I tried Chicky Friday's restaurant in Maindee, Newport

Chicky Fridays opened its doors to chicken lovers on April 19, serving burgers, wraps, burritos, wings, grilled Piri Piri, and fried chicken.

With such a big menu (over 100 items), you might wonder, is it worth the hype?

Chicky Fridays on Chepstow Road (Image: Newsquest)

Flavour selection

In my time, I have tried a lot of chicken places around the UK. From Street Guys in Manchester, to Mr T's in Birmingham, Unit in Sheffield, and MakHalal in Cardiff.

This week I tried several items from Chicky Friday's menu, a selection of grilled and fried options to get an idea of what they offer.

Interior at Chicky Fridays (Image: Newsquest)

Diners are asked to choose from the following flavours for grilled or peri peri items: Mango & lime, garlic peri, lemon & herb, mild, hot, extra hot, Texan BBQ or tandoori.

The Chicky Fridays flavour choice, from mild and tangy mango and lime, to extra hot, Texas BBQ and tandoori. (Image: Newsquest)

Dishes I tried, include:

• Waffle fries

These were crispy, not greasy.

Waffle fries (Image: Newsquest)

• Chicky's special pasta box with mild peri fillet

The team at Chicky Friday's asked which flavour I would like, emphasising that diners can choose any flavour and heat from the menu.

Although mild was too 'mild' for me, the flavour of the soft pasta was savoury yet tangy. Red onions, lettuce, cucumber and tomato were given on the side.

Chicky's special pasta box with mild peri fillet. (Image: Newsquest)

Chicky's special pasta box with mild peri fillet. (Image: Newsquest)

• Large mango and lime wings with chips

The large wings are the wing tips and drumettes as a whole.

The mango and lime wings were sweet and tangy, glazed and glistening, with grilled char marks.

Mango and lime large wings (Image: Newsquest)

• Tandoori large wings

The large wings are the wing tips and drumettes as a whole.

The tandoori wings on the other hand were dark and used a dry rub instead of a wet marinade. They had a smoky flavour which chicken has when cooked on a barbecue or in a tandoor (clay oven).

Tandoori wings with dry tandoori rub (Image: Newsquest)

• Lemon and herb hot wings

Another mild option, these wings were glazed with a lemon and herb flavour.

Lemon and herb wings (Image: Newsquest)

• Spicy fried chicken hot wings

This fried chicken item was crispy, with a slight kick of chilli. Spicier than a high street zinger, with the same crispy coating. Although it wasn't greasy, it was slightly too salty for my taste.

Spicy fried chicken hot wings (Image: Newsquest)

• Chicky's special rice box with extra hot peri chicken strips

The highlight of the tasting and the dish that blew me away was the Chicky's special rice box with extra hot peri chicken strips.

The strips were still moist and not dry, the rice had great flavour, well seasoned with pops of peas and peppers. It was finished off with an extra drizzle of the marinade sauce, which took it to another level. ​

Chicky's special rice box with extra hot chicken strips (Image: Newsquest)

Staff at Chicky Fridays were polite and kept the premises clean. They also had a great choice of canned and bottled soft drinks.

Final thoughts

The only criticism I had when trying Chicky Fridays was that the fried chicken was slightly too salty for my taste. 

But the Chicky's special rice box was something you can't find at many places, bursting with flavour, colour and seasoning.

'Meal times' sign at Chicky Fridays (Image: Newsquest)

Overall the dishes were well-flavoured, great portion sizes and tasted fresh and homemade. Not your usual fast food but great to enjoy with the family.

Let's get straight to the point, is it worth the hype?

The answer is, yes, it is.

Chicky Friday's is offering something other places aren't - fresh and healthy food (not all of it is fried), with great flavour and something for everyone.

Next time, I'll be trying the vegetarian dishes and the burgers.

Address: 103 Chepstow Road, Newport, NP19 8BY

The meal was a gift, but opinions are my own.