Plans for El Jannah charcoal chicken shop to open at Plumpton Marketplace

Get excited charcoal chicken lovers, because fabled chicken shop chain El Jannah is expanding in its western Sydney heartland - as well as forays into new territory. Find out where.

El Jannah has plans to expand in a western Sydney shopping mall.

The waft of charcoal chicken and tangy taste of signature garlic sauce is around the corner for a suburb in Sydney’s west where El Jannah plans to expand.

Plans for the chain’s 14th Sydney shop to open at Plumpton Marketplace have been lodged with Blacktown Council, which will determine if the chooks get to turn on the rotisserie in the $1.2m proposal.

The eatery could open at the former Gloria Jean’s cafe stood near the entrance of the mall at Jersey and Hyatts roads.

Plans reveal there will be seating for 27 customers inside the 256sq m premises, as well as seats outside the shop, which would open from 6am to 11pm each day.

An artist's impression of the El Jannah at Plumpton Marketplace.

El Jannah chief executive Brett Houldin said the restaurant would open in December.

It will be the second El Jannah in the Blacktown area.

“Blacktown is a restaurant that has been successful for many years having opened 10 years ago in November 2013 and has continued to be a place that locals love going to enjoy our fresh shared meals,’’ he said.

But perhaps the Sydneysiders to get most excited are north shore dwellers who are set to welcome the area’s first El Jannah when it opens at Crows Next in the next 12 months.

Franchises will also open at Norwest and Prestons, and will be part of 15 restaurants to debut across Victoria and Canberra over the next financial year.

The El Jannah at Liverpool, which opened in November 2021. Picture: Monique Harmer

El Jannah was established at Granville and Punchbowl in 1998 before growing across the west and southwest.

Peter Arraj, more commonly known as Where Do I eat Pete on Instagram, still rates the original El Jannah shops the best.

“A lot of people still stay Granville’s still the one to go to and Punchbowl as well,’’ he said.

“I think the one in Granville’s still highly regarded.’’

El Jannah made its foray into Melbourne last year at Preston and has another three franchises to fire up the coals this year.

The nation’s capital is also getting a taste of aioli and chicken after Mitcham became Canberra’s first shopfront to open in June.