Streetcar Merchants

freakin love their Nashville wings and their loaded potatoes. crispy and a little spice. I’m addicted

I ate here last night and the food was really good. It satisfied my fried chicken craving. Next time I will try the donut chicken sandwich.

The food is good. If you order friend chicken just know it takes a little bit of waiting. But the chicken is juicy and worth the wait. They have a great selection of sides. Get the potatoes and pour hot sauce on them. Plenty of hot sauce options. The Mac n cheese isn’t one of their strong points. They also have a big selection of beverages which is s plus. Haven’t had any doughnuts or coffee.
One thing they lack is people skills. Almost everyone is rude, unhappy, short, or pissed off. Only two people I’ve encountered working here are nice.
If you can’t find the bathroom. It’s the door with the chicken on it. Don’t dare accidentally walk back towards the kitchen.

Exceptional service and delectable food. They made my food to order, so naturally fried chicken takes while to cook. I stepped out for a longer period of time than suggested and my food was ready before I came back. The manager said, «I don’t like the condition of the food so we’re making it over again». I was a bit embarrassed, but impressed nonetheless. Every single staff member asked my how my food was. That’s awesome!
Their creations are spectacular! My mouth waters every time I pass by. I recommend the volunteer sandwich.

I came here after seeing their new sister restaurant, The Milk Bar, on Instagram. I decided to take a gander after seeing donuts from the window. I waited in line & the girl in front of me was indecisive of what she wanted & the worker looked incredibly annoyed, gave her short responses when she would ask a question. When I was next, I ordered 2 donuts:
Cookie Monster — The donuts here are decent, if you are very hungry. These are not cakey donuts. The dough is bland & all the donuts are the same with just a different spread on the top. Vanilla spread with Oreo cookies on top.
Cinnamon Buttermilk — Meh.
The worker said it would take a few minutes to box up the donuts so I went next door to look at The Milk Bar. It was nearly 10 minutes & I came back to the same worker & he asked if he could help me… Uh yeah… My donuts? He looked at me as if he never seen me before when I had just ordered 10 minutes ago & I reminded him about my donuts. He asked what I had ordered again then told me that it would take a few minutes… How long does it take to box up 2 donuts! By then, I was annoyed & reminded him that he had told me to wait already then he gave me my donuts. Maybe that was an off day for him, but man, he looked like he hated his job.

Chicken, waffles, donuts, coffee, soda, craft beer AND shares The Milk Bar which has cookies, milk, AND cocktails?! Whoa… I mean whoa. Yes!
I had this place bookmarked for awhile (for some reason I don’t remember because I no longer have notes on Unilocal about why I saved it) and finally got a chance to check this place out when I came here with the boyfriend’s family and relatives for his cousin’s birthday. His cousin loves chicken and waffles and donuts so it’s a win-​win situation right here.
Right as you walk in you smell the sweet smell of fried chicken, belgian waffles, and them donuts. They’re not just any donuts, let me tell you; they are like fancy: craft beer: Streetcar Merchants donuts: regular donuts. Oh yes. The daily donuts rotate in flavor and come made to order – that’s right… they are fresh when you get them. That night I got there, there were donut flavors like double berry, doughnut cubed, piña colada, chocolate sprinkles, cookie monster, cinnamon buttermilk, and others I can’t quite recall. They also have dessert donuts that are made to order and come with whipped cream, ice cream, and chocolate/​caramel drizzles depending on the type of order. They have a Fat Elvis dessert donut which basically has bananas, chocolate, peanut butter, and bacon. Oh yes indeed. I didn’t order this but got a taste and it was like diabeetus in my tummy. Instead I got the Apple Dutch Baby dessert donut which is like apple pie on a donut.
The entrees are actually made to order as well so expect them to take a little longer. The anticipation/​wait is worth it. The portions are large so be prepared to take some home or waddle on your way out. I had The Southerner sandwich which used their cinnamon sugar donut as buns and I was filled and satisfied. Cheat day commences!
Parking isn’t easy on the weekends as it is only street parking and in North Park. Prices are slightly higher than most places but I can dig the concept. Location and décor are very modern and hip with an open space.

