The simple chook is all the rage right now, so we've rounded up the best on field – from the institutions to a crop of promising newbies
Sydney's a city with a serious appetite for chicken. But not just any chicken will do. When the cravings hit for salty, smokey charcoal chicken, Sydneysiders inevitably have their favourites and can rarely be swayed to expand their horizons. However, we've taken the time to scan the city for the best charcoal chicken joints and we're asking you to take a chance and try something new. Of course, the institutions are featured – they have to be – but there's a whole big world out there and you've got some serious eating to do.
We've rounded up our favourites in the fight for fowl supremacy.
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.
Another of Sydney's big-hitters, Frango (meaning 'chicken' in Portuguese) has perfected its butterflied and charcoal-grilled mainstay over the 30 years since it first opened up in Sydney. Now there are outlets in Petersham, Smithfield, Bella Vista, Gregory Hills and Penrith, plus Australia's first charcoal chicken drive-through is now officially up and running, thanks to these good folk.
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.
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.
With not one, but two chicken shops to choose from – Parramatta and Beaumont Hills – you don't have to travel too far to 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.
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.
Delivery or takeaway options?
Get your after school special to go or have it brought to you.
