MN
Mitchell Neller
Aug 16, 2026
Breds Hot Chicken in Costa Mesa was close by the Camp or the Lab, one of those. I saw this one all over TikTok too with everybody saying oh my gosh this is such great fried chicken, great tenders, great spice and flavors, so I obviously had to go check it out. I ended up grabbing something like a ten or fifteen piece tender order, I honestly don't remember the exact order, but I think I got the medium hot. My memory isn't helping me here. What I do remember is the overall flavor was actually really good, and I liked that they had multiple different sauces. I had the blue cheese, the ranch, the honey, and they also had a different kind of hot honey, I think a garlic one. Those were all really good, but I went back to my old roots and the ranch and blue cheese were absolutely my favorite.
The crunch on these, which is exactly what TikTok was hyping up, is supposed to be immaculate, like the best crunch you'd expect from fried chicken. It definitely had that crunch, just not quite at the level I was anticipating. What I also wasn't anticipating was the kick actually built into the rub or the bread itself. Usually when it's hot chicken it leans more like a buffalo sauce situation, but this wasn't that. This was a good spice with a nice sweetness and a little kick right at the end, which I really liked.
Overall it was very good and I'd definitely go back. I can see why there's hype because you don't often get solid good fried chicken when you order it, and this place delivered. The price is high though, which I wasn't anticipating, and honestly I don't think it's quite worth that high of a price. I get it, it's hand battered and you're getting multiple sauces which is an added cost, so there's pros and cons. But I can see the hype. I'd recommend it as a good fried chicken spot for sure, just not one I'd want to hit up every single week. Good for what it is though.