Break out your stretchy pants and prepare to get your fingers greasy, because Toronto is about to welcome its first location of Vancouver fried chicken staple, DL Chicken.

Exciting, chicken-related news has been taking over the airwaves in Toronto lately, from the news that the very-viral BTRMLK is opening its first GTA location soon in Oakville to the soon-to-open Eggslut location on King West. Yes, I know that eggs aren’t chickens, but I said chicken-related.

Equally exciting have been all of the West Coast exports the city has been enjoying, like summer 2025’s shiny new Lunch Lady location on Ossington, breakfast staple Yolks or Riley’s Fish and Steak, which is slated to open its new Toronto location this April.

B.C.-based fried chicken phenom DL Chicken (which stands for DownLow Chicken) is a perfect combination of the two, and, lucky for us, it’s making its grand adventure east to Toronto this month.

Founded in 2018, DL Chicken has become nothing short of a local legend in Vancouver, boasting over 30K followers on Instagram and an evangelical in-person fanbase to back it up.

While juicy, marinated chicken coated in a crispy coating, which is later dressed in seasonings spiced to your preference, is the star of the show at DL Chicken, the chain also offers an impressive fleet of other comfort foods, including waffles (to be paired with your chicken, obviously), and sides like mac n’ cheese, pickle slaw and baked beans.

With three locations in Vancouver, to say that DL’s chicken, served in sandwiches or by the piece, has more than made its mark in B.C., but the chain’s first Toronto location promises to have an identity entirely its own.

The Toronto location, situated in the culinarily auspicious Harbord Village area, will take on a slightly more refined air than its siblings, with a 20-seat dining area and a liquor license to serve boozy beverages along with the chicken.

Later, there are plans in place to open a private dining room and patio to initiate even more diners to the DL Chicken way of life.

“Toronto has one of the most exciting and diverse food scenes anywhere in the world,” said Doug Stephen, founder of DL Chicken.

“There’s a deep appreciation here for bold flavours and great comfort food. We’ve always felt that what we do would resonate in this city, and we’re incredibly excited to finally bring DL Chicken to Toronto.”

The restaurant’s soft opening is slated for Friday, March 20, but the real celebration is happening on Tuesday, March 24, when the team will be giving 100 free chicken sandwiches to the first 100 customers, starting at 11 a.m: Winner winner, chicken dinner, indeed!

DL Chicken Toronto will be located at 538 Manning Ave.

Lead photo by

James Radymski, courtesy of DL Chicken