A Chicken Sandwich Better Than Popeyes? Hello Yafo.
Even though the Popeyes craze has died down, merely due to a supply issue, I believe I have discovered a chicken sandwich that beats it.
If you’ve never heard of YAFO Kitchen, then you need to pay close attention. Yafo is a fast-casual Middle Eastern street food concept and holds high culinary standards and approachable price points. The first YAFO opened in 2016, filling a long-standing void in local Mediterranean street food. The restaurant and multicultural menu bring an elevated feel to fast-casual food through authentic, daily-made breads, spreads and juices. The experience features vegetarian and vegan-friendly menu options, hormone-free selections, shawarma-spiced rotisserie chicken, hummus made from organic chickpeas and homemade items like pickled vegetables and hot mezze sides.
Now you may be wondering, how in the world does a Middle Eastern street food concept beat an American southern food staple? One word: Flavor.
When I ate a Popeyes chicken it was fine! It wasn’t bad. The chicken itself is thick and juicy and has a crispy, flaky batter. Though it tastes good, the batter was a bit excessive. I personally would rather not have to gnaw my way through a bready buttered bun and a quarter-inch of grease before reaching the meat. The creamy mayonnaise was delicious as well but didn’t pack the punch of flavor that I expected.
If you want your tastebuds to perform a dance, order the Israeli Hot Chicken Sandwich from Yafo. They take a spicy red schug slathered chicken schnitzel a toasted bun with tzatziki and red cabbage slaw.
The chicken sandwich doesn’t taste like a chicken sandwich while tasting like a chicken sandwich. Yes, that sentence doesn’t make sense, but that is the only way I can describe the amount of delicious flavor packed into this chicken sandwich.
