Dave’s Hot Chicken

My experience with my friends here at this location was truly extraordinary. Our server, John, who by the way, had a killer beard, was extremely kind to us. He accommodated us well while we were there. The chicken was cooked to perfection, and the fresh greens stood as a compliment to this flavor. The Mac and cheese was rich and delightful in flavor. Where do I even start with the sauce and fries. The Cajun flavored crinkle-cut fries fit in perfectly with the thick, creamy sauce. Not only this, but the pricing was quite low. Overall, I undoubtedly recommend this restaurant, and I would give it six stars if I could.

Really good and hot chicken!! I got the chicken tenders with fries on the side, and they were very memorable. Chicken is fried perfectly with no stringy parts in the chicken, and the fries were crispy and hot. I absolutely love the atmosphere of the restaurant because of how vibrant and colorful it is. The art on the walls are very pleasing to look at, and it's wonderful! The food there is also priced very well. I am looking forward to try more of their unique foods, highly recommend. :D

Had a decent time here. The food was pretty good - the seasoning on the chicken was a bit salty for my taste tho. Most things here are self service and similar to most fast food places. Tried their chicken hot and was content with the spice level - definitely looking forward to trying their other hotter spice levels.

The chicken was great! It is a dry rub style chicken which I enjoyed. It has a totally different taste than other fried chicken I have had. I tried the medium and hot. I want to try all the levels of spicy. Enjoyed will come again in the future.😊

I’ve been loving coming here so much. The staff in here is amazing a friendly. Makes you feel like you’re talking with a close friend of yours, especially Coleen! She’s been attending us every time we get here and she’s basically one of our favorite people to be around with! Try Dave’s, you won’t regret it.

I’ve been here too many times to count and I am never disappointed. Coleen is an amazing person and basically the person I always see every time I come here. Treats us like we’re close friends and she has amazing service. You won’t be disappointed, you have to come to Dave’s!

The service was awesome but the chicken was very mid. It's just spicy with no seasoning, it's spicy and bland at the same time. The mac and cheese was just terrible.

Happy I went here. I found out about this place through social media. Ordered the meal with the slider and the tenders. They made my chicken sandwich how I liked and the chicken was crispy, not to mentioned the zesty flavor. I’d come back!

When I moved to Chicago I started the journey of finding Nashville-style hot chicken to satisfy my craving, and just as I was about to give up, I came across Dave's. The restaurant has a laidback feel with fun colors and decor, although it is louder than I would like, making it difficult to comfortably have a conversation at the table. The staff I've encountered have always been patient and kind, and they make me feel very welcome. Even when it's busy, I've never seen them be rude. I also feel like they go the small extra step to make sure your experience is a positive one. Now for arguably the most important thing: Chicken: Dave's is by far the best hot chicken in Chicago. So many other places either aren't hot enough, are saucy rather than using a spice rub, are overly greasy, or simply flavorless. Dave's is fresh, flavorful, not too greasy, and has heat levels to satisfy most anyone. French fries: The fries are seasoned with what I believe is similar to the seasoning on the chicken, and they are delicious. I am picky when it comes to fries and these are always fresh and hot with the perfect texture. Do not skip on these. Mac and cheese: This looks fairly good and the texture isn't bad, but the flavor is severely lacking. It's a little soupy but not bad. The problem I had was it tasted more milky than it did cheesy, and there was nothing special about it. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it because it took away from the chicken. Vanilla Milkshake: I'm not sure there's a lot to say about this because it's hard to screw up, but I am always tempted to get one when I visit, because they did it really well. Good consistency and had a true vanilla flavor. Frozen/Icee drinks: I had the Gatorade flavor and it had good enough flavor but it quickly became flavorless ice and the drink was just not enjoyable. Not worth the price.

It's been a couple of years since we visited David's Hot Kitchen. My newest review is the same as my last, with one new addition: the noisy chairs and the loud music; upon entering, I asked the cashier to lower the music, and he lowered it right away. The restaurant is very clean, and the staff is friendly and helpful with the menu. I will go back again, and I hope they get the message about the "crazy loud music." The manager was very friendly and asked us if we needed anything. I happened to need a carry-out container and a plastic bag at the time.

