This chicken shop is 100% authentic, no cutting corners or subpar quality. I have eaten at many fried chicken places all over the country and this is the best chicken shop in San Diego. I was pining for some delicious Nashville hot chicken and this spot cannot be topped. Their spices are authentic and the quality of the cuts of chicken are excellent. I have eaten at Hattie B's, Roscoe's, the OG Chick-fil-A, Cane's, Dave's Hot Chicken, and the Crack Shack; this spot is beyond comparison. It cannot be beat. The owners and management are extremely attentive and friendly. There is no such thing as bad customer service here. If you want a taste of traditional southern style chicken look no further than Side Chick. This photo does not do them justice. I apologize for that. read more

Side Chick - Hot Chick Fries. - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Diego, California

Hungry? Craving a chicken sandwich? Drop everything and come here. It's just around the corner and serves one of the best and most reliable chicken sandwiches you'll ever take a bite of. My go to is the Classic Side Chick with their house spicy aioli on the side. The Hot Chick is VERY spicy. I can handle heat, but having the sauce on the side is much more enjoyable in my opinion. You get to appreciate the crispy chicken, the fresh toppings, and the sandwich as a whole without the spice overpowering everything. If you're looking for a spot that consistently delivers a great chicken sandwich, this place absolutely hits the mark. read more

Got you! Here's the corrected version for Side Chic: "Okayyyy Side Chic did NOT disappoint I ordered the chicken Caesar salad, fried chicken sandwich, and fries... everything was sooo good. The chicken sandwich was crispy, juicy, and packed with flavor, and the fries were perfectly seasoned. Even the Caesar salad was fresh and delicious. Definitely one of those spots you keep thinking about after you leave 10/10 would go back." Short version: "Side Chic was sooo good I got the fried chicken sandwich, fries, and a chicken Caesar salad. Everything tasted fresh, crispy, and flavorful. The fries were addicting lol definitely coming back!" read more

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If you love chicken sandwiches, Side Chick is the spot. Crispy, juicy, and packed with flavor--every bite hits just right. Their spicy chicken sandwich had the perfect kick, and the slaw added a refreshing crunch that kept me coming back for more. Sides: Don't sleep on the fries--they're crispy, seasoned perfectly, and pair amazingly with their dipping sauces. Vibe: Casual, fun, and welcoming. Perfect for a quick lunch or a chill hangout with friends. Staff are friendly and super upbeat. I've tried a lot of chicken sandwiches in town, but Side Chicks takes it to the next level. Bold flavors, satisfying crunch, and the kind of spot that makes you say, "Yep, I'll be back." read more

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5/9/2026 - returned back here and just ordered 4 Basic Chick sandwiches. Brought several friends with me this time. Sitting outside and hope they enjoy it. 15 minutes more should be goodness coming our way. More to come. 3 stars at the moment. Total cost was $12.55 to feed 4 adults. One sandwich per person. Wow. 5 minutes later it's out. 5 stars. We all over it. 4 nice crispy greats not over cooked and crunchy, places in good size thick and crisp pickles between 2 buns. Hot and moist chicken and not over cooked. Come try this place. Just $5 each! You can try other versions for a few dollars more as well read more

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Quest completed. Been on the lookout for the spot for the best chicken sandwich, found it. Mary that works the front counter is super cool and great at making recommendations. They sell the best pistachio chocolate brownie. I've had in a minute and the chicken sandwich, chef's kiss! I am super picky when it comes to my food, especially chicken sandwiches this spot checks every box. Do yourself a flavor and eat here, you'll thank me later Oh, and the prices are amazing and I'm pretty sure their food is super fresh because they're attached to a market that sells fresh food. Cheers. read more

Honestly this might be the best bang for your buck meal in San Diego. For 8-9$ you get a delicious well made chicken sandwich with plenty of variety of styles, each well done. Side of plane fries is massive and only 5$. I do wish the sandwich was like 2 bites bigger but the values is certainly there. I've tried almost every sandwich on the menu and they all hit. Chicken is icy and crispy. Must try. read more

