I'm currently sitting in San Diego on a family trip. Yesterday, we went to Little Italy. I thought Sam's restaurants were all small, independent restaurants. Instead, they're more like stalls at a small Midwestern mall. The customer service is non-existent because you order at a kiosk and you get a text when your food is put out on the counter.Between all of us, we had something from each restaurant. The workers at Not Not Tacos were definitely Not working. It wasn't busy, and the three tacos my wife ordered came out last. The workers were horsing around and doing anything but making tacos.CooCoo Nest, the fries were not what I was expecting. In fact, the kind of frozen bag fries you get from a coney island in Michigan was the last thing I would have expected from a place owned by Sam.Samburger was alright. The burger was juicy, but the flavor was OK. Honestly, I'd go to Freddy's over Samburger.Overall, this was the culinary equivalent of the trope of meeting your hero. As one review I read said (after the fact of eating there to see if anyone else had the same experience) the food is "aggressively average." And for the price of parking, the food, and tip it isn't worth it unless you truly just want to support Sam.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Mac & Cheese, French Fries
craig s.
Lunch time rush, one employee. It took a crazy long time to get a salad. Not worth the wait.
Desiree Sawyer
A good chicken sandwich and fries. Tried the spicy Italian. Good fresh sandwich, not amazing, but I would eat it again. The serving of fries was a lot. The lady brought me my food and was cheerful and so pleasant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Julia P.
CooCoo's Nest is located inside the Little Italy Food Hall next to the gelato place. Their staff was friendly and helpful. The concept and marketing are clever. They offer plenty of options from salads, chicken sandwiches, mac & cheese, fries, chicken tenders & more. They also offer a lot of sauces like ranch, BBQ, honey mustard, and etc. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed in the quality of the chicken in the All American chicken sandwich, but it was likely just an off-day because my friend really liked the Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich. The chicken tenders are huge so keep that in mind when ordering as I found that 2 or 3 were more than enough. The honey mustard was not great, which was a bit disappointing. Their fries are delicious though and I will most likely try this place again.
K S
Tenders are very good! Fries are good, nothing special. Service is kiosk ordering. No interaction with anyone. Charge .50 per dipping sauce and .50 for “no sauce”? Only free item is ketchup. Reasonably quick food prep. Hot enough to still be warm after walking back to hotel 10 minutes away. Located inside a mini food court type area. Only real issue is drink prices. $4.00 for a 20oz bottle of Diet Coke is ridiculous. Less expensive out of vending machine at hotel which means it’s over priced! Otherwise will definitely get their tenders again next time in SAN.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: 2 Jumbo Tenders & Fries
Beth Parkinson
Sad day! I have been totally looking forward in tryin CooCoo's chicken tenders and cookies and they were both so hard and dry and ended up just throwing em away. The French fries and ranch were super yummy and fresh so that was a plus. The staff was a super nice guy, but for reals it was a total let down on the chicken and the cookie.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Patricia W.
My husband wanted to try Not not Tacos and I didn't so I ate here. Pleasantly surprised! These were some of the best chicken strips I've had. They were tender, juicy and well seasoned. Even the fries were crispy and well seasoned. Cannot really comment on the service as I ordered through a machine and got a text when it was ready and had no human interaction. This is located inside a food court area but there is both indoor and outdoor seating.
Puneet G.
During my recent visit to San Diego, I had the pleasure of exploring the Little Italy Food Hall, a culinary gem with a variety of enticing options. Among the many stations available, I opted for CooCoo's Nest and chose their Chinese Chicken Salad. This delightful salad featured shaved cabbage, jicama, sweet peppers, shredded carrot, cashews, oranges, and a house Asian vinaigrette. One of the standout features of the Little Italy Food Hall is the abundance of seating options, both indoors and outdoors, making it an inviting and comfortable place to enjoy a meal. Now, onto the salad itself - it was a burst of flavors and textures. The crispness of the cabbage and jicama, the sweetness of the peppers and oranges, the crunch of the cashews, and the zing of the Asian vinaigrette all came together harmoniously. The generous portion left me feeling pleasantly full, making it a satisfying choice. Overall, I found my experience at CooCoo's Nest in the Little Italy Food Hall to be a delicious discovery. If you're in San Diego and looking for a fulfilling yet refreshing meal, their Chinese Chicken Salad is definitely worth a visit.
Kelly Hernandez
We had a fun day in Little Italy. We were hungry and had to eat at 2 of Sam's Spots. We got the Mac Daddy Chicken sandwich. Wow!! This had so much flavor. Not sure what the chicken is soaked in before cooking but it keeps it full of delicious flavor and super juicy. The macaroni and cheese is such a fun and delicious addition. We were lacking our lips as was our little dog who kept begging for more. We will be back to try the Korean Fried chicken sandwich among other things soon. Thanks for such a wonderful lunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Mac Daddy Chicken Sandwich
Ed T.
