There is a tidal wave of hype surrounding Bell's Hot Chicken. Is it worth it?
What's on offer?
Chicken (obviously). Along with sides and drinks and a couple of alternatives.
Service
Great! When no one is around. But as soon as things get busy the staff struggle to keep up. Ordering felt a bit like the chow line at a gulag - functional, but without warmth.
Drinks
Unfortunately, the staff knowledge of the drinks on offer was lamentable. But, the range of drinks is great and the organic wines are fun.
Food
A let down. For the price and hype, you should be getting layers of flavor and well-presented food. What came out of the kitchen had raw (and notably cheep quality) spices. The mac-n-cheese was a real disappointment, kraft packet mix has better flavour and the heavy dusting of spice had no business being there. The fries were good and the saving grace of the meal.
Overall
Bell's Hot Chicken gets a lot of praise, but it's located in a city where there is no wide-spread competition for this sort of food and the locals don't know any better. More genuinely friendly service along with higher quality spices would serve this place well.
Am I rushing to go back?
Nope.
Where is it?
Shop 5, 33 Barangaroo Avenue, Wulugul Walk, Barangaroo, Sydney (and two more locations)
Find out more...
https://www.zomato.com/sydney/belles-hot-chicken-barangaroo
https://belleshotchicken.com/
