“Buffalo Wings” have historically been known as an East coast food-staple, but in Pacific Beach, one restaurant makes the spicy chicken wings feel as So-Cal as fish tacos. For those that don’t know about Dirty Birds, let me introduce San Diego’s “King of Chicken Wings.”
Dirty Birds is a bar/restaurant located only a block from the ocean at 4656 Mission Boulevard in Pacific Beach. Although the interior is on the smaller side, they make the most of their space by offering ample seating and an open-air feel. The walls are decorated with football and surfing memorabilia and inundated with flat screen televisions, making it an excellent choice for a place to throw down some beers and bar food and root for the home team. Dirty Birds even offers their clientele a wide variety of board games to enjoy. Although Dirty Birds has an extensive food menu and newly-obtained liquor license, most customers venture to DB's for their happy hour specials and phenomenal chicken wings.
From 3 to 6 pm during the weekdays, and all day Tuesday,
wing orders and domestic, non-micro brew pitchers are half-priced. If you can’t make it in the afternoon, Dirty
Birds offers nightly specials, such as their $13.99 all-you-can-eat wing night
on Mondays, and $8 for all pitchers on Thursday nights after 8 pm. To continue their trend of never-ending
specials, Dirty Bird’s also provides daily lunch specials and weekend happy
hour bargains.
The “bird is the word” at Dirty Birds, as their chicken
wings come in an astounding 22 flavors and counting (along with daily specials
and secret off-the-menu flavors like Peanut Butter & Jelly), each flavor
more unique and delicious than the last. Some of the favorites are Garlic Parmesan, a dry wing covered in
garlic, parmesan, butter and parsley; Flaming
Honey Mustard, a wing tossed in a honey mustard/buffalo sauce combination;
and General Bird, their take on the
Chinese General Tso's sauce - very spicy.
After trying each flavor, it’s nearly impossible not to rave
about any of them, and many may venture to say that their wings are the best in
San Diego. In my personal opinion, as a
self-proclaimed “Wing King,” Dirty Birds chicken wings rival any of the best
wings in the country (especially if ordered extra crispy subbing blue cheese
instead of ranch in the spirit of a true East-coaster).
If amazing wings and affordable drinks aren’t tantalizing enough,
Dirty Birds offers something genuinely unprecedented: they'll prepare beer
shotguns for any of their canned beers using a patented "shotgun
keychain.” There is something magnificent about sitting next to people popping
the top of a beer and chugging down the whole thing in under 10 seconds from a
perfect hole in the bottom of the can. Cheers to you Dirty Birds.
So next time you're in Pacific Beach, catch happy hour,
enjoy some amazing wings and shotgun a beer at Dirty Birds.
DIRTY BIRDS
4656 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beach.
(858) 274-2473
Hours:
Sunday - Wednesday 11 am to midnight
Thursday to Saturday 11am to 2am.