Delicious! Huge portions so they are better to share. Can’t wait to try the donuts next time. My boyfriend had a quarter fried chicken and I had an egg and cheese biscuit. My favorite thing were the potato chips animal style. Awesome sweet tea, but it would be great if the refills weren’t $ 2
Dog friendly!
They cook everything to order so the wait is pretty long so keep that in mind when planning your visit.

first time here and we actually were coming here to check out the Milk Bar and saw this place was part of it. They are still trying to incorporate the Milk Bar and it’s separated and almost seems neglected so hopefully they get it up and running in time. I don’t even think they have a Unilocal account on here so I’ll give them another try later down the road. I did order some donuts here to go with my milk bar order and they were pretty good. I ordered the Horchata, Vanilla and the Orange Cream donuts. Don’t judge me haha. I love me some donuts. the Orange cream was just too sweet for me but the others were very good. Jury still out on whether or not they are worth 3 bones each. I have not tried the chicken but I’ll check it out next time I’m in the neighborhood.

not very impressed with the scene here, I like the rustic décor and snazzy outfits but the music is loud and the menu is expensive!!! we came for coffee and donuts but just ended up getting coffee because the donuts are $ 7! the seating is awkward because your bench is touching the bench behind yours. I’ve heard their lunch/​dinner food is better but I don’t think I’ll be back to be honest…

I’m a fan but my family will say otherwise LOL.
I came here two days in a row. One evening for the donuts and the next day for the savory menu. On our way there it felt like eternity since we avoid the freeways as we’re not familiar with the area and its super dark!
We finally get there. Interesting looking spot in such a low key neighborhood. We walked in and stood in a line of 2. The cashier was talking to these ladies that weren’t even paying customers they just had a shit ton of questions. I’m like here we go, just like the wench from Supernatural Sandwiches UGH. Took forever for a second person to help out with the line UGH. While we were in line we get to see what kind of donuts they have for the day. Pretty much all interesting BUT it would be nice if you had some of the classics as an option. Not everyone wants a designer donut: p I choose a peanut butter donut, a buttermilk cinnamon donut and a cinnamon sugar donut. It seems these donuts are made to order since we waited a little and they were super warm when we got the box. I’ve only had a fresh out the fryer donut once in my life and it was O-​mazing, so I couldn’t wait to try these.
So we got to the room and I dove right in. These are some HEAVY donuts. I didn’t mind. Usually I can eat a whole glaze but these were so big and dense, no way I could eat one in one sitting. The peanut butter one was on point with the flavors Very fresh and I was content. Just wish they had a classic glaze. The second visit, none of the donuts jumped out at me which was fine because we came or the chicken :) As far as their savory menu, you have lots of options to chose from with the chicken and the sauces or leave them fried and naked.
We came in around 1ish on a Saturday. The place wasn’t too packed but everyone were parties of 4plus. Seems like the place to come in groups so you can share and entertain yourselves while you wait. Mom and I kept it simple. We ordered wings (mine with a waffle,) sauce on the side, gizzards, mac and cheese and greens. So we waited and it didn’t feel like 45min which was a bonus. So started grubbing. My mom said the food was not hot enough to her liking and the gizzards were not golden enough. If my moms eyes aren’t turned on by what she’s eating, she will pick at it like a fussy kid LOL. When I pulled my chicken apart I saw smoke so my food felt right temperature wise. The mac and greens needed black folk seasonings somethin fierce! I hooked them up for breakfast leftovers and all was right with the world. My waffle was BOMB. They know how to do carbs right over here! Give me wings and the waffle and I’ll be one happy camper. So good. The fried chicken was tasty and the batter was super crispy, the way I like it!
I was happy with my meal, my mom not so much :(Her food happiness means more to me than mine. Ya win some and ya lose some. I know I’ll be back for sure!

This was our second time coming here. First time we ordered the hot po’boy which was amazing but not enough for me and my husband to share. It wasn’t too hot which was good because my husband doesn’t like anything too spicy (i love it)
Today was our second visit we ordered fried pickles and loaded thick chips as an appetizer both were amazing!!!
We got the 6 piece WHOLE wings and the Nashville hot po’boy
The po’boy was great to me but my husband didn’t like it because it was a lot spicier then it was the first time. The whole wings were not very meaty at all and for the price it was kind of disappointing. But the flavor and crunchiness were perfect! Next time we will get the breast for the extra $ and hope it has more meat on it!
Overall I was happy… But my husband not so much.

