DownLow Chicken Oakridge Park 2026 – Nashville Hot Chicken Lands at Time Out Market
DownLow Chicken now has a counter inside Time Out Market Vancouver, on the second floor of Oakridge Park at Cambie and 41st. It’s the same Nashville hot chicken brand that started on Commercial Drive in 2018, and it opened here with the market on May 28, 2026.
I first ate DownLow in 2019 and wrote about it in Hot and Juicy Chicken in the Downlow. Back then the OG Sando was $12.50 and so tall I could hardly bite it. I went to the Oakridge counter for lunch on a Wednesday to see how it holds up seven years later.
Time Out Market
The entrance sets the tone. There’s a big skylight overhead, giant raw-edge wood slabs, and plants everywhere. It does not feel like a mall food court.
DownLow is one of about 20 kitchens in the hall. You order at the counter, pay, and get a buzzer (mine was order #23). Then you find a seat anywhere in the shared dining area and pick up your food when the buzzer goes off. The food comes on real plates on a tray, not in the paper boxes I got on the Drive.
The counter and the menu
The DownLow counter is hard to miss. It’s pink-terracotta with a tiled canopy and a big DOWNLOW sign on top. The menu board hangs above the open kitchen. Here’s what was on it:
- Sandos ($18.99 each): The OG Sando, Jerk Sando, Vegan Chick’n and a Grilled Sando
- Chicken by the piece, with a side: 5 tenders $22.99, 2 boneless jumbo legs $22.99, popcorn chicken $17.99
- Roasted chicken: half bird $22.99, whole bird $39.99
- Appetizers: small popcorn chicken $8.99, Truffled Nuggets $13.99, Caesar salad $11.99 (add chicken breast $9.99)
- Sides: spiced fries $4.99; potato salad, mac ’n cheese or slaw $5.99 each
- Extra dips: $1.95
You choose your heat level. The board lists Classic, Mild, Medium, Hot, Extra-Hot and Jerk. Side of Milk, the ghost-chili level I tried on the Drive in 2019, isn’t on the board here.
A placard from Time Out’s editors says, “When it comes to the best chicken sandwiches in the city, this is it.” It also says the portions are generous. That’s a big promise, and the OG Sando is the one to test it with.
The OG Sando ($18.99)
The OG Sando is DownLow’s signature: crispy chicken spiced to your liking, DL sauce, slaw, pickled red onions and pickles on a bun.
The chicken is very crispy, and that crunch is the best part. It’s also super oily. You can see the orange oil on the plate in the photo.
The bigger change is the size. The chicken is about half of what I remember from 2019. Back then the sando was $12.50 and too tall to bite. Now it’s $18.99. That’s about 50% more money for about half the chicken.
5-Piece Tender ($22.99)
The 5-Piece Tender comes with a side and a dip. Mine came with a bowl of slaw topped with pickled red onion, and a small cup of yellow dipping sauce. If you want Korean-style chicken instead of Nashville hot, my review of Todak Todak on Kingsway is a good place to start.
Service
Service was mixed. Some staff were friendly, and others were so-so. Ordering itself is simple: counter, card, buzzer.
Other diners say the food can take longer than the time quoted at the counter, especially when the line is long. Give yourself 15 to 30 minutes at busy times.
Price and payment
My two items came to $41.98 before tax, and $44.08 with GST. In 2019 I said DownLow was about $15 per person and very reasonable. At Oakridge, a sando or a 5-piece tender plate is $19 to $23 before tax. That’s restaurant pricing, not food-court pricing.
It’s card or debit only. Time Out Market doesn’t take cash at the kitchens, and there are no ATMs. I paid by Visa.
Getting there
Oakridge Park’s main parkade gives you the first 3 hours free. You can also take the Canada Line to Oakridge–41st station, right at Oakridge Park. If you’d rather have a sit-down dinner on the Cambie corridor, Vij’s is up Cambie near 16th Avenue.
The market is open Sunday to Thursday 11 am to 10 pm, and Friday and Saturday 11 am to 11 pm. Time Out says the kitchens close an hour earlier, at 9 pm and 10 pm, so check the kitchen hours before a late visit.
How to get in touch
Address: Time Out Market Vancouver, Level 2, Oakridge Park, 650 W 41st Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2M9 (Cambie and 41st)
Hours: kitchens 11 am – 9 pm Sunday to Thursday, 11 am – 10 pm Friday and Saturday (market open an hour later)
Website: DownLow Chicken at Time Out Market
Instagram: @dlchicken
Payment: credit or debit only, no cash
604 Food Critics Assessment
DownLow at Oakridge still makes a very crispy OG Sando, and Time Out Market is a great room to eat it in. The catch is value. The sando is $18.99 now, and the chicken is about half the size I got for $12.50 in 2019. It’s also much oilier than I’d like. Service depends on who’s at the counter.
Come for the crunch and the room. Grab extra napkins, pick your heat level carefully, and expect restaurant prices.
Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Worth a stop if you’re at Oakridge Park, but the 2019 bargain is gone.
