Bird Bar Hatches Fried Chicken Doused in Champagne in Griffintown

It’s been a long time coming, and Montreal finally has a new fried chicken option on the table as Bird Bar opened in Griffintown on Monday.

Owner Kimberly Lallouz (Monsieur, Miss Prêt-à-Manger) announced it way back in March and after plenty of “coming soon” promises, Bird Bar finally came.

This is no “let’s just throw some chicken in a fryer and slap a comfort food label on it” approach to putting poultry into oil — Lallouz did thorough testing with different oils, fryers, batters and breadcrumbs, aiming to hit upon both a recipe both tasty and healthy (well, as healthy as fried chicken can be). There’s also a vegan option with mock chicken on the menu.

The perksters at Tastet have the details on the menu — the previously promised 13 sauces to go with the chicken has come to fruition. The variety of sides suggests that Bird Bar is going more towards the general comfort food tag over the purist Southern fried chicken approach: pogo, poutine, kale and caesar salads, to name a few.

While take-out is available, Bird Bar is definitely styling itself as a sit-down spot with a hefty bar program consisting of numerous options for sparkling wine and champagne, plus cocktails. There’s also reportedly going to be a bar tucked away in the basement. Named Henden, Tastet promises it’ll be inspired by the Playboy Mansion in the 1970s. That could be cause for concern, but the finer details on that are yet to come.

STATUS — Bird Bar is open six days (closed Mondays) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, and 5 p.m. for dinner, as well as Saturday and Sunday brunches at 1800 Notre-Dame West.

• Bird Bar Wants to Give Montreal a New Kind of Fried Chicken Restaurant [EMTL]
• Bird Bar: Nouveau Superbe Resto de Poulet Frit et Champagne dans Griffintown [Tastet.ca]
• Eight things you didn't know about the Playboy Mansion [The Telegraph]
• Bird Bar [Facebook]