Flash Bird
Chicken · Santa Cruz
About Flash Bird
At Flash Bird, we offer a unique dining experience in the heart of Santa Cruz. Our restaurant's stunning location is reflected in our welcoming outdoor seating area and attentive service. Our menu features an array of signature dishes, including crispy fried chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, onion r...
At Flash Bird, we offer a unique dining experience in the heart of Santa Cruz. Our restaurant's stunning location is reflected in our welcoming outdoor seating area and attentive service. Our menu features an array of signature dishes, including crispy fried chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, onion rings, and homemade sauces that have captured the hearts of our customers. We take pride in using only the freshest ingredients to craft meals that are not only delicious but also well-priced. With excellent service, generous portions, and a lively atmosphere, Flash Bird is the perfect spot for both casual dining and special occasions.
What Customers Say About Flash Bird
Flash Bird receives mixed reviews. Many praise the chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, and sauces, especially the flash sauce. Devin and Danny are repeatedly mentioned for excellent service. However, some customers complain about high prices, small portions, inconsistent food quality, and raw chicken.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Try the flash sauce and be generous with it. Be aware that some customers find the prices high for the portion sizes.
Features
What to see nearby
Data from Wikidata
Explore the area around Flash Bird
Flash Bird is located in Santa Cruz, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Historical Heritage
- Edificio Octágono (A 71m) — edificio histórico ubicado en Santa Cruz, California, EE-UU Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- Veterans Memorial Building (A 195m) — historic building in Santa Cruz, California, United States Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- mission de santa cruz (A 504m) — mission in Santa Cruz, California Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
Museums
- Museum of Art and History (A 40m) — museum in Santa Cruz, California
Religious Buildings
- Holy Cross Church (A 589m) — church building in Santa Cruz, California
Parks & Gardens
- Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park (A 359m) — park in the United States of America
- Laurel Park (A 650m) — park in Santa Cruz County, California, United States of America
- Mike Fox Park (A 817m) — park in the United States of America
Other Points of Interest
- Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium (A 327m) — concert hall in Santa Cruz, California
- Hotel Paradox (A 464m) — hotel in Santa Cruz, California
Data from Wikidata
Frequently asked questions about Flash Bird
Flash Bird Santa Cruz Reviews
Devin and Danny are awesome. The food is outstanding. In abbot square there is always something going on here! Please try this place. You can't miss with anything!
Spicy chicken sandwich, waffle fries, onion rings, and a plethora of amazing sauces...YES Please & THANK you!! Everything was hot, fresh, flavorful & served by the friendliest staff. Love it!
WoW!!! That was the BEST grilled chicken sandwich I’ve ever had!!! The buns, pickles, and sauces all made in house...we’ll be back...tomorrow!👍
Devin and Danny are awesome. The food is outstanding. In abbot square there is always something going on here! Please try this place. You can't miss with anything!
Spicy chicken sandwich, waffle fries, onion rings, and a plethora of amazing sauces...YES Please & THANK you!! Everything was hot, fresh, flavorful & served by the friendliest staff. Love it!
WoW!!! That was the BEST grilled chicken sandwich I’ve ever had!!! The buns, pickles, and sauces all made in house...we’ll be back...tomorrow!👍
Yum yum yum. Great chicken sandwich, the add ons were unnecessary. The chicken was cooked thoroughly and has a good crisp. The waffle fries were great but pretty salty on some bites. Loved trying all the different sauces and our cashier David was dope 10/10.
I had a OG Fried Chicken sandwich with their fries , they are very generous with their fry servings. It was my first time trying the flash sauce and I couldn’t get enough I had to get my hands on more . The kiddo working there had broke down the options thoroughly and had my food out at a very reasonable time . Great food and Service .
It's pricey, but you're paying for the location. Whatever was going on with the staff in the older reviews seems to have been fixed, as they were attentive and nice to me. I also watched them patiently help a dude who couldn't figure out the kiosk. The fried hen of the woods was fantastic, the chicken tendies were tender, and the spicy chicken sandwich was spicy. The flash sauce is good. I will definitely go back.
Devin and Danny provided excellent and prompt service. Food was tasty and well priced and we will be back to try the fried pickles.
Devin and Danny provided excellent and prompt service. Food was tasty and well priced and we will be back to try the fried pickles.
