The Howlin Bird — Restaurant in Massillon

I realllllly wanted to like this place because I LOVE hot chicken. It was okay to fine at best. For the price, it was disappointing. It is easily the most I have ever spent on a fast food meal, setting me back about $50 for two entrees, an extra side, and a fountain drink. I got 3 hot tenders with bird sauce and Brussels sprouts. The sprouts were tasty! Very smoky and salty and cooked perfectly. The sauce was good, like a mix of a fry sauce and tartar sauce. The tenders were alright. They were spicy, but nothing crazy, and I think most people could handle it, but the actual flavor of the chicken was bland. It tastes like it isn't brined long enough or at all, and even though it is juicy, it is tasteless. My husband got the chicken and waffles, which was very beautiful. The waffle was soft and fluffy, but it was ruined because it was swimming in a maple syrup that had that very distinct chemically flavor of cheap artificial syrup, and I would just expect higher quality for an almost $20 entree. Also, the plastic cutlery is too flimsy for the density of the food, so it makes it a bit difficult to eat. The extra side we got to share with our child was campfire loaded tots, and they were HUGE. The toppings were good and a bit spicy, but the tots had a weird greasy softness to them like the fryer was overcrowded or the temperature was too low, so they absorbed a lot of oil and left a really unpleasant bitter aftertaste in the mouth.

All in all, we did get a LOT of food. We were able to take a whole box of leftovers home, but the price was outrageous for the taste and quality. The hot chicken was lackluster, and the chicken from Dave's Hot Chicken or even Chick-fil-A is much more flavorful, and I would choose to go to either of those places over this one any day.

If you want to try it, I would suggest coming in to get a $5 chicken sandwich (on Tuesday I think) or 50¢ wings on Wednesday that I saw advertised inside. Also, for the price, the flock meals seem like an excellent deal for a large family, and so do the half and whole chicken combos. After seeing the food, I think one of those rotisserie chicken combos could comfortably feed a family of three for only about $25. If you're going, I wouldn't waste your money on...

Good flavors. I would give the food 5 stars if I had been able to have it fresh more than likely. I'm sure when this food hasn't been sitting in a warming table all day and isn't ice cold and dried out when you get it, it's great. I spent 68 bucks including a tip. My fault for going around 2pm on a Monday I guess? Not trying to be a "Karen" here. I don't need to talk to the manager or expect a refund. I have to say though if you're charging quality prices, at least serve quality food.🤷🏾‍♀️ Brand new restaurant, it would have been nice to have fresh chicken tenders considering the place wasn't busy at all.

I heard great things about the North Canton location, so when this place opened in my city I couldn't wait to try it. The website makes this place look incredible too. What a huge disappointment.

I also watched 2 different people walk in and walk right back out while I waited for my to go order I placed in the store instead of online or by phone in hopes that the food would be freshest and hottest. I'm guessing those people walked back out because they didn't understand the set up and nobody greeted them. I was slightly confused when I came in as well, which is why I'm making that assumption.

The young lady that waited on me was super nice. Three people working there at that time and she seemed to be the only one working. A woman came up and looked at what she was ringing in the disappeared back to the back again.

I don't forsee this lasting long in that plaza if the service and quality remain this way. What a bummer. Maybe it would have been better when it first opened for lunch because stuff is fresher? Or would that have just been carry-over? Maybe if I had visited on a weekend during peak hours? It should always be quality there should never be "ifs" at that price point imho 🤷🏾‍♀️. I hope they turn it around, I honestly think they may actually have a really good product even though the execution and presentation of it was...

We ordered carryout from here today. It was very good! The chicken tenders reminded me of ones I'd make at home after a lot of effort and time. This is NOT like the fast food junk in Belden. You can tell that quality ingredients are used and there's a passion behind it all.

We ordered the 4 piece meals and next time we will do 3 piece instead because the pieces are very large! Think 2 of the DQ or other fast food tender in one piece. It's not gross greasy either.

My husband got the Mac n cheese and he knows his cheese. He said it was very good. The sauced we tried were all good as well. I think my fans were the howling sauce abd the yard sauce. The yard sauce is sort of like a zesty sauce and has horseradish in it. The howling sauce reminded me of jalapeños and as crazy as it may sound but maybe a little berry? It was so good! The hot honey was great also. We also tried the garlic white sauce and loved it as well. It reminded me of garlic scape pesto. The sweet Chilli Thai was also a fav.

Overall you can tell the sauces are homemade not store bought. We all felt the price was worth it for the quality and portion sizes. The rolls are really good too!! We will be...