The Chicken Shop

Overview

If you've eaten one of Ben Greeno's stupidly juicy rotisserie chooks at The Paddington, you'll be very happy about this next bit of news. After a long, long time in limbo, Merivale's first takeaway offshoot The Chicken Shop turned on its rotisseries and opened its doors on Thursday, January 26.

We initially wrote about the venue back in 2015 — before the opening of The Paddington, and when The Chicken Shop had an expected open date of December 2015. Now, more than a year later, the grab-and-go eatery is finally up and running in a small shopfront right next to the busy gastropub on Oxford Street.

The Chicken Shop makes use of the same imported, custom-made French rotisseries that have defined The Paddington's offering over this last year. Instead of sitting down for a two-hour meal with wine, starters and cocktails to get their hands on one of Greeno's chickens, punters can sidle on next door to get it takeaway. As well as whole chickens, the rotisserie also roast non-poultry offerings, like pork belly, lamb rump, glazed ham, beef and even ocean trout. Salads and sides are available too — expect green beans with hazelnuts, cos lettuce with avo, roasted carrots, potato gratin and fries.

If you've had one of The Paddington's late-night roast chicken rolls as a midnight snack, you'll also be rapt to know The Chicken Shop does sangas too. Combos like hot chicken and jalapeño, glazed leg ham with Dijon mustard and pickles, and fish fingers with edamame are expertly pressed between two pieces of Brickfields bread for lunch and dinner.

Merivale is quickly turning this strip of Oxford Street into their own — along with Fred's and The Paddington, The Chicken Shop makes three venues on the same block. So at least you know if you can't get into one of the former, you'll at least have a chicken sandwich as plan B.