It appears that the rapidly growing Asad’s Hot Chicken restaurant chain is planning a new location in the Clarksboro section of East Greenwich Township, taking over the former Dragon’s Nest Chinese restaurant property near Route 295 Exit 18.
While I haven’t seen an official announcement from Asad’s, the restaurant chain has already created an online ordering listing for the Clarksboro location at its website. Additionally, New Jersey business registration records appear to support the plans.
The potential new location is a freestanding restaurant building at the intersection of West Cohawkin Road and Berkley Road, in a busy commercial area that also features Royal Farms, McDonald’s, Bourbon and Brews, and several other businesses.
Asad’s Hot Chicken is a Philadelphia-based Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant chain that has developed a loyal following for its freshly prepared halal chicken tenders, sandwiches, and other menu favorites.
The company has been on a significant growth spurt, with more than 20 restaurants operating, including a brand-new Vineland, New Jersey location that just opened yesterday, November 13th!
Vineland was their first Cumberland County location and unless another sneaks in that I am unaware of… Clarksboro will be the first for Gloucester County.
Asad’s Hot Chicken – Clarksboro
For many years, the freestanding building at 185 West Cohawkin Road was home to Dragon’s Nest Chinese restaurant.
In more recent years, the restaurant has gone through several periods of opening and closing, and the Dragon’s Nest signage remains on the building today.
Very recently, the exterior of the building has been getting a fresh coat of paint, although that work is not yet fully completed.
Local Facebook groups have also been sharing rumors that a new hot chicken restaurant was coming to the property.
So today I stopped over to check things out!
While the building is clearly getting some attention, I didn’t see any permits posted or signage directly identifying Asad’s Hot Chicken as the next tenant.
But when I got home and started doing some online research, I found some pretty convincing evidence!
The Asad’s Hot Chicken team has already started creating location-specific pages for the Clarksboro restaurant, including a listing at the Asad’s website online ordering pages.
Additionally, I found New Jersey business registration documents that also match up with Asad’s Hot Chicken.
So while we still need an official announcement and opening timeline, there are several strong indications that Asad’s is indeed coming to the former Dragon’s Nest property.
Asad’s Hot Chicken – A Growing Philadelphia Favorite
As mentioned, Asad’s Hot Chicken just yesterday opened its first Cumberland County restaurant in Vineland, New Jersey.
42Freeway first reported on that location back in August, when a large Asad’s banner appeared on the Vineland building announcing the restaurant’s plans.
For those unfamiliar with Asad’s, the company describes itself as one of Philadelphia’s original Nashville hot chicken brands.
They’ve built a very loyal following thanks to their freshly prepared halal chicken tenders, which are marinated overnight, cooked to order, and coated in the company’s signature seasoning blend.
Customers can choose from several different heat levels, starting with no heat at all and working their way up to Scorching!
The chicken tenders and sandwiches are the stars of the show, but Asad’s has been expanding its menu with a variety of other delicious options.
One of their fan favorites is the loaded fries, featuring crispy French fries piled high with chopped halal hot chicken, melted cheese, and the restaurant’s signature Asad sauce.
And here’s something I wasn’t aware of until looking over their menu again!
It appears Asad’s has recently added both bone-in and boneless halal chicken wings, which are fried fresh and tossed to order.
Customers can choose from seven different flavors, including traditional Buffalo, Hot Honey, Mango Habanero, and more.
It’s a nice addition that goes beyond the traditional Nashville hot chicken concept, giving customers even more choices.
Other popular sides include mac and cheese and coleslaw, while the beverage menu features a variety of smoothies and milkshakes.
And of course, you can’t forget the banana pudding!
Asad’s clearly has a good thing going, with a growing fan base and an expanding restaurant footprint. It also seems they’re smartly adding new menu items that give customers even more reasons to return again and again.
With the Vineland location now open and the Clarksboro property seemingly lined up as another future restaurant, Asad’s continues to build its presence in South Jersey.
At this time, I don’t have any information on when the Clarksboro restaurant could open, but I’ll continue following the project and share updates as more details become available.
Links and Location
Asad’s Hot Chicken – Clarksboro (Coming Soon)
185 West Cohawkin Road
Clarksboro NJ
