The Spitting Chicken Cantina

I went by with my friends and the place was boarded up?
WTF? Anyone have any news.

Where to start? Had the worst dinning experience of my life!
We came here back in September of 2013, as a goodbye for one of our best friends who was moving. There were eight of us. We come in they I.D. us, very rudely I might add, and they sit us down. The waitress who sat us down didn’t give us menus or take our drinks. When we ask her about specials she shrugs «I don’t know.» and leaves. We waited and began to catch up, after a good fifteen minutes I went to ask for our menus and inform them that we had no waitress. Then our waitress finally appeared, she took our drinks and our orders and left. Ten minutes later, we get our drinks and the girl who sat us down took back the menus and dropped a glass of water. She leaves and we assume she will take care of it. She comes back with PAPER NAPKINS and PUSHES ALL THE ICE ONTO THE FLOOR and leaves. Who does that?
The water was still there and I ask a bust boy if I could get a rag to clean it up. He shoots me a stare and says «ok» and leaves. Nothing else was done about this. We continue to talk and while were having a conversation the bust boy keeps coming close to our table stares and leaves. He does this over and over. He doesn’t ask us if we’re done with our drinks or if we need a refill, he doesn’t ask us anything. He just repeats this over and over. Another fifteen minutes pass and we finally get our food. We begin to eat and one of our friends tries order something but once again our waitress is no where to be found.
Another twenty minutes roll by when she is finally able to order. Our drink have been unattended, no refills, or even requests for alcohol. I ask the bust boy for water since he is still doing the strange thing where he physically looks over our heads and then leaves. Every other table he is talking to and asking to clear the dishes but with us he just keeps doing this strange thing. FInally we ask him if he’s gonna take our plates. He responds with an attitude «you’re done?» and we reply and hand him our plates. My friends food gets to her and it is cold.
This continues the whole night. The strange behavior of the bust boy, our useless waitresses, and our unattended food. We waited about thirty minutes to get our check. When the waitress finally comes back she hands us our checks that demands a 18% gratuity! FOR WHAT? BEING COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT STAFF? At this point I am fed up and ask to talk to the manager. I explain to him the situation point out the horrible service, cold food, absent waitress, the water spill and how they «dealt with it» and how long it took to get anything from anyone. (I’m sure there were other things but it’s been so long I can’t remember it all.)
Here’s the kicker. He apologizes and says that he is new to the job and doesn’t know how to deal with this situation. Wow. A MANAGER THAT DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO MANAGE A SITUATION?! I was in complete shock. I tell him I won’t pay the gratuity because none of their staff deserved it. He gives us a 20% discount which was NOTHING! That bill should of been free for all the shit we went through. We came in at around 9p.m. We ended up leaving around 1 a.m. because it took them THAT LONG to get their shit together. Even after our discount we try to pay and we have to wait for the waitress that hasn’t been doing anything for us since we got there.
We go up to the bar to try to pay and they tell us our waitress has to charge us. So I had to sit there waiting for another thirty minutes to fucking pay. If they didn’t have my boyfriends card open for a «tab» as they request at the beginning I would have walked out. I was so pissed off that it was there till 1:00 a.m. not because I was having a great time but because they were complete assholes.
NEVER AGAIN WILL I COME HERE!

Walked by tonight and it’s covered in very tidy white tarps. Not the kind that look like construction tarps. There wasn’t a sign saying they’re «under construction» either. My guess is that the chicken has choked.

Well, +3 for the excellent jalapeño margarita and –2 for the confusingly bland salsa roja.
I was there at a typically slow in-​between afternoon hour, my favorite way to enjoy a place’s ambiance and décor and (in theory) faster service. And Spitting Chicken is fine is these regards.
How in the name of all things roja does a sit-​down Mexican food place not have a decent salsa game though?
I’m going to guess the Chief Salsa Officer just had an off day. Happens to the best of us! Worth checking out again.

Credit card fraud
Wish I can give zero stars.
Waitress forgot to place my order. I waited an hour for a sandwich while everyone else ate. Waitress then changed my $ 2 tip to $ 5. When I called them the manager wouldn’t admit to the fraud and said it was just an error. She said she will send me a check for the difference. Never going back.

