[category]
[title]
A couple of months ago, we found out that Houston TX Hot Chicken was finally coming to the UK. But where exactly the brand would make its British debut was still being kept under wraps. Now, we can reveal that Houston TX Hot Chicken will open its first-ever UK branch in Stevenage in October. It’ll be the very first time that its spicy chicken is available outside of the US.
Start working on your spice tolerance now – in a few short months, Brits will be able to get their hands on the American chain’s brutal ‘Houston, We Have A Problem’ sauce, which sits at two million on the Scoville scale. The sauce is so spicy that customers must sign a waiver before they tuck in.
If that sounds a little too hardcore for you, Houston TX has some far less intimidating sauces. Flavours range from honey butter to buffalo to ‘Lift-Off’ (600,000 on the Scoville scale and the second spiciest after ‘Houston, We Have A Problem’). Choose from Nashville-style hot chicken in the form of tenders, nuggets, waffles or chicken sandwiches, with sides like mac and cheese, chicken tortilla soup, pickles and fries.
Houston TX’s arrival from across the Atlantic is thanks to its partnership with Pizza Express, which acquired rights to the franchise across Europe. Paula MacKenzie, group chief executive of Pizza Express said: ‘Houston Hot Chicken has attitude. It has personality. And it knows how to make an entrance. Stevenage is where Britain meets Houston Hot Chicken for the very first time and we’ve got every intention of making sure it's impossible to ignore.’
There are two more Houston TX openings planned in the UK in 2026 (locations TBC) and a total of 50 lined up for the next three years.
ICYMI: Wetherspoons is opening 11 new pubs across the UK.
Plus: The hyped Chinese bakery chain that is opening 20 locations in the UK.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.