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Popular Asian fried chicken restaurant Jollibee is coming to Manchester

Asia's favourite fried chicken shop is opening a site on Market street in the new year

Georgina Pellant - 28th December 2021

Popular Filipino fried chicken shop Jollibee is expected to open a new store in Manchester in 2022, as part of a huge UK-wide expansion.

Currently, there are eight Jollibee restaurants in the UK – with the closest stores to Manchester currently based in Liverpool and Leeds.

However, that could all change amid new reports that the former Carphone Warehouse unit on Market Street will soon be home to a Jollibee of its own.

Cooking up familiar favourites with a South Asian twist, the Filipino chicken joint serves up a range of different bucket sharer meals as well as individual meals.

Over in the Philippines, it outperforms both KFC and McDonald’s – so we expect it will be quite a hit here too once it lands in Manchester. (We already know a few people who travel to Liverpool exclusively just for a taste of their chicken).

Think fried chicken tenders, wraps, burgers, ‘Jolly Spaghetti’ and chicken buckets, plus a fried chicken rice bowl topped with rainbow slaw and Asian ginger chilli sauce, sriracha chicken loaded fries, and sides of fries and plain rice.

Burger-wise, you can opt for the likes of a tropical chicken burger (served in a brioche bun packed with a crispy fried chicken breast, pineapple, cheese, lettuce and Asian ginger chilli sauce), a spicy chicken burger coated in a fiery breading and served with sriracha mayo, or a classic burger served with garlic mayo.

As for sides, think pots of gravy in various sizes (yes, you can opt for a big bucket of gravy if the standard just won’t cut it), plus pots of sweet chilli, sriracha mayo, and Asian ginger chilli sauce.

Jollibee’s famous ‘Jolly Spaghetti’ will make you question your beliefe that fried chicken and pasta don’t go together / Image: Jollibee

Elsewhere, you’ll find desserts like mango coconut and chocolate coconut icecream sundaes – both comprised of vanilla soft serve topped with either mango sauce, mango pieces and coconut, or Jollibee’s chocolate sauce and coconut.

Today, Jollibee boasts over 1,400 locations worldwide, spread across Asia, Europe, the US and the UK.

Described as a ‘joyous mashup of Western comfort food served with a tropical twist’, the restaurant has been serving its Chickenjoy, Jolly Spaghetti, and Yumburgers across the world since 1978.

Although no opening date is currently confirmed, reports currently suggest we can expect the new restaurant to open early in the new year. Personally, we can’t wait.

Feature image – Jollibee