Bird On The Run — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

I've been coming to this place for years. They got started 4 or 5 years ago. At the start, they were very good. I'd eat there probably once a week. The sandwiches were delicious, and everything was always perfectly cooked. At that time, it was by far the best chicken sandwich in pittsburgh.

Unfortunately, things started to become rough a couple years ago, around the time of the pandemic and when the restaurant expanded to open up another location. The quality has taken a sharp dive and is really inconsistent. Since the owner (I think) seems to have decided to spend all his time at the other location, this one has really gone downhill. You can expect a mushy bun, undercooked and lukewarm fries, hilariously small chicken patties, inconsistent spice levels, long wait times, and pretty bad service about half the time now. Make sure to check your bag before you leave, because I’d say it’s only about 50/50 whether it will contain everything you ordered.

I wish they'd return to their 2018 glory. I'm not sure if the pandemic really did a number on the quality of available ingredients or if the quality started dropping once attention was split between this location and the newer one on the south side or something else. Regardless, it ain't the same that it used to be.

If you want a chicken sandwich, you can definitely do better now -- go to Chikn in Oakland, Coop De Ville in the Strip, or Fireside by Target in East Liberty. Honestly, I'd take KFC over Bird on the Run at this point, just because at KFC the quality is consistent, even if it...

2nd Update: Long wait this time (caught the dinner time crowd), my chicken had zero spice (ordered extra spicey), got funny looks for turning down a high life once I saw the actual size (tiny jar), found out (the hard way) that the strips are almost the same size as the nuggets; I'm downgrading this back to 3.5 stars until I have better, more consistent experiences.

My recommendation to the owner is to reevaluate pricing/serving sizes and standardize capsaicin levels

Update: Bushwacker or not that chicken is awesome (and was hotter this time). 4 Stars I want to rate this 3.5 Stars but cannot.

Atmosphere: Small Nashville-inspired hot chicken sandwich cafe playing Johnny Cash, oldies hits, and folk & country music

Cost: My extra hot chicken sandwich was $8 (worth it), but my frozen Moscow Mule was $10 (copper mug was too little)

Service: No waiters (restaurant is tiny), but the lady at the counter treated me nice and the guy coming-and-going preemptively directed me to some plasticware

Experience: The extra hot (not really that hot but still delicious) chicken sandwich had me almost wanting another (at $6 I would have eaten two without question). The frozen daiquiri-styled Moscow Mule served from an Icee machine left me feeling a little short-changed considering alternatives at nearby establishments, but at least it had a little alcoholic kick to it.

The one thing that keeps them from 4-stars was the tiny $10 cocktail.

Unfortunately, they lack the Nashville-ubiquitous Bushwacker (where can I order one in...

I've been wanting to go here for a long time, especially knowing that this place had frozen Moscow Mules. I blame myself for taking so much time to finally get here, but I am so glad I did. The frozen Moscow Mules have been phased out but there was a delightfully tart Black Cherry Daquiri (which I ordered), the Rose', a Watermelon Margarita and a Bourbon Root Beer (my friend got this one).

The food came out hot and fresh, the chicken juicy and tender with a light yet thick and crunchy breading. The waffle fries were a beer battered sort like you'd get from Mad Mex but much fluffier and crisp. I added bacon to my chicken sandwich, it was relatively thick and flavorful. All in all, I enjoyed my visit and will definitely be back with the same friend in tow. I am also going to keep an eye on the four rotating flavors, apparently there used to only be two but now there are two machines that hold two flavors each. Oh! Also, the counter service was great, she allowed us to try a flavor or two before we settled on our drinks. I had an ingredient I didn't ask for on my sandwich and she handled it...