3.5 out of 5 We ordered a grilled chicken sandwich for takeout. The chicken was surprisedly tender. The sandwich comes with tomatoes, coleslaw, pickles, Swiss cheese and garlic Mayo. It comes in a sesame (black and white) bun that was a tad dry but I think it helps soak in the juices of the chicken. I may come back again. read more

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Went here a few days after opening and they had the usual new place hiccups and a couple of unexpected features. The place wasn't too busy, probably because it had just opened. Food: Ordered the chicken and waffles, grilled chicken with a side of broccoli & cauliflower and a couple soft drinks. For dessert we ordered coffee soft serve and a creme brulee sundae (whatever it was called). The fried chicken reminded me of Shake n Bake chicken. The coating didn't stick and wasn't crispy or crunchy. Two pieces were included: half a breast fillet and half a thigh. Most people think of the south when they hear chicken and waffles. The chicken didn't remind me of southern fried chicken at all. The chicken tasted fine, but Popeye's tastes better and gives you whole pieces. The waffes were on the crunchy side while also being chewy, and the included maple pecan bourbon sauce was nice, but there wasn't enough of it. I'd have asked for syrup, but they didn't have any. I asked for hot sauce and they brought me a small container of the house made hot sauce. What our waiter neglected to tell me was they charge $1 for the sauce. The grilled chicken was ok and about the same size portion as above. Since you specify a sauce, the expectation is the chicken would be basted with the sauce. Instead, a tiny container of sauce was served on the side. When they put the plate down, the chicken was hidden by the broccoli and cauliflower so either the pieces are small or the veggies are huge. The coffee ice cream was more ice than cream. Think ice milk. The creme brulee sundae was burnt marshmallow ice cream on a stale sugar doughnut and dressed w/ a few raspberries. Rather than brulee the sugar on the doughnut, or microwave the doughnut to soften it up, it just sat there like the day old doughnut it was, hard, dry and ready to be choked down. It was hard enough to raise a splinter or two on the wooden spoon that comes with the ice cream. Luckily, I felt the splinter before it actually got stuck in my lip. Even the melting ice cream had trouble penetrating the stale, dry doughnut skin. But the burnt marshmallow ice cream was good and creamy. Service: I could've sworn it was our waiter's first day as a waiter, but apparently he waits at other places too. He came by to take our drink orders and expressed his sorrow that the place didn't serve lemonade or sweet tea. The place is dressed up to look a bad replica of either a southern seaside shack, a southern swamp shack or a southern road side shack, but they don't have two staples of the non-alcoholic south, lemonade and sweet tea. So we ordered some other soft drinks. After a couple minutes, he came by with water and glasses. Then he came by to explain the menu and take our dinner order. Then 10 minutes later, our soft drinks were delivered. Ten minutes after that, our food was delivered by a server. Then 5 minutes later, our waiter came by to check on us. At that point, I asked for hot sauce and 5 minutes later, he delivered me $1 worth of hot sauce. FYI, $1 buys less than a fluid ounce. Interior: Good thing I had a tetanus booster a couple years ago because I could've easily gotten lockjaw if I scraped myself on the rusty table leg (unexpected feature #1). I also could've gotten splinters from the rough, reclaimed wood table top. Being a rough table top, glasses and plates didn't sit solidly or stably so you had to find the flattest part of the table to place your glasses. The interior makes liberal use of rusty, corrugated steel and repurposed wood pallets and cable reels, just like all the best shacks and shanties in the south do. And just like in the south, the rest rooms are outside the restaurant, across the atrium, behind the escalator (unexpected feature #2). Don't get lost making your way back to the bar. Price: Reasonable, actually. tl;dr: Bring your own hot sauce and make sure your tetanus booster is up to date. read more

Joe Bird - Chicken and waffles - Chicken Shop Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The service was pretty poor. We waited to be seen by the host for about 5 minutes. He appeared to be the only host for both of the restaurant's entrances - on opposite sites of the place. He wasn't very polite or friendly, didn't welcome us or greet us, no enthusiasm, etc. similarly we saw large line-ups waiting to be greeted and many even left in frustration. Our drinks took about 25 minutes to arrive, but we were instantly served luke warm tap water. (No ice) eventually the drinks came and eventually the food arrived after about 35 minutes or so. The food was good. Very good. Oddly they had corn on the cob as a shareable, but it wasn't cut in half or anything, so I'm not sure how people would want to share it. Over all, it was a disappointment but the food was good enough to give it another shot some day. My parents were here before and had the opposite experience. read more

