Chances are good that if you’ve recently gone to Popeyes…you’ve noticed that the menu has changed quite a bit.
(And mostly for the better, if you ask me.)
But let’s face it – not all change is good, and sometimes restaurants get rid of beloved cult favorites for seemingly arbitrary reasons.
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This happens everywhere, not just at Popeyes, but it hurts extra from Popeyes because their menu has historically been SO flavorful and unique.
And from where I sit, the trend more recently has been to go mainstream at the cost of some of that unique personality.
After all – they’re from Louisiana! Part of the fun is really living into that heritage.
And even with some delicious new dishes joining the menu – it’s still disappointing to see old favorites go by the wayside.
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It’s also hard to argue with Popeyes’ success.
They’re growing rapidly.
They’ve cemented their spot as one of the top three chicken chains in the US (behind Chick-fil-A and KFC)…I mean, it’s clearly working for them.
Nonetheless, here are 12 foods I’m sad to see gone from Popeyes – and the first one’s a real heartbreaker:
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If you’ve ever been to Louisiana, chances are good you’ve had at least one famous Cajun dish – the shrimp po’ boy.
Baguette, shrimp, zesty sauce, lettuce, tomato – it’s pretty close to the ideal fried sandwich.
Being a Louisiana chain, naturally Popeyes had a chicken po’ boy – until they didn’t.
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I feel like onion rings are just such an obvious side for any fast food chain to keep on the menu – because good onion rings are a HUGE draw.
And Popeyes’ onion rings were pretty good!
It’s disappointing to see them gone, even if the fries are still a pretty good consolation prize.
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I didn’t love the blackened chicken sandwich (I tried it twice, and both times it tasted a little burned to me?), but it was certainly beloved by many Popeyes fans.
Another great dish, sadly gone the way of the dinosaur.
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Cajun rice was one of those sides that made Popeyes so distinctive from all the other fast food out there.
It had such a great spice to it.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t sell well enough, I guess.
And now we’re left with more “typical” sides like mac & cheese, fries, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and red beans & rice.
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How you can be a Louisiana restaurant and have left behind both po’ boys AND jambalaya I will never know.
Popeyes’ jambalaya was pretty good! Especially on a cold winter day.
But I guess the pull to be “normal” was just too strong. What a shame.
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True confession: I never tried the chicken wraps, but I had several friends who swore by them.
(And if you look online, reddit forums are crawling with people complaining about them being gone.)
If you go to Popeyes in Poland, you can get a bacon and BBQ wrap…I guess that’s something?
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These were a limited-time menu item, so we always knew we’d have to say goodbye, but man were they good.
The shrimp were rolled in a hushpuppy-like batter, so they had that hint of sweetness you usually associate with hushpuppies…but the shrimp themselves were also a little spicy.
Add in the creole cocktail sauce, and it was totally “chef’s kiss.”
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This was another limited-time deal, so again – we knew a goodbye was coming.
And while the Zatarain’s shrimp themselves were great, the real star of the show was the lemon garlic sauce, for sure.
Anyone know a good recipe?
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Green beans are pretty self-explanatory, so I don’t have a whole lot to add here aside from the fact that they are certainly missed by lots of die-hard fans.
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The Mardi Gras cheesecake was such a cool addition to the menu which sadly disappeared around 2019.
You had a slice of cheesecake with a graham cracker crust – but the crust had nutmeg and ginger in it for a really powerful contrast…and the cheesecake had yellow, purple, and green sprinkles on top.
Just like a King Cake!
Another fun part of Popeyes’ Louisiana heritage that unfortunately has gone by the wayside.
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I loved Popeyes’ chicken bowls (they had the Big Easy and also a jambalaya bowl…delicious).
The concept was simple: Pulled chicken, cajun gravy, red beans and rice, shredded cheese, parsley.
It was one of those great value dishes that would fill you up and give you a nice balanced meal for, really, very little money.
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Honestly, this was one of Popeyes’ coolest inventions.
We all know and love chicken and waffles…but what if they could be in one perfect dish?
What Popeyes did here was take boneless chicken strips…then dipped them in waffle batter and deep-fried them. Add in a honey maple dipping sauce, and you’ve got something pretty close to flawless.
That combination of sweet and salty was just perfect.
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I don’t think I have to go into any great detail here.
Garlic butter shrimp just naturally checks a lot of those boxes – garlic and butter pair well with seafood, and it was just a very different flavor from the more spice-driven offerings Popeyes has always had.
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So there you have it – twelve excellent foods gone from Popeyes, probably forever.
And you know the worst part?
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I KNOW I haven’t mentioned all of them!
So here’s my question for you:
What have I missed?
What do YOU miss most from Popeyes?
Let us know in the comments!
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