Belles Hot Chicken Fitzroy - Melbourne

Now, I am no stranger to the famous Melbourne fried chicken staple and institution that is Belles Hot Chicken. It seems that whenever I’ve visited I was so focussed on the food that I completely forgot to take photos... so here is my belated review after about 4-5 visits to the various different store locations.This particular visit, our party of 3 decided to attempt the Hickory BBQ chicken ribs and the baller bucket: 16 wings, 4 sides and 4 sauces. We got the wings in “medium” (which is not spicy at all but a oily, salty coating of flavour). For sides we got the fries, coleslaw, pickled vegetables and roasted yam salad while for sauces we got the Mississippi Comeback, ranch, blue cheese and BBQ. The ribs were marinated in a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, and were of a good portion size. The chicken ribs and the chicken wings were both juicy and moist, but the outside wasn’t crunchy at all. The coating on the wings can be very salty to some, which is where the dipping sauces come in. They complement the chicken perfectly, and balance out the flavour. The sides were also perfect; balancing out the grease and strong salty flavour of the chicken, they refreshed and cleansed your palate and made you feel slightly less guilty about indulging in a bucket of fried chicken. My favourite sauce was definitely the Mississippi Comeback, with the BBQ at a close second. I loved all the sides but the yam salad definitely deserves a special mention! With all this food, my companions and I of course had drinks to help us wash it all down. They opted for wines from the menu, which they said were great. I opted for the homemade lemonade and found the cool sour tang of it refreshing and a great sidekick to the sides (helping wash away the chicken’s salty and oily goodness).Staff were attentive and friendly, and the vibe was lively and befitting of a Friday evening. A great option for when you are craving a “dirty feed” and drinks with others.

Best fried chicken burger in Melbourne. Anybody that loves a spicy burger needs to try this place out. 10/10.

Always so consistently good! This place is absolutely my go to for hot fried chicken. No other places can meet my spiciness requirements as much as Belles. I’m so glad I don’t live so close to Belles, otherwise I’ll probably eat here everyday.

Watching American food documentaries has left me hanging for southern style fried chicken. I’m not usually a big fried food fanatic so I hadn’t tried Belle’s and I hate myself for it. The service was great, the diner was so cute and the chicken was delicious. The sound of three wings didn’t seem like much but I insisted we order a set each first and not dive into the 16 wing bucket. (Thank the lord I said that). The three wings were a decent serving, came with a side as well. I ordered the hot wings and yam salad and bf had the medium wings with chips. As I was hissing my saliva as I ate the chicken I could hear the waiter explain to another table that the medium isn’t spicy and then there’s a huge jump to the hot. The heat was manageable but don’t order it if you can’t handle spice! The chips were amazing! Dare I say perfect? The yam salad was so refreshing and great match with the fried chicken. Will definitely be back!

I also tried the Hot level wings from their regular menu, and they were tender, juicy, and well-seasoned. Overall, I had a fantastic experience and will definitely be returning for more wings in the future.