Might have given this place a 3 star at best if it weren’t for the bad service and that idiot (main reason) who worked the door.
If you’re going to have mediocre food then your staff should be STELLAR, which these people are far from.
So a friend and i went in here one Sunday to watch some football, which we did and had a decent time while doing so. We met a couple nice young women who sat at the table next to us and had some great conversation, all good. More than a few times we had been looking for our server for things and she was just in la la land. Finally she comes up and says that their shift change is happening and she had to close out her tickets, cool. I offer to buy a round of shots for our new friends but of course, no server. So i head over to the bar, order four shots, the bartender asks me which table are the drinks going to, i point to it, and am assuming that they’ll be brought over to us, wrong. Ok, whatever, i go back to the bar, pay for our drinks, tip the bartender (for no reason) then i carried our shots over to the table.
CHEERS, SALU! Yeah! Saints won, we’re all happy!
Stupid, idiot door-​man door-​man (yeah 2x’s) comes over and tells me that i have to turn my hat around because it’s ‘dinner hours’, so i’m like ‘o.k.’, turn my hat around, all good. Well my boy who was with me wanted to talk to the door-​man door-​man, and signaled for him to come back over to our table to which he decided that he had nothing to say to us and ignored my friend’s gesture to get him back over to our table. That infuriated my friend (understandable). He then signaled the door-​man door-​man once more and this time the door-​man door-​man had the audacity to signal back to him, suggesting that he get up from the table and go over and talk to him, further infuriating my boy. Completely understandable.
One, i’ve worked service industry before, you NEVER signal a customer, a PAYING/​PAID customer to get up from their section to come over and speak to you, let’s not forget that «SERVICE» is part of your job, it’s why you showed up to work, right?
After a brief escalation of emotions between my boy and the door-​man door-​man, i step in (more to protect the door-​man door-​man from my boy), but i explain to him, ‘dude, we’re paying customers who’ve spend hundreds of dollars here just watching some football, how you’re treating us is really disrespectful’, to which he replied that he wasn’t his (my boy’s) ‘butler, and i don’t just come over to people like that’
I was floored. Since we already paid for everything, i was ready to get out of there, i went back over to the table of ladies, handed one of them my card, and we left.
Bottom line, stay away from this place, the staff is doing a great job at driving it out of business.

Let me set the scene…
1-​its called SPITTING CHICKEN (screams anything BUT class)
2-​it has an awning covered in hay
3-​the servers wear short jean cut shorts of random color… a partially ripped and faded under tank top… and tennis shoes
4-​its a CANTINA
Upon arrival for happy hour… we were stopped by a bouncer in a suit. After being carded we were told we could not enter without taking off my hat. Caught off guard I explained that I did not prepare for that (in other words my hair looked like the top of their roof… random messy hay) and was hoping he would make an exception since we were sitting outside during the low point of the night. NOPE! Instead of making my group find another location I sucked it up… bad hair and all… took my hat off and went in.
The servers came over… very nice but it was clear that they were not very versed in the menu. Keeping in mind that we this is NOT the place to come to for a culinary ‘experience” we orderd the simple appetizer sampler and lobster balls. After being served we noticed that an item from our sampler was missing. The server spent more time explaining to us how it was not her fault because «no one told me»…
I could go on… but I won’t…
The place is fine if you need some greasy (probably previously frozen food)…cheap drinks… and a stuck up bouncer following stuck up rules that make no sense!

ATTENTION MOTORCYCLE RIDERS and those who love riders of two-​wheel transport: This place will NOT let you bring your helmet in if you come here to eat. The first time we came here, we wanted to check out the menu before going in – like ya do. Well, the bouncer (bouncer at 6 p.m. on Tuesday for dinner?) refused to let us see a menu before checking our IDs. We’re both in our 40s. Still, food and drinks were OK, though this is more bar than restaurant.
Anyway, we came back two Tuesdays later, and the bouncer refused to let my friend in with his helmet. He had just ridden down from San Francisco on his Triumph and was refused entry because the owner’s policy is not to allow anyone in with a helmet. I have been riding for decades and never, ever been told I couldn’t bring my helmet in.
NONE of my bikes has a helmet hook lock. My helmet is a $ 500 AGV. I’m not leaving it on my bike. There are a hundred restaurants/​bars within walking distance of this place. Try Marmalade, Toast, La Frite, Fab’s, anywhere else.

