The Kroft

Everything is better with a sunny side egg on top!
The Kroft were the first ones to introduce me to some form of poutine and for that I thank them. I had the Short Rib poutine with an egg on top and a mint lemonade for lunch which looking back on it wasn’t the healthiest decision to make at noon. Everything tasted great but the only reason I didn’t give this location 5 stars would be the wait. Being that this location is somewhat of a tourist spot, there isn’t much seating and long lines are expected. On a brighter side of things, the new location at The District in Tustin is amazing. Since the one in Tustin has a bigger kitchen, they’re able to have more options of poutine!

Just so everyone knows, this is still one of my favorite spots in Orange County and I have never had poutine as good as the stuff they serve, even in Canada *gasp.*
I’m in a committed relationship with The Kroft and their braised short rip poutine.

Minus one star because of the location
The Anaheim packing district is not really my cup of tea: overcrowded, hipster city and horrible parking. Reminds of a mall food court only with better food options.
Ordered the Braised short rib poutine and it was YUMMY
Slow and low roasted short rib, perfectly marinated and the best gravy (not too salty, great consistency and full of beef flavor), the cheese curds were squishy and had a nice not too sharp flavor, and the fries were perfectly crisp not in old nasty grease like some places, but fresh light and tasty. There was equal parts of ingredients to the poutine and it was very filling. Sharing is recommended

I have to return to try more of their poutines. We got the fried chicken poutine with country gravy. Delish. Also got the roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta. That tasted great but the sprouts were a bit salty.
Biggest gripe is how many people are there. It was a satuday night and there are over 20 restaurants with seating enough for a third of that.
They (landlord?) had live music but I felt bad for the band as they need to bring their equipment down half a flight of stairs. If it were my rig, that would be a 100 lbs cabinet down and back up 9 steps.

My spot whenever visiting the Anaheim Packing House.
My go to is: the fried chicken sandwich with jalapeño cole slaw. DROOL WORTHY!!! The chicken is fried perfectly and the jalapeño slaw has a great kick! (But when packing, why must they wrap it up in wax paper??? It leaves the bun soggy! Kroft, please make NOTE OF THIS!!) Honorable mention to the loaded potato salad with bacon and brussels sprouts (can be a little oily)… DELICIOUS SIDES!!!
A MUST IS: the CUCUMBER MINT LEMONADE… Sooooo refreshing! I wish they sold it by the gallon, I promise I would buy all of it.

The Kroft is located on the lower level of the Anaheim Packing District and it is known for its Canadian poutines (aka loaded fries). If you live closer to Irvine, then there’s another location in the Union Market at Tustin.
Menu: Poutines (the Classic, Braised Short Rib, Chicken Pot Fries, Loco-​Moco, Country Fried Chicken), sandwiches (Prime Ribeye Dip, Porchetta, Short Rib Melt, Kroft Fried Chicken), appetizers & sides (Brussels & bacon, Fried Cheese Curds, Chili-​Mac, Loaded Potato Salad, Jalapeño Cole Slaw, etc), cucumber mint lemonade, and other dipping sauces ($ 0.25 per sauce).
After I placed my order, the staff gave me a buzzer and the food was ready within 5 minutes. Not a lot of tables & seats, but there’s a HDTV on the wall (great for watching sports game).
***
Braised Short Rib Poutine (Short rib gravy, sauteed mushroom, pickled red onions — $ 10): Crunchy French fries, pretty good gravy, and not-​too-​shabby short rib. Good short rib, but not exactly amazing. (⁴⁄₅)
***
Was I really really impressed? Not exactly, but the Kroft is a solid establishment and this is one of few places in SoCal that specializes poutines.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Kroft. I came here with my friends and decided to share a bunch of items on the menu. I shared a fried chicken sandwich ($ 8.50) and chicken pot fries ($ 8.00) with a friend. My other friend ordered short rib poutine and the fried cheese curds (which I got to try). The style is very American comfort, which I thought I wouldn’t enjoy, but turns out I did!
The fried chicken sandwich was very enjoyable! The chicken was perfectly crispy while still being moist. The slaw complemented the chicken well since it gave it a refreshing, flavorful, citrus-​y taste. The bread was nicely toasted and the whole sandwich was hot and made upon request.
Chicken pot fries taste exactly how you’d think it’d taste. It’s the stuffing in a chicken pot pie… but on fries. Some parts of the fries turned out to be soggy because of the sauce, but I thought it was still really good and enjoyed it. It had the perfect flavors of a chicken pot pie and was homey and comforting.
Fried cheese curds are very similar to mozzarella sticks. Even though the portion was a bit small for $ 4, I don’t see myself eating all of this alone. It’s very filling and heavy because it’s so cheesy and fried. It came with a mayo dipping sauce, but since I don’t like mayo I just ate it by itself. My friends said that the spicy-​mayo and the cheese curds were perfection.
I’m glad I shared with a friend since the portions were big and comfort food tends to be very filling. I don’t see myself coming here very often since comfort food isn’t something you eat everyday … unless I want a heart attack at the age of 23… but if I’m ever craving good American comfort food I’d definitely come here again.

