Chick Fil A Coming to Northridge!

[boogiebaby]

They are turning the old Sizzler on Tampa and Nordhoff into a Chick Fil A. I'm so excited -- we really need one in this part of the world! :)

[JackonCrack]

Everyone who seems perplexed.... if you went for dinner or lunch you missed OUT. it's allllll about the breakfast at CFA!! FRIED CHICKEN BISCUIT!

[granadafan]

I have to admit that I don't quite get the fanatacism for Chick Fil A after all the hype from other talkboards and some east coast friends. I went to the one in Sylmar recently and came away scratching my head. The place was really clean and the staff was very friendly, and not just for a fast food place.

I ordered the Spicy chicken sandwich and was rather perplexed at receiving a measly looking plain bun with a soggy breaded chicken in it. The chicken was too salty for my taste, but the spice was nice. It was juicy and not too dry though. Too bland and I had to throw some mayonnaise and some vinegary tasting hot sauce.

I liked the crispy waffle fries but it wasn't for me to go back. My girlfriend was equally disappointed in CFA.

[boogiebaby]

What other fast food restaurant serves up a chicken sandwich made with a real chicken breast and minimal preservatives? The others all serve chopped, reformed chicken meat patties. ChickFilA is not fancy food -- it's fast food. But it's of higher quality than those other well-known fast food places.

The sandwich is supposed to be plain -- you add your own condiments to it. You can get it with lettuce and tomato, or without. It's just a basic chicken sandwich, but it's like one you'd make for yourself at home. They make fresh lemonade by hand, and use real tea for their iced tea, not a mix. It's a fresher fast food, not high-end restaurant food. That's the appeal of it to many, including myself.

[Peripatetic]

"What other fast food restaurant serves up a chicken sandwich made with a real chicken breast and minimal preservatives?"

Do the po'boys at Popeyes have more than "minimal preservatives"?

(Not being sarcastic here . . . it's an honest question.)

[granadafan]

Well, they should just open for breakfast then if that's their best dish. I do like the minimal preservatives in the chicken as boogie points out. Then again, I don't eat out a fast food to be healthy. haha. Eh. Too each his/her own. I'll give it another shot when it opens up in Northridge.

[boogiebaby]

Granadafan: Where in Sylmar is ChickFilA? I went to the store locator on their website and it said the closest one is the Valencia location. They don't list a Sylmar retaurant.

[granadafan]

My mistake. For some reason I always mix up Sylmar and Valencia.

[greengelato]

A Chick Fil A is also opening in Azusa. Whenever they have an opening, they give the first 100 or so customers free chick-fil-a for a year.

[vegasmike]

The chicken minis for breakfast are wonderful. A mini honey biscuit with a small nugget of chicken.

[Funwithfood]

They seem like a *great* company.

I went a couple of times and didn't like their food, really wanted to...that was a few years back, has it improved?

[david t.]

There's a chick fil A a block from the In-N-Out where I used to live in Orange County. They don't compete. The drive thru lines are unending at INO and nearly non-existent at CFA.

A burger is just classic, but it's rare to hear anyone say "I'm craving a breaded chicken sandwich" It reminds me of elementary school lunch, but much more expensive.

People praise the place with it's all-white meat chicken. But for someone who thinks chicken breast is the most boring tasteless part of the chicken, a place that only serves white meat chicken is not a chicken place worth going IMO.

[carter]

Just bought some boneless chicken thighs. Agree wholeheartedly about the boring nature of white meat chicken.
Wolfgang Puck's chicken-based pizzas always were always made with thigh meat, as it had flavor, as in much flavor.
don't get chick fil a whatsoever.

[mrhooks]

Same. I remember thinking the sandwiches were dry and tasteless as a kid. The nuggets were slightly more tolerable only because of the greater breading-to-chicken ratio.

[chezwhitey]

I guess you could say the same thing about ground beef. Just depends on what you like and what mood you are in. I'll take CFA any day over in and out. Do you not like fried chicken in general? As I said before, to each his own.

[carter]

For a dull deep fried chicken sandwich, you are excited?
Welcome to Northridge.
I have tried that product in Cerritos a couple of years ago, and Jack in the box has a better version, and I won't even order it there again!

[boogiebaby]

I eat Indian, Singaporean, Malaysian, and Chinese food at home. Sometimes bland is a good change of pace. :)

[SoCalMuncher]

I agree. I've been to CFA a couple of times when I worked near their Tustin restaurant.
Overpriced, dry, bland, and the fries were like baked cardboard.

