Reviews Bird

Lovely ambience, and polite, fast service. The food is phenomenal and decently priced. They have offers on food all the time, so it’s very budget friendly. This branch is very quiet and waiting time for seating and food is really quick. Would rate this restaurant a solid 5/5.

Ramadan Mubarak everyone! How’s your fast going? Alhamdullilah mine’s been going quite well. One thing I noticed for this year is the rise of restaurants offering an iftar menu. It’s actually amazing to see so many restaurants in London are catering to this community. Even though I do prefer staying at home for iftar (mainly because I’m not a night person and dislike going out at night time), some of the menus look enticing enough to lure me out of my crib. Especially when it’s from a delicious chicken restaurant called BIRD and you get to enjoy it together with some other fellow halal foodies – how could I say no to that?!

Didn't know how I would feel about chicken, syrup and waffle but now I've experienced this place I'm definitely glad I tried it!
The chicken was so crispy and none greasy it was perfect! The combination worked really well together I can see why Americans love this. My friends had the full waffle burger with bacon and cheese which looked great but way too much to eat for one person! We also tried the honey glazed wings plus Korean glazed ones. I highly rate both of these.
The donut unfortunately was dry but the icing was nice. Ice cream and cream unfortunately doesn't make it any better.

Menu looks cool. Service is great with the lovely stuff. I suggest to try out waffles. It's a little bit costy for the 'french size' dishes.

It was Fried Chicken pieces for me at Bird. You can even choose dark, white, or mixed meat. I chose dark because it’s the best when you’re not considering your calories. And I ordered a Buffalo glaze too, because I was there to succeed in all things fried and full of calories. Fries are obviously an essential accompaniment to fried chicken, and corn pudding sounded good too, so hey why not? My bf ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich.

Our food arrived pretty quickly, like not so quickly that you think ‘Did they just microwave that?’ but the kind of quick where you know the chef has taken his time to whip up something awesome for you with tender loving care, but not left you out in the restaurant starving like Tom Hanks in Cast Away.

So I was careful not to over order at Bird. I ordered two pieces of the chicken, and that was definitely enough for me. 

With the exception of about seven fries left in the bowl we had demolished everything. Does anyone else do that? I always feel a little less guilty if I leave a few fries. I think that’s the ludicrous equivalent of ordering a burger with a diet coke, but whatever works, so I’ll continue to leave a few fries if it makes me feel just a tiny bit less greedy.

We looked at the dessert menu, and our second stomach was saying GET THE CHERRY SUNDAE!!!! but the stomach that had just consumed all that chicken was protesting back saying YOU BETTER CHECK YOSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOSELF! And so we decided to listen to sense, and leave dessert for another trip back to Bird.

It’s always good to come towards the end of a week feeling you’ve learned something new and taken away a different perspective on the world.

This week, that revelation was stark and eye-opening: that not all chicken and chips are created equal.

I have to admit, I was slightly up-tight about heading to BIRD, given its location on Kingsland Road, right between the Overground Stations at Shoreditch and Hoxton. This is the only part of London where I’ve never felt comfortable - that innate feeling of not being able to pull-off the ‘cool’ that is required around these parts.

But truth is, offered a decent slap-up meal and I’d even head to a distant hell-hole such as Clapham.

So here I was, with a work colleague, at a smart little restaurant tucked under the Gingerline railway bridge. And right from the start this place was a joy!

Think American diner with just the right amount of East London character and you can imagine yourself here - exposed brick, a mix of table sizes, bright red wooden chairs - it all works without seemingly trying too hard.

But anyway, I was here for the chicken! We let the waitress choose our dishes for us and we didn’t regret it.

Chicken wings arrived and glowed a rich orange colour in a hot and sweet Gochujang glaze which had an immense, moreish kick. A buttermilk dipping sauce helped tame the vinegary tang.

The wings could easily serve as a main but looked no more than an amuse-bouche when the chicken and waffle burger arrived. Served on two plates it was a little shocking to discover this was actually just one portion which they’d divided for us.

This thing was quite epic, in every sense of the word. Boneless chicken thighs, bacon, American cheese, shallots, hot sauce and Canadian maple syrup all squeezed together between two cheese and onion waffles. The trajectory of delight eating this was definitely curved - I hit a real sweet spot about half-way through before I had to slow down as I could actually feel my body developing type 2 diabetes on the spot.

But far from defeat, I was also happy to tuck into three side dishes - skinny fries, deep fried pickles and padron peppers - the latter especially adept at cutting through the sweetness of the waffles.

