Pop-Up Chicken Shop - Peoria, Illinois

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This was our first time visiting Pop-up Chicken shop and I have to say it's nice to be able to say that we have a great place to get chicken now!
The atmosphere was on point, I absolutely loved the art, plants, and the whole vibe of the place! There is an abundant amount if light and it's very comfortable. I regret that I didn't know about this place sooner.
Everything on the menu is a la carte, so you have to pay for everything separately. We ordered the two piece chicken strip, which came with a slice of Texas toast and extra pickles, and also the chicken and waffles. We also decided to try the cheese curds and an order of Dill Fries. We ordered Ranch and barbecue and I noticed afterwards that they were a dollar each. Drinks for $3 each, the cups are kind of small but you get refills. For just the two of us it ended up being $48 which is a little bit pricey but it was fresh and the chicken was actually pretty big.
We didn't have to wait very long before our meal arrived at the table and everything was completely fresh! They have their own special sauce and that was pretty good, better than just having barbecue or ketchup. We will definitely be returning so that we can try out the burger

August Moonflower

I am picky about my Waffles. They make them perfect for chicken and Waffles. They seem to be one of the few places that doesn't dry out their fried chicken breast. They're good and the spice is amazing! If you want a spicy chicken come here.

Also to note, this is a fast casual dinning experience. Order and pay, go dispense your own drinks, sit down, and if you need anything, you can flag someone down or go ask the front register people. It's fast casual. It's combines that fast food and sit down restaurant styles.

Chef King Curry

This is a great and cheap place to eat at. I had the Og Chicken sandwich, Fish sandwich and double smash burger. I'm rating all 3 a 8/10. The slaw on the chix/fish sandwich was delicious,fresh and very vinegary which I love. The Nashville heat on both of them were spicy and flavorful. The buns for all 3 sandwiches were amazing!! Best buns I've had. The smash burger was great, only critique is please put more seasoning on the meat. It was very bland. The Fries were delicious,crispy and fresh 8.5/10. Presentation Game 7.5/10 Price Game 10/10 Overall Pop Up Chicken 9/10. I will be back multiple times. I wanna try the whole menu lol ?

ChrisP

This is the best fried chicken in the Peoria area hands down. Since the Chanticleer closed in Eureka a couple years ago, the Peoria area has been bereft of well done fried chicken. I’ve been to everything in the area that serves fried chicken and Pop-up Chicken Shop has them beat on every metric. The breading is flavorful without being too thick or too hard. The chicken has a great taste and is really clean. The heat you can add to your chicken is balanced and well thought out. The Mac and cheese is a touch soupy but packed full of flavor and is one of the few places who know not to overcook their noodles. 10/10

Update: I came back three days later and tried the cheesesteak. The cheesesteak needs some pepper, and the option for more onions and some peppers would be nice. But it’s still the best cheesesteak in town.

Update 2: Removing a star from the food category because the chili is atrocious.

Update 3: The chicken wings are fantastic. Light and crispy and goes great with the pop-up sauce. I’m still not adding back the food star. That chili is still an abomination

Update 4: Full 5 stars. They took the terrible chili off the menu and the new items are amazing. Tried the mashed potatoes for the first time. The gravy tastes like it has a touch too much bay leaf. But great job keep up the good work!

Brian Stevens

The chicken is so good and the service was very fast. I had the hot chicken horseshoe. It was medium heat, which was nicely spicy. It had dill fries, which were more like thick fried potato slices with a tasty dill seasoning. The cheese sauce had a lot of flavor. I highly recommend this place and can't wait to come back and try something else on the menu!

Carrie Dillon

We had our first but definitely not last visit to Pop Up Chicken Shop. It was delicious. The chicken was crispy and full of flavor. The dill fries were so good and we topped it off with a Twix shake. 10 out of 10. Can’t wait to go back.

Josh Edwards

Pop-Up Chicken Peoria's Medium Chicken Bowl is a must-try—perfectly balanced heat with hearty mashed potatoes, scallions, corn, and tender chicken. The lobster roll, though slightly chewy, is the best you’ll find in Central Illinois. What a great local gem. PROTIP: parking is available on the side streets.

kelle williams

My husband ordered the chicken and waffles (medium, naked, dry rub), I ordered the wings (medium, breaded, wet/dry), sides Mac n cheese, street corn, dill fries. Chicken was so on point that we actually didn't even need those sides. The waffle was Ballin, other sides were just ok next to the chicken. For medium spice level it was pretty spicy. Since we enjoy spice, it was fine for us, but beware wimpies out there!! Honestly, for this spot just now opening, everything was being run smoothly, service was spectacular, and the facility was bright, clean, and had a dope vibe! TVs positioned all over and I'm sure when the bar opens it will be a very cool hangout! I'm really proud that places like this are coming to Peoria. East Peoria has been getting way too much shine for way too long. Let's go downtown Peoria, time for a COMEBACK!!!!! ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?