I visited Bojangles' first New York City location and was reminded why I fell in love with the Southern chicken chain

When I heard Bojangles was opening its first New York City location, I knew I had to go.

Founded in North Carolina in 1977, Bojangles has built a loyal following across Southern states, where its menu and branding are closely tied to regional favorites and a popular breakfast menu.

It now operates over 800 locations in 24 states, as well as in Honduras. Most of the chain's locations are clustered in the Carolinas — North Carolina has 350 restaurants, while South Carolina has 154.

There are a few restaurants in more northern states: New Jersey has two locations, as does Pennsylvania.

Now, the chain is experimenting with more locations to see if New Yorkers can buy into its brand. It just opened its first location in New York City as part of a broader expansion beyond the Southeast.

The new location in Flatbush, Brooklyn, features 38 dine-in seats and a drive-thru.

I lived in North Carolina for four years during college, and Bojangles was one of my favorite chains for breakfast or crispy chicken.

My favorite burger chain in North Carolina was undeniably Cook Out, a barbecue chain with locations across the Southeast.

However, when it came to a quick breakfast sandwich before class or some crispy chicken tenders, Bojangles was certainly up there on my list of favorites.

The New York City location didn't have a distinctly Southern feel, but it was clean and modern.

From the outside, the restaurant blended into the city streetscape. Inside, the restaurant felt more polished than many Southern locations I remembered — probably because it was brand new.

"I only want to land on A-plus locations, because the brand is coming into a new market, and it has to be done the right way," the new location's franchisee, Habib Hashimi, told Business Insider when we toured the space.

This location will operate 24 hours a day, so it's always "Bo time."

The menu features a mix of Southern favorites, with slight alterations.

Marshall Scarborough, Bojangles' vice president of menu and culinary innovation, said the New York City menu is similar to what customers find in the South, although it's slightly pared down.

It focuses on boneless chicken items, such as tenders and sandwiches, as well as breakfast, to align with current tastes.

"The biggest trend that we've seen is younger customers shying away from bone-in chicken and going more toward boneless chicken," he said.

I tried some of the most popular items from both breakfast and lunch, including a few new ones I'd never tried before.

From made-to-order iced coffee to a milkshake inspired by the chain's Bo-Berry biscuit — a biscuit handmade with blueberries and drizzled in icing — there were a few items on the menu that were new to me.

I tried one of the chain's crispy chicken breakfast biscuits, the chicken sandwich, and chicken tenders paired with a variety of dipping sauces.

"We did develop some new dipping sauces to pair with the flavor profile of these chicken tenders," Scarborough said. "We didn't change the Bo sauce or the barbecue — those are staples."

The chicken was even crispier than I remembered from my college days.

The first bite was reassuring — the breading cracked the way it should, the chicken was juicy, and the seasoning was unmistakable.

Texture is where fast-food chicken tenders often fail, but Bojangles definitely delivered.

The chicken sandwich, which the chain updated in the aftermath of the "chicken sandwich wars," also delivered on taste and value.

The sandwich features a large filet of fried chicken on a buttery brioche bun. Its flavor profile is classically Southern, built around fried chicken, pickles, and mayonnaise.

Chicken sandwich combos start around $10, while family-sized packs of chicken tenders range from $37.99 to $57.99, excluding tax.

Scarborough said he's seeing more customers than before rely on chains like Bojangles to feed their families as grocery prices remain high.

"It's become a lot more affordable to come eat with us," he said. "A lot of people use us as a whole meal replacement."

The chicken inside was marinated in Bojangles' signature blend of spices and hand-fried.

Bojangles marinates its chicken in a blend of spices and buttermilk to help season the meat all the way through.

The chicken is hand-breaded and fried in-store, which sets Bojangles apart from fast-food competitors that rely on pre-breaded products.

It's not all about the chicken — Bojangles is also known for its breakfast.

I was impressed by the variety of the breakfast items, which included a classic sausage or bacon, egg, and cheese, and fried chicken biscuits drenched in one of the chain's dipping sauces.

The chain's all-day breakfast is anchored by its buttermilk biscuits, which are mixed, rolled, and baked in-store.

Those biscuits form the base of menu staples like the Cajun Filet Biscuit, which pairs seasoned fried chicken with a biscuit and has long been a fan favorite in the South.

In a city dominated by bagels and bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches, Bojangles is betting that its biscuit-based breakfasts can stand out, even well past the morning rush.

I could definitely see this replacing my typical bodega bagel.

The chicken was juicy and well-seasoned, while the biscuit was flaky and perfectly dense.

"New Yorkers are famous for eating their bagels and cream cheese, and I think we're going to turn a lot of heads with these fresh-made buttermilk biscuits and our really flavorful chicken filets," Scarborough said.

Bojangles also has a sweeter version of its signature biscuits.

The chain is also known for its Bo-Berry Biscuit, which is studded with sweet blueberries and topped with a drizzle of icing.

The cult favorite blurs the line between breakfast and dessert, offering a contrast to the chain's salty, spicy chicken.

Customers can finish their order with a side of hash browns.

The hash browns were crunchy and fluffy. I preferred them to other fast-food hash browns I've tried.

The menu's dessert also draws inspiration from classic Southern cooking.

Many items on Bojangles' menu draw on the nostalgia of Southern comfort food, such as its peach cobbler dessert.

"We've learned from all the Southern cooks out there — the grandmas, the Southern chefs that have been making this stuff for many years — and we're just taking what we've learned and modernizing it for today's customer," Scarborough said.

Time will tell if this Southern chain can win over New Yorkers, but I'm certainly on board.

Bringing a Southern fast-food chain into New York is always a gamble, especially in a city with strong opinions on simple concepts — like breakfast — and endless food options.

However, after tasting the chicken, biscuits, and breakfast items for myself, Bojangles feels less like a novelty and more like a serious contender in a growing fast-food market up north.

The flavors are bold, the food tastes homemade, and the menu offers something different and comforting, compared to the city's usual fast-food standbys.

Whether it becomes a go-to for New Yorkers remains to be seen, but for me, the chain has earned a return visit.