Streetcar Merchants what a pleasant change from the normal cliché of food that is often overdone and trite in San Diego food culture.
First off thanks for doing what you do well, and it’s hard work that pays off without sacrificing taste and food that is quality in ingredients. I’ve literally ran the gamut with your menu, and have nothing but positive things to say.
I’m a Southerner turn Californian and your chicken is worth raving over! The crispy gold brown outside to juicy tender meat on the inside the flavor was most certainly there. Not overly greasy and delightful, ordered 12 wings to share, and was content on 5. I’m a big eater and love to try everything. The K-​Town was spicy and on point just had a good amount of punch. Would get them again.
Another good bite is the «The Southerner» which I had to try, because the pairing of a cinnamon donut that wasn’t too sweet, mixed with the jalapeños, and that Chicken breast really blew my mind! Same with the Po-​Boy just layered bursting with flavor. It’s truly unique to have something that’s not fast food faire with Southern roots stand out and really take the reigns in San Diego.
The waffles are awesome, fresh, buttermilk flavored or Red Velvet. Either way you order it, to say the least it’s pretty unstoppable!
The biscuits are the best a la carte item that can be made to order how you like it! Did I mention a sunny side up/​over-​easy egg (perfectly cooked), cheddar, thick-​cut smoky bacon, or honey-​butter! Makes for a great breakfast sandwich packed full of energy, wholesome, with no crappy ingredients that make you want to crash.
What can I say, love, love, LOVE your Doughnuts! By far the best original take with THE BEST ingredients I’ve ever had in my life! Never dull, always hit the flavor profile target, and creative! You really set the standard on what SD donut market has to offer, you even created healthy competition! I miss the Strawberry Mango, but hands down PLEASE bring back the Horchata!
My personal favorites is that you have Intelligentsia Coffee and offer a wide variety of blends which change very often, and stand on their own without any sugar, crème, or milk. The brews get it done. I’m reformed from my old Sbucks habit! I have found a brand that I truly love for what it’s worth, and would rather pay top dollar for my health, and an actual good brew. For starters try the Celebration or Yirgacheffe blends for baseline good brews. My current favorite is the Gaspard!
Personally, I feel that for every bad or fair review about Streetcar Merchants that San Diego is full of people who really complain when something new and different comes along. When you have something good, you don’t know until it’s gone. All good food come with time, and patience, and I feel that the staff has awesome service for this «trendy» North Park neighborhood. Which has some bland spots. By the way, I’ve never had a meal that’s made my stomach feel bad. Not once over the course of a year! Pretty impressive to say the least. I guess that’s what FRESH ingredients with no preservatives will do for you!
Streetcar you are my #1 coffee spot, and in my top 5 favorite spots in SD! Well Done!

Chicken is good here, but definitely not something I can eat on a regular basis.
We ordered the K town, twice fried legs with sirracha mayo on the side, salt and pepper chicken wings, cornbread waffle, and chicken skin.
The chicken is made to order so we were given a wait time of 25 mins, so we decided to check out other places closeby. When we came back, our chicken was just about ready.
The k Town was crisp, but not crunchy. Both chickens were moist on the inside. You can taste the salt and pepper on the the wings. The chicken skin seemed like it was battered and deep fried. I only had a small piece of this and this was the only dish not even half finished. The cornbread waffles were delicious. Real corn in the batter and crisp from the waffle iron. I has mine without butter and syrup and it was excellent as is.
Chicken was good. Battered and double deep fried is something I can’t do often though. Service is great. The ladies helping were super friendly and helped us figure out what to order. I would recommend. I’ve heard about their coffee as well and would like to try next time.

