Inside Matt Horn’s highly-anticipated Oakland fried chicken restaurant, opening Friday

Nearly two years after Horn Barbecue’s Matt Horn announced his plans to open a second restaurant inspired by the great chicken shacks of the American South, the celebrated West Oakland chef and pitmaster is about to unveil his birds.

Kowbird opens Jan. 14 at 1733 Peralta St., about half a mile from Horn Barbecue, with a menu of four generously-sized fried chicken sandwiches, chicken and puffed buckwheat waffle, wings and fries, chef-driven sides and desserts. The casual, diner-style restaurant, located in the former Pretty Lady digs, will be open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and until 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Much of that retro vibe has been preserved, from the U-shaped 1940s countertop to the glass case filled with key lime and sweet potato pies. A few modern touches, like the pixelated murals depicting black farmers in the South, an homage to Horn’s roots, decorate the walls.

Speaking on Wednesday to a small group of food writers, Horn explained that the Peralta Street location has special meaning for him. He held his early pop-ups showcasing his Cali take on Central Texas-style brisket just a stone’s throw away.

“There’s so much history here in the community with this space that we wanted to pay tribute to that with a lot of the design elements and just create a really unique spot to be able to demonstrate our love of food,” Horn said.

Like several other Kowbird employees, chef Adam Lawrence lives in the neighborhood. He spoke about how important it was to have a thriving eatery back at the corner of 18th and Peralta. “I’ve spent almost my whole life in this neighborhood so it’s really great for me to be able to feed people here,” Lawrence said.

Not surprisingly, the Hot Bird, a fried chicken sandwich topped with dried chilis and sweet pickles and served on a potato bun dusted with fermented chili, is already emerging as a menu standout. The other fried chicken sandwiches are the Original Southern Bird, served with pickles and a zingy “bird sauce”; the Honey Bird, finished with pickled mustard seed-honey sauce and the Early Bird, which comes topped with Southern-style gravy and a fried egg. Sandwiches are $12 each.

Kowbird offers five sides ($5 each), including a smoky fried cabbage with country bacon and an impossibly fresh chicory slaw with pumpkin seed vinaigrette and perfectly carved wheels of blood orange. Also look for steak fries, fried gizzards and mac and cheese made with gouda, havarti and provolone cheeses and dusted with dehydrated chicken skins.