I know Guy Fieri gets a lot of flack, but I like him. Yes, he’s got some pretty strong bro/frat-boy vibes, but that’s mostly just part of the act. He’s way more knowledgeable about food than your standard Food Network personality — he’s a professionally trained chef who already had his own restaurants long before he stepped foot in front of the camera.
He’s also a fairly charismatic host. Diners, Drive-ins and Dives is a good show, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.
So of course, I had to check out his restaurant at Disney Springs, Chicken Guy.
Me and a lot of people, apparently. When I first showed up the line was pretty substantial, so I left and came back about a half hour later. The line was even longer.
The place specializes in chicken tenders, which you can either get on their own (with an impressive assortment of 22 dipping sauces) or as part of a sandwich. I went with the CG Classic, which is two tenders on a bun topped with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and special sauce.
It’s a tasty sandwich, though its structural integrity is questionable (putting it mildly). It’s greasy, overstuffed, and slippery, and it completely fell apart almost as soon as I picked it up. I tried putting it back together, but eventually I had to throw in the towel and get a fork and knife.
The chicken strips are definitely above average. They’re super tender despite being made of white meat, and the exterior is nice and crispy. They are, however, quite underseasoned — I guess the many sauces are meant to do the heavy lifting in the flavour department.
The rest of the sandwich is pretty decent, but considering that I wasn’t even able to eat it as a sandwich, I wish I had just ordered the strips on their own.
I got an order of fries, which were also above average; they definitely had that crispy/creamy thing you’re looking for. Unlike the strips, they’re very generously seasoned with a pretty tasty salt/spice mixture.
They were so flavourful they barely even needed the Donkey Sauce I ordered on the side, which was creamy, zesty, and surprisingly garlicky.
Location: 1506 East Buena Vista Drive Suite A, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830