First time coming here after hearing about it but I was not impressed with the quality. Both my husband and I ordered the side chick, with a side of fries to share an added on two sauces but only received one which was unfortunate. The cashier taking our order even confirmed our sauce selection with us & took about 10 minutes to receive our food. The sandwich was alright but felt like it was missing something, they give a big portion of fries that can be shared but they lacked in seasoning which was disappointing since they tasted like they were coated in flour or cornstarch before being fried which just ends up tasting plain making the meal less enjoyable. This place has no indoor dining but they do have tables and chairs outside in front. Not sure I would recommend this place. read more

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Omg how did I not know about this place sooner??? This shop is right next to the grocery store so after you grab your groceries, head on over to Side Chicks. I recommend ordering online so you can simply pickup and go. I got the Hot Chick sandwich which was the Nashville style sandwich. Be careful it's SPICY WOO! So big, so cheap, so fresh, and so delicious! Highly recommend this one and the chicken was thick and tender. I think for $6-8 it's so worth the price! I also got the onion rings and it was delicious. Definitely hits the spot! I'll 1000% be back to try other stuff here. Parking: 9/10 (easy to find parking) Service: 7/10 (fast and efficient. I'd order online) Ambiance: 8/10 (outside seating provided, kiosk to order or with staff, clean, and small) Food: 10/10 (enjoyed the fluffy bread, tender and crispy chicken breast, spice level was kicking for this one, and coleslaw was creamy and delicious) read more

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Stopped here on a Sunday after a long day of working hard. The whole family was exhausted and we wanted chicken sandwiches. It was great to see the newest Sando on the menu: "The Italian Chick", with marinara sauce and italian cheese. We tried: 1. The (Original) Basic Chick and 2. The Western Chick with Fries, bbq sauce on side and added a korean sauce on the side Everything was DELICIOUS! The fries are a seasoned french fries version and very tasty. The sauce on the side for dipping was perfect. Each sandwich was prepared well, and the fried chicken filet was perfectly crispy. They never let us down here. We discovered this place a few years ago when they only had 1-2 chicken sandwiches on the menu. Now, they have expanded their menu with SEVERAL different sandwich choices, loaded fries, and they have "Gabby's Cookies" which are stuffed with filling in them. I do miss "The French Chick" Sando. Thanks Side Chick, I am so glad that we found you a few years ago and that you're still going strong read more

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BAD bad bad bad BAD just had this and i cannot recommend enough that you skip it completely. pictures on their menu are completely misleading. compare "fries" depicted on menu to soggy, mushy potatoes received. chicken sandwiches were beyond disappointing. the bread was stale. the hot honey sandwich had no hot honey. the chicken was not crispy/fried. one of the sandwiches was missing pickles. service was super slow and although hours say they close at 10pm, employees locked doors right at 9pm, and some people had to leave bc the doors were locked. truly so bad i don't understand the current 4.4 rating P.S. EDITING bc i forgot to mention that they charge you $0.50 for ranch, and it's freaking Hidden Valley read more

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Let's talk about those friends, always complaining about not being able to eat that plain-a$$-chicken-sandwich (w/the cow mascot) on Sundays! Side Chick has been here for years! Stop hiding from South East Day-Go and patronize a small business, 7 days a week! Food is made to order so it's HOT! The Basic Side Chick with Pickles (on the side) gets the job done. Service is always some young man who is attentive, moves with urgency and knows how to "count back" my change. For less than $12 you have a good-sized sandwich and fries (1/2 order). I do wish the fries were crispier, but that's one of the downsides to fresh cut fries. I'm not a huge fan of the fry salt- I just don't get the hint of sugar on my fries thing. The Pickles are good on their own! We always order extra for snacking on later. Would love to have their pickles brined with the fresh jalapeños so they can be extra spicy. Grilled Brooch bun is on point. We always devour our sandwiches as soon as we get them (pix are from their www.eatsidechick.com) I think I'm going to spread my wings and go for the Korean chick fries on my next go-round. read more