I must have ordered the wrong thing.
I got the fried chicken sandwich with slaw. My whole sandwich was soggy… Which made the crispy chicken soggy. Agh such a disappointment. I got the garlic fries also. It had a small hint of garlic not so over powering. Usually when my food doesn’t taste as good and the restaurant has 4 stars I would come back and try other items but for some reason I just give up on them… Better lock trying out there pouting fries which in guessing they are known for.

Was fortunate to get in here and ordered before the line was over to the next eatery next door.
My wife ordered the garlic fries and fried chicken sandwich… Let’s just say this place lives up to the wait time.
The service was prompt and the dining area was limited but the food was damn good!
It’s located on the bottom floor in the packing district and well worth the extra walk.
The place does get busy as very crowded. So you’ll want to get here early.
If you’re claustrophobic this isn’t the place for you. Its a bit awkward eating a meal as people hover over you as they want your seat lol.
I’ll be back for sure to try their other items.
If you love fries, this is where you want to go.
If you love sandwiches, again this is the place for you.

POUTINE. POUTINE. POUTINE.
That’s like the main thing you should get here. But not for yourself. The portion is huge!
FOOD:
Fried Chicken Poutine — the chicken was so crispy despite all the gravy. It was so good! The bottom fries were lacking gravy though since I couldn’t really mix it. It’s definitely heavy and should be shared with a friend.
Short Rib Sandwich — I preferred the Poutine over this but it was still good. I wouldn’t get it again though.
It took a while to get the food, but there was a super long line.

The Kroft is by far one of the most popular eateries in the Packing District. I stopped by for their poutine and I wasn’t disappointed.
They have a variety of poutine options but all are updated and new takes on the classic poutine. The short rib poutine ($ 10) was my choice and consisted of pickled onions, tender braised short rib, and a pile of deep fried French fries.
Everything was quite tasty but I’ll be honest I miss the classic poutine with more gravy and sauce. I loved eating the onions and short ribs but the fries are a carbo loud without more sauce to help wash them down. Of course, the Kroft offers several bears on tap that help as well as a tasty mint lemonade ($ 3).
Overall, The Kroft offers novel and tasty entrees that are big, satisfying, and filling.
The Kroft accepts credit cards including Amex.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this spot. If your a poutine fan — this is the place for you. They have an awesome variety as well as seasonal favorites. During our visit they had a thanksgiving leftovers version of poutine. We decided to go with the Short Rib and the Fried Chicken poutins.
Hands down the short rib was our favorite. The flavor of the gravy was just AMAZING! It was rich and so flavorful. Really delicious!
The fried chicken poutine was good also. The fried chicken was a little spicy and the gravy was thick and just smothered everything.
Washed it down with a cucumber mint lemonade which was delicious and refreshing!

This place lives up to the hype. I’m not a big fan of Anaheim Packing District but I came here with friends and decided to bite the bullet and finally try the Kroft.
The cucumber lemonade was absolutely delicious– not too sweet or too tart. The cucumber was really refreshing! I also ordered the country fried chicken sandwich which was amazing! The portion size was pretty big and the actual sandwich was delicious. The chicken was tender, juicy, and breaded very lightly. The jalapeño slaw on top of the chicken was also delicious and added a spicy kick to the sandwich. I also tried my friend’s short rib poutine which was equally delicious. I loved the pink picked onions on it which were flavorful and added a refreshingly taste.
I definitely recommend the Kroft for lunch or dinner. Seating is a bit tough but you can find more options upstairs.