My boyfriend loves fried chicken so we kind of make it a point to try as much fried chicken as we can. We happened across Joe Bird while at Harbourfront and it became one of our happiest accidents. The cornbread was soft and moist and the jalapeño butter they serve it with was a great touch. The chicken itself was amazing, probably the best fried chicken I've ever had. This was one of the best meals I've had in Toronto. Only took off a star because we had to wait a while for our food and bill but I will definitely be coming back here. read more

I ordered the wings with a side of spicy fries and my wife had an order of the fried chicken. The wings were pretty lacklustre but the spicy fries were incredible, the seasoning on them is something magical. I've had the fried chicken here previously and my wife's consensus echoed mine, it's decent. The restaurant has its pros and cons but one of the highlights is the great patio and view of the lake. One disappointing thing that happened was when we got our bill we noticed that the wings were priced two dollars higher than was on the menu. When we pointed out the discrepancy with our server, we where told that some prices where bring updated and the menu didn't reflect the changes, but the customer checkout system was up to date. The two dollar difference didn't bother us, but the fact that the menu stated one list price, and we where being charged another is pretty dishonest. If it takes longer for new menus to be printed and distributed online or in the restaurant, that's fine. But the server should have been on point to inform me that the menu in my hands had the incorrect price and told me upfront what the correct price was of the item I was ordering. I would have still ordered the wings, but at least I would have known upfront what to expect on my bill opposed to being expected to just play ball and pay up. Better transparency upfront would have been appreciated instead of this anti-consumer approach. Taking $2 off the bill really is nothing on the grand scheme of things, but it communicates that the establishment has a desire to recognize their mistakes, and take a customer focused approach and correct an error that they clearly made. This dishonest approach to treating customers is certainly one reason to never visit again. read more

Great ambiance and beautiful view of the lake. Very chill vibes inside and spacious. Besides the environment, people go here for the CHICKEN. I ordered the fried chicken of course and got a few of the sauces on the side. All in all, the chicken was well seasoned, lightly battered, and yet not too salty. Since it is in the Harbourfront neighbourhood, the price is slightly steeper than other fried chicken comparables around the city. If you are ever in the area, I suggest trying it out. read more

I had the pleasure of visiting this establishment twice in one day! What an experience to see the atmosphere on a sunny afternoon with the patio walls open so the outdoor dinning space blends beautifully with the flow of the indoor space. Also during the dinner hours when the sun has set. The vibes were consistent on both visits. I only learned of the restaurant the day before after learning about "The Fix" and then realized it was inside of Joe Bird. Our initial visit was focused on trying one of The Fixes creations, that was interesting (see my review!). Our second visit is when we decided to stay close to harbour front because of the down pour of rain. Upon arrival we were greeted by one of the hostesses and seated, the restaurant kwasn't packed but bustling were were seated on the window with wood benches and pillows. I love the look but sucks if you want to sit back and digest your comforting meal. I loved our English server he was very accommodating and despite his section being busy he was still attentive to us and our needs. The food: We ordered fried chicken 2 piece which came with a side and sauce. Side chosen was the mini slaw and sauce was the mango chutney. I was expecting the chicken to be a leg and thigh but it was a drumstick and part of the breast (I was tempted to but street meat afterwards from not being full). Unfortunately my pieces of chicken were not fully cooked but the server was apologetic and accommodating. The second dish ordered was the bird chicken and waffle. Loved the waffle with a touch of coffee. We substituted the second piece of chicken to try the BBQ. Glad we tried it, interesting taste. We also tried the spicy fries which was nice and crunchy. My biggest plus of the night was the cost of our meal. My advice, if you have not been just try it once! read more

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Good food, good music,smiling staff, good birds and delicious ice cream. Just visit when you'r around. It makes you feel like you'r in a beach club! read more

