Back in 2015 I did a fried chicken crawl, and back then the blind taste testing resulted in my crowning the late-night fried chicken at North 53 as the best in show.

Fast forward 7 years and I would almost guarantee that our top 5 wouldn’t have a single holdover. Maybe I should reboot the fried chicken crawl and find out? Convince me, people!

What I do know for sure is that Waffle Bird would be in that top 5- slam dunk.

If you can spare 7 minutes, check out my CBC Radio feature on Waffle Bird. Use this LINK TO CBC, or play right in the browser.

Who?

Chefs/owners Jonathan Comeau (creater of whoanuts) and Adam Stoyko (co-owner of Highlevel Diner)

Where? When?

In the alley behind Taste Of Lebanon, which is 10105 82 avenue.

Open every day except Monday. Generally 11am- either 8pm or 9.

What to get and Why?

This place is tiny and take-out only, save for the 3 patio tables in the parking lot. They specialize in chicken and waffles and chicken sandwiches. Small menu- big flavours. Here’s what I love.

Angry Bird sandwich

Brined chicken breast coated with a mixture of flour and cornstarch, then tossed in “back alley hot sauce”. Housemade pickles on this are a perfect balance between sweet and sour and the brioche bun does the trick. Great sandwich. You can get it as a double too. 15 years ago I probably could have done that. Now I’m old and lame.

Chicken toes

Chef Jonathan says that if chicken fingers are made with chicken breast, then thighs must be toes.

These are my current favourite thing on the menu.

More surface area means more crispy salty coating, which means more room for the hot sauce to cling to. All damn good things. Plus the coating is deliciously salty and kind of melts in your mouth when you bite into it, so why wouldn’t you want more of that?

Oh, and the hot sauce is a take on a Nashville sauce with loads of roasted chilis and oil. The chicken stays crispy and the sauce has tons of roasty flavours. You want this.

Check out the Waffle Bird Instagram here for updates.