Coop Wicked Chicken Hamilton, A Review.

I’ve been fortunate to have sampled fried chicken in South Korea, Germany, several states in the US, throughout the Caribbean and at ‘home’ here in Canada and I may have just had one of the better fried chicken sandwiches thus far. Last Thursday Tehya invited me to dinner at Coop Wicked Chicken, a relatively new fried chicken (and burgers) restaurant in or hometown of Hamilton.  While we didn’t go with the intention to film a #Gallivanting video, we were complled by the space, friendly staff and ‘wicked’ chicken sandwiches into doing so (see below).

If you recall, I did mention that the chicken sandwich I had at Hambrgr was excellent, however the Nashville Chicken sandwich at Coop Wicked Chicken may have replaced that one as being my fave in Hamilton. Don’t get me wrong, the one at Hambrgr is tasty and while much bigger than at Coop Wicked Chicken, it’s also more pricey.

Before getting into the typical ‘point’ format of what we liked and what could be improved at Coop Wicked Chicken, I’d like to mention that besides the space being gorgeous (I love graffiti), incredibly clean.. the way the staff engaged us was brilliant. From asking us if it was our first time (go take a walk around and check out the space) , to asking about possible allergies and then inviting us to come back. As far as I’m concerned they get full marks for customer service (well done Richard)

Coop Wicked Chicken #HamOnt
Menu: http://thecoop.ca/menu/
Address: 272-274 King St W. Hamilton, ON
Instagram @thecoopwickedchicken

• lovely space with a throw-back on the late 80’s (Ghostbusters + Graffiti?) and I love the exposed concrete and metal air-ducts – very industrial but not cold
• 2 levels of dining rooms and a lower level kitchen you can peek over, at the back of the restaurant
• incredibly clean and organized – including the bathroom and lower level kitchen area
• comfortable tables, with lost of space between each
• tons of natural light from the street facing windows
• excellent choice of music (quality speakers) but some may find it a bit too loud (however keep in mind the restaurant was basically empty of patrons when we were there so it would be easy to be loud).
• when ordering keep in mind that ‘sides’ comes with an additional cost (no combos)
• they’ve got one of those soda machines where you can create personalized drinks (cost)
• knowledgeable staff (Richard knew the food very well when I questioned him about the menu)
• fast and FRESH!
• the topping on the sandwich (tomato, lettuce etc) were fresh and crisp.. no yellow or tarnished edges. It was like eating a refreshing mini salad each bite of our sandwiches. Perfect balance to the heat of our two choices (Nashville and Buffalo Sandwiches)
• the Nashville sandwich was perfectly sauced and as spicy as Richard (our server) had warned
• the spice from the Nashville lingered on the corner edges of my lips in a good way
• however when I gave Tehya’s Buffalo sandwich a try I found it a bit heavy on butter. It could be from the buffalo sauce or (I’m assuming here) from toasting the bread on the flattop grill with butter.
• while the fried chicken on both sandwiches were chicken breasts, they were moist and juicy (almost flavorful from a brine?) and not overcooked as it’s so easy to do when done incorrect
• we appreciated the fact that the sesame seed brioche-type buns completed the sandwich perfectly
• while the sandwiches were not as huge as the ones we encountered at Hambrgr, they were the perfect size for completing and filling us.No need for a doggie bag
• free wifi is always good

While we did go to a fry chicken joint and didn’t really try the fried’ chicken, its a great excuse to go back in the very near future for round 2. On cashing out we were invited back to come try their hamburgers, which we were told.. could rival any in the city. Richard also mentioned to us that when the main doors close at night, they do have a takeout window (watch the video below) where one can get access to wicked fried chicken when most restaurants are closed in Hamilton – BRILLIANT!

Side Note: I’m a HUGE fan of marketing and branding so I must mention that having stickers and those pins (at the checkout) for customers to take, is such a great idea. I also noticed that on the takeout bag a customer was carrying out there were stickers on it as well… bravo marketing team.