Review: Popeye's Spicy Mayonnaise Chicken Sandwich

A mediocre chicken sandwich, but Popeye's signature chicken, as well as the spicy mayo, gives this sandwich a pow.

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Let's get this clear. I am not a professional food reviewer, nor do I review things to begin with. However, I need to brush up on my writing skills, so why not practice by reviewing the oh-so-controversial Popeyes' Spicy Mayonnaise Chicken Sandwich? So, let's begin!

The Presentation

When I pulled the sandwich out of the bag, the first thing that caught my attention was the packaging. It looked modern, with its sans-serif "(sandwich)" eliciting an air of professionalism. However, the wrapper felt familiar too, with the handwritten message and little doodles provoking a sense of love and care that was put into the making of this sandwich. Now, I would talk more about the wrapper, but literally, no one cares about the wrapper, so let's move on into the actual sandwich, shall we?

© Photo by Popeyes

It looked like that. You know, for $3.99, I would've expected a bit more than this. And according to the Popeye's website, I would be right (except for those fries. I didn't buy fries). The second picture is the photo that Popeye's provides. Compare that with the first photo, and it looks like I just bought a sandwich full of disappointment. Where's the love and care that the wrapper promised? Nonexistent, it seems! Perhaps it was because the restaurant was a bit understaffed, or there were too many customers going on at the time, and I'll excuse them for that. But in that second picture, there's a visible layer of pickles, which, clearly, can't be seen in the first picture. On top of this, it doesn't even look like there's any mayo! And the buns? Good grief! But I'll excuse them for the buns. It doesn't seem like you can ever get a good bun on any sandwich or burger to begin with.

I know, I know, I should take the official picture lightly. This is a fast food sandwich we're talking about. And I believe you! I think there could be a silver lining to this poor presentation. But still, I believe this could've had better presentation.

The Taste

To put it simply, in a way that more people would be able to understand: y'all trippin'! You act like this is a gift from above, a godsend! This isn't even Chick-fil-A (which people seem to worship more, and that's a bit scary), but you still treat this sandwich as if it's ambrosia! I took a bite out of the sandwich and what does it taste like? It taste like a normal chicken sandwich. You guys have hyped it up to more than that and all it tastes like is a basic chicken sandwich! Oh, and there was next to no pickles, from what I remember.

But there was some redeeming qualities to this sandwich. One thing I noticed was the chicken. Sure, yes, it was pretty lacking, but there was a certain kick to it. Popeye's added their signature spices onto their chicken, which, although it was still a little plain, there was a noticeable distinction between this chicken and other restaurants' chicken.

Then there was another factor: the spicy mayo. This turned a lackluster sandwich into a more unique one. This mayo was, essentially, the only thing that had me hooked. As soon as I tasted the mayo, it changed my whole perspective. Due to this mayo, I now see why everyone enjoyed eating this sandwich so much; even with its lacking flavor.

But alas, the mayo and Popeye's chicken just isn't enough to wow me. Sure, these two things distinguish this sandwich from the others, but it's just not enough to be a game-changer. Popeye's rendition is another, barely noticeable, face in the increasingly bloated crowd of fried chicken sandwiches.

Now, I can't say that this is better than Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich quite yet, because I haven't even tried that one yet. So if you were to be kind enough to buy me a sandwich from Chick-fil-A (because I'm not going to go all the way down to Redlands just to buy a chicken sandwich), then I can compare these two. But, for now, I'll give this sandwich a solid six out of ten.