Yum! No Name Chicken hits a home run at grand opening with honey BBQ and Cajun wings
If you like wings and sliders with sauces from honey barbecue sweet to spicy hot and grab the milk, you’ve got to check out a new chicken joint in the Kroger shopping center off Ga. 96 in Warner Robins.
That’s what I did Wednesday for the grand opening of No Name Chicken, a sister restaurant to the Fried Green Tomatoes locations in Middle Georgia. Another sister restaurant to Fried Green Tomatoes is Wingtopia in Macon.
I ordered the No. 2 combo that comes with eight wings with two sauces, crinkle fries and a taste of “corn slaw.”
For my sauces, I chose the Honey BBQ, billed as big flavor with extra love, and the Louis Louis, which is described as a fusion of juicy, garlic, buttery and Cajun that wing lovers should “be ready to get your hands dirty!”
Some of the sauces have a red pepper ranking. One red pepper is just enough kick, two red peppers means the heat lingers a bit, three red peppers are for those who like ‘em hot, and four red peppers means you best order your milk now.
The wings are prepared with the sauce you order, and the two sauces I chose lived up to their names.
The Honey BBQ, which had no red pepper ranking, was sweet. The Louis Louis sauce with its two red pepper rating was just hot enough to accentuate the flavor but was a different kind of heat from their spicy-sweet Peach on Fire with its four red pepper ranking. Also, black sunglasses by a menu selection signal it’s a signature item.
For me personally, the fried chicken wings were just right in size — not so big that they lose their flavor and crunchiness and not so small that you’re searching for the meat.
Everything is made fresh to order. The fries were hot and salted. The corn slaw was sweet with bits of corn.
The No. 2 was on special for $9.99.
A variety of bottled and canned drinks are offered, including soft drinks, sports drinks, orange juice, energy drinks, iced Dunkin’ coffee, flavored soda water and beer.
I chose a can of AHA lime and watermelon sparkling water for 79 cents. The total cost of my lunch with taxes and a tip was $12.91.
Grand opening
The fun part about visiting a restaurant during its grand opening is that most folks are generally jovial. Customers asked each other what they’d tried and shared what they thought. Only good reports were overheard.
Jonathan Braxton and Isabella Casanova, boyfriend and girlfriend, each had the No. 2 combo.
When asked, Braxton raved about the Gangnam Style wings, which are billed as secret teriyaki recipes from Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym used by Bitcoin creator(s).
A self-proclaimed lover of teriyaki wings, Braxton said No Name Chicken “nailed it.”
The restaurant also serves chicken tenderloin sliders, street fried rice, a stir fry mix, as well as small house salads and sliced carrots and celery.
On my next visit, I’m thinking I’ll try the sliders: one with with Orange Panda sauce and freshly made guacamole and the second with Peach BBQ sauce. Both are signature sauces, and the guacamole is billed to add a “real flavor explosion.”
The colorful L-shaped dining area has three high tables with chairs at the front and six regular tables with four chairs lined along the L-side of the restaurant. A couple of tables for two are outside in the front of the restaurant.
Each table inside has a small basket with a shaker of salt, Texas Pete Hot Sauce, ketchup, lemon pepper seasoning and a seasoned salt for the fries. Didn’t need any of the above. The basket also has individual Wet Ones, antibacterial hand wipes, which are welcomed touch for wing eaters.
Also, you can get ranch, blue cheese and yumyum sauce on request.
Bottom line: Not only were the wings finger-licking good but as one customer noted, you start to put down a wing but stop to see if maybe there’s just one more little bite of meat you missed.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The number is 478-313-5422. The transformed space at 778 Ga. 96, Suite 130, was formerly home to Sweet of Life.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 12:14 PM.