I had a OG Fried Chicken sandwich with their fries , they are very generous with their fry servings. It was my first time trying the flash sauce and I couldn’t get enough I had to get my hands on more . The kiddo working there had broke down the options thoroughly and had my food out at a very reasonable time . Great food and Service .
It's pricey, but you're paying for the location. Whatever was going on with the staff in the older reviews seems to have been fixed, as they were attentive and nice to me. I also watched them patiently help a dude who couldn't figure out the kiosk. The fried hen of the woods was fantastic, the chicken tendies were tender, and the spicy chicken sandwich was spicy. The flash sauce is good. I will definitely go back.
Yum yum yum. Great chicken sandwich, the add ons were unnecessary. The chicken was cooked thoroughly and has a good crisp. The waffle fries were great but pretty salty on some bites. Loved trying all the different sauces and our cashier David was dope 10/10.
Good classic chicken sandwich, great waffle fries. Wish I tried the spicy chicken.
Good classic chicken sandwich, great waffle fries. Wish I tried the spicy chicken.
When I saw the sandwiches, I thought they were going to be dry. I was pleasantly surprised at how juicy they were. I really liked the Crisy Fried Mushrooms, which were good, with the buttermilk ranch sauce. The Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich was a little spicer than I expected, but it was still very good. I will say that I did think the food was overpriced.
When I saw the sandwiches, I thought they were going to be dry. I was pleasantly surprised at how juicy they were. I really liked the Crisy Fried Mushrooms, which were good, with the buttermilk ranch sauce. The Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich was a little spicer than I expected, but it was still very good. I will say that I did think the food was overpriced.
Review is for the new Scotts Valley location. Overpriced and not delivering the value for the price point. Food was okay but not great. Spicy chicken sandwich wasn't spicy at all. Onion rings we're underdone and soggy. Waffle fries were what you might expect for fried previously frozen potatoes.$25-30 per person for a fried fast food "combo meal" is way out of touch with current economic conditions. No tables, cold white space.
Review is for the new Scotts Valley location. Overpriced and not delivering the value for the price point. Food was okay but not great. Spicy chicken sandwich wasn't spicy at all. Onion rings we're underdone and soggy. Waffle fries were what you might expect for fried previously frozen potatoes.$25-30 per person for a fried fast food "combo meal" is way out of touch with current economic conditions. No tables, cold white space.
This place looks promising within the food hall. I wanted to like it. Ordered the OG, waffle fries, chicken Caesar wrap. They were out of tortillas so the wrap became a bowl (not worthy of a photo) They somehow managed to overcook the chicken while undercooking the fries. It was still edible. My guess is that if cooked properly, it would be good. The bun was very good and the sauces tasty. Not sure I would go back
Why is the veggie option so much more expensive? And why is the three dollar side of coleslaw only three spoonfuls? It’s not that good. Wish I could leave more stars because the chicken sandwich is yummy. Just too expensive
Well, I wrote an honest review, however, it exceeded the character limit. If you want to read it, check out the pictures I'm attaching. In a nutshell: The employees are nice, and are trying their best under the circumstances. The food was.... not great. It has the potential to be good, but there are owner and management decisions (and lack of culinary imagination) preventing that from happening. This situation reminds me of places I've worked at where the owner's only goal was to make the most money possible while doing the absolute least. I would say "the bare minimum," but that would involve ensuring the fryer oil can be changed out before it tastes like a truck tire in a cow pasture at the pinnacle of a heatwave. I feel for the employees and I feel for other potential customers who think, "Huh, I'll give this place a shot." To be clear, my issue is not with the general employees, but rather with management and the owners. Stop being greedy, pay your web developer, and put some effort into your business. If you can't be bothered to provide your employees and customers with a positive, quality experience, then you deserve to fail.
This place looks promising within the food hall. I wanted to like it. Ordered the OG, waffle fries, chicken Caesar wrap. They were out of tortillas so the wrap became a bowl (not worthy of a photo) They somehow managed to overcook the chicken while undercooking the fries. It was still edible. My guess is that if cooked properly, it would be good. The bun was very good and the sauces tasty. Not sure I would go back
Why is the veggie option so much more expensive? And why is the three dollar side of coleslaw only three spoonfuls? It’s not that good. Wish I could leave more stars because the chicken sandwich is yummy. Just too expensive
Well, I wrote an honest review, however, it exceeded the character limit. If you want to read it, check out the pictures I'm attaching. In a nutshell: The employees are nice, and are trying their best under the circumstances. The food was.... not great. It has the potential to be good, but there are owner and management decisions (and lack of culinary imagination) preventing that from happening. This situation reminds me of places I've worked at where the owner's only goal was to make the most money possible while doing the absolute least. I would say "the bare minimum," but that would involve ensuring the fryer oil can be changed out before it tastes like a truck tire in a cow pasture at the pinnacle of a heatwave. I feel for the employees and I feel for other potential customers who think, "Huh, I'll give this place a shot." To be clear, my issue is not with the general employees, but rather with management and the owners. Stop being greedy, pay your web developer, and put some effort into your business. If you can't be bothered to provide your employees and customers with a positive, quality experience, then you deserve to fail.
