Foodie News

The Chick-fil-A withdrawal plan: 15-plus tasty alternatives to the anti-gaychicken

You can do better than Chick-fil-A.
SpringsBargains.com
Wings and pancakes at The Breakfast Klub
Photo by Ronald S. Woan/Flickr
Smashburger's Smashchicken sandwich
Smashburger/Facebook
Popeye's chicken
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In the week since Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy incurred wrath by saying that gay marriage "invites God's judgment" and that those who support it are "prideful" and "arrogant," I've been doing a lot of fried chicken sandwich soul-searching.

It's not exactly been a secret that the company and its founders have conservative Christian beliefs and donate money to anti-gay organizations, and I've been guiltily enjoying the chicken biscuits for years. (Have you ever driven up hungover only to find the parking lot deserted because it's Sunday? That's a rough moment I call the Drive of Shame.)

So maybe it's time that Chick-fil-A and I take a little break. But fried chicken at any time? That's a love that will never die.

Maybe it's time that Chick-fil-A and I take a little break. But fried chicken at any time? That's a love that will never die.

So here's your guide to find some Chick-fil-A-style favorites and some new and awesome alternatives. No waiting until Monday when you need a chicken fix is just a bonus.

It's a different style of sandwich, but when it comes to fried chicken on bread, there's nothing better than the fried chicken po' boy at Calliope's Po-Boy in EaDo. If you are looking for something with a little more heat, the spicy crisp chicken sandwich from Cliff's brings it with pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo.

While the flavor profile might be a little different, I'm also slightly obsessed with the buffalo chicken sandwich at Smashburger, which combines a juicy fried chicken patty, bleu cheese, Frank's RedHot sauce, lettuce and tomato on the chain's signature egg bun.

Or go for something totally different, like the buttermilk-fried chicken and waffle from The Waffle Bus — they even have (duh) waffle fries.

I'm not entirely clear on whether anyone actually eats grilled chicken sandwiches at Chick-fil-A (If you do: Why? Why do you want to come so close to happiness and then turn away?), but Becks Prime has a whole grilled chicken sandwich section of the menu and for another drive-thru friendly option the version at W Grill gets high marks.

Or upgrade from fast food to fast casual and check out the juicy chicken sandwich at Paulie's.

Chick-fil-A's nuggets are tough to imitate (even chef Hugh Acheson has admitted to making them a guilty pleasure), but you could always try Popeye's, or head to Raising Cane's, which sells chicken strips and only chicken strips, albeit versions with plenty of thick, crispy breading. Better than either of these are the chicken fingers baskets at Mia's Table, especially since they are served with an intensely appealing jalepeño cream gravy.

For waffle fries, brand-new burger joint Refinery makes a version that is way better than any place with a drive-thru. They're about the same size and dimensions as Chick-fil-A's but without those sad bottom-of-the-barrel rejects. Southwell's has also been making solid waffle fries for years (as well as many other things on this list), or you could give up on the basket weave and appreciate solid straight versions at places like Little Big's and Niko Niko's.

When it comes to fried chicken on a biscuit in the morning, there's only one feasible substitute: The honey butter chicken biscuit from Whataburger, though I order mine light on both the honey and the butter.

If you have more time, you could always hit The Breakfast Klub for some wings and waffles. It's not the same thing, but it will make you happy.

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in like the rose

Mimo duo open tiny Italian sandwich and gelato shop in Houston's East End

Photo by Eric Sandler

Chef Fernando Rios and Mike Sammons recently opened La Rosa.

When sommelier Mike Sammons and chef Fernando Rios teamed up to open their East End Italian restaurant Mimo in 2023, they did so by serving sandwiches that eventually went away once the restaurant moved to only being open for dinner with full service.

Thankfully, the sandwiches are back at La Rosa, the duo’s new sandwich restaurant that, like Mimo, is located in the East End’s Tlaquepaque Market shopping center. Currently, it’s open Tuesday-Sunday with sandwiches for lunch (12-3 pm) and gelato until the early evening.

“I have always wanted to do a sandwich shop. That’s always been a weird dream since an experience I had in Italy when I was younger,” Sammons tells CultureMap. “Even back in the days at 13 Celsius, that was a big driver for the mortadella sandwich we still do there.”

La Rosa’s menu is as compact as its space, which has four indoor tables, a little dining counter, and a couple of outdoor tables. It consists of three sandwiches:

Mortadella, with fior di latte, arugula, pesto di pistachio, mostarda, and garlic aioli
Formaggio, a vegetarian sandwich with corn and zucchini fritters, arugula, pesto di pistachio, mostarda, and garlic aioli
A daily special that, on April 29, was made with bresaola, pecorino, horseradish crema, capers, arugula, and lemon.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Chef Fernando Rios and Mike Sammons recently opened La Rosa.

“We R&D’ed the hell out of them,” Sammons says about the sandwiches. “I can’t tell you how many mortadellas we’ve tasted and how many different kinds of fior di latte. Even the way we do the pesto di pistachio — dry as a bone or super wet with lots of olive oil.”

Alright, Mike, explain how nerdy you and chef got with the ingredients in the mortadella sandwich.

“First of all, when it comes to the mortadella, you have to be able to cut it so thinly you can look through it. It has to have a certain integrity and still have bite to it,” he explains. “The fior di latte has to be creamy and snappy. You have to be able to crush it flat so it oozes all over the sandwich. The pesto di pistachio has to have a real presence of raw pistachio.”

The duo applied a similar discipline to finding the right platform for La Rosa’s sandwiches. Sammons says he and Rios tried all kinds of bread, eventually settling on a telera roll from Houston favorite El Bolillo.

“It’s more of a vessel. Bread is always the star of a sandwich, but we want the star of the show to be almost a little hidden, like an uncelebrated special guest,” he says. “It’s crisp and crunchy with a toothsome bite that’s light and airy in the middle. It holds everything together but doesn’t dominate.”

Similarly, they’re sourcing gelato from Houston’s SweetCup Gelato. Sammons says he tried multiple vendors, but Sweet Cup’s lemon sorbet is the one flavor that most reminded him of Italy. In addition to classics like pistachio, chocolate, and strawberry, chef Rios can work with Sweet Cup on flavors that will be exclusive to La Rosa.

Rios is already rotating the specials. The opening weekend’s meatball sandwich quickly gave way to this week’s bresaola. Diners have plenty to look forward to, including favorites from the old days like Italian beef and chicken parm.

Sammons has some aspirations, too. He plans to add beer and wine to the current non-alcoholic offerings of soda and sparkling water.

The little shop has been surprisingly busy, he adds.

“We sold out Sunday, which was unexpected,” Sammons says. “If we keep doing that, we’ll make more. So far, everyone has been supportive. I’m really excited. I think it’s going to be great.”

news-you-can-eat sandwiches openings la rosa