Lubbock – When you first walk into Dirk’s Signature Chicken and Bar, just a few blocks from the Texas Tech campus, you can’t help but notice all the artwork on the walls. These drawings are a big deal for college football fans, especially those who cheer for the red and black. “This place takes Lubbock back to its roots,” said Robert Carter, a loyal customer of Dirk’s since 1976.
All these drawings are by Dirk West, the former Mayor of Lubbock who was known for his famous caricatures of college mascots from the old Southwest Conference. He’s even credited with creating Raider Red, one of the mascots of Texas Tech University. “He was an institution here,” said Carter. “Man, you opened up that paper each morning, especially on game day, to see what Dirk cartoons that Dirk had put about Tech and the opponent and the other games going on in the Southwest Conference.”
Dirk’s original cartoons cover the walls of the restaurant, and it practically doubles as a gallery for his artwork. “This stuff was all in his garage growing up, so I pulled it out of his garage and it’s kind of fun to see these back out,” said Cameron West, Dirk’s grandson and owner of Dirk’s Signature Chicken and Bar. “To be honest, it’s just more of a museum of old Southwest Conference stuff where he got along with all the older coaches,” said West. “We’d poke fun at each other, but for the most part it was all in good jest, so it’s taken well.”
Some fanbases weren’t always as fond of Dirk’s comics as the folks in Lubbock are. “To be honest with you, the Aggies, he always made the Aggies look pretty dumb, so every once in a while,” said West with a laugh. “They all take it pretty well, especially now that we don’t play them very often.”
The worst part about not playing Tech is the Aggies, and soon the Longhorns and Sooners, won’t have the opportunity to try the chicken at Dirk’s. “To come here on Saturday for a lunch with the family, there’s nothing like it,” said Rob Schmid, a regular at Dirk’s Chicken. “Fortunately, I get to do this part of the bucket list every Saturday.”
But it’s not just fried fowl that makes folks flock to this place. The rotisserie chicken and Korean Fried Chicken are two of the most popular dishes at Dirk’s. For the Korean dish, massive pieces of bone-in chicken are fried until the thick coating of dredge is golden and crisp, before they get dunked in a Korean style sauce consisting of honey, soy sauce, and a spicy chili paste called gochujang. “It is a sweet Asian heat, basically,” said Christian Lee, who has been working in the Dirk’s kitchen since 2020. “We’ve got some honey in there, the soy sauce. It’s delicious.”
After taking a bite of the KFC it didn’t take long to realize the Gojuchang sauce is on point. If you’re a big fan of General Tso’s chicken, it’s that same kind of flavor, but with a whole piece of chicken and it is awesome. At the end there’s a nice kick of spiciness.
The healthier option on the menu at Dirk’s Signature Chicken and Bar is the roasted rotisserie chicken, which is served whole with a thick layer of herbs, spices, and flavor. It’s like a grocery store rotisserie chicken turned up to a whole new level, with intense smell, flavor and juiciness. “The chicken itself is really moist. It’s really good,” said Elyse Torres, a Lubbock resident and Dirk’s fan. “Half a bird, I can eat that all in one sitting.”
Whether you’re looking for an adventurous plate of Asian inspired chicken or a classic mix of country fried foul, Lubbock locals and visiting fans alike should make their way to Dirk’s Signature Chicken and Bar. “If you’re a Southwest Conference fan, which I think there’s quite a few still out there, it’s fun to go back and relive the old days with some good yard bird and some cocktails,” said West.