Cluck Clucks

Pretty good chicken. And a decent waffle.. Chicken was still juicy and not over cooked. Nice even batter. Not too thick nor too thin. I can see why this place is popular

So freaking delicious!!! I've had Cluck Clucks twice, and keep going back for their 'CLUCK YEAH' ($13.09) because it's just that cl*cking good! The portion sizes too are pretty substantial and perfect for sharing.

We ordered a massive order from work on Friday, and they had everything ready in 25 minutes as promised. They didn't miss any items, and my coworkers were extremely pleased with what they received! 

The restaurant itself is really spacious with super cute wall decals, and is always bustling with people. I seriously can't wait to return.

dre: On the east end of downtown Toronto, near the Distillery District is this small place called Cluck Cluck's. They feature fried chicken with waffles and the different combos you can get with that, i.e. waffle sandwich, chicken on waffle, etc. I tried the Little Clucker, which is a thigh on a waffle. The chicken was really good and juicy. I liked eating the waffle with the juicy chicken. I got the Cluck Cluck sauce, but you can choose from a variety of other options.

Cluck Clucks was a small shop on The Esplanade that has a menu focused on chicken and waffles, one of my favourite brunch dishes. Their menu included fried chicken alone, served on a waffle or sandwiched between two quarter waffles. I stopped by earlier in July with The Hubby, a fried chicken connoisseur, to try out their version of the brunch staple. We happened to drop by on #NationalFriedChickenDay when Cluck Cluck’s was offering a great $5 walk-in special. This meant the restaurant was crazy hectic with a constant stream of customers. In the busy fray, The Hubby and I managed to grab two bar seats by the window to enjoy our meal.

Tucked away at the corner of The Esplanade and Princess Street is Cluck Clucks, a restaurant dedicated to fried chicken and waffles. The place is pretty hidden and not easy to find, so you gotta purposely look for it or know where you're going. I only found out about Cluck Clucks from my boyfriend, who has been for dinner before and thought I should try it out.

Serving halal chicken, Cluck Clucks' fried chicken is cooked to order so all customers are informed when ordering that there'll be a wait of about 15 minutes. If you live or work in the area, you'll be happy to know that you can order Cluck Clucks (Instagram: @cluckcluks, Facebook: Cluck Clucks) via Ritual.

My boyfriend and I went to Cluck Clucks twice so this post combines my two experiences there.

FIRST VISIT

WHAT THE CLUCK! (Solo $10.49, Combo $12.99)

2 pc bone-in-chicken, fresh waffle, choice sauce

Cluck Clucks fried chicken is on point. Crispy, golden, seasoned chicken skin with meat that's extremely juicy and tender. Delicious. As for the waffles, if you like them super soft, light and fluffy, this is the place for it. I personally like mine with a crispier exterior (i.e. crispy edges but still soft inside). The fries were seasoned well but a bit soggy. I didn't care for the Cluck Sauce; it had a sweet/tangy flavour and consistency that's similar to Italian salad dressing. Just not my thing. Thinking back I should have picked maple syrup as my "sauce", which is how fried chicken & waffles is traditionally served anyway (along with butter). The succulent union of sweet and salty, soft and crunchy, maple syrup and chicken may sound strange but it's unbelievably good.

CLUCK YEAH! (Solo $12.79, Combo $14.99)

Boneless chicken breast in between a fresh jalapeno and cheddar waffle with coleslaw, chipotle aioli, dill mayo

Other than the fried chicken, this Cluck Yeah! sandwich was my favourite item on Cluck Clucks' menu. The waffle - infused with the jalapeno and cheddar - was in many ways better than the regular waffle, both in flavour and texture (it was crispier for some reason). The chicken breast wasn't dry at all (dry chicken breast is my worst nightmare). Together with the creamy chipotle and tangy coleslaw, this waffle-sandwich was very satisfying to eat.

SECOND VISIT

1 LB WINGS ($7.99)

These wings were massive. Much like the fried chicken pieces, these wings were also perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside. However, if I had to choose, I would pick their chicken pieces over wings because I like thicker skin (more crispy skin to eat!) I also find chicken thighs and drumsticks to be a lot more juicier than wings. Anyway, these were still very good :) An order of wings comes with your choice of sauce so we picked chipotle aioli. I didn't much of it for the wings; I used it for the hand cut wedges instead (below).

3 PIECE FRIED CHICKEN ($8.99)

Includes regular side of fresh cut fries, hand cut wedges or coleslaw

Again, no complaints. I love how Cluck Clucks' chicken is not battered, just brined overnight and lightly dredged in seasoned flour. I absolutely hate fried chicken that's so heavily battered that after the first bite, the entire skin falls apart from the meat. We tried the hand cut wedges this time. They were OK, nothing to write home about.

CLUCKING LITTLE WAFFIES ($4.99)

Battered waffle tossed in cinnamon and brown sugar served with side of Nutella and maple

If there's one negative thing about Cluck Clucks it would have to the dessert, and my dessert-ordering experience. When we were ordering our fried chicken at the counter, the cashier asked if we would like to order dessert as well. I said we'll order that later since I didn't know what dessert I wanted yet, and I didn't want it to come too early. Insisting that we can order it now and that she can time it for us so that the dessert will come only when we were done our fried chicken, We gave in and picked our dessert. Lo and behold, a kitchen staff came out with our Clucking Little Waffies when we were not even halfway done our fried chicken and wings. The thing is, I honestly did not mind ordering our dessert at the counter separately and having to wait for it, but the fact that the cashier insisted that she can time it for us, yet didn't deliver on it, really pissed me off (she actually came to our table a minute or so after, asking whether the dessert came at a good time. I told her "no", and that it came way too early, she just said sorry about that, smiled, and walked away). Anyhow, when we finally got to our Clucking Little Waffies, they were already cold. To tell you the truth, when the Clucking Little Waffies came I actually stopped eating my fried chicken just so I can try a piece of Waffie when it was still hot. Even when hot, the Waffie was hard, not light or fluffy at all. The maple syrup also seemed watered down. Awfully fried waffles served as dessert, very disappointing. I would not order the Clucking Little Waffies again.

Decided to stop by as we drove past. The chicken was great! It was made to order so it was cripsy and juicy. Kids meal was a good size. The Nashville fries are SPICY! The staff recommended the deep fried waffle for dessert (yes you read that right! - DEEP FRIED WAFFLE!) and it was amazing!

Cluck Yeah! Was awesome! Love the jalapeno cheddar waffle and the chicken was so good with the sauces included. I got cluck sauce added too. Cheesy fries were also great! I got chipotle mayo added too. Love the taste of the sauces!

Chicken is HALAL, crispy, tender, flavourful and amazing. The waffle was a nice texture and super spicy! (Jalapeño) The Cluck Clucks sauce is so incredible!!

Gotta love chicken and waffles! Pre-pandemic, I used to frequent Cluck Clucks as I worked nearby. The other day, while in the area with a number of coworkers for the first time in over 2 years, I decided to stop by and pick up one of my favourite combos - the mother clucker! I was happy to see that the quality has not fallen off and the food was as delicious as I could remember it. My only suggestion would be to make maple syrup a staple so I can enjoy a combination of syrup and sauce - just saying 😁. Otherwise, I could see no fault here! If you're in the area, I'd highly recommend giving them a try! However, if you do, make sure to give yourself enough time because all orders are made fresh.