Kong’s NQ

Kong’s is a classier affair than most modern chicken shops. More about the mise en place than junk for drunks (although it ticks that box too) or gaming the algorithm. In other words, the Northern Quarter take on fried chicken. 

Handy, as it is indeed, in the Northern Quarter. On Oldham Street, where CBRB (Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun) once stood. The exact place where king of Kong’s, honcho Tom Potts, worked back in the day. 

Here’s where he kicked off the Kongs concept before touring around the likes of Foundation, Dog Bowl and Northern Monk, finally returning to the fatherland as numero uno. Bit like Beowulf, for our all-important fried-chicken-eating ancient-poetry-enjoying demographic. 

Need some feel-good vibes to line your stomach? In the often catty world of Manchester hospitality, you won’t find a bad word about Tom: when Kong’s won the best food award at 2022’s Manchester Bar Awards, the room erupted in cheers. 

 And that’s as much for food as character. Kong’s knows chicken inside and out. The burgers are made from thigh meat – the only choice for the discerning chicken fan – brined for hours, coated in a Colonel-beating spice mix, and “double dredged” for extra crispness. 

Dredged? Like with canals? No, philistine, in fried chicken land, double-dredging means creating a dual coating of batter, sealing in juices and adding extra crunch. In the high-stakes world of chicken burgers, this matters. 

Oh, and the Kong’s signature burger even has a piece of chicken skin crackling placed on top. Cardiologists hate this one trick, but hungry, greedy boys like me love it.

Very few venues do chicken as well as Kong’s – there’s a level of expertise at every level, from the complex spice mix to the multi-layered stock you can taste in every bite of the moreish chicken.