Is Wingstop Watford worth the hype? Read our review

Wingstop in Market Street had hordes of people lining up to give it a go for the first few days after launching in spring, with staff heralding the opening period as a "huge success".

Watford Wingstop on opening day. (Image: Wingstop)

The American chicken chain specialises in buffalo or un-breaded wings which come in a basket with topped with different sauces or seasonings, but also sells a burger, chicken nuggets and loaded fries.

Review: 

On the surface, the Wingstop menu appears a little boring with limited options between different types of chicken wings or the sole burger.

But for each dish, the chain allows you to customise the seasoning with one of 10 options of various spice levels, from “Hawaiian” at its mildest to “atomic” at the hottest.

Customers can choose their level of spice from 10 options. (Image: Newsquest) I went for the “Brazilian citrus pepper” for my three chicken tenders, which scores a 3/5 on spiciness and promises a “bold dry rub bursting with zesty citrus and piri piri peppers”.

The fried chicken was satisfying with a great dark brown crunchy exterior and tender meat, which felt less processed than other cheaper fast food chains. 

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Three chicken nuggets, chips and a sauce came to a total of £9. (Image: Newsquest) Each piece was covered in the seasoning which had melted on top, giving the chicken a rich citrus flavour with a medium kick, although I could have definitely gone for a spicier option in retrospect. 

The flavour of the “lemon pepper-style” chips was also pleasant with a blend of zesty citrus and black pepper, but could have been a touch stronger. 

Inside Wingstop in Market Street. (Image: Newsquest) Each side of fries comes with a dip, and there’s no ketchup or English brown sauce here, the options are very American: ranch, blue cheese and honey mustard.

Although not my first choice, I was pleasantly surprised by the ranch as it had a light, tangy flavour which went well with the chips.

Conclusion

Coming in at £9 for three pieces of chicken and chips, this is fast but not necessarily cheap food.

Outside Wingstop in Market Street. (Image: Newsquest) But I did find the unusual flavours on offer at Wingstop to be interesting and something which definitely separates it from the other chicken shops around the town centre.

With 10 options to choose from, it also encourages you to come back to try some of the other flavour pairings you may have missed out on the first time.

I probably wouldn't wait in a massive queue outside to get my hands on it, but if you're peckish and in the town centre, Wingstop is not a bad option for a quick and tasty meal.