And to wash it down? Well, some decent canned beer - both Camden Hells Lager and the Aberdonian BrewDog Punk IPA (one of my favourite beers of all time).

Oh, and it’s not something I’m proud of, but we also shared an ice cream doughnut sandwich (served fresh whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauce).

On the face of it, BIRD is just chicken and chips. But it feels so much more. Yes, there are other places that do this kind of thing in London (especially in this part of town), but charming service, effortless cool, free range birds and a chicken glaze which makes your face screw itself up with pleasure/pain aren’t run-of-the-mill qualities. And they have a doughnut hatch!

I’m a little less scared of Shoreditch now, a good job because their weekend breakfast menu looks good...

We’ve been trying to get over to BIRD in Shoreditch for months now. When they launched their weekday lunch menu, we were gutted that our ‘day job’ is just that little bit to far away to get over to try it, especially as they were offing a 50% off during their soft launch. Eventually the opportunity arose to get over to Kingsland Road and dive, headfirst, into their fried chicken.

When we say fried chicken you have to eradicate any image of KFC from your minds. Owners Paul and Cara have a real passion for fried chicken and it got them thinking: ‘People have elevated the burger and they’ve done a great job, so, what if chicken were beef?’

The chicken is described as ‘free range and fried’ not just the actual meat but also their attitude to what they do – naughty but nice. Bloody nice, because unlike in fried chicken chains, the flavour isn’t just skin deep. The quality of the actual chicken is what makes a huge difference here. Plus it’s not just from America (Brooklyn, Chicago and Philadelphia) that they’ve taken inspiration, Asian frying methods also have huge influence. And as the chicken is coated and cooked in corn flour (with other ‘secret’ ingredients) it’s gluten-free, great news Coeliac disease sufferers.

There is a really chilled feel to BIRD, the diners are young and cool but not that super trendy big beard and top-knot set that you can get, especially around East London. This allows for a spattering of young teens, fathers and sons and almost middle-aged fellas like me. They added: ‘All of our ingredients are of the highest quality, sourced responsibly and delivered fresh daily – you’d be surprised how rare that is when it comes to fried chicken!’

Decor is fairly standard, polished concrete floors, exposed bricks and pipework. What we loved and what sets it apart from the typical industrial feel are the liberal splashes of primary colours. There are bright blue gingham effect tiles, pillar box red chairs, electric blue banquette seating and feature walls made from green plastic bottles. But what we liked best were the brightly coloured BIRD logo patterned Formica topped tables and the backlit cinema style specials board – both giving a retro diner-esque feel. The music was great too, a laid back soundtrack of R&B and old school HipHop classics.

The weekday lunch menu offers excellent value for money, just £8 for a main and a side OR donut or a tenner for a main, side AND a donut. There’s a choice of six mains and four sides and we had a belly busting 75% of them! Basically all we didn’t try was the Nashville hot sliders, Mu Shu crispy fried chicken and their Little green salad.

But before I waffle on about the fantastic chicken that we ate, I have to mention the only low point – my Cherry sour (£7.50). It didn’t overly taste of cherries and it wasn’t in the slightest bit sour, maybe stick to their unusual selection of craft beer. Saff’s Dirty Ribena (£7.50) was much better. The bourbon, blackcurrant and lemonade was a simple mix giving a rich, full yet fruity hit.
Here’s a brief run down of the dishes in my order of preference. Saff will probably disagree, but hey, I’m writing this review!

1) Chicken caesar salad: Baby gem lettuce, house Caesar dressing, parmesan, croutons, bacon bits and grilled or fried chicken. I know what you’re thinking: ‘A salad at the top of the list? Are you mad?’ No, I haven’t gone all Randle Patrick McMurphy on you. This salad was so crispy, the fried chicken, the thick cut smokey bacon, the lettuce and the giant cubed croutons (especially the croutons) had so much crunch, texture and flavour. Psychologically you think it’s the healthy option, after all it’s a salad, don’t be fooled, the plentiful chunks of Parmesan and generous drizzling of dressing probably sends the calorie count sky-high.

2) Fried chicken biscuit sandwich: Freshly baked buttermilk biscuit, fried chicken, honey butter and hot sauce. I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for Southern cooking, so much so, we are trying to plan a trip to Austin and New Orleans later in the year. The soft, almost sweet biscuit (or scone) is the perfect partner for the crispy skinned chicken, the hot (buffalo) sauce simply adds to the southern vibe.Here’s a brief run down of the dishes in my order of preference. Saff will probably disagree, but hey, I’m writing this review!

