Hip Hop Chicken in Blackpool review: We tried out the tastiest chicken at resort's new trendy restaurant
and live on Freeview channel 276
The couple have taken the humble chicken, a staple in many of our diets, and given it a trendy makeover that is seeing people flocking (pun intended) to the restaurant in Cedar Square.
KFC has had the monopoly on fried chicken for decades, but the likes of Yard & Coop in Liverpool (until recently) and Manchester, and now Blackpool’s very own independently run Hip Hop Chicken are breaking into the market and taking chicken to a whole new level.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWe thought Hip Hop Chicken would be a good shout for a fun Friday night tea with the brood, and a great start to the February half-term holiday.
It’s walk-ins only for the time being so we crossed our fingers that we’d get a table for six.
Situated next to Nico and Stefani’s other restaurant – Stefani’s Pizzeria - it’s a vibrant, trendy urban space with graffiti art, images of famous rappers hanging on the brick walls, and quotes by rappers dotted around the place.
The bar is the centrepiece with comfortable booths on the right hand side and high tables with bar stools on the left as you walk in.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWe were lucky to grab the last table and settled down in the chilled out surroundings of this funky chicken shack.
Keeping with the hip hop theme, the food menu features big names in the music industry like Tu Pac’s BBQ Passion (a beastie burger). There’s also a decent range of cocktails while Beavertown Neck Oil IPA is a welcome choice on draft.
There are a few options on the children’s menu: chicken strips, dip and fries (£6); chicken strips mac ‘n’ cheese (£7); and chicken ‘wingz’, dip and fries (£6).
Our youngest – age three – went for the chicken strips with mac ‘n’ cheese while our nine-year-old tucked into the chicken strips and what he described as ‘amazing” fries.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe rest of us picked from the main menu. I chose the Slim Shady (£10) which is a juicy friend chicken thigh drizzled in mayonnaise with fresh, crunchy lettuce in between a burger bap while the hubby feasted on a B.I.G.G.I.E (£14) – a bap crammed with two fried chicken thighs covered in buffalo sauce with streaky bacon, cheese sauce, hash brown, lettuce, and mayo.
There was a bit of spice for the eldest as she chose Kung Foo Kenny (£14) – an impressive display of strips, wings, and a whole load of fries tossed in salt and pepper seasoning, finished with chilli, spring onion and sriracha mayo – while our 14-year-old was delighted with the Old Dirty (£14) – a chicken thigh, strips, mac ‘n’ cheese and fries piled high and covered in gravy mayo.
We loved the place. And with the refurbishment of nearby Abingdon Street Market alongside already well-established businesses like Common Bar and Kitchen, Upside Down coffee shop, Stefani’s Pizzeria, and now Hip Hop Chicken, Cedar Square is fast becoming Manchester’s ‘Northern Quarter’ equivalent right here in our beloved Blackpool.