American fast food chain Popeyes made its UK debut in 2021, opening its flagship London restaurant at Stratford Westfield. It's now announced that the brand is on track to add 20 new sites in 2023, including restaurants in new cities across the UK opening this month.
The brand’s first London site opened in November 2021 and (ironically) replaced an outlet of KFC at the Stratford Westfield shopping centre. The menu for the London branch is much the same as at its various US locations, which means there are no dishes that are exclusive to the UK. However, those who have tried Popeyes before can find familiar staples such as chicken tenders, chicken nuggets and the signature fried chicken sandwich.
The opening of the Stratford site was part of a larger UK expansion plan, with Popeyes aiming to open 350 stores across the UK in the coming years. Speaking about the prospect of adding further UK locations, Popeyes chief executive Tom Crowley commented: 'All our locations will be carefully chosen, in communities that echo the Louisianan spirit synonymous with Popeyes.'
![Chicken nuggets and dip]()
Popeyes is best known as a fried chicken restaurant and currently operates more than 2,000 sites across the USA. The brand also has quite a few famous fans, including the Kardashians, singer Justin Bieber, and rapper Cardi B.
The fried chicken chain is not the first American fast food juggernaut to attempt to crack the UK market. In 2021, it was announced that Wendy’s plans to open 400 UK restaurants following initial failed attempts in the 1980s and 1990s, while fried chicken sandwich restaurant Chick-fil-A also attempted to open on UK shores, but had its lease at a Reading shopping centre cancelled just one week after opening, following protests by local residents who disagreed with the chain’s history of funding anti-LGBTQIA+ groups.
To help you make the most of Popeyes' UK locations, we’ve answered some of the most popular questions below.
Popeyes UK locations: where will they be?
In February 2023, Popeyes confirmed it would be adding seven new sites plus dark kitchens to its existing line-up of its 17 sites at the time. Then, in April 2023 it came out with the news that lucky Londoners could now get their hands on the brand's goods in almost every Borough of the city following further expansion in Woolwich and Kilburn. The following shows a list of all open and anticipated Popeyes restaurant in the UK, including a drive-thru in Glasgow that will be the company's 12th opening in 2023; the group does eventually plan to open 350 restaurants.
London Popeyes locations
• Westfield Stratford
• Romford
• Ealing
• Woolwich
• Kilburn (coming soon)
• Richmond
London Popeyes Delivery Kitchens
• Whitechapel
• Bermondsey
• Dulwich
• Battersea
• Maida Vale
• Brent Cross
• Wood Green
UK Popeyes locations
• Chelmsford
• Brighton
• Oxford
• Leicester
• Nottingham
• Derby
• Liverpool
• Gateshead
• Cambridge
• Reading
• Cardiff
• Northampton
• Rotherham (drive-thru)
• Norbury (delivery kitchen)
• Plymouth
UK Popeyes locations opening soon
• Croydon
• Barnsley
• Sheffield
• Wembley
• Barrhead (Glasgow, Scotland)
• Manchester Piccadilly
Popeyes UK menu
![A spread of fast food.]()
The UK menu is exactly the same as its US menu. This means you can expect to find all of the usual Popeyes signatures, including its famous fried chicken sandwich, its chicken nuggets and its chicken tenders. Here are a few of the most popular serves:
• Classic Chicken Sandwich
• Spicy Chicken Sandwich
• Chicken Nuggets with Thee Hottie Sauce
• Chicken Tenders
• Popcorn Shrimp
• Mashed Potato with Gravy
• Cajun Fries
• Red Beans and Rice
• Coleslaw
• Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie
Popeyes has also launched a breakfast menu that is available at selected restraunts between 8am - 11am, the menu features items such as:
• Cajun Hash Brown
• Sweet Biscuits (Nutella or cinnamon sugar)
• Big Breakfast Roll with Sauce (brown sauce or ketchup)
Popeyes UK vegan menu
For the first time ever, Popeyes has introduced a vegan burger. Instead of the usual imitation meat which many of its competitor’s favour, this is a classic bean burger. The Creole Red Bean Sandwich combines a 100% plant-based bean burger that has been breaded and fried for a crunchy finish with fresh lettuce, juicy tomato slices and a creamy garlic Creole sauce. All of this is sandwiched in a brioche bun, sans le beurre.
Popeyes UK menu prices
The prices at Popeyes are similar to Burger King (which is owned by the same parent company). For example, burgers are between around £5.50 and £8, with meals coming in at roughly £10. Kids’ meals are £3.99, with a box of 20 wings costing £14.99.
Popeyes UK opening dates
The first UK restaurant for Popeyes opened on 20 November 2021 at the Stratford Westfield shopping centre in East London. The upcoming dates are listed above as per each location.
Speaking about the roll-out, Tom Crowley, CEO at Popeyes UK, said: 'The sustained demand we’re seeing for Popeyes in the UK is incredible, but not unexpected – Popeyes is a cult brand with a huge following in the US and has supplied food for everything from celebrity weddings to the Met Gala.
'That said, it’s still brilliant to see how enthusiastically the UK has welcomed us, and we’re particularly proud to be opening our first drive-thru locations this year.
'Now that we’ve established a growing presence here, we’re excited to start turning our attention towards building an industry-leading employee value proposition for our UK teams and identifying where we can make a difference in the communities we’re part of.
'That’s always been the Popeyes way.'
In other news, Wagamama is giving away free meals to support families struggling with cost of living.