Hot & spicy fillet burger @ Chicken Bazooka
9–11, Ranelagh Place, Liverpool, L3 5SB
In my experience there are two things, food-wise, that are almost impossible to find in Liverpool as compared to London: truly great Turkish restaurants and good chicken shops. While I expect movement on the former — the standard has improved markedly over the past few years — I believe the latter will be a constant struggle for this city.
The reason for this, I think, has to do with demand. There isn’t the constant churn of people eating chicken and chips throughout the day in the same way there is in London. People do want to go to chicken shops here, but only after they’ve been drinking. Consequently, there aren’t that many of them around and ones that do exist tend to only make food that’s appetising if you’ve had eight sambucas.
You’ll be told the famous Nabzy’s on Hardman Street is the best chicken shop in the city, but it isn’t. On a good day it’s solidly above average, on a bad day it’s actively bad. Ditto Hot ’n’ Tender next door. Krunchy Fried Chicken, at the end of Berry Street, should be avoided like the plague.
The only genuinely decent chicken shop, in the city centre at least, is also one of the oldest — Chicken Bazooka at the bottom of Renshaw Street, opposite the recently revived O Five One club. Though the exterior signage was updated a couple of years ago, inside it still looks like 1995 — mirrors, tiles and acres of red paint.
Their wings, pieces etc. are all pretty solid — not knockout but better than you’ll find elsewhere in Liverpool. The real star however, the pick of the menu, is the spicy fillet burger.
On request the hefty breaded chicken breast is dipped into a container of thin, fiery pepper sauce (with an almost jus-like consistency) before being added to the bun. The heat builds with each bite, going from a tingle to a pleasant burn. Honestly very delicious, even if you haven’t spent the evening getting smashed.
Bazooka also sells pizza and kebabs but it should go without saying these aren’t worth bothering with – stick with the chicken.
