32 Best Chicken Restaurants in San Diego

“I’ve never heard of this place, but it had good review so I decided to check it out. I can say one thing the food mac & cheese is fantastic. The Dave’s hot chicken sandwich sandwiches and the chicken tenders are amazing. The real star of this place are the french fries not sure why but they are amazing. Just one thing you should know I always mobile order and it seems to take forever so if you go in there and order right off the street, expect kind of a longer weight than any fast food place.“

“One of the best milkshakes I've ever had here at Belmont park & affordable, the customer service was outstanding and their employees are all very kind. Everything is made fresh to order! If you're looking for a good chicken & fry spot in mission beach area try Fry Yay @ Belmont Park !“

“Great food and good service 😍“

“This is my favorite Dave’s hot chicken restaurant! I’ve been to a few others and the service and food quality here are awesome. It is clean, the employees are friendly and provide a great service. But we love the chicken. we each get a slider and a tender. Great food for a great price.“

“I love crack shack. I was born n raised in San Diego but moved to Memphis where I learned what good fried chicken is. This is the fried chicken spot in Southern California. Fire nugs+fries+pickles you can not go wrong. The bar tender is really awesome and the food is seasoned perfectly. Really good desserts as well.“

“This place serves 85 years of proven deliciousness. It is simple. It is hearty. These days, it is even out of the ordinary. Just go. You will be glad that you did. If you are like me, you’ll remember how Mom would heat the oven to 450 degrees and place the block of ice Hungry Man pot pie in the oven for one hour till it transformed into a cauldron of molten lava. My mother would even crack open the hood of the pie and load it with an extra cup of frozen peas and carrots that would cook to perfection in the heavenly inferno of scrumptious delight, which made me the muscular hunk of love that I am today. The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop serves up a pie that is an even better recipe than the one in my memories of my dear Mom. If your are nearby, give it a try.“

“Excellent service, amazing and delicious food. Highly recommended!“

“I love that food taste good fresh“

“My favorite Nashville hot chicken sandwich and tenders!!!!!!“

“Please please please support this place!

Incredible service, the food is so good, it's extremely reasonably priced especially for San Diego. I can't say enough about it. Transports me back to Japan and soothes the soul.“

“The clerk was a nice guy but not keen on the obvious. I ordered a 15 piece wing combo and he asked if that was for here or to go. Who would dine in and eat 15 wings by himself? Chuckled all the way home. Poor guy.“

“I love that food taste good fresh“

“Bombtastic as usual! Been going for ever! Total San Diego staple!“

“I only ordered their seaweed rolls and cheese balls as snacks. I liked the seaweed rolls more and the soy sauce (and vinegar?) dip that came with it but enjoyed the cheese balls too. I couldn’t tell if the batter or the cheese was a tiny bit sweet, but the contrast was enjoyable with the savory seaweed rolls and the salty dip—I imagine it would be just as enjoyable (if not more) with an order of chicken. I ordered take out with Fantuan but will hope to dine in and order chicken next time! The inside is very inviting for hanging out and dining in.“

“First experience on 11/16/25, and stumbled into this place on a very late Saturday/early morning on Sunday, which was a nice surprise due to it being one of the only places open late once all places have closed. I was happy to find this gem of a chicken shop. The place has a very cool retro diner-like feel plus amazing customer service from some really hardworking staff.
I would like to give a very special shout out to ROSA and JOSH who work well together as a team and took very great care of the customers, which made for a nice first experience!
I’m definitely spreading the word about this spot.
I tried the chicken sandwich with the tenders and fries. Yum, yum, yum! My eyes were crying , but the flavor was delicious and addicting. A little drizzle of ranch definitely helped, thank you Rosa! Thank you to the kitchen staff - the food was delicious.
I can’t wait to come back to try the waffles!
Highly recommend this place. You’re missing out if you don’t.
If coming in on a late night after drinking, please just be kind to the staff as they work hard and also create a really nice atmosphere to end the night. This place has good music too!“

“These people were great! They accidentally handmade a mistake with our order and came out and gave us compensation in the form of gift card. Apologize for the inconvenience. I wanted a drink refreshed and in true Chick-fil-A fashion seemed to be genuinely friendly people.“

“Fast friendly service. Clean restrooms“

“Delicious fried chicken and very unique. We had the Cali Drip, the Firebird and Mexican Poutine. It was way too much food for 2 people, the sandwiches are big!
It's not technically poutine since there's no cheese curds though.“

“The server was extremely nice and helpful. The chicken was really crunchy and big, but also really oily, but that's to be expected, it is deep fried afterall. The flavor of the original chicken was really good. We also got tteokbokki and it was soft and the flavor was sweet. The cheese balls were a good size as well. The kimchi fried rice is also oily but I think that is expected, it is fried. Overall I think the flavor of the food was good. I specially want to highlight our beautiful server for being such a lovely person.“

“This is such a wonderful type of work ethic! The employees are very sweet and it has an old fashioned ordering style if you don't want to go through the drive thru. It was a very nice experience and I wish I lived closer because everyone was lovely!!“

“Ordered the original rice chicken and also the roasted chicken.....it was all delicious.....found a new favorite Korean restaurant and it’s in the neighborhood 👍🏼“

“the grilled breakfast sandwich & Cobb salad wit & Arnold Palmer is delicious 😋“

“Awesome and kid friendly ❤️“

“Outstanding customer service and friendly workers. Enjoyed dining in with my family. Thank you

Parking: Good location

Kid-friendliness: Great environment for the family

Wheelchair accessibility: Great for military veteran with disabilities“

“Big hot chicken fan and I try new places whenever I can and Im a nationwide traveler and this is a definite top contender for my favorite place. The seasoning is delicious, just the right amount of spice, crispy chicken (not too heavy of breading), cooked just right, flavorful sauces, and the bun doesn't fall apart in my hands as I eat it like Daves Hot Chicken does. Will be back.

No rating for atmosphere since i got delivery.“

“Best pollo asado in SD!!!!!!!“

“This food is good here but i wont stand rudeness this girl that works here she is being rude to the homeless nice young btw you guys need to fire her if i was the manager I would of fire her not ok behavior I’ll make sure I’ll be reporting this to hr good luck see u guys in court“

“I don't know what it is about this particular location, but the food here is the best. I went to the East County location, and the food was no where close to the food here. Same exact order, but totally different. I'll keep coming to this one.“

“Val and Andres make this place a family atmosphere“

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I absolutely love Chick-fil-A! The food is always fresh and delicious, and the service is top-notch. The Mira Mesa location is especially clean and well-maintained. The staff are friendly, attentive, and make you feel genuinely welcome. I usually dine in, and it’s always a pleasant experience—calm, comfortable, and everything is spotless. It’s one of my favorite places to go—not just for the taste, but for the entire experience. Highly recommend!“

“Nice meal , I enjoyed it .“