Food

Roaming Rooster’s Massive Fried Chicken Sandwiches Are Now on U Street

The popular DC venture opens at the Ellington today with Nashville hot and honey-butter chicken.

Sandwiches at Roaming Rooster. Photo courtesy of Roaming Rooster.

Remember more innocent times when Popeyes’ fried chicken sandwich dominated our psyche? Last summer’s crispy chicken obsession gave way to one of our favorite feel good food stories of the year when Twitter user Bri Hall tweeted about DC’s family-owned fried chicken shop, Roaming Rooster:

The tweet went viral and customers flocked to the restaurant on Blandesburg Road and four food trucks to try the massive sandwiches, which quickly became the must-have fried chicken in the District (Hall got free sandos for life). Now Roaming Rooster is expanding to a second storefront, launching as an indefinite pop-up on U Street in The Ellington development.

A fried chicken sandwich with honey butter. Photo courtesy of Roaming Rooster.
A fried chicken sandwich with honey butter. Photo courtesy of Roaming Rooster.

Sandwiches run the heat spectrum from mild to medium and hot. Roaming Rooster’s most popular patty— and co-founder Michael Habtemariam’s favorite—is sweet and savory buttermilk-battered chicken brushed with ambrosia honey butter. The menu also features a trendy Nashville hot chicken sandwich with pickles and crunchy, herb-filled coleslaw. (The slaw can be ordered as a side dish, along with hand cut fries and cooling iced tea). The same free-range, halal chicken can also be ordered as wings, chicken tenders, and salads. “Our chicken is always made with love — there’s a love to it,” says Habtemariam.

The restaurant offers a variety of chicken sandwiches, including a Nashville hot chicken option. Photo by Roaming Rooster.
The restaurant offers a variety of chicken sandwiches, including a Nashville hot chicken option. Photo by Roaming Rooster.

Roaming Rooster is also opening a location in Western Market Food Hall, slated for early 2021.

Roaming Rooster. 1301 U St., NW. Open Monday to Sunday from 11 AM to 10 PM. 

The fried chicken club sandwich. Photo courtesy of Roaming Rooster.
The fried chicken club sandwich. Photo courtesy of Roaming Rooster.

Daniella Byck
Lifestyle Editor

Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.