The Red Bird Hot Chicken & Fries — Restaurant in Temple Terrace

Red Bird reminded me of Dave’s Hot Chicken back when it first started gaining traction—fresh, flavorful, and generous portions. The food was well-prepared, and the overall quality stood out. The sauce had great flavor, but the ratio was off—either more sauce on the food or offering extra packets would make a big difference.

I tried both the mild and medium spice levels, and honestly, I couldn’t tell them apart. I get that the heat levels might be close, but it felt like the only difference was the sticker on the tray. Some fine-tuning there would go a long way.

The space itself is surprisingly roomy, with plenty of seating and a clean, well-designed interior. That said, the trash can setup could be better, and the tables were sticky, which is something that always bugs me at chicken spots. To their credit, staff were on top of cleaning and actively wiping tables down—maybe a different cleaning method would solve that stickiness issue.

One small gripe, naming the hottest spice level something with foul language doesn’t really align with the family-friendly, halal vibe. There are definitely more creative and appropriate names they could go with.

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit and will definitely be back. I’m looking forward to trying more of the menu. One thing I’d love to see: milkshakes! I don’t think any other spot in that plaza offers them, and it’d be a...

I am a diehard Dave's Hot Chicken fan. Saw this place on DoorDash doing some deals so I ordered a lot for a really great price. I went to the place for pickup because I was trying something new and I wanted to get a look at the place. The area is quite busy but the staff I met was with friendly.

Now this definitely isn't Dave's Hot Chicken, there is a slight difference in flavor but for the price point, the food and the quality is still amazing. The fries are just regular fries with no additional house seasoning, nothing to go wrong with that. The chicken was juicy and crisp. I got Extra Hot and I found it to be pretty hot, just as hot as about Dave's Extra Hot. They taste pretty similar to each other so I cannot complain! Best part is that you can add cheese to your sliders for no additional cost unlike Dave's. The sauce is a little runny and not as thick as Dave's sauce but it tastes very similar as well. (This was relevant only for me since I got a ton of food for a nice deal but for the price of one Dave's meal and three times the food, it was sooooo worth it.) Definitely will be coming back again!

My review is definitely based on personal preference but overall everything was 5/5 across the board. Definitely worth the try if you like...

I first found out about this place because I was eating at another restaurant in the plaza. A couple weeks later, an Instagram account took some beautiful shots of the chicken sandwich, which was enough to get me to that side of town. The food tasted even more delicious than it looked. Most days I feel like I'm so stressed out I feel nothing. I'm not exaggerating when I say I took a bite of the "FCK YOU CRA" level of spicy chicken and every cell in my body felt happy. Everyone who worked there was friendly, we met the owner, who was also friendly (and humble--my friend and I really loved what we ordered). You go into some establishments to pay money for goods and you leave, but I felt like the food was made by people who want you to enjoy the food you're eating. Everything in my rice bowl went well together. All the sauces were delicious with distinct flavour profiles. Most places I've been to that boast spiciness forget about flavor and they absolutely packed the flavour in with the heat! The fries were perfect, the slaw on the sandwich was fresh and complementary to the chicken. I will definitely be...