SEATTLE — West Seattle has a new chicken spot. Starbird Chicken opened its first Washington restaurant Monday on Fauntleroy Way SW, right next to Whole Foods near the Alaska Junction.
If you haven’t heard of Starbird, you probably don’t spend much time in California. The San Francisco chain has a loyal following there for its crispy tenders, big chicken sandwiches, and house-made sauces. Now it’s moving north, and West Seattle got the first one.
If you don’t live in West Seattle, more are on the way. Starbird’s Washington franchise partner plans 17 locations across the state, with about 15 in the Seattle area and two in Spokane. Capitol Hill is next, in the old Amazon Fresh space.
What is Starbird Chicken?
Aaron Noveshen started Starbird in San Francisco in 2016. He also runs The Culinary Edge, a company that helps big restaurant brands build their menus.
Starbird calls itself “super-premium fast food.” In plain English, you order at the counter and get your food fast, but the chicken is a step up from a typical chain. It’s antibiotic-free, never frozen, and hand-breaded in gluten-free flour.
There are about 20 Starbirds now. Most are in California, and there’s one in Denver.
What’s on the Starbird Chicken menu
The tenders are all white meat, and the Big Star is the chain’s signature crispy chicken sandwich. You’ll also find wings, salads, wraps, and bowls.
The sauces are what people come back for. Starbird makes them in-house, and you can mix and match them with anything on the menu.
Seattle’s chicken tender craze keeps growing
Seattle can’t get enough chicken tenders lately. Raising Cane’s opened in the U District in February and drew more than 1,000 people. When it opened in Lynnwood in June, Snohomish County put together a traffic plan just to handle the crowds.
Starbird is going after a slightly different customer. It’s betting you’ll pay a little more for what it says is better chicken, in a place that feels closer to a sit-down restaurant than a drive-thru.
Starbird Chicken West Seattle hours
You can stop in seven days a week: Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
How to get to Starbird Chicken in West Seattle
Starbird is at 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW, Suite 150. You can order at the counter or through the Starbird app and website, where the full menu is posted.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News”on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
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