Great addition to the area.
Chicken schmaltz fries
Excellent chicken sandwiches
Soft serve (recommended by Ipse)
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I hope it tastes better than the SD location, cuz it was pretty ordinary if you ask me.
The fried chicken was good but nothing special. The chicken sandwiches were much better. Great brioche rolls with good balance of hot sauce and vinegary pickles/slaw on the El Diablo.
Fries were very nice. Crispy and creamy on the inside.
Haven’t had the soft serve but its on my list.
Not sure which sandwich I had, but it was okay. It had slaw. The chicken itself was fine, but nothing in the flavor dept warranted a repeat visit. Also had the biscuits which were fine, although the miso butter separated in the hot sun. It was really gross when it separated.
I will for try it again since their menu just sounds intriguing. Hopefully it was just an anomaly.
Looking more like October now according to Eater. This place is going to be packed from day 1. Encinitas and SD locations are always packed.
It’s a fun place and the chicken is good for a SD restaurant but not sure how it’ll compare to OC and LA’s better places (tho I haven’t had too much really tasty non-Asian style fried chicken in either place)
Since I stay in Little Italy when in San Diego, I find myself at Crack Shack more than I really intentionally try to do.
Having said that, aside from the soft serve (with rotating flavors), I think another solid bet is the mini biscuits paired with a separate order of the deviled eggs. I like to split open the biscuits, and stuff it with deviled eggs, for what I like to call a “Blais McMuffin”
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Would have to agree crack shack never really appealed to me either. It was solid but not memorable…
I like crack shack.
For San Diego it’s a 5-star eatery. Not that much to brag about, but still.
If you like fried chicken sandwiches, it’ll probably be the best place in OC. I’m kind of surprised at the negative reviews of crack shack here. It was better when it first opened, but it’s still a solid fried chicken on a nice brioche. I’m seeing at ten negative reviews not saying much besides “shrug, I didn’t like it.” Nothing wrong with that, different strokes and all, it’s just surprising to me.
I wouldn’t say I didn’t like it, it just wasn’t memorable and pretty meh 
. I think I was expecting more as blais is a pretty well known chef
Uh… no. Just no.
I enjoyed Crack Shack the 3 times I’ve been there. Thought the chicken was very well fried, not greasy, moist inside with a nice crunch. The shmaltz fries were excellent as were the biscuits and soft serve ice cream.
A great thing about Crack Shack is the full bar. It’s nice to have a cold beer with fried chicken.
OC doesn’t have a lot of great fried chicken. Te best fried chicken I’ve had recently in the OC was at the new McFadden arcade place in Santa Ana. Crack Shack is certainly better than Ms Bea, Roscoe’s, Ms Knotts and some of the other places that come to mind. This place is going to be packed from day 1.
Mrs Beas is now Moros.
San Diego’s food is terrible and I’m from there
I’m not “from there”, but I have much family there. I like the fish tacos very much. And fried shrimp tacos, My friends that went to UCSD like SD burritos more than SF burritos.
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The weather in the 92101 instantly makes the food scene in San Diego infinitely better.
And, no, while I’m not from there, I do live there.
I love the burritos, that’s true 
love the fish tacos at the Brigantine bar by Del Mar racetrack, the location doesn’t hurt either.
Ha! Been there, I agree. The boy’s cousins live in Del Mar.
SD to SF is like one long neighborhood. And Vegas is right down the road to the east.
Saw Crack Shack driving on 17th and Orange in Costa Mesa for anyone who is interested.
Exterior looks almost finished. They are hiring so…should be close to opening.
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