Another US fast food chain is opening its first-ever UK restaurant

Another US chain is set to open its first restaurant in the UK next year.

Tex-Mex brand Velvet Taco will welcome customers to its first restaurant in Piccadilly Circus, , next spring. An exact launch date has yet to be confirmed, but the food chain is understood to be planning further openings “in the coming years” after its initial London launch.

Velvet Taco launched in Dallas, , in 2011 and has nearly 50 restaurants across the US. Fan-favourite menu items include the Spicy Tikka Chicken, with crisp tenders, house-made spicy tikka sauce, buttered cilantro basmati rice, raita crema and Thai basil, and London-inspired mainstay dubbed Fish ’n Chips, which features beer-battered cod, curry aioli, French fries, malt vinegar and napa slaw.

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The new London restaurant will also feature a full bar, where diners will be able to enjoy its popular Kick Ass Margarita, alongside signature sides and the brand’s namesake Red Velvet Cake, a double-layered cake with cream cheese frosting drizzled with its house-made cajeta sauce.

Clay Dover, president and CEO of Velvet Taco, said: “This is an exciting time for Velvet Taco. When I joined the brand, we had just four locations. To be a part of not only Velvet Taco’s growth to 50 locations in the U.S. but also our incredible international expansion into London is nothing short of remarkable.

“We’re thrilled to select Piccadilly Circus as our first location, knowing that Velvet Taco will feel right at home in the vibrant, bustling area filled with global influences. This growth reflects our commitment to reimagining the humble taco and our dedication to delivering global culinary experiences – now literally on an international scale!”

It comes after fried chicken chain Chick-fil-A confirmed it will soon open two restaurants in Belfast and one in Leeds, Liverpool, and London. Chick-fil-A runs more than 3,000 sites across the U.S, Puerto Rico and Canada. Its expansion into the UK is set to create around 400 new jobs for Brits.

The chain's UK-based restaurants plan to use chicken sourced from the UK and Ireland, and 100% free-range eggs from welfare-certified farms. The first branch is set to open its doors in the first quarter of 2025. Chick-fil-A specialises in fried chicken and is known for its Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, nuggets, and waffle fries.

However, alongside this, it will also be bringing menu items over which are not typically seen in the UK, such as savoury biscuits and ranch-flavoured dipping sauces. Chick-fil-A hasn't officially confirmed what exactly will be on its menu just yet.

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