Oddbird

I decided to try this place because I’ve never had hot chicken. I like spicy things so I can handle heat. I had the hot biscuit and this chicken was hot. I liked it and if I was in the area I’d eat it again. I can’t compare to Nashville hot chicken but may be too hot for the average person. It made my nose run and sweat

Yum yum yum… I’m a fan! The chicken sandwich and mac & cheez were amazing! And the portion size was YUGE!!! I mean the chicken was double the size of the bun! I loved the flavor of the fried chicken skin/​batter and the insane cheesiness of the mac. Definitely will return and bring my friends!

Great chicken sandwiches! I’ve had the hot chicken most of the times I’ve been here. Tonight I thought I’d try something different and went for the PB&J — pimento cheese, bacon and tomato jam. It was excellent. It was excellent!

OMG. Hot chicken biscuit, spicy honey chicken biscuit, chicken and waffles all outstanding. Collards and Mac ‘n’ cheese were good; hush puppies just OK. Great beer and drinks, and although it is ‘order at the counter’ the service was better than most sit-​down places. A fun and wonderful experience.

I’ve been here twice now. First time was great, second time below average. The hot chicken is nothing compared to Nashville. It’s barely even spicy. It’s also very expensive. A sandwich with no sides is 13 bucks. The chicken is also a chicken breast, not a real hot chicken rotisserie. I was also upset by the dessert. The only sell whole pies and wouldn’t slice it. When I asked about the other desserts they said they were for West Egg and can’t sell them. I found that strange — why wouldn’t they team up and sell them? I then saw some staff eating the very desserts they wouldn’t sell. Seemed odd, even for odd bird!
It’s a good concept! And good food even if it’s not truly hot chicken!

The best chicken and biscuit sandwich ever. I recommend the HOT if you can stand it. Will be back the next time I’m in the ATL!

A way more convenient location than you might expect given the location, a parking deck is literally fifteen yards from the door.
The décor of this place immediately impressed me, even if it is a pop-​up. A Great Gatsby quote hung in the lobby, all kinds of neat Americana antiques, and the tables had a classy, rustic feel.
Service also was quick and easy and they were very attentive/​predictive. I got the sausage and gravy side and when it was brought out, a woman (perhaps the shift lead) brought out a spoon without me even asking for it. I assume it slipped the other runner’s mind, no big deal as they were on top of it.
Executive chef also took the time to walk around and take a few moments with each table, a nice touch.
The food itself: I got The Oddbird, probably wasn’t the best choice for my first visit. I don’t remember the specific ingredients but it was basically a Thai fusion Chicken and Waffle dish. Now when I think Thai I think peanuts and butter, and apparently the chef and I were on the same page. The dish was delicious but I found myself constantly feeling that it was too rich. Every bite was leaden with butter and peanuts, which was fine for me, I did order Thai, but I could see it being an issue for other people. The slaw which was on top of the chicken was immaculate, I made short work of that. The sausage gravy was also excellent, healthy chunks of sausage in a creamy gravy. I poured some on the chicken but realized the honey, gravy, and butter was just too much. Whatever I ate it straight out of the bowl anyway.
The rest of my party got chicken biscuits, and they were all stunned at the size of these things. I understand the compulsion though, you’re selling chicken biscuits in the Chik-​fil-​A capital, you gotta stand out. From what I could see/​what they said, the pickles included on the biscuits were delicious, but there were just so many of them included. Chik-​fil-​A includes two to three pickles, the idea is mostly to flavor the chicken with that little kick, in my estimation.
The biscuits themselves also crumbled apart very easily, which I believe is traditionally a good sign, but it was a little frustrating for some of my friends. It’s fine, that’s why they give you a fork.
It’s a work in progress but I think the concept is brilliant, a tight menu with a respect for tradition but also the gumption to take it in your own direction. The staffing seemed to be on point with the demands of a Thursday evening, and everyone had a great attitude and was very friendly/​helpful. I would like to see what it is like at 8:30 on a Saturday.
All in all, I was very satisfied as I had not eaten since about noon and inhaled the entirety of my meal. I recommend this if you are coming in town from a vacation somewhere up North where all they serve are oyster buckets and kale.

I’ve been dying to go to Oddbird and boy am I glad I finally made it! The boy and I split the hot chicken biscuit, the pb&j chicken sandwich, and the hush puppies with honey butter. Everything was delicious! The biscuit was a little crumbly but still tasty. The pb&j is where it’s at though! It had pimento cheese, bacon, and some kind of tomato jam. Seriously try it you won’t be sorry… my mouth is watering just writing this review! Also, on Wednesday and Thursday you can get your first pint for $ 3 with a chicken entrée! Just do it!

The service was great and friendly. We ordered a chicken sandwich and a PBJ sandwich. The former was decent and moist but with no distinct taste. The PBJ would have been very tasty had there not been the sweet tomato jam over took the taste of the pimento cheese. The macaroni and cheese was the only highlight by having a different flavor than any other than we have had. The presentation was nice but not worth the prices charged.

This hot chicken is not messing around. The regular hot chicken brought tears to my eyes. I could barely eat it. If you love crazy spicy chicken this is where to go. Prepared well, just too dang hot for me.

