a little bit of salt and cayenne pepper on each of the different items and had plenty of napkins which could save the meals.
All in all a good food for a decent price.

Tenders and a waffle. That’s what I got at Cheeks. What I received was 3 large meaty tenders and a nice sized liege waffle. While the tenders were large, meaty and freshly made they were also soggy instead of crispy and they tasted completely unseasoned. The accompanying buffalo sauce was text book made from what tasted like Frank’s Red Hot and butter. Fine but nothing special. The waffle was tasty as was the syrup that covered it. I’m a little disappointed in Cheeks but perhaps my expectations were just to high.

I saw a 5 star chicken n’ waffles place, so I had to check it out. If done right, southern food can be world-​class amazing! I was at a soul food joint in NYC a few weeks ago called Root & Bone– It was AMAZING! –The best fried chicken and waffles I’ve ever gad. While good, cheeks isn’t nearly as impressive.
Cheeks is located in a strip mall in manchester. The food is ok, but not close to five stars. The chicken was ok, but lacked seasoning. The waffle seemed a bit thin. The sauce seemed generic instead of homemade.
There aren’t too many chicken n’ waffle places around, and cheeks offers something different. Its not world-​class, but its not bad either. 3 stars for being different.

I drove an embarrassingly long distance to try this place. I feel like I’m a food nerd, while people wouldn’t find it weird for one to drive so far for a nice restaurant they may think it strange for what is more or less a fast food type of place.
Ambiance/​Service: Pretty bare bones on the inside, they’re tucked into a strip mall so most of their interior is taken up by the kitchen. They have (I think) 4 picnic tables with integrated benches, so hopefully you aren’t bothered by sitting next to or across from strangers. I’m pretty affable so I wasn’t put off by this and I got to speak to a charming senior couple so put a check in the win column. The biggest thing I was worried about was the service from reading all of the reviews. It seemed it took people quite a long time to receive their food, so I was pleasantly surprised when we got our order in ~ 8 minutes.
Food: We went with their chicken and waffle with honey butter on the waffle (standard), and syrup and buffalo sauce on the side for the chicken tender. We also got a half sized portion of french fries and mac & cheese. The chicken was pretty awesome, 3 big tenders with crispy breading and very moist meat (I know alot of people are grossed out by the m$#*t word… sorry). The french fries and mac and cheese were also pretty tasty and exceeded our expectations, not to mention the portion size was very generous. The only thing we weren’t a fan of was the waffle, and on this they fell way short. 1^st off the waffle size was way small for the amount of chicken you got. The bottom of the waffle had a portion that was blackened by the waffle iron that could use a good cleaning. Most importantly was the texture/​consistency of the waffle, it had a rubbery texture to it that was a little off putting. If we had foregone the waffle I probably would have given this place 4 to 5 stars but that waffle really brought down the average.
Bottom Line: Definitely worth checking out if you’re within 15 minutes of this place. Hard to beat the value, our meal with drink was ~$ 12 and were both pretty full from it. I certainly wouldn’t recommend the waffle though. If you want a kick ass chicken and waffle check out Big Mamou’s in Springfield for their Sunday brunch. They have a sweet potato waffle with spicy breaded boneless chicken… so good I’ve considered throwing up and eating it again.

Not exactly what I was expecting but delicious nonetheless. I got the chicken wings and waffles. I expected the wings to be heavy and the waffle light and crispy but the waffle was very dense. The butter that comes with it with no extra charge was amazing. In contrast, the breading on the chicken wings was light and crispy and SUPER juicy meat. It complemented the waffled amazingly well. I didn’t get any sauce on the chicken wings and it was still very flavorful. I ordered Carolina reaper sauce on the side and didn’t think it was anything to write home about — tasted like Franks Red Hot Sauce.
The wait was about 15 min for takeout on a wintry snowy night. They have three large picnic tables inside and the staff was very friendly and offered to let us try the different sauces. My husband got the chicken fingers instead of the chicken wings and said they were delicious and juicy too. I tried a small bite, and he was right. I also enjoyed their hash fries but thought they could have had more of a crisp. Good flavor though. Prices are right.
Looking forward to coming back and trying some more food.

My second food truck gone storefront review this week and another homerun. I love this place. Uncomfortable picnic bench seating, fried food to narrow my arteries, and the not so lovely street view of a neighboring gas station somehow provide the ingredients for a perfect and memorable lunch. This place serves delicious comfort food, prepared perfectly, and served with courtesy and enthusiasm. As a bonus, the meal was priced nicely.
We tried a chichen sandwich, Thai chili chicken strips, and hash fries. The sandwich was outstanding. Moist chicken on a delicious buttery but not soggy roll with pickles, cheese, and a sweet BBQ sauce. While I like a bit more tang to my BBQ sauce, on this sandwich it was just right. The strips were a generous portion of white meat fried in a light delicious batter. I had it with Thai Chili sauce (so many nice choices but I had to pick one) which was excellent. The «you have to try» hash fries were OK but I will opt for a different side next time, perhaps the mac and cheese. No matter, I will be back to try the rest. It is THAT good.

I’m so glad I finally made it here to grab some lunch. I’ve heard great things over the past couple of months and they did not disappoint. I decided on the chicken and waffle combo. These were some of the best chicken wings that I have ever had. They were perfectly crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. They were also a good size and were plenty meaty. The waffle, topped with honey butter and chocolate sauce, was a nice accompaniment.
I’m excited for their future and I think this is a great place for Manchester to have. I can’t wait for them to expand into a larger area, but for now the food truck is great and trendy. The employees were very friendly and you can even order online ahead of time!

Wow! I had the spicy chicken sandwich deluxe with sweet chili sauce and hash fries. Came out to almost $ 8. This sandwich was banging. Fresh fried chicken with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and cheese and beautiful soft, buttered roll. Ahhhhhh. I prefer my chicken crunchier, but I’m not complaining. They did say that they will fry it a tad longer if I ask for it. Kudos to listening to your customers. Also, I opted for the sweet chili sauce in lieu of any aioli. It was good tasting, but I wanted some heat. Again, one of the employees working there suggested to mix it with the Carolina reaper. Next time I will. Simple suggestions to correct my preferences. Seems like a lost art. These guys get it. I will be back soon and I should see you here.
FYI at 2:40pm I got the last chicken sandwich they had. Everything is made fresh the day of, and when they’re out, your hit.