Making a Mobb Deep song reference on the menu ("Up North Trip") is impressive enough. However, The Dirty Bird's street cred comes from the food itself.
A chicken & waffle place is a perfect fit for Kensington Market. The area is a perfect microcosm of the cultural melting-pot that is Toronto. Being able to find this recently iconic American dish in the area only makes sense.
The Dirty Bird definitely gets an A for branding. Their menu items are all creatively named and marketing themselves as "Northern fried chicken" is pretty genius in my book.
As far as the fried chicken goes, it's really good. I ordered the ODB which included boneless thigh & leg. Usually I opt for the bone-in chicken, but the boneless chicken at The Dirty Bird was surprisingly moist and flavorful. Without bones, it was also very easy to eat without making too much of a mess.
The accompanying Dirty Sauce was nice, although I was looking for a bit more tang and heat. The coleslaw was just okay. Overall, solid fried chicken, but the Stockyards' version with their chili maple syrup slightly edges out The Dirty Bird. With that said, I would still come back in a heartbeat.