I had the prime rib sandwich here a couple months back and was not too impressed. It was good, but a little dry… but I decided to come back anyway. After all, I’ve heard they’re known here for their poutine, which I haven’t gotten a chance to try yet.
I came here with my brother and got a short rib poutine, garlic fries, and brussel sprouts. The food came out fairly quick and the cashier was really helpful with her suggestions on what to order.
Short rib poutine ($ 10.00): Yummy! Huge chunks of short rib all over the fries with onions and chunks of mozzarella cheese… such goodness! It’s VERY filling, especially with the amount of fries and sauce drenched over it. It’s probably the most popular item on the menu and I can see why! There’s so much that goes into this and there’s so much flavor. I might try this again or give the loco moco a try next time.
Brussel sprouts ($ 5.00): It came in a small packages container with about ½ cup of brussel sprouts. I think it’s a little pricey especially for that amount, but they were pretty good. I’m a brussel sprouts lover, so this was yummy! It helped to balance out all the fries we got haha I don’t know if I’d order it again for the amount I got for $ 5 though.
Garlic truffle fries ($ 5.50?): Garlic Parmesan fries never fail. Fresh fries with bits of Parmesan and garlic sprinkles all over. There are a good amount of fries for the amount they charged and it wasn’t just tiny bits of seasoning on it either. It was decently seasoned and I can taste the flavor upon the fries!
I’m glad I came back here for a second experience. Friendly and knowledgable cashier with new food experience made it a lot better!

Came here for the Packing District and were so excited with all the types of foods to try. I decided on their place. They had a longish line and their ratings seemed pretty good. Always refer to Unilocal when you’re not sure what to try!
I’m glad I did. I was a bit sketch since I’m not a big poutine person and we have a place like this back home and really could’ve care less about cheese curds.
They had a few other options and I asked the girl what was the most popular sandwich, «The Porchetta» she said. «OK, give me that», I told her. I knew I wanted to try something else and something else and I kinda wanted to try everything. I ended up getting everything she recommended. I ordered the Brussels & Bacon side & a cup of cucumber/​mint lemonade. My girlfriend ended up getting the Chicken Pot Fries Poutine & the Garlic Truffle Fries.
Let me tell you, the sizes are no joke. You can definitely share a poutine between two and a side. I ate ¾ of my sandwich, which was very good. I loved how they put the skin in there, little pork skin candy surprises! The sandwich had a tad bit of spice to it also. The brussels sprouts were balsamic vinegary and a nice balance with the spicy sandwich, very tart. My drink was good as well, very refreshing if you like cucumber & lemonade.
The Pot Pie Fries definitely tasted like a pot pie, which a ton of cheese of course. It was good, but not something I’d order. The fries were OK, not as amazing as I was hoping. We took them on the plane & stunk up the place. Oops! Haha.
I would come back and try something else, but I wouldn’t come back to the district JUST for this place. Definitely something safe to try and enjoy if it’s your first time there though.

I might have had too high of expectations for this place.
I tried the infamous Braised Short Rib Poutine. It included a box of fries, some tender short ribs, spoon full of gravy, a few balls of cheese, and sprinkled with onions. This was HEAVY! I split this with a friend and we couldn’t even finish it. Maybe because it wasn’t spectacular or it felt like melting fat in ever bite. If you’re looking for that richness of comfort food then this place is what you are looking for.
I might come back to try some of their sandwiches :)
Located inside the Anaheim Packing District downstairs. Limited parking and seating during busy times.

I’ve been meaning to try The Kroft for a minute now. However, my intention was to try the one at the District in Tustin but somehow the stars aligned and I came here instead to try the one in the Packing District. The line wasn’t too bad and the service was pretty awesome, although seating is next to none here. The location is very very small.
I really didn’t know what to order to I asked the cashier for her advice and she pretty much ordered for me. I had one of their poutine fries as well as one of their sandwich (I really couldn’t remember what it was and should have kept the receipt to figure that portion out… my bad). Anyways, the fries were really delicious. They had great flavors and it was pretty well balance. The portions were huge so I had a rough time finishing this item. The sandwich was pretty good too, though not one of my favorites. I still wouldn’t mind eating it again but it wasn’t as good as I had anticipated though the portion too was extremely large.
Overall the food was stellar enough and the service was outstanding. I will definitely be returning to The Kroft in the near future as this place has won me over. I am very anxious to try other items on the menu.