Best chicken sandwich I've ever had hands down is here, the Korean fried chicken sandwich is insane. first time I had it I craved it for a month afterward worth the drive to come hang around little Italy and eat a chicken burger, dude cooking is super friendly
The Korean fried chicken sandwich was good from a flavor perspective but I didn't like the chicken had dark meat in it personally. Definitely will try again but might get the tenders.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Bradly P.
Coocoo's Nest is located in the Little Italy Food Hall, which is located in Piazza, serving up many variations of fried chicken sandwiches, fries and Mac n cheese and many more created by the famous YouTube star Sam the Cooking Guy.I came through on a weekday right before 5 p.m., and inside the Food Hall, it was quite crowded while they were hosting a trivia challenge inside. I decided to place a to go order for the All American chicken sandwich, which comes with shredded lettuce, red onions, pickles, and tomatoes on a brioche bun. Within 10 minutes of placing my order, it was ready and was in a nicely built sturdy cardboard box. As I opened the box, the sandwich was nicely made and wrapped with paper to secure all the toppings inside. The first thing I noticed was that the bun was definitely grilled from the charred marks underneath, but then again, it was cold and not warm at all, so it shows they prepared the food in advance. The sandwich was looking great, though, and built very nicely. The chicken was a nice size slab of meat that was crispy, crunchy, and well seasoned. However, the chicken was cold and not a tad bit warm at all. The shredded lettuce and red onions freshened up the Sandwhich but didn't beat the factor that it wasn't freshly fried chicken, and it was probably just sitting under a lamp trying to to maintain the temperature of 135.Overall I really enjoyed the sandwich but I definitely know and feel that this place can do better by just adding some small touches into it by reheating the bread and flash frying the chicken again so when the customer receives the food it is hot. I want to come back again and try another sandwich and just hope it was a bad day and move on. Customer service was mediocre and definitely could use some more training on greetings and how to talk to guests.
Brooke M.
I got the Mac Daddy chicken sandwich and it was the best chicken sandwich I've ever had. Chicken was the perfect amount of crispy and the flavor of the sauce with the mac n cheese was amazing. Definitely will be coming back next time I'm in San Diego.
N C
Korean Fried Chicken so delicious! Service was polite and fast! Thanks Much ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer S.
Chicken tenders were excellent, fries were good, but the biscuits were hockey pucks. So disappointing
I'm currently sitting in San Diego on a family trip. Yesterday, we went to Little Italy. I thought Sam's restaurants were all small, independent restaurants. Instead, they're more like stalls at a small Midwestern mall. The customer service is non-existent because you order at a kiosk and you get a text when your food is put out on the counter.Between all of us, we had something from each restaurant. The workers at Not Not Tacos were definitely Not working. It wasn't busy, and the three tacos my wife ordered came out last. The workers were horsing around and doing anything but making tacos.CooCoo Nest, the fries were not what I was expecting. In fact, the kind of frozen bag fries you get from a coney island in Michigan was the last thing I would have expected from a place owned by Sam.Samburger was alright. The burger was juicy, but the flavor was OK. Honestly, I'd go to Freddy's over Samburger.Overall, this was the culinary equivalent of the trope of meeting your hero. As one review I read said (after the fact of eating there to see if anyone else had the same experience) the food is "aggressively average." And for the price of parking, the food, and tip it isn't worth it unless you truly just want to support Sam.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Mac & Cheese, French Fries
Lunch time rush, one employee. It took a crazy long time to get a salad. Not worth the wait.
A good chicken sandwich and fries. Tried the spicy Italian. Good fresh sandwich, not amazing, but I would eat it again. The serving of fries was a lot. The lady brought me my food and was cheerful and so pleasant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
CooCoo's Nest is located inside the Little Italy Food Hall next to the gelato place. Their staff was friendly and helpful. The concept and marketing are clever. They offer plenty of options from salads, chicken sandwiches, mac & cheese, fries, chicken tenders & more. They also offer a lot of sauces like ranch, BBQ, honey mustard, and etc. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed in the quality of the chicken in the All American chicken sandwich, but it was likely just an off-day because my friend really liked the Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich. The chicken tenders are huge so keep that in mind when ordering as I found that 2 or 3 were more than enough. The honey mustard was not great, which was a bit disappointing. Their fries are delicious though and I will most likely try this place again.