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I get french fries with no seasoning on them. I didn't request for that. I want seasoning on these. I got chicken that's dry and it's got a bust down on it. Why am I picking so many hair off of this? I had to add more seasoning onto it, cause it didn't have no seasoning. read more

Side Chick - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Diego, California

Quality control/value has gone down for sure. Chicken in the sandwiches is about half the original size. Coleslaw and pickles skimped out like crazy in my fries, and extra sauces (that I gladly pay for) were only filled up halfway. What gives? I am hoping that this was a one off and the side chick that we know and love is still there somewhere. read more

Dayummmmmmmmm. This place was delicious. I happen to stumble upon it. There isn't any inside seating but they do have outside seating. It was a beautiful day so we ate outside. We got a chicken sandwich, chicken fries, and onion rings. Everything was delicious. The portions are large. We had leftovers and threw them in the air fryer and had it for round 2. read more

Update info online so I don't waste my time driving down when you're already closed. Pretty good other than your bad employees

Finally got to try this place after seeing it for so long and it ended up being very good! I got the seasonal hot honey basic chick sandwich which was pretty large (bun + chicken patty) and well worth the price. A little spicy due to the hot honey, and wouldn't mind trying the other flavors. Staff were very nice and it didn't take that long to get my order. No seating inside, just a few tables outside. Thanks! read more

Side Chick - Hot honey basic chick sandwich - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Diego, California

One of my family's favorite spots. Nashville hot sandwich packs some serious kick with amazing flavor. Such good value

If you're craving a good Chicken Sandwich this place is it. Fast Service! Good customer service. The Sandwich looks amazing. read more

Side Chick - Menu - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Diego, California

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Been eyeing this place since they opened a few years ago and finally got to try today. Ehh it's good but nothing crazy to rave and rant about. It's connected to Manolo with its own entrance and bathroom and plenty of parking. The guy taking our order handling the iPad was also the person who made our food. Hopefully he wore gloves or washed his hands before handling our foods. We got 2 orders of hot chick sandwiches, 1 cali chick, and small onion rings. Okay for the price points of $7-8/sandwich it's pretty good for the portion of the chicken which was pretty thick and covered the entire buns. It was juicy and flavors complimented well. It paired well with the pickle and coleslaw inside. I got the hot chick and I eat pretty spicy and to say it was spicy and had a nice kick to it means it's on the spicier side for others. I could agree that it could've been drenched a little more. The onion rings were fried to perfection and had a nice little crunch. read more

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Worth the 20+ mile trip we take to get to this tucked away spot. The food is hot, and freshly made to order. The fries are the best. Get one order with a sandwich and split it, because they give you a lot of fries. Use the self-service kiosk. It's not difficult to figure out and the guys in the back are busy. All orders are take away and they package the food nicely. There are a couple of tables outside that you can use, but they get grabbed quickly. It's attached to the market "next door" which you might want to check out. Prices are good and they have a nice selection of fresh food, fruit, ice cream, groceries, etc. Cool place - make the drive. It's worth it. read more

Side Chick is a great name for this place! It is located inside the Mexican market on the side, hence the name. Lady was working alone so she did the best she could. I did take out. Korean chick: 5/5 The chicken was thick. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I loved the pickled veggies and the crispy cucumber. I highly recommend Onion rings: 2/5 I love onion rings. Every chance I get to order it, I will. I won't order it here, however. Their portions are large but the onion came right out of the breading. It was not good at all. Basic chick: my hubby did not love good sandwich. The bbq sauce that came with it was just Ok. Loaded fries:3/5 the sauce was over powering. The chicken wasn't a crunchy. read more

