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    The Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles

    3.6 (357 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

    The Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles Photos

    THE DIRTY BIRD CHICKEN + WAFFLES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    No Fowl Play w/ a spicy sriracha/ketchup/maple sauce combination
    Caroline N.

    Heard great reviews about this place and decided to visit while on vacation in Toronto. I tried their vegan option "No Fowl Play" and it was amazingly delicious!!! The "chicken" is fried cauliflower. The sweet and spicy sauce adds an amazing flavor and takes the taste to another level! The waffles were great as well but I the fried cauliflower and sauce was a favorite. Combining the waffle and the fried cauliflower together was a great too and didn't even need the syrup. However the waffles alone needed it. Inside I ate my food at the bar which is standing only. I would've preferred to sit but I understand why standing is better for such a small space. Service was quick and employees were nice. Overall 5/5 and a great place to eat within Kensington Market area!

    Menu June 2022
    Cin C.

    Came by on a whim this week for dinner and was pleasantly surprised by their fried chicken. We had the OG sandwich (boneless thigh, pickle, dirty aioli, waffle) and the ODB Signature (boneless dark meat, waffle, maple syrup, dirty sauce). The real star of the show is the fried chicken. The thin crunchy exterior reveals moist succulent juicy meat inside. Best of all, it is boneless so you can happily devour it without worries. I really like that they use dark meat, as I find it so much juicier and delicious than the usual white meat counterpart. The accompaniment of the soft waffle makes sense, as it provides a soft counterpart to the crunch of the chicken. The sauces were okay, but I found them to be mostly an afterthought to the chicken. Only negative feedback would be that they have standing room only counterspace for dine in. Be prepared to take out or eat standing up!

    Teena D.

    I had a late lunch today at The Dirty Bird. It's a small but popular spot. I was hungry and ordered the three piece meal and a Diet Coke. It was okay. I could taste something hot/spicy on the chicken plus cinnamon. It took a while so I'm assuming it was cooked to order.

    Na T.

    finally made a stop here to try the dirty bird and it was quite tasty! got an order of the dirty fries (well done so its hot, fresh and crispy!) 5/5 topped with fresh green onions & cridpy onions, cheddar cheese, and drizzles of their house dirty sauce & dirty aioli! these laused babies were sauced up nicely! i also grabbed the jerk chicken w.waffles sandwich. 2/5. flavours were aaaamazing! i loved the crunchy purple cabbage slaw. the only reason why i rate the sandwich itself a 2/5, is because both the chicken and waffles were not hot and fresh. its been pre-cooked and set aside...the chicken lost its crispiness and the waffles could've been toasted to get a crunchy bite too. it was overall soggy and barely warm. next time, ill be sure to request that my chicken be made fresh to get that hot crispy goodness!

    Cassey C.

    Came here on a weekend afternoon and it was pretty busy. It's a small place but had adequate seating. I tried the ODB which comes in a boneless quarter leg, waffle and topped with a buttered maple syrup. The chicken was pretty delicious as it wasn't dry and had a great flavour. It also comes with a small side dish. If you are craving for fried chicken and waffles in Kensington Market, give The Dirty Bird a try!

    Sticky icky sandwich with mini waffles upgrade
    Lilian L.

    I had the Sticky Icky sandwich through Ritual and upgraded the buns to mini waffles. The sandwich was heavenly, I'm obsessed. When I first described to a friend the sandwich I had at Dirty Bird, she was concerned that the combination of fried chicken and waffles would be dry but I assure you, it was anything but dry. The waffles were moist and soft, the chicken was juicy and crunchy. The jalapeños added a nice kick to the whole combo. All in all, this sandwich was what dreams were made of. Especially at the price you're paying through Ritual's perks.

    The ODB with fries
    Andrew L.

