The best charcoal chicken shops in Sydney

Frango in Petersham has long been a crowd favourite – so popular, in fact, that there are Frango stores popping up all around Sydney, including Bella Vista, Concord, Drummoyne, Edmondson Park, Gregory Hills, Penrith, Smithfield. Now there's one in Marrickville, too! It's no wonder it's popular – they've been perfecting their butterflied and charcoal-grilled chicken over 30 years. It's also loved for its chicken burgers, lathered with mayo, as well as chilli sauce if you like it spicy.

One of the original heavyweights in the Sydney chicken game, El Jannah has been kicking since 1998. The unbeatable garlic sauce is its selling point here – that and a price point that means dinner for two here is less than a wine and a bar snack many other places.

Crown Street's vibey Lebanese charcoal chicken shop, Henrietta, combines fast-casual dining with a little touch of fancy. From the team behind nearby Middle Eastern eatery Nour, Henrietta is dishing up Middle Eastern-style chook (best eaten with a wrap and a slather of garlic sauce) and a selection of bread, dips, pickles and salads.

Petersham is the traditional enclave of Sydney's Portuguese community, and Silvas is a well-kept secret outside of the area (Frango's gets a lot of the limelight). But this unassuming eatery is a charcoal chicken gem. Locals can pop in to grab some to take away for good vibes and juicy, juicy chook. 

Chicken chain, Chargrill Charlie's, has been in the chicken game for a while, and it's amassed a cult following of its own through its 16 stores spread across Sydney and Melbourne. Grab extra-large chickens, a half or quarter chook, or the classic – a chicken and chip pack.

The smell of Granville is surely chicken skin charring to a smoky crisp as fat drips and sizzles onto glowing charcoal below. Hawa Charcoal Chicken is an expansive eatery specialising in barbecue chicken, Lebanese-style. Garlic sauce is mandatory, with pickles, flat bread, falafel and tabouli on their mammoth mixed plates.

For over 20 years, the Revesby hidden gem, Awafi, has been serving up freerange charcoal roasted chooks with all the best Lebanese trimmings. Crisp burnished chicken skin, neon-pink pickles and generations-old garlic sauce all served up in biodegradable packaging; this is deliciousness with a conscience.

Cooked over searingly hot charcoals ensures that Liverpool's finest chooks stay juicy on the inside and blistered and crisp on the outside. Al Barekah is no frills and no fuss, and the super soft pita they stuff the chicken into means for a one-stop-shop when the cravings for salty, smoky chicken, carbs, and tangy pickles strike.

Their Beaumont Hills and Box Hill locations are where you can get your fill of one of Sydney's finest Portuguese-style chickens. Housemade peri peri sauce gives the free range chicken a kick that you're gonna want more of.

Clem's Chicken Shop is a mainstay of the Newtown community, providing much needed hangover food for the uni crews, a quick dinner for families on the run, and comforting nostalgia for anyone who grew up with a local chicken shop in their neighbourhood and fueled teenage antics with spicy fried drumsticks and a can of Coke.