Dizzy Bird
Locally owned mini-chain offers Mediterranean chicken and sides in Mission Viejo and Irvine
While Southern California has no shortage of restaurants with Mediterranean-style chicken on the menu, few can match Chicken Maisón – a Torrance-based chain with two OC locations – as true specialists. Founded in 2023 at the Shops at Mission Viejo, Dizzy Bird opened an Irvine Spectrum restaurant in September 2024 near the Apple Store and Little Sister, adjacent to a playground and directly between Blk Dot Coffee and 85 Degrees C. It beat next-door neighbor (and Taiwanese chicken shop) J&G Fried Chicken’s opening date by only weeks; both stores offer minimal indoor seating and outdoor seating options.
Dizzy Bird turns out to be one of the best places to grab a healthy meal at these malls. Almost all of its dishes are based on Lebanese-style marinated chicken that’s been flattened for roasting by removing its backbone, a process called spatchcocking. There are five ways to try this chicken: a la carte ($8-$28), plates (served with two sides), bowls (served with rice, veggies, and pita chips), salads (greens without rice), and wraps (inside large, almost hermetically sealed pitas).
Though the plates let you choose from quarter (~$15), half ($21), or whole ($37) chickens, the only a la carte options are quarter ($8-9) or whole ($28) birds, while bowls ($14.50) use sliced breast meat, wraps ($11.50-$12.50) use pulled chicken, and salads start at $12.50 with chicken as a $3 upcharge. Sauces such as lemon garlic, spicy lemon garlic, tzatziki, creamy toum garlic, caesar, pomegranate vinaigrette, and hot sauce are offered for 75 cents each, with sides (potatoes, rice, corn, french fries, and mini salads) for $5.50 each.
Surprisingly, Dizzy Bird’s least compelling offering is the flattened chicken itself, which arrived on our Two Thigh Plate ($20) flattened but tender and nicely charred – resting atop a large, thin, and dry pita that managed to make it look comparatively plump. Large portions of sweet potatoes and roasted lemon garlic potatoes dominated the plate in both size and flavor. Other items, such as the Silly Bird wrap – chicken, potato, and pickles with two sauces – and generously portioned Dizzy Bird bowls and salads, were comparatively packed with ingredients and more aggressively priced. In each of the latter cases, the moist, low-fat chicken felt like a healthy protein addition to an otherwise veggie/carby bowl, with sauces as an option to punch up the natural poultry flavors. Dizzy Bird’s homemade lemonades and really nice frozen lemonades continue the “fairly healthy” theme.
As truly great eateries – especially affordable ones – are rare at the Shops at Mission Viejo and Irvine Spectrum, Dizzy Bird offers visitors the sort of high-quality, good tasting meals that make extended shopping days a little easier. We rarely eat at these malls, but would recommend Dizzy Bird to anyone looking for a healthy meal in the area.
Stats
Price: $$
Service: Counter
Open Since: 2023
Addresses
920 Spectrum Center Dr.
Irvine, CA 92614
949.536.5008
555 The Shops Blvd. Suite VC-05
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
657.614.7133
Instagram: @eatdizzybird