The Best Hot Chicken Sandwiches In London

Just about any fried chicken sandwich is some degree of delicious. You can hardly go wrong with deep-fried pieces of poultry coated in spices on buttery buns. But if you’re looking for a smoky, sweat-inducing Nashville-style dry rub and crackling skin, you can find it at these four London spots. Because when the bar is high, only certain hot chicken sandwiches are worth crossing bridges for.

The Spots

Bake Street is best known as a brilliant brunch spot between Stoke Newington and Hackney Downs. Its weekend menu has become the stuff of legend. People travel far and wide to get an 11am Nashville-style hot fried chicken sandwich—as they rightfully should. The fried chicken sandwiches are McDz-like in the best possible way. Soft buns, crisp pounded chicken, and completely inhalable in under a minute. Gone in 60 seconds. The flavours, however, are above and beyond anything fast food-related. 

As Londoners, we’re inherently suspicious of huge food halls. Especially one with such close proximity to Oxford Street. And yet Arcade Food Hall, opened by the same people who brought us Brigadiers and Hoppers, has mastered it. As well as table service and a well-stocked bar, you’ll find Manna and its excellent Nashville hot chicken. It's from the folks behind Bake Street so you know it's going to be good. The move here is the bun with a piece of fried chicken breast—deep red and glistening from the cayenne-heavy hot oil—plus a slice of cheese, some much-appreciated pickles, and an orangey-pink creamy house sauce. Get a side of waffle fries as well, because…waffle fries.

Slap bang opposite Clapham Common, this small but serious operation is all about Nashville hot chicken. Hot chicken burgers, hot chicken tenders, a literal mountain of thick-cut chips topped with yet more hot chicken—you get the idea. It’s a casual spot with exposed brick, neon signs, and a menu that revolves around deep-fried poultry. We’re big fans of the classic burger with the Nashville hot oil, but you should know that you can pick your level of spice. It’s perfect for a low-key dinner with a group of friends, or a 2pm brunch when half of the group is in the mood for waffles and the other half is in the mood for a burger.

You could’ve passed through Waterloo a hundred times and still might not know that some of London’s best fried chicken is just a short walk away. Inside Southbank’s National Theatre you’ll find Kerb @ The Understudy, a street food spot serving beer, tacos, and an excellent Nashville hot chicken sando. A deep-fried chicken thigh, slaw, spicy mayo sauce, and tangy pickles all stuffed between two thick slices of buttered brioche toast. You can choose your heat level, from ‘country’ to an extra spicy ‘good luck’, and pay an extra pound for buffalo or blue cheese sauce on the side. But this sando has more than enough flavour so it’s almost a shame to dip it into anything.