This was a fun one! We stopped here for a quick dinner after hearing that they serve great chicken finger sliders. Had to try them. The place looks different. It felt like it was more geared to highschoolers and kids. That's not to say that it wasn't nice and clean. It was, but the graffiti artwork was more on the boys, bathroom tagging, then than on serious graffiti side. Putting aside, there was art to be found in that place. The artistry of their chicken tender sandwiches is beautiful. These sandwiches were huge! And with a bunch of different spice levels to choose from you can't go wrong. Unless you choose the super hot ones, because believe me, they feel like lava. I ordered the two slider meal with fries and Max and I took one slider home. That's how big the sliders are. The people be on the corner were great, friendly and upbeat. Service was definitely great.

Best chicken ever eaten at first at first I thought it was going to be like okay but no that shit was af

I passed by this restaurant a few times and never thought much about it. Decided to check it out. Ordered two sliders and fries. I was thinking the sliders were going to be small like appetizer sliders. These were two substantial sandwiches with slaw, sauce, and pickles. These sandwiches are no joke. The fries were lightly seasoned, it seems, not just dashed with salt. The restaurant was bustling, so I imagine they get lots of carryout and delivery in addition to dine-in patrons. Good food, good service, and a clean restaurant mean I will be going back.

Alright this place is legit & know how to get the chicken right. It was my first time & I'm a fan. It's been on my list for awhile & finally got a chance to check it out. Their sliders ain't no baby sliders it like huuugeee so well worth the value that it can serve 2 people. I did the combo just to have a feel of a the difference but it was too much food for one person I came home with leftovers. I was too scared to go to hot cause after pregnancy my spice level is more like mild level. It's in a plaza so parking is plentiful. Only issue I had was how dirty the tables were. They were too focus in the kitchen that the dining area fell short like I didn't see not one staff come out to clear tables or wipe them down. Nonetheless I'd come back cause that's some serious good chicken.

They have locations pretty much everywhere now, and they're a good option for a very filling meal. The fries aren't the best but they do help balance out the heat in the chicken. The slider is my fav part because of the balance in flavors, although if you don't like coleslaw u might not like it as much. It will satisfy that nashville hot chicken craving. Also got mac and cheese which was surprisingly good. The spice level can get pretty high so start off with mild if you're not sure! Overall not a bad spot for a late night meal! The service is nice and fast with a nice place to sit/chill and free parking!

Dave's is BY FAR the best chicken fast casual/food restaurant chain in Chicago! I love the flavors of all the items on the menu. The chicken is incredible as well as the fries. Mac and Cheese was great, wasn't the best I've ever had but was still up there. I expect Dave's to expand to more locations soon.

My friends were dying to come to this place ever since they heard about it so I decided to try it out with them and my parents. I wanted to see the infamous reaper spiced chicken and also got a mild one just to look for flavor. I also got Mac and cheese cuz I'm a Mac and cheese lover. So first off, the lady up front was really nice and friendly. She gave me a waiver when I ordered the reaper which was a lil scary haha. So I tried the mild chicken, pretty good. Nicely spiced, tender and juicy and not at all spicy so it was pretty decent. The fries I think was my favorite part honestly haha. I've had a lot of French fries in my life but these were amazing. Crisp and fluffy and not too salty. Sooooo delicious. Mac and cheese was seasoned really well and really cheesy. But oh boy the reaper was the main devil of the meal. I ate a small bite and I was SWEATING. I saw the light after a minute of the first bite. It brought me down to tears and I was swallowing ice like my life depends on it. God it hurt soooo much but I get what I get haha. Pretty cozy spot. Would get it again but the reaper this time :p

Connor was great and ensuring the order was accurate. The food tastes fresh and the atmosphere was quiet but social.