3) Korean burger: Fried chicken, gochujang glaze, kimchi slaw. Now it’s off to the other side of the world for what was Saff’s fave. The burger packed a real chilli kick but still allowed the more subtle Korean flavours to seep through. The big plus point for Saff – o cheese!

4) Classic bacon and cheese burger: Fried chicken, thick cut bacon, American cheese, BBQ sauce, cos lettuce. The chicken is crisp, the bacon smokey, the cheese salty and the BBQ sauce sweet. There is absolutely nowt wrong with this burger but something has to come last, right?

We also ordered some sides, the Fresh cut fries with house seasoning. These in-house prepared shoestring fries had a nice crunch, but this style have a tendency to go cold far too quickly. The Korean cucumbers with rice vinegar, pepper flakes sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds was by far my favourite, crisp and refreshing. Their House slaw was very light, possibly a little bland, but maybe what is needed to counterbalance all the fried chicken.

The daily changing glazed donuts are a must. Saff had a perfectly pillowy sugared donut. Believe it or not I was too full to eat my peanut butter cream variety, so I boxed it up and saved it for a donut and coffee breakfast in bed the following morning, it made a welcome change from cholesterol-lowering porridge.

Bird’s lunch time menu is excellent value especially as all their chicken are 100% free range, from British farms and delivered fresh daily. We left the restaurant very happy, and very full. As we wandered (or should that be waddled) back to the car we passed Dishoom. We can never just walk past Dishoom, we had to pop in for a chai and discuss our imminent trip to Street Feast at Model Market in Lewisham. But that is a completely different story

There is just something about fried chicken which is so special that to explain it is impossible. It's that something which leaves you with the warmest feeling of comfort and wanting more. Such is our collective love of fried chicken that the dish continues to stand the test of time, transcending cultures and geography in the process. What started in present day Scotland in the Middle Ages, exploded into a global phenomenon with every culture having their own variation of deep-fried poultry.

My favourite though, and I know I'm not alone in this respect, is that arising from the southern states of America where chicken is tossed in spiced flour before being deep-fried in lard. It is the very definition of comfort food providing fuel for the soul. So when @4_s4m asked if I was keen to check out Bird, a restaurant set up as a shrine to this exquisite food group, I knew I had to go.

The menu at Bird read like a homage to the dish with seemingly every method of consumption being covered. Whether you craving whole pieces, a burger, salad or just wings, you'll find what you're looking for here. I went for something a little different namely the Mu Shu crispy fried chicken of fried chicken thigh with chinese pancakes, cucumber and tonkotsu sauce whilst others on the table braver than I went for the Chicken & waffle and the behemoth Chicken waffle burger. A mixture of buffalo and gochujang wings and jalapeño corn pudding was also ordered for the table.

The hallmark of well made fried chicken is crisp well-seasoned skin which is rendered of excess fat and in this respect, Bird have nailed it. The fried chicken and wings were superb; intensely flavoured and crunchy coating encasing a deliciously moist interior; but the rest of the meal I would describe as ok. The cheddar and onion waffles were super thick, stodgy and lacked any real distinctive flavour apart from the maple I layered upon it and the Mu Shu I think missed the mark with chicken cut so thin and fried so dry, it left me with food envy. The jalapeño corn pudding I could missed also.

Miraculously, Ang somehow found a second wind and space for a chocolate doughnut ice cream sandwich. How, I will never know but it looked impressive if nothing else. Possibly something for next time.

So all up, a mixed bag from Bird but in truth, I should've known better - I came for fried chicken and I should've stuck to my guns. If I had, I'm confident I would've left a much happier diner.


Also follow me on Twitter @annixontong and @WeTryKai and on Instagram @annixontong.

Nestled by a railway bridge on the Shoreditch end of Kingsland Road, Bird is a relatively new venture, working under the premise that the restaurant industry has elevated the burger to dizzy heights of quality and creativity, so why not do the same for chicken? And the result is delightful.Their motto is ‘free range and fried’, and they source quality British ingredients that are delivered daily, so no stresses about what you’re actually putting in your mouth (unlike dubious battered anomalies at other chicken establishments I may have visited). I kept it simple with two fried chicken pieces, a mixture of light and dark meat (they give you the choice) and a couple of sides. Now the chicken is perfect, juicy and tender with very crunchy, flavoursome batter – but the sides are where Bird shines. Creamy, crisp coleslaw, aforementioned lovely pickles and jalapeno corn pudding, a creamy, yellow concoction of sweetcorn, chillies and cheese topped with breadcrumbs. Heaven.We also had a huge chicken burger and a portion of seasoned fries – salty and slightly spicy, they were delicious.Mix and match glazes and sauces are designed to complement each other so get advice on which ones to pick.The buffalo glaze and buttermilk ranch sauce were the perfect tangy, creamy combination. We rounded things off with an iced doughnut ice cream sandwich – totally unnecessary, but when in Rome and all that..I hadn’t ventured to Shoreditch in a while before Bird but with its top notch food, reasonable prices, nice relaxed atmosphere and great service, it’s a solid reason to cross the river. Roll on next time.

