When it comes to fast food and more specifically broast chicken in Saudi Arabia, everyone is always talking about Al Baik, but this spot right here, Al Tazaj, is quietly doing bits. If there was a fast food chain that would take the silver medal and really challenge Al Baik for popularity, it would be Al Tazaj. They’ve done it somewhat quietly, especially from an outsider’s perspective. Not many outside of the country are even aware of who they are, yet if you go to a branch, you’ll see a respectfully long queue (not Al Baik levels, but still). Inside the country, it is super popular, again maybe not Al Baik levels, but still popular in its own right. And some would argue they’ve exceeded Al Baik in certain aspects. Read on to find out more.
Taking over the Middle East
Al Baik were famous for sticking to a very specific part of a specific country, while Al Tazaj did not see it that way. They capitalised on their success and ran with it. They expanded far and wide and fast. They’ve got over 100 restaurants all across the Middle East and even beyond (Morocco!). I do like the novelty feeling that Al Baik were initially going for, but this approach also deserves credit. They’ve done it somewhat quietly but super successfully.
Al Baik vs Al Tazaj
With Al Baik it is essentially about the broast chicken and that’s their foundation. However, with Al Tazaj, it is so much more than that. They do broast chicken, grilled chicken, kabsa, wraps, kebabs and a few decent dessert items too. It’s a place you can go for your fried chicken and chips cheat meal or for a healthy grilled chicken and rice meal. It truly is a nice one stop shop for a quick meal in Saudi Arabia. Does this make Al Tazaj actually better than Al Baik? It may well be the better option for a bigger group looking to fulfil a variety of different tastebuds.
Check out their full menu here.
What should you order?
With such an extensive menu, what should you order from Al Tazaj then? You can go for the grilled chicken / kabsa meals, but I’d probably try that at more dedicated kabsa spots (e.g. Al Romansiah). So, I would suggest trying the famous Saudi Arabian broast chicken here. You’ll have to try it when in Saudi Arabia, and if it isn’t at Al Baik, I’d definitely try it here. And this one’s an if you know you know item from the menu. Only true Saudi foodies know about this. From their dessert menu, try the Basboosa, trust me you will not regret it. The locals know its greatness and therefore it is super popular amongst them. But if you’re not a local, you just won’t know about it and it isn’t something that screams out from a fried chicken spot menu. But for me, it’s one of the best things on the whole menu!
The trendy crispy burger
Before we headed out, we noticed their crispy roll was trending. It looked interesting and something we had to try. But once we got there, there was another item that was going viral. It was the new Crispy Burger. A fried chicken enclosed within a crispy batter, with an oozy layer of cheese in between. This was their brand spanking new item on their menu and it was on all their marketing too. And it was clearly trending on the Saudi Arabia socials. So, of course we had to get it and give it a try. How was it? Well, let me just put it this way – it tasted as good as it sounds. If you love a crispy chicken burger, then this you will adore!