Another foodie adventure with Alexis B. LOL!
We came into SD for Thanksgiving and she kept mentioning she was craving a donut for the longest! She mentioned this place when we first got to town but I knew we would make our way down there eventually LOL!
This place is off the beaten/​hidden path big time! We came at night time and I felt like were in another town! So we ended up here 2x (1^st for donuts, 2^nd for food)
When we first walked in we weren’t greeted or acknowledged at all, we waited in line for a good amount of time and there was a female employee who was literally right across the glass display and never tried to acknowledge us. I don’t expect 5 star service but dang how about a «Hello»?
I was kind of disappointed by the selection of donuts, I guess because we came late that night but I went with a classic Cinnamon Sugar, my sister got the Peanut Butter and a Cinnamon donut. FYI: These donuts are HUGE! Very dense and bread-​y so if your looking for a more traditional donut this might not be the one for you.
I liked my donut but it does get pretty dense after awhile, these are Designer Donuts to me (anything $ 3.00+) but its the trendiness your paying for.
The next day my mom and sister came back to try the food, we sat outside since we had our pup with us, they were much nicer the second time around, FYI the food takes 30 – 45 minutes so bring some patience with you.
They had:
–Gizzards
–Waffle (original)
–Fried Chicken
–Greens
–Mac and Cheese
The biggest complaint we had is the temperature of the food, they waited so long for the food but it wasn’t even hot :(If I’m waiting that long for food I expect it to be piping hot since your making it «fresh».
All of the food is just OK, it is lacking some seasoning for sure. I didn’t feel the gizzards were cooked long enough as they came out very pale, their wasn’t a crispy golden brown color or texture to them. They looked like popcorn chicken to me! For the pricing of this food the quality just doesn’t live up to that price tag. I understand your paying for that trendy hipster atmosphere but make sure the food is still the main priority.
Making sure the food comes out piping hot and seasoning it will go a long way for you Streetcar Merchants.

This fried chicken. How can words describe? Fried chicken is my comfort food of choice, and I’m always on the hunt for some delicious fried chicken. In the past I enjoyed fried chicken at DZ Akins and at Bonnie Jeans, both very good, but this chicken blew all the other chickens out of the water. Unbelievably good.
I got the Nashville Hot. They’re not lying when they warn you about the heat, it is hot — but so delicious. Served with white bread and pickles, no better acoompanient for fried chicken in my book. Amazing! So crispy and moist and wonderful, and somehow, so much crispy fried chicken skin… my favorite.
Fried chicken took about half an hour, which we were prewarned about, totally woth the wait, especially with beers on tap to help kill time. Fried pickles and mac and cheese were bomb too. Will be back very soon my loves!

Best fried chicken I’ve ever had!!! Granted I’ve only eaten fried chicken in San Diego but it’s just so damn good! My mouth is watering as I write this review.
I ordered the «Southerner», which was basically a breakfast sandwich that had fried chicken, egg, Jalepeños and bacon all in between a donut. IT WAS AMAZING! I also tried some the chicken and waffles that my girlfriend had ordered and I can honestly say that they were better than Roscoe’s and Hash House. I’m a big onion ring lover and this place now holds the #1 spot for best onion rings in San Diego as well in my opinion. Before I had the rings from Streetcar Merchants Phil’s BBQ had previously owned my #1 spot for best onion in San Diego. Streetcar Merchants has changed so much for me. This place truly is a game changer.
While I was there, I also tried a few bites of their donuts (which were amazing), as well as their collard greens (amazing as well). They had a great selection of San Diego craft beers as well as a great selection of hot sauce to choose from.
Both the service and the atmosphere of this place were amazing. I’m already looking forward to my next stop at streetcar merchants.

Another A+ spot!!!
I gotta tell you we have fallen in love with this neighborhood, but our metabolisms definitely haven’t. My Unilocaling skills were honed in LA, the land of Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. When we moved to Hawaii I was disappointed with the options, but when we moved back to SD our hopes were revitalized when we found streetcar merchants!
So this spot isn’t cheap. You can definitely order the combo meal If you want the general chicken & waffle meal. This is what I usually order since I don’t need a fancy waffle. However if you want to upgrade, you’ll have to order a la carte. The food also takes a really long time to make, but this is because each order is made fresh when it’s ordered. I really can’t complain about that, but if you’re starving, you’re best to pick up one of their doughnuts while you’re waiting.
They also have craft sodas as well as ballast point on draft to enjoy with your delicious meal.
Now the food, the food is fantastic! I’ve had the regular chicken and the spicy chicken. The spicy chicken will blow your mind. Now I love spicy foods, but this really did a number on my system! I definitely suggest you order the gravy if it doesn’t come with your meal. I love to mix the gravy with my chicken regardless of what kind of chicken you order.
Extra plus, the ladies working there offered to watch my dog while I went inside to order. Dog owners Rejoice!