Joe Bird - Chicken Shop Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Called 5 times and left voicemails to make reservations but no one ever called back. Decided to go and give them a shot anyway. Chicken batter is bland and meat was dry. Service was ok, drinks were good and the space is great. read more

My friend and I were walking in the harbour front area and saw this place. We decided to try it out cause the menu looked interesting. It included only snack size items. We ending up getting the poutine. Our poutines came out in small bowls. It was good had a lime flavour. Definitely the smallest poutine I've ever had. If you are ever in the harbour front area and are looking for a snack would recommend trying this place. read more

Really nothing special everything seems like out of a box or a can Will not come back Why is it so hard to cook basic stuff Another meh! Place read more

One of the worst places I've been to in Toronto Bad service 20-30 min wait for the waiter to come around The grilled chicken has no flavour or sauce I'll never come here again read more

I'm sad to say the quality of this place has dropped. The chicken in the Bao sandwich had more batter than chicken and the bun was doughy. We have visited this place every week for the past couple months and perhaps they're trying to save money but the quality isn't as good as it used to be. read more

We were in the mood for poutine while walking around Harbourfront and stopped at the Joe Bird to give it a try. The poutine size is very small, enough for one person if you aren't hungry-hungry. The poutine is a little (a lot) different from regular poutines. They use a gravy which has lemon and thyme in it. I would give it a 6/10. It was just okay. The price was probably around $5 each as our bill came up to $12 and change for 2 poutines. We sat at the bar and the wait time to order/food to come was fairly short, considering it was a Saturday night. read more

Great place for lunch and drinks - staff and bartender were welcoming and friendly. Food was delicious - views even better!

The decor of the restaurant is very inviting and enjoyable. My wife and I ate on the patio and watched the sunset over the bay. The location is great and easily accessible, but our service was subpar. We entered the restaurant from its interior entrance and we were told we were put on the list to be sat so we went to the bar since the wait was only 15 minutes. We waited the 15 minutes and I went to check our spot on the list and we were never placed on it. We were sat 20 minutes later and after arriving at our table it took someone 15 minutes to notice we haven't been taken care of yet. The food arrived quickly and we had the cornbread as an appetizer. Growing up the south I was afraid of what Canadian cornbread would be like but this was probably the best cornbread I have eaten. I got the 2 piece fried chicken with the potatoes bravas and I was very pleased with my choice. My wife on the other hand got the chicken sandwich with fries. She enjoyed the fries but the chicken on the sandwich was paper thin. While here I tried a beer from the bar (their on tap selection is lacking) and the whiskey lemonade which was very tasty. Overall I would grade the food a 3.5/4 and the service a 2 with the atmosphere being a 4/5. If we are ever in the Toronto area again I may wonder into Joe Bird for a second time. read more

Joe Bird - Chicken Shop Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Overall a good experience. We ended up here on their soft opening party (I believe) so unfortunately we didn't get a seat on the patio but the inside is definitely still cute. On each table there's a little cactus and mason jars for the utensils. The price is not bad for Harbourfront (less than $15) and the chicken is delicious! The chicken wasn't salted so you could put salt to your liking or they also had a spice on the table which you could add as well. You also get to choose a sauce that comes with it. I got the habanero sauce which was okay. The only thing was that I wish it was more savoury and less just plain spicy. I had some of the mango sauce from my friend which was good but it was just missing something to it. Each dish comes with a side so I got the wedges with the garlic aioli which tasted great, just wish that the potatoes were cooked slightly longer! Other than the sauces which I think they could definitely improve on it was great and I would definitely come back. read more

Joe Bird - 2 piece fried chicken with potato bravas - Chicken Shop Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Love this place on the waterfront! Delicious fried chicken and I love the variety of sauces to choose from. Favourite sides are the broccoli, corn bread, and brussel sprouts. Awesome place for drinks on the patio and the "campfire" ice cream from The Fix is amazing, especially during the summer to enjoy on the harbour front. So happy to see a good restaurant in a prime location! read more

I have been to JB numerous times since it opened at the tail end of last summer. The fried chicken and corn bread is a must try and please don't forget about The Fix hiding inside! read more

