Coming from the same team of Birdsong, a two Michelin starred restaurant in San Francisco, this fast casual concept is a winner.

Birdbox has been open since fall of 2022 and while I tried their food at my company holiday party last winter (my boss and her husband are the ones behind Birdsong and Birdbox), this was my first time visiting their brick and mortar location.

Birdbox.

Their menu has various fried chicken options: half or quarter fried chicken, drumettes, flats, tenders, and sandwiches. With whatever type of chicken you pick, you can also choose the type of seasoning you prefer: classic yeast, spicy falcon, or sour cream and onion (the last one is not an option for the sandwiches). Sides include waffle fries, cornbread, coleslaw, and potato salad. They also have numerous sauces (I’m a sauce girl) and I wanted to try the sauce flight.

They have two types of fried chicken sandwiches: chicken breast and “claude the claw”, a whole deboned chicken thigh and drum. While I was more inclined to try “claude the claw”, Tommaso wasn’t as keen because they do keep the entire chicken foot/claw on (that wouldn’t bother me but it could be “shocking” for some people).

Fried Chicken Breast Sandwich (Classic Yeast and Sticky) with Waffle Fries: 8.5-9/10.

We got the fried chicken breast sandwich in the classic yeast flavor and also made it sticky meaning it was coated in marmite honey (that’s an additional option). The chicken breast was moist which I was happy about as it can get dry and the amount of tangy coleslaw and pickles were appropriate. The buns were pillowy and soft too. I rarely eat waffle fries so these were a nice surprise and were coated in schmaltz and classic yeast seasoning.

Chicken Tenders (Sour Cream and Onion): 8.5-9/10.

I’m typically a flats girl but since we never eat chicken tenders, we thought we would try something different. These were like the refined adult version of the nostalgic chicken tenders you might have had as a child coated in their sour cream and onion spice mix served with ranch.

Cornbread (9/10) and Sauce Flight.

I knew I had to get their cornbread as they had an amazing cornbread dish at Birdsong when I dined there many years ago. I’m not sure if it’s the exact same recipe but it has a delectable crispy crust with a soft and rich interior. It’s hard to put into words how buttery and delicious it is! The sauce flight consisted of raging falcon, buffalo, spicy yeayo, black magic, ranch, and yeayo. My favorites were the black magic (black garlic sauce), ranch, and yeayo (yeasty mayonnaise).

Gifts: Cheesecake Pie (6/10) and Brownie (9/10).

The manager was nice enough to gift us desserts since we were industry and knew the owners. First off, the brownie was exceptional. Decadent and fudgy with pieces of chocolate throughout with a crackly top. The cheesecake pie with strawberry jam had potential but the dough wasn’t flaky (it was quite dry and hard) and barely had any cheesecake filling. I would have preferred a normal cheesecake any day.

What’s important to note is the Birdbox sources their chickens whole which allows them to ensure the quality of the meat which is their top priority. It’s a fried chicken spot where you can feel good visiting knowing that the chickens are organic and free range. Therefore my rating is an 8.5/10.