The Crack Shack - Costa Mesa

You had me at sauce bar . . . I cannot say enough amazing things about this restaurant. It was a bit of a drive to get here, but the moment I left my friends and I were stargazing about when we could come back. : First, of course, I have to talk about the FANTASTIC FOOD. I’m not sure I can do it justice with words, but imagine that initial moment when you crunch down on crispy, hot fried chicken skin and then that second moment when your teeth bite into perfectly cooked, moist chicken—causing juices to start flowing out, wetting your fingers . . . The meal only got better from there. The Asado fries are next level—combining all the joys of tasty French Fries with the flavors of an awesome platter of nachos. The chicken oysters were next level delicious. It was so hard to decide whether to eat them all plain or dunk them into the variety of sauces. As I said, there’s a sauce bar where you can serve yourself as many kinds as you like—I recommend the Baby G’s BBQ sauce personally. And then ending the meal with the best milkshake I’ve literally ever had where salted chocolate chip cookie type crumbles are shooting up your straw . . . Someone call me an Uber because I need to go back there now! The atmosphere was also perfect—making you feel like you’re at a summertime picnic. And the people who work there are super nice and accommodating. Katie at the register, Andrew, and the manager Dillon are all excellent, and their friendly, positive attitudes made the experience even better. Definitely in my top five favorite restaurants in Southern California now.

Terrific for young parents who still crave the bar scene. Full bar. Tasty Pricy Chicken. Fun atmosphere. Just not my cup of tea. But just because it isn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it should get a bad review. They actually have a game to entertain the kiddo's. Pictures included. We ordered 5 pieces of fried chicken $18.00. Fancy fries with chicken on top $12.00 and a double patty chicken sandwich $14.00. With tax short of $50.00. This is without beverage/alcohol.

The service and food here is always great! I highly recommend the keep your gin up cocktail! Absolutely delicious! The food here is delicious and for the most part consistent in quality. My only constructive feedback is that occasionally the fryer oil seems old and should be changed out more often. Shout out to Megan and Vinny for being great bartenders that provide excellent service!

It seems pricey compared to other fast food chicken sandwich brands, but the quality and portion totally worth it. The meat is juicy, thick and crispy. The sandwiches also come with a LOT of veggies. I recommend fire bird or anything that comes with fried chicken. The dine-in area also has a bar and fancy decor lollll!

We stumbled on this when traveling in So Cal and became immediate fans. Super fun atmosphere is just the start. The Firebird sandwich had a juicy crunch and a perfect combination of flavors. They has multiple unique sauces for chicken and fries, we really liked the buffalo as well as the pineapple sauce, but try them all. We came here in party for the additional gluten free options, amazing fried chicken for those with gluten issues. The biscuits were tasty but with all the food we didn’t need the extra. The Mexican Poutine fries were also well done. The chicken has a nice charred flavor but is juicy and a great hit of cilantro to round it out. Be sure to plan on sharing, though, it was a huge serving. We will be back and look forward to them hopefully expanding to Arizona.