Decided to try this place out because it had a nice waterfront patio. We were seated in the shadow when there were other tables available in the sun. After relocating indoors, we placed our orders, FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLES with Maple bourbon coffee sauce and lemon-arugula salad, poutine, taquitos, and the samosas. Our dishes came out, and no one came by to check up on us despite multiple staff walking by our table, our server was nowhere to be found. I took a bite out of the Fried Chicken which nothing spectacular, and then a taste of the maple bourbon coffee sauce which I absolutely did not like at all. The flavours did not blend together at all and the coffee was way too overpowering. The sauce on dried out waffles was hideous. We needed more napkins, sideplates, pepper to which my brother-in-law had to go up to the bar and ask for. He then asked to speak to the manager and explained his disappointment in the lack of service and attention. Immediately, our server came by and asked if we needed anything and apologized for not being available due to a large party. When asked about our meals, I had mentioned about my disappointment in mine and that was it. We paid our bill (no discount of any kind was offered). We will not be coming back, there are many more options available along the harbourfront with better service, better views, and better tasting menu offerings. read more

Very invasive at the door. Asking for name and numbers is wrong. Contact tracing of customers MUST stop. Our large group will never go there again for a few reasons. I had low expectations because this is the 3rd time I've been and it was consistently bad. Now with the demeaning comments at the entrance, I will never and neither will my group of 5. We've all agreed. We were sitting on the patio and taking our name/number, made to scan and use our phone and not give us menus was the beginning. Then, the server didn't come by. We had to tell the manager after 10 mins, we're ready to order. She pushed a lot of drinks on us and we kept saying we didn't want it. Food took very long and she didn't check on us once. Then we had to ask again to get the bill. F that. Never again. You lost yourself 5 customers. read more

i had a very nice experience at joe bird. the view is lovely and the service is friendly. the chairs and tables are a bit weird, but sometimes weird is a welcomed change. not sure if it'd be comfortable after a couple hours of sitting though. my wife and i shared the bbq chicken and the fried chicken and both were excellent. the meat was juicy and the skin crispy. the sauces were full of flavor. i didn't find the 2 pieces with 1 side all that filling. however, then i had their ice cream sandwich and was stuffed silly. read more

Great drinks and a perfect view of the waterfront. Touristy and a bit annoying if it's too busy, but the staff is very nice and the atmosphere is cool. Definitely drop it if you're downtown and it isn't too crowded. read more

I went here on opening night with a friend. For it being their first night open service was great, no issues. Prices are more than fair, especially for the waterfront. I had the fried chicken sandwich and it was good, but nothing amazing. The "fried" part was a bit weird as the whole piece didn't seem fried? And it didn't quite stick to the chicken so need to work on that. I also tried The Fix last night and had the coffee soft serve treat. It was good, but the soft serve was a little icy. I wish it was creamier, but the flavor was great! read more

The service here was awful. My waitress had an awful attitude and did not come up to the table once to finish serving us things that we ordered. Would never go here again since there are so many other restaurants nearby. Pass on this one. read more

I really wanted to give this place 5 stars, but unfortunately our waitress wasn't at all good. She was nice enough, but after taking out drinks it took her a good 20 mins to take our order. I wanted to order the pouting for app, but came out 2 mins before our meal. Food was good not amazing. We really enjoyed the bourbon lemonade, but the mint julep was too sweet. Chicken and waffle was good, BBQ was unique, def acquired test. All in all it was decent, but the waitress did ruin the experience read more

Great food! Chicken is super moist and ice cream is fantastic. Make sure to get the potatoes bravas. read more

- Food was great. Had the Chicken & Waffles, Poutine and Corn. Came with a few different interesting dipping sauces as well. - Now onto the service.... Staff was very friendly but everything was SLOW. My date and I was there around 2pm on a Labour Day and it wasn't even that busy. A few open tables available as people came and go. Our food took about a half hour to arrive while the drinks (water and coke) didn't even come yet. When the food arrived, we didn't have any napkins or utensils to begin with so we had to remind our waiter about that as well. 5 minutes later, glass of water arrived. 8 minutes later, utensils and napkins arrived. The annoying part was trying to flag down any waiters as it seemed nobody was available for a good duration of a couple of minutes. Food got a bit cold after all the waiting around. Anyway, overall experience there was crap for such a nice place by the water. I would definitely come back for the food. I'll take it that waiters had a bad day and assume the service would be better next time hopefully. read more

