Restaurant review: ‘Mr. Chick’


Reviewers favorite- Philly chicken cheese sandwich (pictured without cheese), Mediterranean green beans and rotisserie chicken; Greek salad (hold the feta) and baklava on the side.

 

Photos and story by Sandi Masori

Sandi Masori
Amir Ben Ami

SAN DIEGO — Mr. Chick at 6618 Mission Gorge Road  is a great little casual/ deli style restaurant.  The food there is very moderately priced, ranging from $5- $15, and incredibly yummy. The space itself is small, holding only about 40 people when set up as a restaurant, and about 70 when set up for a private event.  The style is casual; you go up to the counter, order, pay and then someone will bring it out to you.  The napkins are paper, but the plates and silverware are real.

The menu items range from various chicken dishes using rotisserie chicken that has been marinated in spices overnight to pastrami, meatloaf, ribs and gyros.  But the chicken is amazing- even for this reviewer who generally doesn’t like chicken.  I had the Philly Chicken sandwich with the Mediterranean green beans.  The sandwich is so full of flavor that it is addictive!  It’s savory and juicy, even without the cheese.  And the Mediterranean  green beans are in a savory red sauce that completely changes the flavor and textures of the vegetable into a mouthwatering delight.

Mr. Chick is family owned and operated.   Owner Amir Ben Ami, a member of Temple Emanu-el in Del Cerro,  has been in San Diego since 1990 (via Tel Aviv). When coming out of the IDF, he went to work for his family who were long time San Diego restaurateurs (The Chicken Nest).  He had planned to go into the diamond industry, but a slow economy that accompanied the beginnings of the Gulf War prompted him to undertake a career in food instead.

Many of the menu items are old family recipes that were primarily developed by his aunt, but some of the dishes, like the rice bowls, are offered because Ben Ami prepared it for himself so often, that he finally thought, “well, why not put it on the menu?”  He put his own unique spin on the dish by using rotisserie chicken and green beans in the Mr. Chick bowl (pictured).

The restaurant had been in its current location at Mission Gorge’s merger with Friars Road since 2004.   His manager and cook have been with the business for over 20 years, so they definitely know what they’re doing.

They are planning to expand in the next year, so be on the lookout for more Mr. Chick locations.

Ben Ami says his goal is to provide a consistent healthy good meal using proven recipes and fresh ingredients.  He noted that preparing dinner for the family can be time-consuming and expensive, so he has tried to make his food moderately priced so that it’s a perfect healthy dinner to pick up and bring home to the family.

Besides the sit-down restaurant, Mr. Chick, winner of the 2012 Golden Grub award for best BBQ chicken sandwich, also offers take-out and catering for any size event.

Want to see their menu? You can find it online at www.mrchickrestaurant.com

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Masori is the restaurant reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.  Suggestions for future reviews may be sent to sandi.masori@sdjewishworld.com