Downtown Honolulu just got a little louder at lunchtime. BirdyGo! — the casual fried-chicken counter from the same crew behind Bar Leather Apron and MĀZE — quietly slid into service this week under the mezzanine at the Topa Financial Center, trading in tasting menus and cocktails for chili-slicked chicken and takeaway boxes.
The soft-opening lineup is tight and focused: a fried-thigh sandwich dipped in house chili oil and finished with BirdyGo! sauce, pickles, and a tart cabbage slaw, plus chicken tenders, cauliflower nuggets, and seasoned fries. For now it is a takeout-only setup during limited midday hours while the team works out the kinks.
According to BirdyGo, the counter is tucked into 745 Fort Street, Suite 130, and is currently serving lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. The concept is billed as a casual, evolving offshoot that lives “Below Bar Leather Apron,” letting the BLA and MĀZE teams play in a more laid-back lane.
Menu and prices
The star of the show is the fried chicken thigh sandwich: crisp on the outside, juicy inside, plunged into a scallion chili oil that carries a hint of duck fat, then dusted with a seasoning blend inspired by Korean ramyun packets. It is finished with BirdyGo! sauce, pickles, and cabbage slaw, and customers can choose their spice level from no heat to “super hot.”
As reported by Aloha State Daily, the sandwich runs $14.50. Two-piece tenders are $8.50 (or $15.50 for four), BirdyGo! fries are $6.50, and plain crinkle-cut fries are $5. Iced tea or lemonade will set you back $6 each. The outlet also notes a $2 flat-rate parking option for customers in the Topa Financial Center garage during the soft-opening period, a small mercy for anyone trying to snag a quick bite between meetings.
Where to find it
BirdyGo! operates out of a compact counter downstairs from Bar Leather Apron in the Topa Financial Center. A few nearby tables give customers a place to perch with their takeaway, but this is very much a grab-and-go operation. Sitting right along the Fort Street Mall corridor, it is poised to become an easy detour for downtown workers in need of a fast, fried fix.
Chef and origins
BirdyGo! comes from the same team that runs Bar Leather Apron and MĀZE, with Chef Ki Chung heading up the cooking. Per MĀZE, Chung is classically trained in high-end kitchens and oversees the tasting-menu program there. Fried chicken, though, has long been a personal obsession, and BirdyGo! gives him a chance to channel that passion into a more casual lunch crowd.
The counter opened with a brief soft run this week and is set to operate from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday during the initial days, with orders handled strictly first-come, first-served and no pre-orders accepted, according to Aloha State Daily. For the latest on hours and any menu tweaks, you can follow BirdyGo on Instagram or keep an eye on BirdyGo.
