While its planned mid-June opening was missed, the newest location for Birdcall, a local fried chicken restaurant chain, is finally open at Franklin and Evans. And it’s worth the wait.

Birdcall is all about fried chicken and fried chicken sandwiches. However, one of our guests ordered the Power Salad (kale, red cabbage, brussels sprouts, cucumbers goat cheese & vinaigrette) and thought it was fantastic, too – so there are vegetarian options as well. The store is high-tech with manual ordering kiosks inside. You can order your meal inside and eat either inside or outside or use the drive-thru. A timer posts your wait time for each order and your food is delivered into a numbered bin and posted on the public order board.

And the food?

It’s very good. Sandwiches are made fresh – each took about three to four minutes to make. The fried chicken is not greasy or over-seasoned. The sandwiches and chicken strips are moist and delivered simply with no gimmicks. Then, customers add their choice of eight dipping sauces to their sandwich. The sandwiches come with a dill pickle inside to create a nice kick to the sandwiches. We ordered two Birdcall Originals and a Birdcall Nashville which is a ‘hot’ sandwich with a with just the right amount of heat. We all had the Birdcall original sauce which was nice and not overpowering when paired with the chicken, bun, and pickle. The sandwiches were just the right size, too. We rated all three sandwiches a solid ‘8’ out of 10 for taste. We also ordered a dinner salad but frankly – who eats salads at a fried chicken place?

The Original sandwich was $5.95 and the Nashville sandwich was $6.95. The chop salad was $8.50. Your choice of eight sauces is free with each sandwich order. A side of three chicken strips was $4.95. Organic Tractor brand sodas and teas were $2.50.

The look of the place is striking. The owners added some unique touches to the design but they did not go over-board. They commissioned a hand-painted chicken mural on the outside of the building which adds a unique touch. Inside they have a whimsical bird mural above the beverages and condiment counter. Overall, the style is contemporary with plenty of indoor and outdoor patio seating. They added seating nooks inside and outside along with long counters and booths – all this in a relatively tight building and lot. They added garage doors to open up the place for nice weather days and nights. Seating swings hang along Evans Avenue and a bike air-and-repair station on the north side of the facility supports customers on bikes. And, when done eating and drinking, customers dispose of their leftovers and wrappers into recycling bins. The restaurant was clean and organized, even after only several days of new operations.

The drinks featured specialty sodas, shakes, cocktails, beer, wine and a variety of espresso’s, tea and coffee. It was a nice surprise to go to a fast food restaurant and experience a departure from the standard Coke, Pepsi, and fountain tea options.

Finally, the menu and dining experience is a departure from other dining options in the University of Denver neighborhood and looks to be a great place for local residents and DU students to meet, eat or just hang out. Birdcall has a winning formula and is a great addition to the DU restaurant scene.

Visit Birdcall – you’ll enjoy it.