The worst service I have experience in a long time! We waited 15 minutes before someone acknowledged our existence. Then we wait another 30 mins for our food which was mediocre at best. We then ordered ice cream for dessert and waited 20 minutes for that! When we got the ice cream it was melting because clearly it had been sitting out for at least 10 mins, before it was brought to us. The server told us to eat it quickly because it was melting. Excuse me?! Don't bother going here, unless you enjoy being treated like shit. read more

This was one of the worst restaurants I've been to. The service was terrible, food was horrible, and ice cream was melting when they brought it to our table (after waiting 25 mins). read more

Great addition to the waterfront! I have been a few times now and left completely satisfied each time. Chicken is cooked to perfection and the ice cream..... drool!! A definite must try! read more

So today I decided to get take out at Joe Birds. I ordered the "Bird Sandwich" something I've had before with an order of fries. The fries were just ok (a few normal fries but a lot of 1/2 inch pieces). The sandwich was downright disgusting. After taking a bite and getting a weird taste I realized that the meat was under cooked. I brought it back to the store and spoke to a supervisor who tried to tell me that they use a different technique when cooking the chicken and it's normal to see pink. I let him know that I have never heard of medium rare chicken and chicken is the type of meat you don't play with (salmonella). The gentleman was very polite and gave me a refund BUT to be honest I don't think I'll ever go back to this place again. I'm completely turned off at this point. I've eaten here about 4 times too many and all but one occasion was good. Please have someone quality check the product before sending it to the customer to consume. Good Idea bad execution. read more

Joe Bird - Chicken Shop Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Love the laid back, urban hipster vibe. Chorizo chili rocked! Great IPA selection. Overall very good and recommend to hang, throw back a few beers, enjoy the music and view. read more

Amazing food, good customer service, great atmosphere, and cheap too! You have the option of sitting inside or outside. You get a great view of the lake as well. Would definitely come back :) read more

Ate here today. Got the taquitos. The cheese tasted like it was expired and the chicken was gamey with lots of slimy skin. Absolutely disgusting. When I mentioned it I was told that was how it was supposed to be. I barely made it through half my meal and was charged full price. Never again read more

Their good is okay. The service is bad. We are waiting for food for an hour, never come back at lunch time! read more

An A-OK reasonable dining experience, nothing spectacular or amazing. Overpriced and average quality food -- similar to other establishments near the Toronto harbourfront area. We were asked to sit at the bar as there was a function the night we were there and seating was limited. My partner ordered the grilled chicken which he thought was decent/reasonable but said that he has had better chicken at other establishments. He was hoping for more sauce (they give you a small cup of sauce but charge for extra sauce and noted that Nando's provides unlimited sauce). The superfood salad I ordered seemed a little simplistic, mostly lettuce leaves and not too many other toppings, but seemed wholesome. Cornbread was reasonable. Overall, reasonable/decent, not sure if we were impressed enough that we would go back a second time, probably not, but you never know options are limited near the harbourfront and we often end up in that area. read more

WORST SERVICE EVER. We waited almost 15 minutes just for someone to acknowledge our presence and when we finally flagged someone down and were finally given menus it took another 15 minutes for our orders to be taken. At this point we have definitely seen wait staff walking around, so it wasn't an issue of the restaurant being busy. The food was ok at best nothing special at all and then came the dessert. We ordered ice cream, and after another 15 minutes were served dripping almost warm ice cream. And at no point were there any apologies for the late service or melted ice cream. Don't waste your time. read more

Love this place on the waterfront! Joe Bird has an amazing atmosphere and patio, and really yummy food and drinks. Fried chicken with the yogurt dipping sauce and roasted brussels sprouts is my go-to, and I'm addicted to their campfire ice cream sundae at their attached The Fix restaurant. They also make a delicious Paloma. So happy to finally have a good restaurant on the waterfront! read more

Fried chicken is decent. The chilli is the best thing on the menu and super cheap. The grilled chicken is awful! It tastes like they use liquid smoke...the ice cream bar is really good but has awful service. Get ready to wait 40 + minutes for a scoop of ice cream sometimes. Overall very disappointing read more