I’ve tried The Kroft before and it was «Not Bad» but it certainly wasn’t anything special.
However, recently I had been lookin at other places to eat and I came across the Moco Loco Poutine and my mouth began to water. For two days I had wanted to try this. It just looked so delicious! The egg on the top, the fries, the cheese, the curds.
Today that finally happened.
We went into the packing house which is where the restaurant is located and we stood in line.
They place had 4 tables which seat 2 people each and then it has two big tables that seat 6 people.
They also have a tv which you are able to see from where ever your sitting.
My buddy bought the porchetta sandwich.
I ordered the Loco Moco Poutine which was $ 10.
We were given the little ringer that signals you when your food is ready.
Our food was ready and they missed my friends sandwich, when I told them it wasn’t there they said it was underneath my food. Which it wasn’t. They finally rectified it and we got to eating.
The food looked delicious, the Pepsi was great.
The first bite with the egg was good then I kept eating. There was definitely too much meat, I can’t believe that I’m complaining about it having too much meat. But the meat and the flavor was just bland.
There was so much meat that it overpowered the fries, the cheese, and everything else. Every time I took a spoonful it was mainly meat. It was sad honestly. After that; the rest of the food began to taste bland. The egg was probably the best item on there.
The food for to be so bland that I put hot sauce to give it some flavor. Didn’t do much to it.
If they had used less of the meat and more of everything else with more spice it would have been fantastic.
Overall I was disappointed because I had hyped it up so much in my mind, that when I actually tried it I was let down.
I will probably come back again and give it another go, but probably not for a bit, it wasn’t worth the $ 10 they charged for the Poutine.

Finally got to try The Kroft! Huge fan of comfort food and it didn’t disappoint, but the portions were pretty big. I suggest you either order one poutine or sandwich for one, or share a poutine and a sandwich for two.
The Classic Poutine: A fellow Canadian friend was skeptical to try this classic, but she said it was pretty darn good, if not better. So hoooray!
Chicken Pot Pie Poutine: This was okay. Barely any chicken in there though, but the flavor was all there. Just not my favorite.
Braised Short Rib Poutine: This was my favorite. Who doesn’t like short rib?! Flavors were wonderful, the short rib was tender. Top it off with an egg. Delicious.
*loved all the cheese curbs they put on these poutines… so addicting.
Kroft Fried Chicken: The chicken was cooked perfectly. Nice n crispy. The jalapeño slaw was amazing and fresh. Compliments well with the fried chicken. Will def. order this again.
Make sure you eat everything! It’s not as good for… leftovers… =P

First time at the Packing District and I knew I wanted to try The Kroft.
I saw their menu and bingo, Porchetta was ringing in my head over and over again.
We got their early and decided to walked around first to see if any other restaurant can changed my mind, Nope! Not even close. I saw this nice porchetta roast on displace. It was just making me drool.
Surprise, surprise I got the Porchetta Sandwich. AND MEH!!! =(Disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, the pork was good, but I wasn’t looking for good. I was looking for something to blow me away (Too much expectation I guess). What I didn’t like: The bun! It was huge (too much bread for this sandwich, not enough meat) and hard. Not the vessel I would pick for this dish. The skin! It wasn’t crunchy. What happened to the beautiful roast with mahogany crispy skin I was looking at? No crunch, just chew skin (not happy).
Fried Cheese Curds w/​Garlic Mayo. Yum! Wow, this I liked. Even my son liked this one. Fried cheese dipped in a garlic mayo sauce was a winner in my book. Get this one!
Service was good
Price was reasonable
Rating: Right now it’s 3 Stars, I’ll try some more of their offering in the future and adjust.
Porchetta, porchetta, porch… Stop ringing in my head. I will certainly not be dreaming of Kroft’s version. Fried cheese curds, fried cheese curds, fried chee… is more like it.
LMAO!
2015 Review #162