The Howlin Bird — Restaurant in North Canton

If ZERO stars were an option, that would be my review. I am in utter disbelief at how my family was treated this evening. We reserved space for 25 people. From the moment we walked in, we did not feel welcome. Between the hostess and the manager, it was quite clear that they do not enjoy their jobs whatsoever. The rudeness and miscommunication were absolutely appalling.

My family has been longtime customers of this establishment, going all the way back to when it was Main Street Grille. Needless to say, we will not be back and will not recommend it to anyone.

Edit: I am leaving this review not out of anger, but deep disappointment — and to ensure the owner is made aware of my side of the story and how poorly my family was treated.

We reserved space for a small surprise party at what used to be a family-favorite restaurant. From the moment we arrived, we were met with cold, unfriendly attitudes.

While being shown to our reserved space, I was told I could not pin decorations to the wall. I politely responded that I had no intention of doing so. I used masking tape to hang a flag on the backside of a wooden trim, not on the wall itself. The hostess returned and insisted I remove it. I complied immediately. I asked to clarify and she essentially said no tape at all on the walls or wood. Again, I complied. Then, my husband rehung the flag without any tape touching the walls or wood — he secured one corner into a small gap in the trim and the other with tape to a metal outlet box on the ceiling. This, too, was somehow an issue.

Then, just moments before the surprise, the fire alarm went off. Confused, we tried to continue celebrating until we realized that a 3 year old child in our group had accidentally pulled the alarm. What followed was entirely uncalled for.

Employee, I believe her name to be Adrian, stormed in and told us to leave. When we asked to speak with the manager, she said, “okay, I will call him” and walked off — We never saw a manager. Moments later, the hostess came in and gave us a table number, stating we could order at the counter and our food would be brought to us. Naturally, we assumed the issue was resolved.

Not long after, the police and fire department showed up. A police officer entered the space and yelled at us to get out immediately, threatening trespassing charges if we didn’t comply. We were completely blindsided — we had been given a table number and instructions to order.

Adrian never made an effort to de-escalate or even communicate respectfully. Her behavior was not just unprofessional — it was hostile, immature, and entirely unnecessary. She created confusion, panic, and ultimately ruined what should have been a happy and harmless celebration.

As the host, I was the last to leave and took a moment to speak with the responding officer. He told me he had been called because we had “refused to leave.” I clarified that while we were initially asked to leave, we responded by requesting to speak with the manager. Adrian told us, “okay, I’ll call him,” but she never returned. Instead, the hostess came back shortly after and provided us with a table number. Given that, we had every reason to believe the situation had been resolved and that we were welcome to proceed with our celebration. Upon hearing this, he apologized and said there was no legal reason we couldn’t stay, and that it was clearly a miscommunication. Unfortunately, by then, my entire party had left — humiliated and completely disheartened.

This restaurant lost not just a large party’s business tonight, but a loyal customer base that has supported it for years.

The way this was handled was shameful. The staff we encountered failed on every level — respect, professionalism, and basic hospitality. We will...

My wife, youngest daughter, and I ate here for the first time tonight, and it was awesome! I got the half a rotisserie chicken, brussels sprouts, and mac & cheese with a side of the Howlin' Sauce. My wife got tendies, mac & cheese, and honey mustard and ranch.

The rotisserie chicken was juicy, which is hard for some restaurants to do. My wife and daughter's tenders were juicy and so well-seasoned that my wife didn't need any of her sauces. Also, they were so big that my wife could have shared with our 4-year-old and still had some left over.

The Howlin' Sauce was the right level of spicy, and the sriracha pepper flavor was the main taste. I liked how it wasn't salty at all, which a lot of sriracha-based sauces are.

The Honey Mustard was also a real star. They claim that all their sauces are homemade, and I believe it. I've never had a honey mustard like it before. It will be a tough decision next time between that and the Howlin' Sauce.

Their ranch was a mixed bag. My wife didn't care for it, but I probably could have put a hurting on a bigger dish of it.

The brussels sprouts were amazing, and I was glad I took a chance on them. I've had them once before in a different restaurant, and they weren't my favorite. These ones were the right level of salty and had a nice bacon flavor to them. When I go back here, they'll be one of my side dishes.

The mac & cheese wasn't our favorite. I'm not sure what cheese they used, but we didn't love or dislike it. That being said, it was extremely creamy, and whatever cheese it was, it was melted properly. A lot of chicken places have "cheese" that's gritty or congealed into a paste. Howlin' Bird is not like that. It's a 5-star product, and I'd recommend that anyone try it at least once.

The staff there was super friendly! From the time we walked in to the time we left, we felt welcomed there. I was happy that I got to talk to one of the people there about their gluten-free options. My oldest daughter needs to eat gluten-free, and I was excited to hear that the rotisserie chicken and brussels sprouts were gluten-free. Normally, when you see a place that's known for their fried chicken, you assume that it will be a gluten overload. This is why we've never been there before, but now we will be going back as a whole family. If I could have improved anything about my trip, it would be to suggest that they make a note on their website or in-restaurant menu about their gluten-free options. If they have it, I overlooked it. My parents had a yard decoration that took me three years to notice, so the argument could be made that overlooking things is not hard for me to do.

All in all, our only disappointment our entire trip was from the realization that we've wasted so many years of our lives without eating here. We will do our best to atone for that...

An excellent chicken restaurant edition to North Canton. I've been hearing the hype around town for months now...and it lived up to it. Biggest complaints I've heard is slowness for take out...but with a dining room as big as theirs...just eat in! It's perfectly distanced with plenty of protective barriers between areas.

Ordering is much like a fast food restaurant. You walk in and the counter is the first thing you see, if you'd like you can also go straight to their full bar and order food and drinks. The menu was very large and had a ton of different options and combinations. Lots of sides and variations of chicken as well as a large number of dipping sauces! I ordered my food, was given a number and went to choose my table. Coke products were self service. And Coke products are always a win!

The service was fairly quick, probably waited 7 minutes or so for my order. The fella that brought it out was super friendly. I ordered the chicken tenders and cheese fries...both were hot, fresh and incredible. The chicken was incredibly moist, flavorful and the (i think it was called bird sauce) sauce i got complimented it flawlessly. I got the mac and cheese as my side which was equally amazing. Very creamy, flavorful and i want to say a slight hint of garlic. The smothered fries i got were an extra charge but another incredible choice. Had a creamy cheese sauce on top along with real bacon pieces and i believe caramelized onions. Left overs were a must here.

Overall this restaurant is excellent and I know I'll definitely be back. Don't be afraid to eat in instead of trying to do take out or delivery and you'll be...