As a Louisiana food writer, I didn’t fly to England to consume American fast food. However, when I found myself near a Popeyes in London\u00a0\u2014 accompanied by a real British person, no less\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a sense of professional obligation kicked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I’m back in Lafayette after a week of exploring old haunts around\u00a0London and Oxford, where I previously lived as a student. My foodie goals on this trip were simple\u00a0\u2014 share pints with old friends, enjoy a traditional Sunday roast, eat my fill of British Indian cuisine, and start the next day with a hearty English breakfast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fortunately, that left plenty of room for a little culinary diplomacy, courtesy of New Orleans’ iconic fried chicken. Popeyes made the jump across the pond in 2021, opening a London location that saw hundreds of people line up (or “queue”) for some of that Louisiana flavor.<\/p>\n
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Wings and chicken sandwiches from Popeyes in London.<\/p>\n
BY JOANNA BROWN | Staff writer<\/a><\/p>\n Now, Popeyes has hundreds of locations across the UK, and they are in the middle of a major expansion in France. I saw crowded Popeyes restaurants in London, Oxford and Cambridge, full of people ordering items like “Cajun citrus” wings and “superstack” sandwiches. The menu was a little different from what I’m used to, but the atmosphere felt like home.\u00a0<\/p>\n The chicken tasted pretty great too. I’ve been going to Popeyes my whole life, so standards were high going in\u00a0\u2014 but I was nicely surprised by how well Popeyes UK has translated the brand’s flavor dominance (their seasoning is some of the best in the game) in innovative ways. It’s always interesting to me to see how American brands like McDonald’s, KFC and Domino’s tweak their signature dishes for local palates, and at this Popeyes, that was expressed through chicken sandwiches stacked with hash browns.\u00a0<\/p>\n Honey BBQ Superstack sandwich from Popeyes London.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n