    I give this restaurant three stars. I went to the Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles back in January. Generally speaking, I love fried chicken but I am kind of fifty-fifty when it comes to chicken and waffles. The staff at The Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles are extremely friendly and welcoming. When it comes to the food, I did not like the fried chicken - I think it mostly had to do with the spices. The waffle was very good - it was crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. For the side item I got the fries which was a big mistake. Not because they were bad (they were actually quite good) but because it was just way too heavy to eat chicken and waffles, and fries all in one meal. If I could go back in time I would have gotten the coleslaw instead - to balance out the flavours and add more texture to meal. I will not be returning to The Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles but if you like fried chicken and haven't tried it, you should give it a shot. If you do try it, make sure to get the coleslaw as your side. Three stars.

    The ODB
    Reza K.

    Delivery So basically I wasn't happy with 2 main things. First, the waffles were really soggy and undercooked. Second, the chicken was dry and it wasn't the best in terms of quality.

    a person holding a container of food
    Westbound P.

    Fries are trash too much sauce, I don't like caramel taste. Service is misleading the vibe is decent for sure

    sticky icky sandwich with mini waffles
    Shuang W.

    We waited around 15 minutes in the line during lunch hours which is pretty good, they have lots of options on the menu but because I'm not that hungry I went for a small sandwich. Who can resist maple garlic fried chicken plus jalapeños? Not me. I ordered the sticky icky sandwich which has all of the amazing elements I said above and it was so good. The chicken was so juicy and tasty, crispy yet tender. The maple garlic sauce is amazing and the jalapeños pepper added a kick to the sweet sandwich. This is better than any sandwich I have tried before and I will come back in the future for this for sure. Why did I take one star off? Because of other than the food I had I didn't like anything else of the place. first of all they forgot about my order, so many ppl after me got theirs and I had to eventually ask them so they could start my sandwich for me. Second, they didn't ask me if we want to eat here or to go and directly gave me a box instead of the tray, it is really hard to eat from it. The sandwich is sloppy, and instead of the foil they have around the sandwich in the poster they hang in the store; they give u a piece of paper which helps with nothing. Also the store need more seats, even have some seats outside would be helpful because TD tiny inside.

    The Great White North
    Nneka M.

    Honestly, probably the best chicken and waffles I've ever had...like ever... The chicken was succulent, well marinated, and fried to absolute greatness. The waffle was soft and fluffy, yet with crispy edges. The buttered maple syrup was the perfection of savory and sweet, and was delicately swirled with scotch bonnet ranch dressing that coated my chicken. Now the only draw back...this place is small, so be quick with seating. And the place to put your empty tray is very limited, so it can cause an unsightly pile up of trash. Otherwise, perfect for breakfast-brunch and late night eats, strategically placed in lovely-hippie chic district of Kensington market.

    Thanuja V.

    I believe the ultimate comfort food is fried chicken. I enjoyed the OG chicken and waffle combo. The chicken was perfect and the waffle was the right texture. I did not enjoy the fries however and felt like I was waiting a while for the food. I mean good fried chicken does take some time to prepare. I did also enjoy the red hot sauce, goes great with the chicken. Overall I thought it was a decent experience.

    Justine S.

    It's a 3.5 leaning more towards a 4. I really love chicken so I'm really glad my boyfriend found this place on Yelp. Sadly, I do have to echo the other reviews and say that the seating and service is really disjointed. No one is mean but it's slow and confusing service. The bathrooms are disgusting. Seating is cramped and the restaurant is boiling. I think I misread the menu because I never got a waffle with my order. I ordered the maple chicken bites and a leg. The food was excellent though. I really loved the simplicity of their fried chicken. Since I'm not a fan of overly seasoned chicken, this was right up my alley. Crispy, warm, juicy. Really really good. The maple chicken was a bit too suggary but still good. I'd recommend coming here and exploring the rest of the surrounding restaurants because they had so many good options in this area! Visited July 1st 2017

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    Very good chicken and some of the best waffles I've ever had. I could eat them without syrup is how good they are.

