Wingstop UK

So it’s only been like a month since I put out my post on Wingman’s in Kilburn, moaning about how Wingstop missed a big trick not making their Chicken Halal.

Well guess what… It looks like their CEO Rick Ross reads my blog posts, because as of 1st Feb 2019 ALL (yes you read correctly.. all) of their Chicken is now Halal!

The announcement that they’ve turned Halal was made on their Instagram page on one of their wall posts (click for link), and I further confirmed with the staff at the restaurant that all Wings are Halal.

I’ve also reached out to them on Twitter, and they’ve got a letter in-store from their supplier stating that their Chicken is Halal.

As soon as I found out their Chicken was now Halal, I got myself down to their store (located a 5 min walk from Leicester Square station) to see what all the hype was about! Considering the buzz created on Instagram over the first few months of their UK launch, with celebs visiting and giving some pretty impressive reviews… I was going in with very high expectations.

(And I now see they’re giving out the equivalent of Nando’s black cards… *eyes emoji*)

So the restaurant is split between two floors, the bottom floor is mostly just for ordering with a few seats, but the upstairs has a good seating area! A bit like a down-sized version of the Shake Shack around the corner in Piccadilly Circus. But from the few times that I’ve walked past Wingstop, they get very busy. I visited on a Tuesday night and even then I just about found a seat! So tip #1: if you want to eat-in, choose your visit time wisely.

Their chicken comes in three varieties – (1) wings on the bone, (2) boneless wings and (3) chicken tenders. The wings are priced pretty reasonably at £7.50 for 8 pieces / £9 for 10 pieces / £10.50 for 12 pieces, and the chicken tenders are 3 pieces for £4.50 or 5 pieces for £6.50. So definitely reasonable for Central London prices, but maybe a little steep if you just consider it as glorified fast food.

All wings come served with a choice of dip – Ranch, Blue Cheese or Honey Mustard. But that’s only the first hurdle… then you need to choose from a selection of TEN flavours for your chicken. *has flashbacks of being at fatburger*

I’m never a fan of restaurants offering too many flavours, mostly because I always pick the wrong ones. But also because it makes ordering so damn difficult! But to be fair to Wingstop, they’ve done a pretty good job at adding a little description to each of the flavours (ranked from Mild to Hot) which I found helpful.

I tried a bit of everything. I played it safe and went for some Mild flavours (being the wimp I am) – Original, Spicy Korean Q and Brazilian Citrus Pepper. Meanwhile my daring friend went for the Mango Habanero (too hot for me!).

Now to the all important part – my verdict.

The Boneless wings

The boneless wings were basically just Chicken Nuggets – you know the ones you get from the frozen section of the Halal butchers. Original flavoured boneless wings weren’t too saucy, which is a first thumbs up for me as I specifically asked for a recommendation of something less saucy, and these were exactly that!

Truthfully speaking, I wouldn’t say the boneless wings we tried were amazing. I’d be lying if I said I had that same feeling of excitement after my first bite (the same way I did at my first visit to Wingman’s). Having said that, I’d rank the boneless wings a solid 7/10.

The Chicken Tenders

One bite into these chicken tenders and I understood exactly why this place has so much hype around it. Amazing. I literally dashed my fork and got my hands messy with these because the flavour was amazing. I’m not a fan of too much sauce on my chicken but bruh… I’m converted! If you’re visiting then the Spicy Korean Q is definitely one to try.  

Wings on the Bone

Again, I really enjoyed these. Which makes me think that perhaps it’s just the boneless wings that weren’t great. A little chewy, which I liked. The flavour (Brazilian Citrus Pepper) was also real good! More subtle than the Spicy Korean Q, but enough of a kick that you’d have a wing in each hand.

The Fries

We tried both varieties of their loaded fries – The Buffalo Ranch (£4.80) and the Cheese Fries (£4.40). The chips were spot on – generous portions and perfectly cooked. The cheesy chips were still edible towards the end of my meal (at most restaurants they’ve gone soggy within a few minutes), but I think the Buffalo Ranch chips stole the show for me. Slightly spicy (but bare in mind I can’t handle spice) and a great combo of spices and sauces which I was downing with a red face and a soft drink.

Speaking of drinks – you can get a refillable cup for £2.90, and it’s one of those Drinks machines you get at the Cinema with like a 100 different varieties of Coca Cola. Alcohol is also served, but in cans, so it’s not really noticeable.

Mr Rick Ross, if you’re reading this, firstly… hats off, I definitely enjoyed my visit! Would I come back? hell yeah! If I had to make some recommendations, I think a good improvement would be to create a wings platter (10 wings, 1 of each flavour) so that I can figure out what my flavour is! Also, you should allow for the mixing of flavours (i.e. half portion one flavour and half another).

The staff & service – great! Especially the staff on the till, who are really friendly and super helpful with flavour recommendations.

Should you visit? Yes! The wings aren’t overly pricey, go with 2 friends and share 2 portions of 10 wings, and you’ll probably pay around a tenner each if you get some drinks and fries too. I know I’ll be back again very soon!