MELBOURNE | Siblings Mariam and Farhan Rehman opened Lebanese charcoal chicken spot Habibi Chicken in their hometown of Wagga Wagga in 2022. It’s proved a hit with Wagga locals, and earlier this year, they opened their second store in Preston, Melbourne.
Habibi Chicken is an ode to Mariam and Farhan’s Lebanese heritage, and Wagga. With it, they want to bring the story of both to a wider audience. The menu, developed together with Lebanese chef, and Wagga local, Mohamad El Halwani, features charcoal chicken, and classic accompaniments like chips, pita, mixed pickles, and tabouleh. There’s also fried chicken, and a selection of burgers, wraps, and loaded fries.
Chickens are sourced from organic suppliers in the Riverina region, and all sauces, seasonings, and marinades are made at Habibi Chicken’s warehouse in Wagga. Eventually, Mariam and Farhan hope to make their own charcoal using wood from Riverina olive trees. The aim is help grow the region’s economy and open up opportunities for Wagga locals, as Habibi Chicken expands to more locations.
The signature chicken, available whole, or in half and quarter serves, is marinated for 24 hours in a house spice, olive oil, and lemon blend, before being slow roasted on the rotisserie. It’s juicy, flavoursome chicken, with a bit of tang and a deep smokiness that you can smell before you even walk through the doors.
The classic pack of chicken, pita, chips, and a sauce is a great choice. The additively and intensively garlicky toum is the sauce you should go for. For wraps, its hard to go past the classic Habibi wrap. Chicken, Habibi sauce (a herbed toum), Habibi slaw, and mixed pickles, inside a toasted pita wrap. The HSP, a mix of shredded chicken, cheese, chips, barbeque sauce, Habibi sauce, and chilli garlic sauce, is another winner.
Everything’s halal, and if you’re looking to avoid meat, there are several vegan options on the menu, including falafel bowls and wraps.
Habibi Chicken
1/9 High Street
Preston
Victoria 3072
Australia
Telephone: 1300 421 574
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Mon – Sun: 11:00am to 10:00pm