I was not impressed with this place. We wanted to watch the last game of the NBA finals so we decided to come here. That was a big mistake.
Although they were at capacity, the bouncers let whomever they pleased into the bar while the patrons that were waiting in line were denied entrance. The worst part was listening to all the people trying to cut in line by telling the bouncer that they were with a reservation. This was the only way that you could get in the bar without having to wait in line.
We had also purchased a Margarita, but were overcharged. They had drink specials for a 16oz Patron Margarita between 7pm and midnight, but they did not honor that price and the bartender had put some cheap tequila into our drinks. We also noticed that a waitress accidentally spilled a drink on a patron.

Great place for happy hour. Big $ 6.99 margaritas, a select menu with happy hour prices. I got the lobster balls, my friend got the steak tacos. Both were good. As we were wrapping up to leave, they added another after 7pm menu with new specials. That was pretty cool.
They have parking next to the restaurant. I can see where the service can be slow. We got there at 6:15 pm and it was empty so we did OK.

Going to keep this short and to the point since that how long my experience was here.
Id’s checked
Found seating
Several staff passed us and no acknowledgment to us
15 minutes and still no one came up to us
Got up… walked out. asked the door man if they where short on waitresses and went to the bar next door.
It’s a shame because I’ve been previously on a Saturday afternoon and had wonderful services and I came because I wanted these specific wings, but even tho it was crowded everyone else around was being attended too and not us.
I’ll have to rethink coming here on a Friday night again.

Not sure why so many bad reviews. I liked it here. It’s on fun, trendy little spot. Low lighting, subtle and not loud music, TVs and one private VIP room that you can reserve. The have a fun drinks wheel that they spin every 15 minutes and which ever drink it lands on will be sold at a cheap price The crowd really gets into it.
They have outdoor seating, waitresses are attentive and polite, drinks are strong and prices are average for a Ventura Blvd bar in Sherman Oaks. I drink Grey Goose straight up and my shots cost $ 10.50.
Fun spot and recommend you try it.

Food is okay. Margaritas are really good. Vibe is «Sceney Valley Sports Bar» which loosely translates to «Chicks pretending to be die-​hard sports fans for male attention». Which can also equal great entertainment.
I’ve had the Telenovela and the Blonde Mexican Margaritas and was pleased with both. The Happy Hour Appetizer Sampler was ok. Outside of Happy Hour prices are a little too high for me though.

Pros:
–Cool looking place and a good vibe
–spacious and good location– in case Mad Bulls is too packed
–the drinks LOOK cool
–the food LOOKS good
Cons: (everything else)
–Food– is HORRIBLE– I knew you Unilocalers would be right I just knew it
~empanadas– taste like you could buy them from the frozen aisle– gross aftertaste
~enchiliadas– also something out of the frozen aisle– skip it
–Drinks– TOO EXPENSIVE– LOW Quality
~ cocktails– cute, but taste like fruit juice– they seem to forget to put in the alcohol
~ beer– nice selection but not much on tab; expensive once again
–Service– these girls take FOREVER. I swear they act like we don’t exist. We had to go to the bar (from our dining table) and order drinks there. We asked for our check 3 times. What Service??? is the question.
I wouldn’t voluntarily ever come back here. Ok maybe for happy hour? Eh

Eh, place wasn’t horrible but just okay. I was not intrigued by the menu that it took me a while to decide. Finally gave in and chose the carnitas tacos which were good except for the overly use of vegetables. The sides were rice and beans which tasted fine. My only problem is that its so dark inside that I couldn’t even see what I was eating. Yet alone it wasn’t the ideal place to converse amoung peers with the loud music booming.
The interior is interesting, its a cross between Mexican riviera and southern pacific style. There are multiple televisions hanging along side surf boards. As for the service, the staff here was prompt and attentive. A good place to stop by once in awhile just to chill. But wouldn’t go out of my way to visit.

