Bedford’s Chicken George is now open and if delicious freshly cooked food, sport, music, and a great atmosphere is your thing, you’ll want to get yourself down to their new sports bar on Tavistock Street ASAP.
Mention Chicken George to most people in the area and they’ll begin smiling and telling you how amazing their food is, and how they drive all the way to Luton or Hitchin to get their ‘fix’.
Now, you won’t have to go very far at all as the family-run business has opened a new sports bar in the former Tavistock Pub.
We got a sneak peek of how they’ve transformed the building ahead of their opening last week, but last night we finally got a chance to sample some of their delights, including some Bedford exclusives.
Read: Exclusive: First look at Bedford’s Chicken George ahead of their opening this week
The first thing that hits you as you walk through the door is the people.
First, there’s the staff whizzing around, helping out, checking everyone is happy and getting food and drink to tables as quickly as possible.
Then there are the customers. Tables full of laughter and good conversation and happy faces, young and old, tucking into a chicken fillet, sauce-covered wings, ribs, or mac and cheese.
Last of all is the queue for their takeaway counter. At one point it was close to spilling onto the street.
While the sports bar has plenty of tables, the number of chicken collectors waiting to get that night’s dinner to go is impressive.
So, why is it so popular?
Buzzing
First of all, you need to understand the history. Chicken is in owner Chris Cheah’s blood. His dad, Ray, opened up the original Luton shop in 1985 after working for KFC.
Chris was then born in the flat upstairs and has masterfully grown his dad’s business since taking over in 2016.
Since then Chicken George has gone from strength to strength, with Chris appearing on BBC2’s Britain’s Top Takeaway and serving everyone from the England Football team to international hip-hop stars on their private jets.
But he remains humble. “We are so overwhelmed by the support from Bedford. We always knew Bedford would be a perfect place for us and we love the town so much, but the support has been amazing,” Chris told us from the kitchen last night.
“I feel like I haven’t slept in days,” he added, but you could tell by his smile as he looked across the restaurant at people having a great time that he was buzzing.
Tastes for all
You might think a sports bar serving mostly chicken wings would be quite limited, but you’d be so very wrong.
As far as Chicken George seems to be concerned, flavour is everything and there is something for everyone, with vegan options too.
Their signature and award-winning Mango Rubicon (we went for strips) practically melts in your mouth with a sweetness like no other.
Bedford-exclusive Korean Seoul Ja Boy (this time we had wings), gives you a perfect hit of Asian fusion that has you hankering for more.
Then the, also award-winning, Thai Me Up (we had wings again) continues the Asian flavours. This time there’s a Thai Curry kick with some lemon grass freshness and peanut crunch.
Other flavours for their chicken wings or strips continue to take you across the world with the Bombay Bad Boy, Bee’s Knees, Gar-Lick You All Over, and Biggie’s Buffalo giving you something to enjoy whatever your mood.
Classic fried chicken fans will be over-the-moon to see the original southern fried chicken style still taking pride of place.
We recommend ordering a fillet, picking it up with your hands and just taking a big bite. It doesn’t matter who’s watching, it’s something you just have to do.
It’s not just about the chicken though. Ribs, cooked daily, slow and low, fall off the bone and have a BBQ sauce to die for. Be quick though, they’re cooked fresh daily and once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Their mac and cheese and fries options also make sure you can get some tasty carbs, we had the smoky bacon mac and cheese and garlic cheese fries, and, yes, we ate the lot.
As we said though, there is something for everyone and the chicken-less burgers and popcorn ‘chicken’ bites offer something delicious for Vegan and Vegetarian customers too.
If after eating all that you still have room for dessert then Bedford’s Chicken George is the only one of their restaurants you’ll get ‘pudding’, with a variety of Ice Cream Sandwiches to choose from.
As for drinks, there’s, as you’d expect, something for everyone. Classic and craft beers on tap, and a good variety of wines, cocktails and soft drinks to suit all.
Sport and music
As you’ll have seen from our exclusive pictures the decor pays tribute to legends from Basketball to Football and you’d certainly expect that from a sports bar.
Plus we’ve already been told that all the Premiership and Champions League matches will be on, as well as the early kick-offs and Sunday games, and Basketball, Cricket, Rugby, NFL and boxing.
With a TV in sight no matter where you are, you won’t ever miss any action, even if you’re at the bar ordering or queuing up for a takeaway.
But what if you’re not into sports? Well, to be honest, we don’t think it matters.
The T100 was on while we were there, and while we could easily keep up with Manchester Originals Vs Oval Invincibles with glances toward the screen, the music and conversation took precedence.
Of course, the big ticket events are going to be the main draw, and we can perfectly imagine cup finals, big fights, the Superbowl and others will attract big crowds and cheers.
All in all, Chicken George is going to be a great fixture in Bedford’s restaurant league, and we reckon they’re going to have supporters cheering them on from all over the Borough.
Chicken George are walk-in-only with food being served at the following times:
- Tues to Thurs: 11:30 to 10 pm
- Fri to Sat: 11:30 to 10:30 pm
- Sun: 12:00 to 9pm
- Mon: Closed
The reviewer was gifted a meal
as part of the review process.
Competition
***This competition is now closed***
The Bedford Independent has teamed up with Chicken George to give our readers the chance to win a £30 voucher to be used at their new Bedford restaurant.
To be in with a chance of winning simply email *Competition Closed* with your name and address, and the correct answer to the following question.
What year did the first Chicken George open?
Winners will be selected at random from the correctly answered entries. The competition closes midday, 8 September 2022, open to Bedford Borough residents only.
Full terms and conditions here.
