Fried chicken restaurant Popeyes is coming to Cardiff. The American chain recently expanded to the UK, with branches across the country, but will open its first Welsh branch in the capital later this year.
Founded in Louisiana over 50 years ago, Popeyes offers a selection of chicken products including fried chicken sandwiches, hot wings and tenders, as well as American-inspired sides and sweet treats. Get the latest food and drink news from across Cardiff sent straight to your inbox by signing up to our free newsletter.
The restaurant will open in a city centre unit that has been left empty for more than five years. Two floors of the unit on St John Street are currently used as an escape room, but the ground floor has been vacant since 2017 when former occupier BrightHouse closed down before later collapsing into administration.
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An opening date for the new branch is yet to be announced, but the restaurant's website has claimed its venue in Cardiff is 'coming soon'. Job adverts have also been posted for the restaurant, with a number of roles available to "ambitious, positive and hard-working" candidates, from team members to general manager.
Popeyes has over 3,700 restaurants in more than 30 countries around the world. It arrived in the UK in November, 2021, with the first branch opening at Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, and went on to set up a further 16 stores across the country.
Most of its branches are in the south east of England, with nine in London and others in Brighton, Chelmsford and Oxford. Other locations include Liverpool, Nottingham and Newcastle, while there also plans to open more restaurants in Rotherham, Glasgow, Cambridge and Reading.
However, the new Cardiff branch will be Popeyes' first in Wales. It will be the latest chicken outlet to arrive in the capital after Eat the Bird and Fowl and Fury both opened last year, joining the likes of Slim Chickens, Nandos, Wingstack and Wingman in the city. You can read more stories about Cardiff here.
The new restaurant prides itself on its signature Louisiana chicken, which is marinated for twelve hours in cajun spices and seasonings. The chicken sandwich is one of its best sellers, with vegetarian, spicy and 'deluxe' variations also available, while diners can also enjoy chicken on the bone as well as hot wings and spicy tenders.
Sides include regular and cajun seasoned fries, as well as mac and cheese and a buttermilk biscuit, which can also come with honey or a cajun gravy. For a truly unique side, you can also get this gravy mixed in with mashed potato, while the dips on offer range from mango habanero and garlic mayo to voodoo sweet chilli and red hot honey.
A range of sundaes include Lotus Biscoff, Oreo and caramel flavours. And if you've still got room, you can wash it all down with hand spun milkshakes, available in the same flavours, as well as chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and chocolate orange.
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