Bojangles — Restaurant in San Antonio

So excited that Bojangles is finally here in San Antonio! Had them when I visited North Carolina (because of the hype of course) and it was really good. So, I definitely had to be there on opening day. I was there when the restaurant opened at 5am and there was a line at the drive thru that moved pretty quick. I knew there was going to be a much longer line later in the day, and am glad I made the trip early to avoid the rush later.

Inside, there was a small line and I waited about 30 minutes for my food. They were handing out Bo-Berry biscuit samples to the crowd waiting inside.

Ordered six Cajun filet biscuits for the family and two Bo-Berry biscuits. Unfortunately, they messed up and gave me six Bo-Berry biscuits instead of the Cajun filets. The staff was extremely nice and gave me the Cajun filets when I let them know and they even let me keep the extra Bo-Berry biscuits, which they didn’t have to do. Based on the service, I am not docking them for that when I otherwise would. Besides, it’s the first day and I expect mistakes as they work through the highly anticipated demand.

There was a lot of staff working even at 5am, to meet the demand. They even had national trainers from the corporate office helping to ensure a smooth opening day. Again, everyone was so friendly, and hopefully this is kept up in the days and weeks to come.

Once I did get my Cajun filet biscuit, I hate to say, but it tasted a lot better than the ones I had in North Carolina. If I understand correctly, Bojangles has switched to hand-battering and marinating their boneless chicken in the store in the expansion markets, while they use frozen pre-made tenders and patties in their legacy markets. The difference is noticeable, with bigger, juicier pieces, and an overall less processed taste/texture. That said, it still had that familiar Bojangles flavor: a nice touch of spice that’s similar to Popeyes without being overbearing. The biscuits were just as good as I remember them. The Bo-Tato Rounds were good and not anything different than what I had in NC.

No, they don’t have bone-in chicken, but don’t blame the location, it’s not their fault. This was a corporate decision made for the expansion markets. I don’t agree with it and hopefully at some point they’ll reconsider and introduce the full menu into the expansion markets. But don’t leave a bad review based on that alone. The staff is really trying their best to meet the demand and it’s unfair to rate them based solely on a decision nobody locally is responsible for.

Inside seating is very limited with less than 8 small tables. There’s a few tables outside that are larger. It’s clear though that the location was designed with takeout and drive thru business in mind, an unfortunate and obvious post-pandemic decision. Not one I agree with either, but again, not the location’s fault.

Breakfast was outstanding and I hope to return later in the week for dinner to try their tenders and shakes.

Finally, I conclude this review by saying: It’s Bo Time! I just had to fit it in there, sorry (not).

I wish the team well and hope Bojangles will take hold in San Antonio and expand as demand allows. Keep up...

Adding an update for my 3rd visit. Updates are what is here before my comments on the food which is still great. The service however is not the same and the hours have fluctuated and changed from what's on the big sign and posted on the windows and doors. This morning I arrived at 5:30 and there was a line started already, I noted here on the Google Maps entry the hours state 6am opening to 8pm I believe(the hours posted here have since changed back to 5am-10pm like what's posted on signage at the store).

So I figured I would be waiting until 6 to place an order. The manager requested people to form a line that started in front of the Auto store next door (not sure how that is legal or right). But we did it and waited patiently. Well 6am came and we were still sitting waiting for them to start letting us in line. 6:05 someone pulls up next to the front of restaurant and to make a long story shorter when the line started moving the guy who had not been waiting since before 5:30am cut it in front and was able to post an order before several cars who had been waiting for them to open.

They didn't actually open the line until about 6:10am. So no clue what the hours actually are, I guess it's open whenever they get around to it and close whenever they decide they're done for the day.

Lastly they have a disgustingly overflowing amount of trash piling up all around where I assume their dumpsters are, it's completely covered and flowing out into the parking lot area.

The rest of my review stands so I will leave it as is and is what follows, I have changed my stars to reflect the changes I have noticed for this third visit.

Food is excellent. I've been for breakfast and now dinner as well. Steak biscuit, Chicken tenders, Bo berry biscuits and dirty rice all 5 star fast food indulgences. Gravy Biscuit, Bo Rounds, and lemonade (the lemonade only due to the smaller serving and price) are good but IMHO not the same level as the aforementioned menu items.

The service is slow right now due to demand and newness of employees.

Food quality and temperature were excellent even with the wait.

I just hope quality stays high, new places tend to have great quality when employees are doing it by the book but today's work force seems to quit caring quickly no matter the chain that employs them.

All that said, my review is based on what Bojangles is today. It's good food, the best tenders I've ever had and their sauces while not needed are great too. I recommend the Peach Honey Pepper sauce and Ranch either version regular or jalapeno.

Hoping corporate changes menu limitations and opens the full menu to all locations. Would love to have their bone in chicken and all day breakfast as well the option to add pimento cheese to biscuit and regular...

I would have ordered ahead on their app, but they don't take Google Pay (you have to enter your card information by hand, and I try to avoid doing that). Arriving at the speaker, I was greeted warmly and my order was taken. They were not making milkshakes that day which was unfortunate. I received my food quickly. The chicken sandwich (BLT) was tasty once I got to the actual chicken... there was a lot of breading at one side of the sandwich where I happened to start. Lettuce and tomato seemed fresh, bacon was crispy, bun was soft. Their chicken is inherently like a "spicy" filet you'd get at other places so if you're hoping for something completely mild, I think you're out of luck.

I got the Bo-Berry Biscuits and a Tenders meal for later. The biscuits definitely are famous for a reason... they're sweet with the icing on them but the berries add a tartness, which is very nice. The mac & cheese was cheesy and tasty... with actual stretchy cheese, not just a gloopy cheese sauce, as a 'homemade' mac should be. The tenders however were a mixed bag. They like the sandwich were VERY heavy on breading in places, so you end up with a lot of "this is not chicken, this is just crunchy" as you're going along. Some tenders were actually quite small but appeared much larger due to the breading packed on. Also like with their filet on the sandwich, their chicken is marinated in a spicy brine before they're breaded, so you already have that "heat" before you even get into dipping sauces.

Overall, I can't say I liked the tenders more than, say, Cane's. I think Cane's is a bit truer to what makes a great tender actually great -- the tender alone has a good flavor to it that isn't bland nor spicy, they're meaty and none that I've had were ever over-breaded, and you can eat them on their own but they also don't interfere with or overpower whatever sauces you're dipping in either.

I've heard that this Bojangles isn't exactly like "other" Bojangles elsewhere and I can't say if that's true or not. On its own, I can' t say any actual entree was good enough to get me to come back. The biscuits were great but it's a long way to travel (across town)...