Ah, the roast chook. Photo: Hungry Hub.
To the average non-vegetarian Aussie, it can be argued that few phrases are more comforting than “I’ll grab a chook on the way home”.
Ubiquitous throughout the nation, the humble chicken shop has pecked its way deep into the Australian culture.
From Helensburgh Charcoal Chicken in the north to Get Stuffed down in Shell Cove, we counted some 20 chicken shops. And when we put the question of where to get the best one to Illawarra Facebook community pages, we didn’t just get answers — we got opinions. Strong ones.
It’s important to establish first what we mean by a “chicken shop”, because while a hot roast chicken as a takeaway staple feels very Australian, versions can be found all over the world.
Before anyone accuses us of poultry parochialism, it’s worth noting that while a hot roast chicken as a takeaway staple feels very Australian, we don’t have a monopoly.
In France and Southern Europe, rotisserie chickens are sold everywhere, often from markets or small specialist shops. In Portugal, “churrasqueiras” sell charcoal chicken with chips and salad — very close in spirit. Peru’s “pollo a la brasa” restaurants are hugely popular and culturally significant. And throughout the UK and US, rotisserie chickens are common, but most often sold in supermarkets.
It’s the way Australians do a “chicken shop” that’s uniquely us.
To start, an Aussie chicken shop is a dedicated suburban standalone shop like a fish and chippery or bakery — not a restaurant, not a supermarket. The core menu generally comprises roast or charcoal chicken, hot chips, gravy and basic salads. They’re characterised as affordable, family-oriented and no-frills, and their fare is treated as a default weeknight dinner rather than a specialty.
But you’re not here for definitions.
Photos: Hungry Hub.
First of all, let’s get this out of the way — yes, any local independent grocer probably has a roast chook that rates anywhere from decent to spectacular. In fact, several were mentioned by name in our polling efforts. Of these, Foodworks Windang racked up the most shout-outs, followed by IGA Port Kembla, which even put its money where its mouth was, inviting us to come grab one of its ”fabulous” chooks ourselves and see what all the fuss was about.
But as for the actual chicken shops, it seems fitting to start with a brand that will inevitably come up when you’re talking about Illawarra chicken shops: Chicko’s. Waves of nostalgia washed over the Gong when the central Wollongong location closed in late 2023 for development. Fortunately, its Figtree location does a mean bird, the sheer number of votes suggesting Chicko’s still lives rent-free in many Wollongong hearts.
Tallying the votes, special mentions must go to a clutch of shops that inspired fierce loyalty, if not outright devotion. Namely, Big Birdz in Woonona, Caesar’s Chicken in Corrimal, Tony’s Chickens in West Wollongong and Hargraves Rotisserie in Thirroul, which filled a long-lamented hole left in northern suburb hearts when KCCs (later Kazem’s Kitchen) closed.
Down south, roast chook fans talked a big game about Chicken King and Thunderbirds Chicken, both in Dapto.
Narrowly missing the top perch was Warrawong’s Hungry Hub, run by a former customer of the shop, Burhan Zangana.
While the space has been a chicken shop since 1988, Burhan, an engineer by trade, and his teacher wife took over the shop a year ago, and have retained the tradition of flat, butterflied Portuguese-style roast chickens.
“When the chicken is round, it can be difficult to cook the chicken evenly to perfection — either the skin can burn in places or the meat can be dry in some areas and underdone in others,” he says.
“With the Portuguese style, you can achieve that crispy, charcoaly skin outside, and it’s still juicy inside.
“Numerous customers have told me they don’t eat chicken, normally. One lady said she was shocked that her son loved our chicken, because he had always refused to eat it before. He will only eat ours.”
Burhan says the secret to amassing a loyal fanbase that loves you enough to give you a shout-out is consistency, but also a secret ingredient.
“We marinate overnight and then the next day, season it with many mixtures. It’s why our chicken is never gamey — it’s always just delicious,” he says. “But mostly, our customers tell us they can taste the passion we put in every bird.”
This Oak Flats chicken shop’s chickens are tasty, generously proportioned, and served with a wide range of salads (inset). Photos: Oak Flats Charcoal Chicken & Curry Hut.
And taking the top spot was Oak Flats Charcoal Chicken & Curry Hut.
As the name implies, it does sell a range of tasty curries, but we’re here for the chooks, which devotees tell us are not only delicious but generously proportioned.
“Great size, value for money as well,” one commenter said.
“Second that, and if you prefer your chook cooked over hot charcoal,” agreed another.
“Proper charcoal chicken, not the cheapest, but they are big chickens, not Sparrows,” said another.
And there you have it, folks, the pecking order as decided by the people — loudly, passionately and with zero chance of unanimous agreement.
