Justice Chicken, a new chicken restaurant in downtown State College, had a soft opening last week on Calder Way. The Justice League from DC Comics themed restaurant serves chicken sandwiches, platters, and salads.

Hitham Hiyajney, the owner of both Justice Chicken and Yallah Taco, incorporated some Yallah-inspired dishes on the new chicken joint menu.

Curious about the new establishment, our staff decided to head over and give it a try.

Ava Brendgord: Justice Chicken Sandwich

Overall, I had an average experience at Justice Chicken. The superhero theme brings a fun twist to a typical chicken restaurant and the menu has options for meat eaters and vegetarians.

I decided to try out the chicken sandwich, and I have to say that it was very average. I was expecting a full piece of fried chicken and instead, the sandwich had a chicken tender sliced in half. The bun was a little soggy, but the toppings and sauce were pretty flavorful.

I would go back to Justice Chicken to try a different menu item, but it isn’t my favorite new restaurant in State College.

Grace Cunningham: Chicken Bites

Being a chicken nugget connoisseur, of course I opted for the chicken bites. I also chose to go with the buffalo sauce to spice up my meal a little bit. Overall, I enjoyed my nuggets. They were more like little chicken tenders than nuggets because they were pretty crispy.

Ryan Parsons: Justice Chicken Sandwich

As a longstanding Yallah fan, I went into Justice Chicken expecting big things. Perhaps these lofty expectations weren’t a good thing, as I really wasn’t impressed by this new restaurant.

The food was good, but not special enough to stand out. The sandwich wasn’t particularly fresh or unique, so it kinda just blended together with every other chicken sandwich I’ve had. The staff was very friendly and the restaurant’s design was ~interesting~, but I’m not dying to go back.

Lauren Wysseier: Mushroom Popper Platter

As a lover of all things fried, I was eager to try Justice Chicken. Since I don’t eat meat, I was impressed to learn that it had a veggie option on the menu. I decided to order their mushroom popper platter, which turned out to be really quite good. It came with a side of fries which, unfortunately, were average at best.

I could see myself ordering this after a night out. I do wish that it had other vegetarian options since the mushroom poppers would not have been my first choice, but overall, I would visit Justice Chicken again.

Matt DiSanto: Chicken Strips

Desperately craving a Beaver Stadium chicken basket, I opted to order Justice Chicken’s chicken strip platter, which came with four big chicken tenders and a metric ton of fries.

Unfortunately, I would’ve preferred a mass-produced chicken basket. Justice Chicken’s tenders simply weren’t anything special, and for nearly $10, I expected more. They were crispy and filling but left me wanting more.

I also ordered a side of mozzarella sticks, which disappointed as well. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but these bad boys fell far short.

Although I wasn’t crazy about the food, Justice Chicken’s service was great, friendly, and very helpful. The restaurant’s theme was also fun and definitely unlike anything else downtown.

Colleen Nersten: Hot Chick (haha, nice)

Justice Chicken was fine. For almost $10 for a box of chicken nuggs, I wasn’t blown away. However, the portion was pretty large, so I could see myself splitting it with someone after a night of social distanced fun. The box it came in was kind of adorable, as it reminded me of opening one of those aesthetically pleasing bridesmaids presents. Plus, the glazed tenders were kind of sexy upon first glance.

The hot sauce wasn’t extremely hot, but you can get an additional container of sauce, so that kind of rocks. I don’t suggest going here for a dinner with your parents, but for being directly across from the Gaff, I can see it becoming a late-night hit.

Hope Damato: Justice Chicken Sandwich

I got the Justice Chicken sandwich because I’m a huge turkey bacon fan. I was expecting it to be crispy and mix well with the sauce, but I was left pretty unsatisfied. The bun was kind of soggy and the lettuce was limp.

I didn’t think it necessarily tasted bad, but it could have been better. It reminds me of something I could make at home as a broke college student. All I would need is two pieces of bread, a chicken nugget, and undercooked turkey bacon. I also had one (1) singular mozzarella stick and don’t want to talk about it.

There wasn’t anything special about them, but I’d get them again. The meal also came with some fries, which were average, and a small cup of coleslaw. I’m not dying to head back to Justice Chicken, but I wouldn’t be mad if I ended up there again.