Mama Bird Southern Kitchen

Naming a restaurant Mama Bird provides a hint that attention will be paid here to the fried chicken. And that is indeed the case. You can get it with waffles at breakfast, on a salad, as a sandwich, as wings or as tenders. Or get it on plates, which allows you to combine tenders, thighs or breasts with a biscuit or cornbread and a choice of a side such as French fries, mac & cheese, white cheddar grits, collard greens, creamed corn or apple coleslaw.

But you don’t have to limit yourself to all things bird; the restaurant also does barbecue, with choices like smoked brisket hash or smoked pork belly and grits at breakfast or in sliders or sandwiches. The Southern cred continues with watermelon wedges, chicken-fried steak, deviled eggs with candied jalapenos and bacon and even pimiento cheese, with bacon jam and saltines.

As for foodie cred, fans include podcaster Philip Tzeng and food writer Al Mancini. And Chef Brian Howard, chef/owner of Sparrow + Wolf, calls it “a quaint neighborhood place that’s family-owned and loved, which shows in their hospitality and each bite.” (Howard also promises that the fried bologna sandwich “will bring you back to your childhood.”)