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This is how a chicken sandwich should be made! I'm mad I waited so long to finally give them a try. After ordering our food, we went next door to kill time and perused Manolo's while we waited. I didn't know that their store is open to Manolo's on one side, even though I go to that grocery store regularly. It took about 15 minutes for them to call us up, and then we brought our haul home to feast. The Hot Chick was immaculate, but you should definitely be able to handle heat and love spicy food because the Nashville hot breading and sauce are not for the weak. The Cali Chick was slightly spicy as well, with the combination of chipotle aioli and pickled jalapeños. We also ordered 4 chicken strips and a side of fries, which was enough to feed 3 kids (ages 11, 10 and 8). They give you a massive amount of fries and we had some left over. Because we brought the food home, the strips and fries got a little soggy on the ride, but a quick turn in the air fryer crisped them right back up. I'm already planning what to try next time. read more

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I ordered a hot honey fries and it was NOT a good experience. The chicken was oily and it was too spicy it made it un-edible. Not much flavor just painfully hot. The fries were stale and had little to no salt or seasoning. Due to the reviews we were so excited yet highly disappointed. read more

Side Chick - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Diego, California

Side Chick in Southeast San Diego has grown so much since I've been back, and it's been incredible to see. From the moment we walked in, Ms. Ariadna was especially welcoming and made the experience feel warm and familiar. The hot tenders are still just as delicious. Trust me, don't skip the honey mustard! The Cali Chick remains my go-to: flavorful, satisfying, and always scrumptious. Their menu has expanded so much since the early days, with plenty of new options to try. The onion rings were perfect and stayed crispy, and the chicken wings were also super yummy. It's so wonderful to hear how well they're doing, not only at this location but also in Imperial Beach. Wishing them all the luck with their up-and-coming third location. Well deserved! Big shout-out to Lalo and Javi, who have been there since the very beginning. It's amazing to watch good people and good food continue to thrive!! Side Chick en San Diego ha crecido muchísimo. La señorita Ariadna fue súper acogedora y nos hizo sentir como en casa. Los tenders picantes siguen igual de deliciosos -- no se pierdan la "honey mustard". El Cali Chick siempre es mi favorito. Probamos los "onion rings", crujientes y perfectos, y las alitas, muy ricas también. Qué alegría ver que les va tan bien aquí y en Imperial Beach. ¡Mucho éxito con la tercera ubicación que viene! Un gran saludo a Lalo y Javi, quienes han estado desde el principio. read more

So I go to this place while sick which by the way was hard to find energy to leave house I order food with 2 sauces to go , I get all the way back home with my chicken and waffles and there is no fucking sauce in bag there is nothing worse than dry ass chicken and waffles then I call when I get home to complain and women acts dumb as shit with no fucks given about her own mistake read more

The loaded fries was worth it money. It was very good. I had the Korean chicken sandwich enjoyed every bit of it and I had it to go so by the time I got home and ate it it was still good. That's how you know. It was good. read more

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Okay but this place??? It's a tiny little spot inside a supermarket (no indoor seating), we saw it on TikTok and had to try it--got it to-go and the smell alone had us READY before we even got home. And OMG. So. Good. Like actually delicious. My son finished his whole sandwich (!!!), the Cali chicken, Korean chick, fries, sauces... everything was just hitting. Then we realized they gave us TWO orders of wings we didn't even order we called, they were super nice and told us to keep them--and one box even had an extra wing lol. 10/10, so yum, highly recommend. read more

Don't let this place fool you!! It is small and doesn't have an indoor space to eat (just some tables outside) so plan accordingly. Nothing special about the service either but the food, the food is legit so good. One of the best fried chicken sandwich places I have tried. Not oily or greasy, very crunchy and well seasoned, good quality products. Ugh wish I lived closer to eat here again. My most favorite item was the fries with chicken on top some kind of slaw and the mustard sauce. Wow , really enjoyed this place and will def go back as I visit a few times a year read more

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The Italian Chick basil aioli is delicious with the marinara and provolone. Hot and crunchy chicken breast. The Hot Chick is indeed hot. Dry seasoning brings the heat. Pairs well with coleslaw to mellow out, but still spicy. You will need to wait to get items, but food is made to order and fresh. I noticed people ordering fries entrees. I can only hope they are a good as sandwiches. read more

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You know it's good when you review it twice, YUUUUUMMM! Side chick? MORE LIKE MAIN CHICK lol. I can never give them enough stars. From the super nice staff and the delicious *not greasy* fried chicken. For a little restaurant connected to a grocery store you really wouldn't think too much of it but let me tell you, you're going to want to bless your taste buds with this one. You won't be disappointed! *chefs kiss* read more

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The sandwiches are some of the best I've had, just better to go. Tiny space to eat, but worth it!

