Roosters Piri Piri is a gluten free friendly fast food restaurant chain with many locations around London and the UK, mainly revolving around delicious grilled chicken. A great option for quick meals or take aways and there are plenty of healthy choices too.
Roosters Piri Piri
Location: many locations across London and the UK – view full list {here}
Tried and tested: Finsbury Park branch (2-8 Stroud Green Road, London, N4 2DF)
Food: grilled chicken based meals with many sauces and sides to choose from
Gluten free status: good knowledge of gluten and cross-contamination + many gluten free options on the menu
Price: affordable – I paid about Β£6 for a quarter chicken with lebanese sauce, grilled halloumi and mashed potatoes
Bonus:Β some of them do home deliveries
Is Roosters Piri Piri safe for Coeliacs?
The short answer is: YES! π
I wanted to try Roosters Piri Piri from the moment I noticed it by Finsbury Park station a few years ago, but something put me off. Something that always rings an alarm for me as a coeliac. You know, that whole “hey our chips are gluten free, but we forgot to tell you there’s gluten in the fryer” scenario.
This is one of my biggest pet peeves when eating out. I find it hard to trust restaurants that do this… It suggests that they don’t fully understand what gluten free means. And therefore can you trust that other gluten free options are truly gluten free? How can you trust them with cross-contamination if they don’t see the issue with using the same fryer?
But this was 2-3 years ago so I decided to pop back in yesterday and ask out of curiosity. The good news is that although they still fry the chips and wedges in the same oil as gluten, it’s obvious that the staff have good training regarding allergens now.
EDIT (04.12.17):
It turns out that the initial information I was given is incorrect. There is no gluten in fryer after all, at least not anymore, so the fries are officially gluten free! Always ask, just to make sure, but this is the case in my local Roosters Piri Piri (in Finsbury Park). I’ve had them a few times now without any issue so I can confirm that they’re ok. π
Good knowledge of cross-contamination
As soon as I asked about the chips, the guy said “they are, but we fry gluten containing foods in the same oil so if you have an allergy it’s not a good idea”. He then went on to explain that no gluten is put on the grills where the chicken is cooked, etc. It put me at ease right away.
As long as restaurants understand the seriousness of cross-contamination and are straight forward with customers about what’s safe for them or not, I’m happy. What I don’t like is being told that something is safe only to discover that it’s not after questioning. Because what if I hadn’t asked and just trusted the menu, like many people do?
But I’m happy to report that Roosters Piri Piri is great with allergens. Just make sure you let them know about your dietary needs when ordering so they can take extra precautions when preparing your food.
The food
I expected Roosters Piri Piri to be another version of Nando’s and on many levels it is, but in its own way! So if you like Nando’s, you’ll most likely enjoy this place too.
First of all the chicken is juicy and delicious, but the choice of sauces is where things start to differ. I went for Lebanese (they also have piri piri, Mexican, and tikka flavours – all of which are gluten free) and it was so yummy!
And in a way it’s good that the chips aren’t an option (EDIT 04.12.17: see update above – the fries are now gluten free) because it forced me to stray away from my usual choices (at Nando’s). I went for the mashed potatoes instead and I must say it perfectly complimented the Lebanese chicken along with grilled halloumi. I highly recommend this combination, plus it’s much healthier than a big portion of chips. It left me feeling really good afterwards.
But there are many other options as well like rice, coleslaw, salad, corn on the cob roasted vegetables and a quinoa based tabouleh salad.
Overall I enjoyed everything. The food is tasty and uses good quality ingredients. And considering it’s a fast food chain, you can actually have a decently healthy meal depending on what you choose. π
Check out the whole menu {here}
They open until late!
Another point worth mentioning is that some Roosters Piri Piri close quite late. It depends on the branch, but for example my closest one (in Finsbury Park) closes at 3:15am on Fridays and Saturdays and at 1:30am on Thursdays!
So a great option on your way home after a night out! There’s often not much for us Coeliacs at those times, but now thanks to Roosters Piri Piri I don’t need to suffer while watching everyone eat chicken, kebabs and chips… π
Would I go back?
Yes, absolutely!
For more info, check out their website {here}
–
For simple healthy meal ideas, restaurant recommendations and general food inspiration, you can find me on:
