Best chicken shops in Bethnal Green

The chicken shop scene in the East End has deep roots in the area’s diverse cultural fabric and diverse heritage. Historically, these neighbourhoods have been home to immigrant communities from various backgrounds, each bringing their own flavours and traditions to the local food scene.

Like the rest of the East End, Bethnal Green seems to have a chicken shop on every corner. 

Inspired by the original Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC, not a few of them are called ‘PFC’, an acronym that is so ubiquitous among locals it’s used to mean any chicken shop takeaway: ‘I’m going to get PFC’.

Priced so that every child can afford a greasy portion on their way back from school, chicken shops have come under criticism. In Tower Hamlets, one in eight children starting primary school is obese, and that doubles to more than one in four when they leave, at age 11. The borough has the fifth-highest rate of child obesity in London and the sixth in the country as reported by the Guardian.

But chicken shops offer much more than an affordable, £2 meal for low-income families. Mile End Community Project’s short film ‘Chicken’ won best film under the ‘freefall’ category at the Limelight Awards 2015 for its insight into the importance of chicken shops.

Comedienne and presenter Amelia Dimoldenberg has elevated the significance of chicken shops by showcasing them in her popular YouTube series “Chicken Shop Date.” Through humorous and relatable interviews conducted in these establishments, Dimoldenberg has turned them into cultural landmarks, highlighting their role as communal spaces where people from diverse backgrounds come together over a shared love of fast food.

This is probably why these independent takeout ‘caffs’ have an enduring appeal despite competing with corporate competitors such as McDonald’s, Subway and, the OG, KFC, all present on Bethnal Green High Street.

So how do you pick the best ‘PFC’? It’s not as easy as comparing their chicken box offerings as many also serve pizza, burgers, wraps, and curries. Here’s our guide to the finger lickin good.

Favorite on Bethnal Green Road

BEST FOR: CRISPY CHICKEN WINGS

Have you ever seen a chicken shop with a queue outside at 3:30 in the afternoon?

Favorite lives up to its name. It has become a favourite of local secondary school kids, who line up outside of the shop in a disorderly fashion, waiting to spend their lunch money on a greasy meal.

The shop front boldly claims it is ‘Britain’s Tastiest Chicken’, with the workers committed to bringing great taste and flavour to their food.

Compared to other shops on the road, everything about Favorites is small. Yet despite their small boxes and the minimal seating space inside, their thickly cut chips and crispy chicken wings attract big crowds.

255 Bethnal Green Road, E2 6AH

Spice Hut

BEST FOR: HOMEMADE CHILLI SAUCE

With its bold blue and red sign, even besides another fried chicken shop, Spice Hut is hard to miss.

The menu features classics like cheeseburger meals and ‘five wings and chips’, offering the option to marinate them with different spices. Spice Hut makes its own chilli sauce. You can get Naga or even Peri-Peri flavours. 

People in South Asian culture commonly use Naga as a popular condiment to add spiciness to dishes. The red chilli peppers are known to be extremely hot. In an area where there is a predominantly South Asian community, you can see why Spice Hut would be a favourite.

Drenching their meals in this sauce, customers forget that these boxes are made of flimsy cardboard. Now that’s just a mess waiting to happen.

280 Bethnal Green Road, E2 0AG

Jannah Grill

BEST FOR: SPICY DONNER KEBAB

Although advertised as an Indian takeaway, this Bengali-owned shop attracts locals who love fried chicken.

Alongside its flavorful curry and rice options and affordable lunch deals it offers burgers and fries, and of course, chicken and chips.

As soon as you enter, the menu is glaringly obvious with bright lights and big writing. On one side, you have various options for wings, chips and burgers; on the other, you will find a selection of curries and biryanis.

The ample space inside seats more than local Bengalis, with construction and trade workers from various cultures popping in for a quick bite to eat at lunch breaks.

352 Bethnal Green Road, E2 0AH

Grillfellaz on Bethnal Green Road

BEST FOR: BURGERS

Located next door to Tesco, the shop has a 3D LED sign, already upstaging the obvious, blue and red signs of its competitors.

For a modern twist on classic favourites, Grillfellaz has swapped regular seeded buns for moist brioche buns. 

Their burgers don’t just contain the usual slab of meat with a slice of cheese thrown on top, but come with a choice of toppings including gherkins, jalapenos and peppers – a luxury in the chicken shop scene.

The vibes of this shop are distinctively different. Besides serving up aesthetic-looking burgers with the sauce swiped on the side like it is a Michelin-star restaurant, the boxes are thick and the chicken looks like it could be healthy for you.

This perhaps is why the prices are on the more expensive side compared to Spice Hut and Jannah Grill.

357 Bethnal Green Road, E2 6LG

Hackney Grill Stop on Hackney Road

BEST FOR: GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS

Hackney Grill Stop, conveniently situated behind Cambridge Heath Station, offers quick and cheap eats.

The menu offers a range of options, especially for families, with an option to buy eight pieces of fried chicken, 10 hot wings and more for £18.

Open 7 days a week, the local business also offers delivery through Just Eat.

509 Hackney Road E2 9FE

Perfect Fried Chicken on Brady Street

BEST FOR: FRESHLY CUT CHIPS

A little further away from Bethnal Green Road, on Brady Street, you will find Perfect Fried Chicken, living up to the PFC moniker.

Whilst the storefront may not seem inviting the owners are very welcoming and kind.

Big squirty bottles of ketchup and mayo are lined up on the front till – a do-it-yourself service whilst servers prepare your meals.

Be warned, they only take cash.

74 Brady Street, E1 5PR

Check out more things to discover in Bethnal Green by reading this article.