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    Chen Chens - Chicken sandwich

    Chen Chens

    4.7(92 reviews)
    2.4 kmBeaconsfield Village, West Queen West
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    I tried all three chicken burger flavors and they all came out crispy and delicious! The only fault…read moreI could find was that the sichuan flavor could've been stronger. amazing service at the counter, she took the time to explain the menu. I can't wait to go back to try the ube banana flavor.

    Overall, my experience was alright. Nothing screamed out "Oh I have to go again!" or "let me tell…read moresomeone about this!". The piece of chicken on my sandwich was a rather peculiar piece in terms of its shape. It did not provide an enjoyable eating experience. When I took my first bite, after figuring out which would be an easy bite, a piece of chicken fell out which made me realize it was two separate pieces of chicken inbetween two buns. It got rather messy after having to pick up the fallen pieces. Other than that, it was flavorful but wasn't the best I've had. I prefer Dave's Hot Chicken over this. My fries were pretty salty. If given the option, I would have requested lightly salted or no salt at all. Space was small but understandable as it seemed to be a carry-out spot. Customer service wasn't quite all that. The girl took our order and that was it. Not much of a greeting nor farewell/thanks for coming. We didn't receive a follow-up during our meal to see if we may needed anything. I would have benefited from extra napkins. My friend enjoyed his meal. He stated it was a good meal but he wouldn't go out of his way to get this. He would have preferred to uber-eats it if he lived here. What made me want to go was the name. My last name is the same as the restaurant name so I figured give it a go! Also saw positive reviews on TikTok.

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    Chen Chens - Chicken sandwich

    Chicken sandwich

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    Ikkousha - Spicy Miso Tonkotsu ($17)

    Ikkousha

    4.4(21 reviews)
    1.5 kmDowntown Core

    First time at Yonge and Dundas location of Ikkousha. I have frequented the location at Queen Street…read morebut thought I'd give this location a try since I was in the area. Same concept and menu as the Queen Street location. Friendly and welcoming as soon I enter the restaurant. Great for small groups and solo diners as well. No liquor license at this location unfortunately. Hopefully next time I'll be able to enjoy my ramen with a pint of beer. You can view the menu via QR code and order using the order sheet provided. Very easy and efficient way to place your order. I got my usual, Signature Tonkotsu ($16) with a flavoured egg (+$3). It did not disappoint. Very good and flavourful broth without being too salty. A+ for the noodles and added to garlic which enhanced overall taste. Highly recommend checking out this ramen spot! Great addition to Yonge and Dundas.

    Haven't been to this location (or Ikkousha for awhile actually). I frequented their original Queen…read moreSt locations in the past. This location is newer but retains the same seating format inside as its predecessors. First thing I noticed sitting down was how inflation absolutely drove these prices through the roof since the last time I had a bowl. Got myself a tonkotsu broth (totally missed the gyokai option ... only realized once I started eating and casually glanced back over at my sheet). Added premium toppings and held off on the gyozas this time around. Some things to note. They removed some condiments from the table. The pickled ginger, bamboo, mustard greens and garlic all used to be available ON the table for me to grab as a customer. Now the waitress just asks you if you want them when she's grabbing your order sheet. I think they should revert to having those items back on the table. I'm still able to grind my own sesame seeds into my ramen at the table which is great. Taste-wise, the bowl was delicious and reconfirmed to me why Ikkousha belongs in my top 5 list for toronto ramen. Value though? That's another story... My bowl of ramen with premium toppings and a serving of extra noodles was ~ $30 after tax and tip which is wild tbh. I don't think any other ramen place is charging that or more except Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (which I would argue has debatable value as a diner because of their super small portions). Yes, as a resto owner you account for inflation but I can't help feeling that the current pricing has gone past the inflation curve. 5 star ramen, 2 star pricing/value. The quality was excellent hence the 5 stars, but mentally I HAVE to drop a star because the price is just too high to ignore.

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    Ikkousha - Condiments at each table

    Condiments at each table

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    The Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles - chickenshop - Updated September 2026

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