Hot chicken is the fast food snack du jour and Cardiff’s got a new independent tenders and wings spot in the city centre
A popular city centre curry spot has closed but it’s not all bad news. Chai Street stood at its High Street home next to what was the Kitchen Shop, now Bosco, for more than a decade.
But Chai Street’s unit will not stay empty as it will be filled with Welsh hot chicken shop, Doolally Hot Chicken. It seems hot chicken is the ultimate trend in fast food right now as Doolally is opening right before TikTok sensation, and Drake-loved, Dave’s Hot Chicken is due to open the other end of the street this April.
Dave’s will be found on the corner of Caroline Street and St Mary Street and is known for head-popping hot seasonings and sauces. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here
Doolally’s is blazing its own chicken trail and offering hot chicken boxes, sandos and wings with a system of five distinct global sauce options: Seoul (sweet soy, garlic-forward), Hanoi (tangy chilli, citrus lift), Kingston (smoke first, heat later), Bombay (deep heat, no sugar safety net), and Nashville (extreme heat, zero negotiation).
They will have beer on tap and five cocktail options, keeping their concept simple and they claim they want to “reduce decision fatigue. Pick your chicken. Pick your heat. Have a beer.”
A spokesman said: “Doolally offers five global flavour lanes aka ‘options’ – each one a distinct cuisine rather than a spice level. Seoul is not a milder Nashville. Kingston is not a smokier Seoul.
“They are separate flavour systems drawn from street food traditions worldwide.”
Doolally is operated by Inspiring Restaurants Ltd, the same team behind Chai Street, which occupied the same address for years.
It’s not just Dave’s Hot Chicken that is planning to open in Cardiff, YouTube sensations The Sidemen have unveiled plans for a city centre restaurant, too. The chains are in addition to other global names like Wingstop, Popeye’s, Slim Chickens and, of course, KFC, to have venues in Cardiff.
Aside from Doolally’s, Cardiff also has a healthy independent hot chicken scene, with Fowl and Fury operating its piping hot tenders, wings and sauces in Canton and Cathays. Mr Croquewich at Bridge Studios will sate your fried chicken hankerings, too, and has some less brain-blowing heat options on their menu.

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