Dirty Birds, San Diego. Rated ★☆☆☆☆
Disappointing visit. The “Dirty Mai Tai” tasted off the shelf, with too much mix, and very little liquor. The wings were okay — certainly not the best I’ve had, but meaty enough. But for the price — $8 for 5 wings — they were unremarkable. I had the salt and vinegar, and couldn’t taste either. My son had the grilled cheese — cheese on a bun, with some tots — for $6. They staff were friendly enough, when they were around. Seems like they were spending a lot of time in the back or trying to work the POS system. But the worst part, is about halfway through my meal, we still had food on the table and I left my kid’s snack bag, we went to the bathroom. I tried to get the waitress’ attention but she was heads-down in the POS. We used the bathroom, washed our hands and came back to find the table had been cleared. The remains of the $6 cheese and tots was gone, as was my water and our snack bag. Do people just ghost on a table like this? Maybe, but since I was with a young kid it seems like they’d allow us a moment or two to use the facilities. I was still hungry, so I ordered some boneless wings to go. $15 “per pound”. It seemed a little light; when I weighed it, it was 15oz with the package, dip and veggie sticks. 8.5oz of chicken. And again, it didn’t taste like much. The outside benches were uncomfortable, and it took a really long time to get my togo plate, after I’d already paid. I rarely hand out one-star reviews. The cleanup staff apologized, but too little too late. I tipped 20% as usual, even though half my meal was to go, and I don’t think I was a difficult customer. Will not be back, will recommend others avoid it.