Hi Five Chicken is a fast-food chain that started in 2016.
From its first location in Vancouver to now having 11 restaurants open (there’s even a drive-thru location in Maple Ridge), the company has come a long way and continues to grow – including its latest restaurant in downtown Victoria.
The new Hi Five Chicken is at 1438 Douglas St. and adds to a crowded chicken scene in Victoria with more and more outlets opening up.
Hi Five Chicken’s, executive team of Milind Palashetkar, Suraj Sharma, and Mono Moitra, believe the company’s focus will always be serving outstanding menu items regardless of whether the location is corporately owned or a franchise location. Hi Five Chicken guarantees a “love at first bite” experience, and with so many delicious options to choose from, it seems just one visit won’t do.
So, how do you decide where to get fried chicken when there are so many to choose from?
Below is a list of just some of the places that offer fried chicken as the main staple on their menus (the list doesn’t include the many bars or restaurants that simply have a fried chicken option).
These fried chicken places go way beyond the fast-food stylings of KFC with fresh ingredients and a slow cooking process that is done when you first order instead of sitting in a heated bin for hours getting stale.
One of the latest is Smile Chicken, a Korean-style restaurant at the corner of Broughton and Douglas - it’s all chicken, all the time. The menu does feature some interesting different corn dogs, including one that is all cheese that is deep fried. But it’s the fried chicken that really brings in the customers. You can get original or some sweet and spicy glazes. Everything is done by scratch and you really notice the difference.
If you want to go beyond a basket of chicken, try the fried chicken sandwich. It’s huge and fresh, with a delightful glaze to go along with a fresh bun and lettuce. Truly an impressive package to fill you up for lunch.
Also new downtown is Chimac Korean-style fried chicken that includes a tantalizing item called spicy chili chicken. Other fried chicken options include original, garlic soy, honey mustard, snowy (with a cheese seasoning), plus sweet and sour, creamy onion and pa-dak - a boneless chicken with thin-sliced green onion and homemade horseradish sauce on top.
If you’re noticing a trend with Korean-style fried chicken, you’re right. This is all the rage in Metro Vancouver and it’s growing in Victoria. Another great place in this style is Thunderbird on Cook Street that has an incredible crispy chicken. There’s also Pelicana in Saanich that does Korean-style chicken the way it’s meant to be.
Other great chicken options to choose from:
Chicken 649
Capone’s
Chester’s
Chicken on the Run
Lee’s Chicken
Chicken World
Jones Bar-B-Que
Good Ovening (just opened last month)
Hive Eatery
Hungry Hen
We may have missed one so email us with your faves when it comes to fried chicken.
READ MORE: New Victoria restaurant bucks fried chicken ‘mania’ with oven roasting