On weeknights, we like to drive around North Park and look for the new restaurants that open up. I have heard there was a place that had delicious donuts and fried chicken. WHOA, i’m there!
We walk in, the establishment it is fairly small but the outside patio is cool and has most of the seating. The menu is posted from the ceiling on this cool glass window and the donuts are displayed in a case.
We really came here for the donuts, but looking at the menu up above was overwhelming. There was a lot of different choices for the chicken, I thought fried chicken was just fried chicken. haha
We ended up choosing the vanilla bean and salted nutella donuts. Honestly, it was just okay. The vanilla bean tasted just like a glazed donut, the vanilla bean flavor you are expecting was just not there.
As for the salted nutella, not salted at all! and the nutella was not enough to be a «nutella» donut, it was just all dough!
We were a little confused as into what we should do with our dirty forks/​dish, so we gathered it and put it on the serving tray looking for a trash shot. One of the employees just walked by us and didn’t say anything, so we walk up to the counter and two people respond «oh just leave it on the table». We were nice enough to bring it up here and no one wanted to even take it. So the guy that walked by us earlier said «I’ll take it» after he saw us walk by him earlier and ignored us. With that said, get your customer service right, we were just trying to be helpful but in the mix received some unpleasant feedback.
I probably won’t come here again… any suggestions on some bomb donut places in SD?

The creative genius taking the chicken and waffle to the next level to chicken and donuts, I thank you. I’ve visited establishments that serve up this mighty combination and Streetcar Merchants has claimed a nice little spot near the top.
The corner shop is open, airy and appropriately themed. Loved the Old World, retro feel of this place! Since it was around brunch time Anthony and I decided on coffee and chicken, passing on the donuts for now and they had seemed to be nearly out of stock considering the time.
Ordering may be kind of confusing as there are different choices in terms of chicken pieces and different prices depending on what flavor you get. I decided on getting the Leg & Thigh K-​Town style with the Honey Sesame sauce. To drink I just got a Nitro Cold Brew, they use Intelligentsia here. Anthony got the Nashville Hot Leg & Thigh with bread + pickles.
Let’s start with the good …
The chicken is a yes, yes, yes. I love the coating on the chicken, perfectly fried, seasoned well and the chicken was still juicy and tender on the inside. Not overcooked, dry or tough at all! I liked the seasoning, sweet and it wasn’t a sticky type of sauce which I liked as it didn’t mask the flavor of the actual chicken. I tried the Nashville Hot and ooo-​wee, it is hot indeed, it’s the heat that slowly builds up and was actually kind of way too much for me to handle. I really liked the pickles and bread to cut through the heat. It has a vinegary tang to it and heat, but not really a chili type of flavor. Watch out for that one! Spice lovers, get this!
The bad … I didn’t like the Nitro cold brew at all. I thought the flavor was all off and it was incredibly sour. I drank ¹⁄₃ of it and threw the rest away. The tables outdoors are also oddly very sticky, despite how clean it looked. However, these are pretty minor. The pros definitely outweigh the cons.
The staff here was so patient when it came to ordering and I thought the service was decently timed, especially for fried chicken. I love the feel of the shop and the location is close to many stores you can walk to in North Park. Overall, winner, winner chicken dinner for sure. Can’t wait to be back to try their delicious looking donuts!

I had to come here because I’ve heard some very mixed things about SCM. I swung by for a late lunch with my date. As we oogled over the donuts, a friendly voice from behind the counter explained the menu, the heat scale, and gave us some time to ponder our order.
We were told up front that the fried chicken is MADE TO ORDER which means, logically, that it takes TIME! We were told that our chicken would be ready in 20 minutes, so we decided to get a basket of onion rings while we waited. The taste of the batter was great, but the grease that they were fried in must not have been quite hot enough. The rings were really heavy and overly greasy.
Sure enough, 20 minutes later our beautifully cooked chicken legs were ready for us. The crispiness of the batter, the skin and batter hugging one another like it should, and the meat was hot, juicy, and tender. In short, it was everything homemade fried chicken should be. SCM knocks fried chicken out of the park!
We couldn’t resist a side of mac and cheese with our fried chicken. SCM makes this dish the old fashioned way with roux, patience, and love. A lot of places make a mean mac and cheese, but SCM’s mac deserves it’s own place in the line up. It has just the right amount of cheese without it becoming an oily mess and a little kick to keep your palate awake.