Cluck Kitchen

The inspiration

Cluck Kitchen grew out of a simple idea: bring Southern fried chicken and Nashville hot chicken together with a Southern California twist¹ . The kitchen runs on a freshness principle, using antibiotic-free, never-frozen chicken that gets battered to order^1,2 . The founding team came from a burger background and wanted to apply the same elevated, real-food approach to fried chicken³ .

Who's behind it

The concept was started by Steve Kim, who also founded the burger restaurant and food truck The Cut, together with his partner and chef Ryan Yi, who cooked as sous-chef at The Cut³ . Chef Ryan still fronts the brand on its social channels, where the pair talk up their quality focus .

What to order

• Jumbo tenders and wings: hand-breaded, never-frozen portions in a range of house flavors .^2,4
• Fried pickles and mac and cheese: sides the founders planned from day one .^3,4
• Beignets: a sweet finish listed alongside the mains on the Irvine menu .

What people are saying

Critics at OCalpha call the restaurant a stand-out in a crowded Nashville hot field and say its spicy versions run hotter than most competitors² .

Why you should try it

If you're staying near John Wayne Airport, this is an easy stop for crispy chicken sandwiches and tenders at The Square on MacArthur Boulevard⁵ .