Debating whether this review should be one star or two due to the fact that they gave us a hard burnt Cali bun and due to the wait time. Giving it a two star because the fries had good seasoning. The wait was long, the cashier told us it would be a 15 min wait. After 20 min I asked if it was ready and he said 5 more min. 10 min passed and he hands me fries only, I asked "what about the bun?" He then realized that that our order was ready 10 min ago and was just sitting there behind him. When we went inside to check our order we got a smell of burnt food but didn't think they would still give out the BURNT chicken. It's definitely disappointing, you want to help out small businesses but when they don't care about the quality of food they make it makes you not recommend them to anyone. read more

Side Chick - Burnt Cali bun - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Diego, California

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It is fascinating as Side chick is next to and inside ( but with its own entrance) Manolo's farmers market. We ordered ahead and I am glad I did because they were busy with maybe two employees ( who were nice and welcoming) working. One of the menu boards showed elote corn, but unfortunately there were all out. The side chick was good, but could have used more sauce. The side chick fries were quite good and my wife liked the Korean chick. They are good, but I like my two favorites better. read more

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food is amazing, and so flavorful. staff is friendly and the environment of the building is quiet and clean read more

I'd read about Side Chick and have wanted to try it out, so yesterday I visited the Federal Blvd location. I got The Basic Chick ($5) with honey mustard and a side of fries. The chicken (breast portion) came on a brioche bun with pickles and was nicely breaded, thick, and moist, better than Chick-fil-A's. Wow. The fries were enough for three people. Side Chick does not skimp here! They were very tasty. Overall I definitely recommend Side Chick as it deserves its place among the better chicken sandwiches out there. read more

Polite service, amazing location! I will definitely be coming back to try everything else on the menu! Highly recommend chicken is crispy, fries are as well and very flavorful. read more

Side Chick - Side Chick Fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Diego, California

It was very good, besides a lil soggy from ride home but after a lil toaster action it was crispy like you'd won't a waffle to be . I thought the chicken had great flavor, my friend said it was too much for her. But I found it to be perfect. It was worth the try! Thanks to the reviews I read!!! The people were nice , it was fast and I love the grocery store that's connected they have the best drinks!! read more

Side Chick - Side Chick - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Diego, California

TL;DR: Crispy chicken sandos varying in different spice levels. You will likely sweat eating the Hot Chick. Fries are alright - nothing special. Chicken strips are solid side order for extra protein Ordered: Side chick (4/5): Really good chicken sando. Fried to a crisp and the chicken was juicy inside. Good flavoring with the pickles too Hot chick (3/5): point of caution - this sandwich is HOT. Like sweat uncontrollably for 15 minutes after your last bite. Same good textures as the side chick but arguably too hot where you don't taste anything but pepper Fries (3/5): flavor was good not great. That said, almost necessary to soak up the heat of the hot chick Strips (4/5): Solid side for the price too! Probably my go-to next time I'm back - great value! Add Side Chick to the growing list of chicken sando spots - solid food Cheers, Side Chick! read more

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I've been coming here for about a year and everything has been great until today. I placed an order for custom fries with Nashville hot chicken and what I got was RAW CHICKEN. Everything was good at first until I took a bite out of a flimsy piece of raw chicken. After feeling every chicken in the box, I pulled out around 3- 5 pieces of pink flimsy raw chicken. I loved chicken. I will never eat it again after this meal. I am truly traumatized. Thankfully, the staff were swift with me and were able to give me a refund. The food was good other times but sadly due to this, I will not take the risk of eating here and getting raw chicken again. Hoping I don't feel sick after this. read more

Side Chick - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Diego, California

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