Was not impressed at all. I used to really like this place. Went there recently and I would not go back. Chicken tasted decent, but wasn’t warm. Sandwich was tiny and sloppily put together, fries were basically just crumbs. Way to expensive for what you get. $25 with tip (no way Holmes!)
I used be a big fan of flash bird. I think the product selection is great but the service and consistency of the quality of the food has gone down. I used to love the onion tangles when they were small and crispy and now they’re thick and sometimes tend to be soggy. The mac and cheese used to be so bomb and they took it off the menu as well. I also feel like the service has always been kinda off. The workers never seem to care that you’re there even before when you had to order on the ipad. It felt like they used to put love in their sandwhiches and now they don’t. The food is still decently good but the service just ruins my time every time I go. I just wish the workers were more attentive to their job rather than just chilling on the job.
Was not impressed at all. I used to really like this place. Went there recently and I would not go back. Chicken tasted decent, but wasn’t warm. Sandwich was tiny and sloppily put together, fries were basically just crumbs. Way to expensive for what you get. $25 with tip (no way Holmes!)
I used be a big fan of flash bird. I think the product selection is great but the service and consistency of the quality of the food has gone down. I used to love the onion tangles when they were small and crispy and now they’re thick and sometimes tend to be soggy. The mac and cheese used to be so bomb and they took it off the menu as well. I also feel like the service has always been kinda off. The workers never seem to care that you’re there even before when you had to order on the ipad. It felt like they used to put love in their sandwhiches and now they don’t. The food is still decently good but the service just ruins my time every time I go. I just wish the workers were more attentive to their job rather than just chilling on the job.
The food was absolutely disgusting. As the food came out, I asked the employee if they changed the recipe for the onion tangles. They looked burnt, dark and different than I remember. They replied that they were supposed to change the oil today, but there was no new oil. Everything from the sandwich, fries and onion tangles tasted bad. Super disappointed!
This is the saddest looking burger ever. Look at the squished bread and 4 shreds of lettuce. The three stars are for the square.
The food was absolutely disgusting. As the food came out, I asked the employee if they changed the recipe for the onion tangles. They looked burnt, dark and different than I remember. They replied that they were supposed to change the oil today, but there was no new oil. Everything from the sandwich, fries and onion tangles tasted bad. Super disappointed!
This is the saddest looking burger ever. Look at the squished bread and 4 shreds of lettuce. The three stars are for the square.
I wish I listened to the reviews! Just so bad. The tenders were bland and a rip off. $10 for four tenders, which were very small. The $6 cup of coleslaw I got was only halfway full. Just a couple of spoonfuls worth.
Extremely overpriced, portions are tiny and prefrozen and just heated up in the air fryer. You could just get dino nuggies from costco and eat the same quality for far cheaper. Chicken was dry and low quality
2nd and most likely last visit to this location 13 dollar raw chicken sandwich again. Employee couldn’t accept a $20 bill he has no change was his reason. So done with poor places and still want a tip. Cmon manager get someone who knows what their doing Weekend and abbot square was popping
Extremely overpriced, portions are tiny and prefrozen and just heated up in the air fryer. You could just get dino nuggies from costco and eat the same quality for far cheaper. Chicken was dry and low quality
2nd and most likely last visit to this location 13 dollar raw chicken sandwich again. Employee couldn’t accept a $20 bill he has no change was his reason. So done with poor places and still want a tip. Cmon manager get someone who knows what their doing Weekend and abbot square was popping
I wish I listened to the reviews! Just so bad. The tenders were bland and a rip off. $10 for four tenders, which were very small. The $6 cup of coleslaw I got was only halfway full. Just a couple of spoonfuls worth.
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About Flash Bird
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725 Front St Suite 102, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
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725 Front St Suite 102, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
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