The Crack Shack - Encinitas — Restaurant in Encinitas

You know that gorgeous chick you met once, that turned out to be a horrible person inside? This is what this place is...

As a fan of fried chicken, I was excited to visit this place when it was recommended to me. When I got there I was excited by seeing the line to go into this place. We ordered 5 pieces of chicken, Señor Croque, Mexican Poutine, and Border Slaw. I'll start off by saying that it all looks delicious, hence the "Gorgeous" part of it. It seemed all well crafted for that perfect instagram #Foodporn post... but quickly I realized it wouldn't be a good idea to mislead any of my friends.

All the food (excluding Mexican poutine) Was plain and bland in flavor. I even asked them to dip the chicken in a spicy sauce, and it did not make any difference. I've never been so disappointed at chicken before, and I've visited the worst of them all. How can such a good looking food taste so bad? No idea...

The Mexican Poutine was probably the only item that actually had flavor but most of it was cause or the Jalapeño cheese wiz.

The place is huge, and we found seating quickly...even on a peak time. The whole concept of the restaurant is amazing, but that's about it.

To top it all off, the price was a little steep for what the actual food tasted like. I'll pay some good 💵 for some great food, but this is just not it. Almost $50 for two people is just too much when everything taste plain and flavorless.

Maybe it was just a bad night for the restaurant, but that's my honest review. Some people love it, I just hate it.

My review isn't meant to stop someone from coming in and trying it, but to just let you know if my...

You need to stand in line outside to place your order. The menu is on the wall in large lettering and easy to read. The cashier will give you a plastic cup if you want water and a receipt with a metal stand and a number on a card which you place on your table and a person will then bring out your order. We elected to try the Japanese Beer, located on the wall menu behind the cashier and its the 2nd one on the right and it was very enjoyable. It's a light beer much like a Newcastle. We ordered the 10 pc bone-in, variety chicken meal which was thickly coated and crunchy but not what I was expecting like a Kentucky Fried Chicken, thinner breading, but the meat was juicy and flavorful. The following items came with this meal: Cole Slaw, which was very fresh, crunchy and good but beware of the red peppers on top because they are very spicy. The Chicken Nuggets were coated with same chicken breading with all white meat and very good. Large Fries were good as well. The small Biscuits served with maple butter added a different taste and very good. If you want water and condiments, they are located in the entrance to the seating area. We were there on a Friday night and it was quite busy. One thing we will not do and that is, grab a table by the bar. Very noisy and you have traffic passing by you constantly. This is a family and dog (yes, four-legged friends are welcome) restaurant with a lively atmosphere. The servers are friendly and very accommodating. If you want a quiet dining experience, this is not the place especially on a Friday night. We will want to try something different on our...

This place, I must admit, is one of my guilty pleasures. The Crack Shack does indeed know chicken, & what to do to bring out the very best in the bird, with a perfectly crispy coating on their plump & juicy fried chicken sandwich, the Coop Deville, which we get nearly every time we visit.

The Schmaltz Fries are another of their nearly impossible-to-pass-up offerings, cooked in chicken fat, to dial up the flavor of these fries to 11!

It's a large, high-ceiling dining hall, with plenty of tables, in an open air dining concept. The Crack Shack has some truly outstanding Craft beers on the menu, including 2 from Burgeon Beer Company, in nearby Carlsbad, that were on the beer offering list, when we came here, on 12/19/22. They also have a full bar here. This time I washed down my meal with a glass of their delicious, freshly-brewed iced tea, & my wife had a vanilla cream soda from their soda dispenser, which offers approximately 6 different flavor choices.

I must admit it was chilly inside, during our latest visit, but the Crack Shack has heaters placed strategically, on the walls, to help combat that. We chose a table right in front of one, & that took care of that.

Also, for those with small children, they have a playground out back, for the young...