Birdies

Reviews 7

JU

Juvi Guevara

Free donut samples, guys! That could be my entire review, and it should be enough to get you over here, now! The donuts themselves are actually freaking amazing. From the Horchatta Twist donuts to the enormous Cookies & Cream filled donuts, sample them all because you will want each one. Made from scratch and super dense with being overly-dry, youll be hard pressed to find better around here. Donuts arent all they have. In fact, their fried chicken sandwiches are the best in area. The Birdies Original and the Birdies Spicy are made with Cole Slaw, Tillamook Cheddar, and Cured Pickles, but whereas the Original is made with Buttermilk Ranch Mayo, the Spicy is made with Ghost Pepper Mayo. Theyre both delicious, it just depends on your personal taste. Their chicken wings and breakfast sandwiches are also pretty bomb, just not the reason to come out here, in my personal opinion. Theyre also cranking out high-quality Intelligentsia coffee, and you can get it your way, no matter how you take it. The space is small, but there are a few spaces to sit at the long bar tables against the wall. And parking, unfortunately is a pain to find, especially during the week. On Sundays, however, the small lot in the alley behind the restaurant is free. Have fun filling up on those free samples!

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PA

Pauline Cao

What Ive Tried - Birdies Spicy - Birdies Breakfast Sandwich - Sampled ALL the Donuts :) I fell in love with this place the first few times visited. The Birdies Spicy won me over instantly with the Ghost Pepper mayo. It had a good kick and went well with the crispy fried chicken, refreshing coleslaw and soft brioche bun. I love that they let you sample all the donuts before purchasing. Most places would be annoyed AND not even let you sample at all. My favorite donuts are the Lemon Pistachio Thyme and the Horchata Twist. HOWEVER, the donuts are ONLY GOOD DAY OF. When they are even a day old, it is NOT GOOD AT ALL. :( SO SAD RIGHT? The worker told me it is because of the yeast they use. It is not suppose to last more than a day. The Birdies Breakfast Sandwich was good, the FIRST time I ordered it. The second time, the egg was overcooked, there was NO sauce in the sandwich. I asked for sauce inside AND on the side. They must have misheard and only put it on the side. Sad. It is annoying to have to add the sauce on your sandwich constantly and to have an overcooked egg. I love sunny side. :( I dont think I will be back anymore. It was a huge let down on my last visit.

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AN

Andrew

This place used to be something else but now its Birdies. "Donuts, chicken, and coffee" as their sign says and I had 2 of the 3 but not the coffee (which is intelligentsia...which is good). The chicken tenders tasted great but the breading falls off in the first bite so you end up eating just chicken then the breading. The spicy chicken sandwich wasnt that spicy due to the fact that there was barely any "spicy ghost pepper mayo" in addition to the 2 tiny slices of pepper. Tasted good but left me wanting more flavor. The donuts on the other hand are really good (cinnamon one is my favorite) but are they worth the price...Ill let you decide. The staff was very friendly and professional. They greeted everyone that came in and were very helpful with new customers (3 words: free donut samples) Final words: I wouldnt come back specifically for this place but if I was around and had a hankering for something sweet, Id drop by. Side note: In the city so no designated parking and weird clientele (neighborhood people (not weird), foodies (we are weird), and random tourist families (really weird to the point of entertaining).

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AL

Alex Phi

The Legend is real. Fatties United we will eat all the donuts and fried chicken in the world. Who joins me in arms in the Council of Fatties? We will recruit all the necessary postions - treasurer (to pay for all the food), historian (to write our Yelp reviews), and a secretary (to research all the new food). 24/7. 24 days a week and 7 hours a day you can get your fatty fix. Wait...what? Chef J Hes so badass he only needs a letter to explain his name. Just like J from Men in Black, you know...Will Smith. Hes just as cool too. How often do you have a head chef/owner that mans the front of house and makes sure every customer feels at home? Probably as rare as a Snorlax sighting...yeah thats rare. That Spicy Sandwich Though Okay this is my last consecutive 5 star review or else you guys will this Im a sucker for all foods. Let me tell you what, maybe I just eat hella good good all the time. Did you think of that? This spicy chicken sandwich can only be described as the love child of Aphrodite and Hercules, its perfect crisp, juicy meat, soft bun, and creamy spicy sauce....mmm...bring extra underwear.

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AL

Alexis Favis

Birdies is a close walk from L.A. Live, where we stayed in downtown LA. We passed it walking several times and finally decided we had to try their donuts and chicken. Why chicken and donuts have become such a popular food combo, I dont know. But, I do know I dont hate it. I tried the spicy bird. It boasts ghost pepper mayo, but for my taste it was not over the top spicy. The fried chicken breast was great. Perfectly golden brown with a great ratio of crispy breading. The quality of the chicken breast was also so good it was noticeably better than other sandwiches Ive had of similar nature. The bun was also very tasty and buttery. The pickles in the sandwich tie everything together perfectly. For a donut, I tried the pistachio Thyme. Also a great combination of sweet and savory. They were out of cold brew coffee, but the iced americano was a perfect substitute on a a warm day. I know there a lot of food options in LA. This is worth a try if youre in the area.

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MA

Matthew Fuller

They universe wants fried chicken to happen at this spot in Downtown. First the short lived Mabels and now Birdies in the same spot. Had the Birdies Original chicken sandwich and a Maple Bacon donut. The donut must have been sitting for a little bit because it was a bit tough. I could definitely imagine the donut that my donut once was a few hours previous. I imagine that donut was excellent. The frosting and bacon on mine were very delicious regardless of age. Might try getting one at 6 AM when they open. Sandwich was hot, fresh and well put together. Chicken had a good batter that seemed to want to fall off but was tasty none the less. Really all around solid sandwich made with love and quality ingredients. Be prepared to wait ten minutes or so because they really do cook it fresh. Worth a visit if you come near Staples Center. Worth weekly visits if you work in the area and dont mind spending around $10 minimum.

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DR

Drew Davis

Reviewed on Facebook in April: Was in town for a few days staying with my cousin who lives a few blocks away. Walked down here for a late breakfast and IT WAS AWESOME. Very friendly staff that made sure we knew we could sample all of the donuts and that everything was made in-house and fresh. Of course I had to get the Candied Bacon Maple donut, which was great. I also had the Spicy Birdie chicken sandwich that had a ton of flavor, was made fresh and definitely was spicy, but not overpowering. If I had to come up with something to criticize, it would be the drink choices. They had a bunch of coffee drinks (although Im not a coffee drinker), water, and three kinds of bottled soda. One person in our group, along with another in another group, asked if they had juice like apple or orange. However, the experience and food were awesome and when I come back, I will definitely make a stop at Birdies!

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