On a wet London evening, I headed East to meet up with Emma and her friend Ziggy, where they took me to Bird. If you like fried chicken, and if you like waffles, this is your idea of heaven. We slid into a booth and ordered bits and pieces for all three to share. Bird has fried chicken everything- but their speciality is chicken and waffles. In the end, we had the chicken wings in a honey ginger glaze, the Mu Shu pancakes, and a big old chicken and waffle burger washed down with an A&W root beer!

The waffles are savoury cheddar and onion ones, sandwiching a juicy piece of fried chicken and bacon with hot sauce and syrup. It’s that lovely combination of sweet and savoury! One waffle burger was enough for three people to share- in fact we still struggled to finish everything. The honey and ginger glazed wings came in a hot iron pan, plonked straight onto the table. The wings were a good size (free range too so you know) and the best kind of messy- the finger licking good kind! The Mu Shu pancakes also came in an iron skillet- instead of duck though, chopped up pieces of boneless chicken thigh were served with crunchy cucumber sticks and spring onions, with a little pot of tonkatsu sauce on the side.

As we were leaving, the restaurant had filled up and was buzzing with the after work crowd- it looked like we had gotten there at a good time, so if you don’t mind an early dinner, go just after 6pm and you should get seated straight away. Bird is nestled just under the bridge on Kingsland Road- we can thank our friends across the pond for the chicken and waffle concept! Our bill for three people was a reasonable £44.

And now…everybody knows about the Bird!

I love wings, so maybe I am biased.

We ordered the small serving of each of the wings: honey-ginger, buffalo and gochuchang as well as the chopped Asian salad to share.  With respect to the wings, the clear winner was the honey-ginger.  Incredibly crispy.  As crispy as the double fried Korean place Jubo nearby on Rivington street, and half the price.  The gochuchang was good but not quite as crispy.  The buffalo wings were a bit of an anti-climax.  Relatively flaccid.

The salad was fantastic.  Radicchio, cabbage, snow peas, bits of deep fried wonton skin, and cashews in a slightly sweet asian vinaigrette containing garlic and a little fish sauce.  And there was lots of it too.  The only criticism would be that the cashews were not toasted.

We also ordered buttermilk ranch, but it was really unnecessary, since the buffalo wings came with blue cheese sauce and the other wings didn't need any extra flavouring or moistening.  Next time the two of us will just order two servings of the honey-ginger and the asian salad again.  That's plenty of food for two people at lunchtime.  I'll be back.

The fried chicken connoisseur's choice. Delicious crispy chicken with great sauces, from blue cheese, to Korean sauce (fries), to hot sauce all just so delicious! We were in a rush and boy does this place have a sense of urgency, we ordered at 17 past, food was on the table by 29 past (12 min!!!!) And we were out by 40 past and we ordered a second portion of fries. All of this and it's not fast food as you can see in the photos! I've never had better fried chicken!! Fully recommend!

Excellent food, excellent choice of drinks and desserts, excellent staff... What more can can you say?! Definitely recommend it. This was the first branch I came to of theirs. I've also visited their Islington/Holloway Rd and Westfield Stratford branches. They have the same level of customer service, food quality and presentation al round. It's always as welcoming as it can be, whether you visit on your own, with your partner or with family and friends. It's never been a let down for me... love it all the time!

The most delicious fried chicken I have tasted. The service wasn't perfect but the waiter told us it was his first day, so your experience may be better. Expensive, but top notch quality. Worth crossing town for.

Decent waffle burger with all the right ingredients. Sauces and chicken is 👌🏽 although for some reason the tastes don’t come together perfectly. There’s probably a missing ingredient or step because it feels a step away from perfection.

If you're looking for a quick chicken meal Bird is the place to go. the chicken is exceptionally well made and a Korean sauce adds a sweet tangy bite to it. The poutine, while not entirely Canadian, is a great imitation and worth trying. The staff is friendly enough, the service is quick, and the prices are reasonable. The chicken and waffles Lote delicious, though I did not order that.

Best traditional fried chicken I've had! Excellent homey ambiance, and make sure the fried chicken with waffles and the poutine!