The Chicken Shop
1120 Irvine Avenue
Newport Beach, CA 92660
OC seems to be having their chicken wrap moment right now. My chicken wrap era started two years ago when I visited The Kebab Shop. Before this visit, I mistakenly believed a chicken wrap was just a cold chicken burrito. Even though Katie only allowed me a couple of bites of her carved chicken wrap, it was enough to nudge me towards the chicken wrap side. From then on, I was on a mission to find my favorite in OC.
My favorite so far has been from Dizzy Bird, which has two OC locations, one at the Spectrum Center in Irvine and another at the food court inside the Mission Viejo Mall. I was scrolling through Instagram when I found out about The Chicken Shop. The content creator in this post was excited about this spot, and it looked good from the video. Still, I've been duped before by creators on Instagram who are paid by the restaurant to showcase what I eventually find out after I try it is subpar food. I hoped that would not happen when we visited The Chicken Shop in Newport.
The Chicken Shop opened in 2022 and received great press and general public accolades. It has a 4.8-star rating and over 400 reviews and counting. A former OC Register restaurant critic also wrote an article claiming that this "is very, very, good chicken," and he was a tough restaurant reviewer. Not bad for a restaurant set far back from the always-evolving and vibrant restaurant scene on 17th Street.
The Chicken Shop is technically not on 17th Street, as it's in the Westcliff Plaza (anchored by Ralph's and CVS), where 17th Street turns into Westcliff Drive after it crosses Irvine Avenue. It's brought to us by Fred Taouk, an Australian design professional by trade, who, along with his business partner, Zak Kaldawi, developed this Australian/Mediterranean concept.
The chicken is slow-roasted on the rotisserie, just over the cashier's shoulder, using a South American hardwood, which they credit for their chicken's flavor. The chicken is available three ways here: on its own, in a bowl, or in a wrap. There are three bowls and wraps, with prices ranging from $14 to $16. There are also sides, and for people who don't want chicken, they offer a mushroom option, which is prepared the same way as the chicken, on the rotisserie. We made our selections and found a table out front while waiting for our food to be ready.
We're starting with the Chimichuri Wrap ($14.95). This one has plenty of pulled chicken, pickled red onions, sweet potato fries, and chimichurri filling the grilled wrap. This was tasty. I feared the sweet potato fries would overpower the chimichurri and the onions, but they played well with them. It had an excellent flavor profile, which was kicked up a notch with the inclusion of the garlic sauce, which was pretty strong in flavor. I would have wanted some extra chimichurri if I had to nit-pick, but this wrap was very satisfying. On the side, Katie selected some Pita Chips ($6.95), which were fine, but not anything I'd order again. They were boring, and I only used them to finish the excess garlic sauce.
Our second wrap of the evening was the OG Wrap ($14.95), which included pickles, fries, and garlic sauce. The chicken was tender, and the garlic sauce and fries were comforting. The pickles added a touch of tang that helped balance things out. I also enjoyed that the wrap portion was crisp due to being grilled, which provided a pleasing crunch. With each wrap, you get a choice of a sauce for dipping, and I selected the Creamy yogurt Harissa, which was like a spicier ranch, but with different seasonings added. I will try their Chili and Garlic or the Hot and Spicy sauces on return visits. I got the Jalapeno Slaw ($6.95) as my side. This is a vinegar-based slaw that has a slight kick to it. I love purple cabbage, as it has a great look and is much better than the green version. I wish this had more heat, but it was a fine side dish.
Okay, this was one time an Instagram influencer wasn't just over-inflating how good a place was because the restaurant paid them. The chicken wraps at The Chicken Shop are the best I've had in OC to date. They were well crafted, the chicken was delicious, and the garlic sauce was excellent. I have not had the chance to return since this initial visit, but I plan on returning soon to have their wrap again and try their half chicken plate, which I hear is good as well. Here's to hoping that the chicken wrap era continues to grow in OC.
Out of five sandy beaches (because the country that eats the most poultry per capita in the world is the Bahamas, which has no shortage of beautiful beaches within its borders and would be the perfect place to open a restaurant called The Chicken Shop), five being best to zero being worst, The Chicken Shop gets 3.5 sandy beaches.
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