I have NO idea of how this place became popular!

[Dogbite Williams]

Are onions an option, boogiebaby? I'd really want them on a breaded chicken sandwich.

[boogiebaby]

Hmm, not sure. I always get the original sandwich with extra pickles (and add my own mayo), which doesn't have veggies on it. I know there's lettuce and tomatoes, but I don't know about the onions. I don't like the veggies getting in the way of the rest of my sandwich. :)

[reality check]

CFA offers a bunch of sauces, including a CFA sauce-like honey mustard, honey mustard, ranch.

It's good, but a bit pricey and not worth the high prices.

When many CFA open, they do send out free coupons in the mail, to people who live in the area.

[burntwater]

I got a hyped up spiel from from a friend who said I had to try it.

It's fine but it's still fast food and it should be kept in that perspective.

I see it more as someone's guilty pleasure as a lot of fast food items tend to be

[Dogbite Williams]

I was walking by the Highland and Sunset branch and ordered the spicy chicken deluxe sandwich. I tried to add onions and was told they don't have them at all.

The sandwich was definitely spicy, probably the spiciest fast-food chicken sandwich I've ever had. It was OK, but I would have enjoyed it more with onions and some sort of sauce.

I'll probably have it again some day, but a five-year interlude won't bother me one bit.

[Jelly71]

Tampa Ave is becoming quite the little food hub for me. It already has Las Calaveras and Tampa Garden Chinese Delight. Now we will have this and 5 Guys, which I am excited to finally be able to try.

I have had CFA in TX and MS, and enjoyed it for what it is. A decent fast food chicken sandwich and fries. It will be nice to have a new option when I am out running errands on Saturdays and need a quick meal.

-----
Chinese Delight
5952 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Tampa Garden
8241 Tampa Ave, Reseda, CA 91335

Las Calaveras
8341 Tampa Ave, Northridge, CA 91324

[boogiebaby]

Exactly, Jelly. It's not fine dining -- it's still fast food, but IMO, the best fast food in terms of quality.

Where is the 5 Guys opening up?

[Jelly71]

Someone mentioned in another thread that it is opening in the Costco block. Right across the street from Marie Callender's, I think.

[asimen]

Really? In the same center as In-n-Out?? Wow. As for CFA, I used to occasionally enjoy the one up in Oxnard, when I worked up there, so I'm looking forward to one in Northridge (near where I work now). It's not that it's anything all that special - it's a chicken sandwich, for cryin' out loud, but it does taste pretty good, and I've always had good service - at least in Oxnard.

[ocshooter]

It is funny, I had some cousins in from Georgia a few years back and introduced them to In and Out around the same time that Chick Fil A was being built in OC. We all agreed that the burger chain was the better of the two options.

Chick Fil A is good - nice bun, good fries, but it falls way, way short of great. I just can't get that excited over a breaded chicken breast on a bun with pickles.

[chezwhitey]

I had the exact opposite reaction, I thought chick fil a was superior. Especially their waffle cut fries. What I really like about CFA too is their friendliness, not to say in n out is not, but they really go out of their way to do a good job. I've often thought they deserve tips way more than some of the traditional sit down restaurants, especially high end places I've been to. But to each his own.

[josephnl]

I must admit that there's been a Chick Fil A just around the corner from me and I've never even thought of going in. It's not that I don't occasionally eat fast food...it's generally not my first choice for eating out, but when I'm on the road or in a hurry, once in a while I'll have a fast food burger or burrito. So when you say you're "excited" about Chick Fil A coming to Northridge you've piqued my curiosity about whether I'm really missing something. What makes CFA special?

[SIMIHOUND]

When is it coming. Their website doesn't list any information even as a future opening. Thanks for the information.

[911jason]

Oct. 13th according to their website: http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Press/Open...

[boogiebaby]

I'm not a fast food person either (I'm not a fan of McDonalds or Carls Jr or KFC or any of those places) but I really like CFA. I've been to the ones in/near Rancho cucamonga and one near Ontario Mills. They only do chicken -- breaded fried chicken breast or grilled chicken breast. The "regular" sandwich is just chicken and pickles on a toasted bun, but it's a real chicken breast, not chopped and reformed into a patty. You can also get it with cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc, and they also have a spicy version. They also do salads and wraps. The sides are good too, and I like how they have all the sauces, hand wipes, placemats for kids, etc out for customers to help themselves to. The customer service is always good -- that's one of the things they are known for. I believe they do breakfast too, although I haven't tried it before.

[josephnl]

Thanks! I'll give it a try.