This truly makes me sad. I came here the other day to get my churro on. THEY STOPPED SERVING THE CHURROS!!!
They have been replaced with a green apple tart or some shit. How the hell is that mexican? They’ve also removed other menu items and replaced them with non mexican items. Even the vibe and name are different. Its now called The Spitting Chicken Rock n Roll Cantina (at least from the giant sign behind the bar). They also had a live band, which I didnt stay long enough to hear, but they fo sho werent a mariachi… or even baja!
This kills me, because the first review I had for this place was a 5! I dont think I will come back. I didnt even try any of the new stuff… I just held up my dueces and rolled out. The waiter I had said they were in the process of changing it all compleatly. Even he looked sad. Im so pissed. Smh!

I have a rule about the Valley that I adopted from Johnny Drama …
But lately I’ve been breaking that rule.
It’s ok though because the last couple times I’ve been, the weather wasn’t too hot and it was specifically to watch some sports.
So in regards to The Spitting Chicken Cantina, there are plenty of TVs so there is hardly a bad seat in the house. There are different specials every night so check the menu before ordering.
Not really too sure what to compare this place to. But since I’m hardly ever in the Vally and I’ve been here twice already, that must be something. The food I tried was tasty and satisfying since all I ever tried there were the apps and drinks.
So if that’s what you’re looking for … sports, apps and booze.
Come check out the Spitting Chicken.
Especially if you’re in the Valley.

This location deserved a spit in the face because of the following:
Please note. I did not actually go inside the bar. This 1 star review was given due to the discriminating service we received trying to get in.
We’re walking from Mad Bull’s Tavern because my friend was wearing shorts and they said they had a ‘dress code’, so we decided to not argue and go next door. We show up and we right away ask the door man/​security if they had a dress code. He says ”not today. You guys are good”. So we curiously ask why was there such thing. It’s just a bar. He then continues to make himself look stupider and stupider. Saying this: «This is Sherman Oaks, honey. We’re try our best to keep a certain type of person here, and a certain out of here. If you get what I mean.» Uhm, no. We don’t get you mean. You’re trying to keep all the shorts out and the jeans in? I don’t think so.” We then look at each other with a dazed and confused look and tell him that he was being very unprofessional and discriminating. He still had the nerve to say «No, it’s just truth».
First of all. Who hired him? –You’re an old ass dude working, while other people are partying. Who are you to discriminate?
I wish I got his name. He was very unprofessional.

We were on Ventura Blvd dining at another place, and we wanted to check out the Spitting Chicken mainly because of its weird name.
When we arrived the hostesses were really nice and sweet to us. I can’t even explain how they were dressed — was it goth? was it punk? I am too old to know these things. But they saw three women over the age of 50 and they were super nice to us — and we decided to go in an have a drink.
The waitresses kept switching on us. We gave our order to one, then another waitress came over to take it again. And I think they were the same girls doing the hostessing.
I love specialty cocktails, so I ordered one off the menu. The waitress came over to say there were totally out of something in that cocktail. She didn’t make any suggestions as to what I could substitute it with. I decided on a Margarita — and even though they are a Mexican place, they do not have blended Margaritas — only on the rocks. Ok, strawberry margarita on the rocks — but that’s my third choice, so this is not going well.
We got some taquitos and empanadas. Both were very good.
Then some drunk 20 year old guy decided to hit on my friend. We are not the cougar types, we were keeping to ourselves. But this guy comes over and wants my friend to pay for his beer. He wasn’t even really hitting on her — he was just trying to convince her to pay for his beer. He followed her to the bathroom. My other friend went after them, and we all decided it was time to go.
I am giving this place three stars mainly for the very good empanades. Maybe I would come back earlier in the evening for happy hour. But not late after dinner again.

I think the Spitting Chicken needs more time to get their act together, this place has been open for less than six months. On paper this looks and sounds good but this place is currently «a bomb» not «da bomb».
We experienced lack luster service, drinks that needed some help and food that did not live up to «Grandma’s» recipes.
Check out the chips and Guacamole, poor quality and poor value.

Check out the Steak Quesadilla plating, that’s pineapple\habanero on the side. It was as bad as this flash soaked picture I took.
I hate giving lousy reviews but this place can and needs to improve if it expects to make it. Simply dumping cash into a trendy part of Sherman Oaks on Ventura Blvd. on your new restaurant does not guarantee success.
I am giving this place the 2^nd star because they are new but I won’t be coming back any time soon to see if they garner better.