Detur for Beef Chick Fil a
While visiting Atlanta, Georgia, I took a detour to try and rank the food at Chick-fil-A's only Hawaii-themed restaurant.
Chick-fil-A has a Hawaii-themed restaurant in Fayetteville, Georgia, called Truett's Luau. After seeing the tropical-inspired menu items on TikTok, I stopped at the location during my recent road trip through Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Atlanta.
I wanted to try some of the viral menu items for myself (like the tropical nuggets), but since I'm a born and raised New Yorker who has never visited Hawaii, I reached out to experts to help tell me whether these foods were actually representative of the islands. They all agreed there's nothing Hawaiian about this place.
So while I found many of the menu items confusing within the context of Hawaii, the food itself wasn't bad at all.
After trying each themed item that was available during my visit (Truett's Luau also has a full, regular Chick-fil-A menu), I ranked them based on taste and execution from worst to best.
The beef and cold cheese landed Chick-fil-A's luau burger last place in this ranking.
I hadn't had beef from Chick-fil-A until I tried this burger because, well, the whole point of the chain's marketing is to "Eat Mor Chikin." So I was surprised that a beef burger was on this menu.
The luau burger comes with three pieces of bacon (which looked like one and a half full strips), a slice of Colby jack cheese, and a grilled pineapple disk. The beef patty I got was scalloped around the edges and looked like a flower.
After taking a bite, I immediately noticed that the meat was not up to par, quality-wise, with the chain's chicken. It felt gristly between my teeth and had some hard, tough bits throughout.
I was also disappointed that the cheese wasn't melted on my burger even a little bit. It was cold and seemed to be disconnected from the profile of the rest of the sandwich.
The pineapple, in my opinion, lends some much-needed flavor to this burger. It wasn't too bad in terms of taste overall, but I thought the concept was confusing and not well-executed.
I think the chain should stick to making chicken, and as a customer, I'll stick to ordering it.
I thought the island chicken-salad sandwich was interesting, but I ranked it at No. 9 because of the level of mess.
This sandwich was super creamy, served cold, loaded with mayo, and seemed to weigh more than any other sandwich I've had at the chain.
It both smelled and looked like regular chicken salad, and there were visible mix-ins like grapes, celery, and what looked like relish.
The lettuce was probably the smartest thing on there — it was large, leafy, crisp, and sat directly under the chicken salad to perfectly protect the integrity of the bottom bun. It really served a purpose, which I thought was admirable.
Unfortunately, it couldn't keep the salad from spilling out upon taking one bite and landing on both the table and my lap. I think that could have been more well-thought-out.
Chicken salad with mayo really isn't my thing, personally, but if you're a fan this may be worth a try — just be careful when you take a bite.
The peach iced tea tasted like peach, but was overly sweet, which is why I ranked it at No. 8.
This iced tea was unmistakably peach-flavored. While I do love peach, I couldn't handle the level of sweetness that came with it. I had to put it down after just a few sips.
There was a thick nectar-like substance inside which gave it a definite texture and made the drink thicker than the average iced tea would be.
If you're a fan of super sweet drinks, this may be worth a try. But I do think that even for a sweet beverage, this one goes over the top.
The luau slaw earned a No. 7 spot in my ranking because it lacked complexity.
The Truett's Luau take on coleslaw was interesting and offered a refreshing break from the richness of heavier items like the chicken-salad sandwich.
It was crunchy, slightly tangy, and much sweeter than I expected.
There were large pieces of scallions mixed in with shredded red cabbage, and the colors were a feast for the eyes.
However, flavors fell a little short. I think adding more vinegar and maybe some more fresh cilantro would have helped. I enjoyed it as a side and topping for some of the other menu items, but I wouldn't eat an entire order on its own because of the lack of savory flavors.
If you like mayo-based slaw, this one probably isn't for you.
There are three sauces unique to Truett's Luau, and they were all delicious, in my opinion. That's why I ranked them at No. 6.
An employee told me these three sauces are only available at Truett's Luau.
First, I tried the teriyaki. I thought it tasted like there was ginger in it, which was delightful. The sauce looked like it would be super thick, but when I picked it up with a fork it dripped off pretty quickly.
I'd put this sauce on rice for sure, or maybe coat some plain nuggets in it, but it doesn't really make sense with anything else on the menu, in my opinion.
Then I tried the tropical sauce. It was slightly more viscous than the teriyaki and tasted like a cross between sweet-chili sauce and cocktail sauce. I could see the pepper flakes in the mixture, which is an aesthetic plus. I thought it paired well with the sweet potato fries but was best served with nuggets.
Finally, I tried the volcano sauce. This sauce was also thinner than it looked, and it tasted like a mixture of ketchup and sriracha. It's listed as a spicy sauce, but I didn't think there was that much heat to it. This was great with the sweet-potato fries, in my opinion.
While the pineapple chicken tacos tasted fine, there was barely any chicken in them, which is why I ranked this dish at No. 5.
When I opened the container I smelled the pineapple immediately. I also noticed right away that the tortilla looked like it hadn't been cooked at all, which usually brings out the savoriness of the dough.
Inside was the pineapple, which tasted like it was straight out of a fruit cup or can (not a bad thing), hot sauce, coleslaw (which added a nice crunch), and grilled chicken.
All the flavors worked well together, though I thought it was lacking the power of fresh cilantro.
I also thought the ratio of tortilla to filling was way off — there was so much empty tortilla at the top. I would have loved a bit more of the grilled chicken.
I thought the luau salad with nuggets was Chick-fil-A's take on Wolfgang Puck's iconic Chinois Chicken Salad. It was great, but some of the toppings didn't make sense to me, so it fell to fourth place.
It's labeled as a luau salad, but it reminded me of every "Asian chicken salad" I've ever had or seen.
The crisps were crunchy, the lettuce felt fresh, and the snow peas and shredded cabbage were a nice touch. There were also mandarin orange slices (which also seemed like they came out of a can) and chopped-up nuggets on top.
The part that confused me a bit was that it was served with two optional toppings: salty roasted almonds, which kind of made sense with the flavors, and granola.
The granola totally threw me. I didn't understand why it was supposed to go on the salad, and even after tasting it I still wasn't on board.
The dressing was thick and tasted just like it was supposed to be drizzled on top of the salad at Puck's California restaurant, Chinois.
I thought flavor-wise, it was great. But the granola inclusion felt a little random. Still, it was the best fast-food salad I've ever tasted.
I was most impressed by these grilled Mahi tacos, so much so that they landed in third place.
These tacos, unlike the chicken ones, were served hot. There was a decently-sized piece of fish stretching all the way from one end of the still-too-big flour tortilla to the other.
I didn't know what to expect when I ordered fish from this fast-food chain known for chicken, but the flavors here were really impressive. Plus, the fish was moist and not overcooked.
The seasoning used to blacken the fish was tasty and significantly spicy, which I was pleasantly surprised by. It was topped with some of the luau slaw and a drizzle of Chick-fil-A's avocado lime dressing.
I did get a bone in one bite, so watch out for those.
I loved these tropical nuggets so much that I re-created them at home. The flavor and texture earned this dish an honorable No. 2 spot.
Even though the tropical nuggets were doused in sauce, the breaded chicken retained its crunchy exterior. The sauce was flavorful (it was the same tropical sauce I had tried earlier) and it generously coated every inch of each nugget.
You can easily re-create this item at home by ordering nuggets and coating them in sauces.
While I thought this item was a simple home run, there was one thing on the menu that I think was perfectly executed and should be taken to other locations.
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Source: https://www.insider.com/ranked-every-item-on-chick-fil-a-luau-hawaii-menu-2022-3
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