Dirty Birds

Framed photos of ocean waves rotate with flat screen TVs across the white and wooden walls, big windows look out onto Mission Boulevard, and wood tables and a big wooden bar serve food and drinks all day and night. Dirty Birds is definitely not your average Pacific Beach bar and restaurant. Although it comes with a side of coastal breeze, a laid-back beach town crowd, and epic street-side people watching in true PB-style, Dirty Birds is all about the food. Think I’m kidding? Dirty Birds offers 22 different types of wing flavors, and dares you to come on in and try them all for yourself. This open-air surf culture-inspired beach bar and restaurant is a go-to spot for all major sports games – especially during Chargers season – but in-the-know locals love Dirty Birds for the food first. Many of those locals are responsible for the 350,000 wings that Dirty Birds has sold in just two years. Do the math, people – that’s a whole lot of freaking wings. But in addition to the mouth-watering hand-held varieties, including Dirty Ranch, Flaming Honey, Chipotle BBQ, and even PB & J, Dirty Birds offers a diverse menu of lunch and dinner time favorites.

Before I explain the burgers, I must share a secret with you: all specialty burgers at Dirty Birds are stuffed with cheese and toppings. Holy bar food heaven! Popular burgers range from the BBQ Burger – stuffed with bacon, cheddar, and topped with onion strings and BBQ sauce; to Blueprint Burger – stuffed with bleu cheese crumbles, topped with sautéed mushrooms and bleu cheese dressing; and the B.R. Burgers – stuffed with jalepanos and pepperjack cheese topped with fried onion strings and BBQ sauce. On the lighter side, Dirty Birds serves up some tasty salads and sandwiches, including the Ahi Tuna Salad with field greens, red cabbage, red pepper, cucumber, sesame seeds, and Asian sesame dressing; Lemon Pepper Chicken Sandwich – chicken breast dusted in a lemon pepper coating on a warm bun; and the Veg Out Sandwich – Swiss melted over roasted red peppers and a hummus spread, topped with lettuce, avocado, cucumber, and tomato on a warm hoagie roll.