Tenders are very good! Fries are good, nothing special. Service is kiosk ordering. No interaction with anyone. Charge .50 per dipping sauce and .50 for “no sauce”? Only free item is ketchup. Reasonably quick food prep. Hot enough to still be warm after walking back to hotel 10 minutes away. Located inside a mini food court type area. Only real issue is drink prices. $4.00 for a 20oz bottle of Diet Coke is ridiculous. Less expensive out of vending machine at hotel which means it’s over priced! Otherwise will definitely get their tenders again next time in SAN.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: 2 Jumbo Tenders & Fries
Sad day! I have been totally looking forward in tryin CooCoo's chicken tenders and cookies and they were both so hard and dry and ended up just throwing em away. The French fries and ranch were super yummy and fresh so that was a plus. The staff was a super nice guy, but for reals it was a total let down on the chicken and the cookie.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
My husband wanted to try Not not Tacos and I didn't so I ate here. Pleasantly surprised! These were some of the best chicken strips I've had. They were tender, juicy and well seasoned. Even the fries were crispy and well seasoned. Cannot really comment on the service as I ordered through a machine and got a text when it was ready and had no human interaction. This is located inside a food court area but there is both indoor and outdoor seating.
During my recent visit to San Diego, I had the pleasure of exploring the Little Italy Food Hall, a culinary gem with a variety of enticing options. Among the many stations available, I opted for CooCoo's Nest and chose their Chinese Chicken Salad. This delightful salad featured shaved cabbage, jicama, sweet peppers, shredded carrot, cashews, oranges, and a house Asian vinaigrette. One of the standout features of the Little Italy Food Hall is the abundance of seating options, both indoors and outdoors, making it an inviting and comfortable place to enjoy a meal. Now, onto the salad itself - it was a burst of flavors and textures. The crispness of the cabbage and jicama, the sweetness of the peppers and oranges, the crunch of the cashews, and the zing of the Asian vinaigrette all came together harmoniously. The generous portion left me feeling pleasantly full, making it a satisfying choice. Overall, I found my experience at CooCoo's Nest in the Little Italy Food Hall to be a delicious discovery. If you're in San Diego and looking for a fulfilling yet refreshing meal, their Chinese Chicken Salad is definitely worth a visit.
We had a fun day in Little Italy. We were hungry and had to eat at 2 of Sam's Spots. We got the Mac Daddy Chicken sandwich. Wow!! This had so much flavor. Not sure what the chicken is soaked in before cooking but it keeps it full of delicious flavor and super juicy. The macaroni and cheese is such a fun and delicious addition. We were lacking our lips as was our little dog who kept begging for more. We will be back to try the Korean Fried chicken sandwich among other things soon. Thanks for such a wonderful lunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Mac Daddy Chicken Sandwich
Best chicken sandwich I've ever had hands down is here, the Korean fried chicken sandwich is insane. first time I had it I craved it for a month afterward worth the drive to come hang around little Italy and eat a chicken burger, dude cooking is super friendly
Restaurantji Recommends
The Korean fried chicken sandwich was good from a flavor perspective but I didn't like the chicken had dark meat in it personally. Definitely will try again but might get the tenders.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Coocoo's Nest is located in the Little Italy Food Hall, which is located in Piazza, serving up many variations of fried chicken sandwiches, fries and Mac n cheese and many more created by the famous YouTube star Sam the Cooking Guy.I came through on a weekday right before 5 p.m., and inside the Food Hall, it was quite crowded while they were hosting a trivia challenge inside. I decided to place a to go order for the All American chicken sandwich, which comes with shredded lettuce, red onions, pickles, and tomatoes on a brioche bun. Within 10 minutes of placing my order, it was ready and was in a nicely built sturdy cardboard box. As I opened the box, the sandwich was nicely made and wrapped with paper to secure all the toppings inside. The first thing I noticed was that the bun was definitely grilled from the charred marks underneath, but then again, it was cold and not warm at all, so it shows they prepared the food in advance. The sandwich was looking great, though, and built very nicely. The chicken was a nice size slab of meat that was crispy, crunchy, and well seasoned. However, the chicken was cold and not a tad bit warm at all. The shredded lettuce and red onions freshened up the Sandwhich but didn't beat the factor that it wasn't freshly fried chicken, and it was probably just sitting under a lamp trying to to maintain the temperature of 135.Overall I really enjoyed the sandwich but I definitely know and feel that this place can do better by just adding some small touches into it by reheating the bread and flash frying the chicken again so when the customer receives the food it is hot. I want to come back again and try another sandwich and just hope it was a bad day and move on. Customer service was mediocre and definitely could use some more training on greetings and how to talk to guests.
I got the Mac Daddy chicken sandwich and it was the best chicken sandwich I've ever had. Chicken was the perfect amount of crispy and the flavor of the sauce with the mac n cheese was amazing. Definitely will be coming back next time I'm in San Diego.
Korean Fried Chicken so delicious! Service was polite and fast! Thanks Much ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chicken tenders were excellent, fries were good, but the biscuits were hockey pucks. So disappointing