(popeyes.com) – Tacoma
How I heard of this place: Having seen it on highway signs for years, I never even considered sampling the sailor namesake establishment until my friends Chris & Chris raved about the biscuits and mashed potatoes and gravy on a trip down to Portland about one month prior.
Type of cuisine: Southern fried chicken and catfish with all the fixin’s. Everything from mashed potatoes and gravy, to buttermilk biscuits and cajun rice, from cole slaw and red beans and rice to cajun battered fries. You want it fried, with a southern flair, you can get it here. Where the tradition of recipes passed down from generation to generation meets the all-American drive-thru.”Where authentic cooking combines with value. Where real food meets real fast.”
Ambiance: A fast food restaurant all around, the space is lit by fluorescent lights interspersed plastic tables lined with booth-style benches or plastic chairs. Order at the counter, await staff to call out your order number, take your tray to your table of choice. Windows surround the brightly colored red, orange and yellow painted walls and signage.
What I ordered: At the recommendation of our dining companions, my friend and I shared the 5-piece chicken tender combo ($9.95) with two sides (a biscuit and mashed potatoes with gravy). Two pieces of chicken, spicy and three un-seasoned, with a side of ranch and a side of spicy honey mustard. We were also given our selection of soda (Pepsi products). Another in our group ordered the two piece chicken dinner with the same sides and an additional biscuit. A third ordered the 3-piece chicken tender combo. And our last dining companion ordered the fried chicken wings, with biscuits (I assume, although they were gone when I arrived at the table).
What I loved: I loved the buttery, flaky and warm biscuit the most of everything on our tray. The mashed potatoes were a close second, with “chunks of meat in the gravy”. The spicy chicken beat out the original, as it had color, flavor and a small tinge of heat.
Why I loved it: It was fast, it was greasy and it satisfied our quick need for food on the way back from skydiving in Shelton, Washington.
Cost: Average ($4-$8 for each meal)