Tuck Into the Best Crispy Chicken Burgers in Cape Town at Free Bird

Cape Town is famous for cool and stylish takes on cuisine from all around the world, but it’s hard to beat a comforting, crispy chicken burger from Free Bird.

With seven store locations in the city, the brand is giving South Africa’s protein of choice a conscious, feel-good revamp. Free Bird is one of the many pandemic success stories – they launched as a dark kitchen in 2020 before opening their first restaurant in Sea Point.

Their physical stores are dominated by minimalist colour tiles for a mod millennial feel and eye-catching, retro graphics on the wall for a throwback feel.

A conscious take on fast food

Free Bird is a cool and modern take on fast food, and that applies to their ethos. All chicken cuts and fillets are sourced free from hormones or antibiotics. Hand cut fries are prepped with peels for extra fibre and to eliminate food waste. They also invest in sustainable packaging made from recyclable and compostable materials.

Leafing through the menu, you’ll find a short and sharp selection of buttermilk battered chicken breast burgers or crispy strips dusted in panko crumbs for a faint gourmet touch. No MSG, colourants, or artificial flavour added. There are eight chicken-burger options – all fried and two with strong odes to pioneering Southern and Korean fried chicken.

Sides are included in combos or optional but strongly suggested – particularly the homemade coleslaw, hand cut fries, or golden extra large onion rings deep-fried to crunchy perfection, and a delicious choc chip cookie baked in the store.

For sauces, they’ve gone slicker than the average with their own homemade mayo, Korean Gochujang chilli dip, and ranch dressing which is slowly picking up steam locally among others.

All venues are Halaal–friendly, except the Kloof Street outlet.

Special deals

Pop into their stores over weekends for the Double Up Deal that’s perfect for small groups or families of four. Try two Basic Burger Freeboxes, two Large Crispy Strips Freeboxes, a choice of two extra sides, and four lemonades for R399