It seems several Atlanta brunch spots have been hopping on this trend of opening up pop-​up restaurants a few nights a week. What I like about Oddbird is that it’s clearly related to West Egg, the space in which this restaurant is located. The main selections are variations of chicken, waffles, and biscuits, with sides and pies to choose from as well. Unlike West Egg, Oddbird is counter service, so you decide what you’d like when you walk in the door, order at the counter, and have a seat.
Truthfully, I was put-​off by the prices when we first walked in. The chicken and waffles are fairly standard at ~$ 14, but the chicken biscuits start at $ 8 and go up from there. However, once the food arrived at the table, it was obvious that it is well worth the price. I ordered the chicken biscuit with white cheddar and peach basil jam. It was huge. Definitely more of a utensils kind of biscuit than a pick-​up-​to-​eat one. The biscuit was a bit crumbly, as biscuits tend to be, but the chicken was nice and moist. My partner ordered the chicken and waffle and couldn’t stop raving about it. Their syrup has rosemary in it and there’s thyme in the butter, so it’s not your average chicken & waffles flavor; it’s certainly their own, unique spin on a classic dish. My only complaint with both plates is that the fried skin came off like a shell immediately upon cutting into the chicken. We shared the macaroni and cheese and though the noodles close to the top were quite dry, the cheesy sauce toward the bottom was creamy and delicious. Our friend ordered the chicken sandwich and hush puppies and said the sandwich was quite possibly the best chicken sandwich she’s ever had.
Overall, a great experience. We will definitely be returning.

And the judge says…3.5* due to the delicious chicken and the rest meriting the round down. I definitely enjoyed it more than my friend, whose palate is more discerning (or we like different versions of similar foods, whatever). A breakdown of our collective pros through cons.
PROs
*NPWH — the girl at the front counter was helpful and forthright in her comments & suggestions.
*Love love the fried chicken (no grilled chick here). HUGE chicken breast; very moist and nicely flavored. Think a Chick-​Fil-​A original sandwich on steroids. Emily did not think the meat was as flavorful as I did so decide for yourself.
*The sandwich bun is delicious, probably because of the gluttonous amount of butter clearly on it; the perfect combination of toasted edges with soft interior. I think they get their bread from The General Muir’s bakery — wherever it’s from, I would go just to buy it, alone.
*A lot of food for the price, for me. I don’t usually finish a whole sandwich in one sitting so this was way more than enough. The cup of mac and cheese was a big cup, so good if you eat all of your meal or your leftovers.
*Tasty hush puppies, and an order of seven, served with honey butter. I’m not really a fan of hush puppies but these were battered just enough with smooth-​textured insides.
SO-​SOs
*Overly salty pickles — I am not a pickle person at all, so possibly not the best judge; Em had a *shrug* kind of reaction so nothing special to her, either.
*Mac & Cheese — I probably should have taken Addy C’s comments about it to heart. The underneath part was creamy, with the cheese sauce clinging to the pasta nicely, but the top crunch was kind of an in-​between crunchiness and the rosemary seasoning is definitely odd and a bit off-​putting. Taking that off, it’s a decent side.
*Expensive desserts — around $ 10 ($ 12?) for a very small pie, and so on. Not a lot of choices either, with one special dessert of the day, two or three kinds of cupcakes and a few mini crème brulees and such.
CONs
*I wasn’t much bothered by the prices because there was a lot of food. Emily, though, felt that at least $ 8 but most starting at $ 10, for a sandwich or biscuit is steep — especially since nothing comes with a side. Those run you about $ 4 – 5 so my meal was $ 12 and change for the sandwich and m&c, and hers was $ 18 and change for the chicken biscuit and two sides. She had a good point by noting that the lobster roll at The Optimist, which comes with a side, is very big — and that runs you around $ 18, so compare as you will.
*Emily thought the biscuit was less than meh, particularly because it was hard (ish). I didn’t taste it but based on the look of it and her assessment, am glad I went with a sandwich.
Overall, I’ll go back to get (just) that chicken sandwich, and might try the pimento cheese/​bacon/​jam option sometime; I’d definitely get a sandwich to go on the way home from work one day. I don’t know that anything here is crave-​worthy, but I really do like that chicken.

Located inside West Egg Café. Open Wed-​Sat. at 5p.m.
You order at the counter and they bring it to your table.
If you love Chicken, this is your place, as that’s all that’s on the menu.
If you like the Nashville hot chicken, then this is definitely where you want
to go. They have several biscuit and sandwich options plus chicken & waffles.
Between the 4 of us we tried different options, so here is our run down.
Hot Chicken Sandwich, served Hot or Too Hot, with Bread & Butter Pickles.
My friend got the Too Hot… and she wants me to tell everyone, it really was TOO HOT!
Another friend got the PB&J Chicken Sandwich, which is Pimento Cheese, Bacon and
Tomato Jam. she ate every bite, I had a small taste of the pimento cheese, which was
yummy.
Hot Chicken & Waffles is up next, also served with B&B pickles and rosemary infused
syrup. The piece of chicken is a generous breast, possible a little too much waffle.
I ordered the Oddbird, which is plain fried chicken breast served with a Thai slaw over a
ginger coconut waffle and peanut maple syrup. I didn’t get a much of a ginger or coconut
flavor, but it was still good.
There was a sign at the cash register that said order any chicken entrée get a pint of beer
for $ 3.00, on Wednesdays & Thursdays. I didn’t clarify, but think they only consider the chicken & waffle dishes as entrees.
We got two hot sides, the Mac & Cheese, creamy, but the breadcrumb topping had an
overpowering herb in it. Hush Puppies with Honey Butter was very good. Hush puppies were
a little on the sweet side, but not too sweet.
Overall, great experience.