Friendly service Erika is always friendly and smiling and making sure you have what you need Great food Hot & Fresh Great music i drive a bit away to come here. Its worth the service and food

Came in on a Friday for lunch. Free customer parking. No line or wait. Plenty of dine in seating. Food (8.5/10): Ordered the #1 (2 tenders, fries) and #3 (slider, 1 tender, and side) combo. The sides are interchangeable (slaw, fries, mac n cheese). Pickles and housemade sauce are given on the side. The pickles are clutch. So clutch. You can also add cheese on EVERYTHING. Everything. There is one flavor of powder spice with levels of none, light mild, mild, medium, hot, very hot and extra hot. For my #3 combo, I ordered hot for my slider tender and medium for my single tender. Imo, medium is a great balance of mild heat with flavor. Once you hit hot, it becomes more heat than nuance in flavor. So depends what you prefer after medium. The chicken is fried well. It's not dry or stringy at all despite it being white meat. The crisp (6/10) is relatively standard for a tender. The tenders come with a slice of white bread. The bread is so backyard bbq typical. Probably the cheapest bread you can buy. Not my thing in that maybe you could slightly toast it on the grill or add something. BUT I completely understand that this is the culture of the cuisine to use plain white bread like everywhere else. If you actually want bread with your order I'd just get the slider with a Hawaiian bread type bun. The slaw and pickles added are so good. The fries looks standard cafeteria cut, but are done will with a crispy exterior and soft interior. I swapped out the slaw for Mac n cheese. It's cheesy which I love. Very standard mac shells. They also add some of the chicken hot spice in there for some flavor. It's a relatively standard bbq Mac n cheese but done very well. I'd order again. Value (7/10): I'd say expect to pay up to $15 for a combo meal. Not cheap but the quality is there. Ambience/service (8/10): For a fast food type restaurant this place is great. Similar feel to Chik fil a but instead of a white interior it's more urban with wooden tables and urban art wallpaper. It's very clean inside and the employees are very welcoming. You walk in and they say hi. You can tell they want you to enjoy the food. At other places it can just feel like they are going through the motions and just doing their

Service was great good not all that... Tic Tok reviews brought me here... They lie it ain't good like that but they give u big portions if that helps

Great food, great service, the food is actually hot too I would greatly recommend. Order the extra hot. It is indeed extra hot.

I have always been such a Dave's fan! This particular location is incredible, the customer service is amazing, and the people who work behind the desk one of the kindest and helpful people who've ever served me!! I always get Dave number two because it's so affordable to split with a friend for a little snack! The inside is so Vibey and I love how there's always energy going on there! Shout out to the two VIPs at the front last night

They were very busy when we walked in, there seemed to be a rush. Our cashier was pleasant. We waited a while for our food but our fault cause we missed our number. I am more of a fan of wet and saucy hot wings, I got the extra hot. The wings were more powder based spicy, was not the biggest fan but that's just my preference.

I placed a order on grub hub waited about an hour for my food to get here. I check to see if it's correct and they forgot to add cheese fries typical. As I begin to enjoy the slider I ordered, I bite into the chicken come to find out there is a curly stringy hair in my food . Make sure to check your food!!!

Service was very good. Ambiance is standard fast food but clean. Food is really good but I think locally based Fry the Coop is a bit better.

I live for a food review and I'm glad the guy told me to leave one for a free drink. This is my first time trying this place and my initial experience when walking in was mid, however, when placing my order a guy told me I could get a free drink if I leave a review. I asked for his name to include in the review (which his name is JOHN) but I got this weird vibe after I asked for his name because I guess he thought I was trying to talk to him.. that was such an unpleasant experience and caused me to feel uncomfortable afterwards. Anyways, fast forward to the food.. yall not really worth it, I barely ate it. FRY THE COOP is SO much better than this place. 2/5 stars for sure in all aspects.

Great food and an Halal option for my Muslim team members. Next time I will try the hottest of the hot.

Met a friend here for lunch. The chicken sandwich and fry combo was A-grade; super tasty, crunchy and saucy. Def casual though, walk up and order. I'll be back.

HOLY CHICKEN! Drop what you're doing and go get Dave's. This is in my humble chicken opinion, the best hot chicken in Chicago. Forget fry the coop/budlong/parsons. This is the real deal, and also quite a deal depending on what you order. I opted for the #2 - 2 sliders w/ fries. Don't let the word sliders fool you, these are full size chicken sandwiches. Let's do the math - 2 sandwiches + fries for $15. About $6 per sandwich and $3 for fries. Not bad. Ok math lesson over, let's talk chicken. These aren't your mamas chicken tenders (or if they are, please introduce me) these are some big bois. Think Canes x3 for size. I like heat, so I ordered the hot (as well as the mild to get both sides of the spectrum). This was more of a dry, peppery heat as opposed to a mouth scorcher that keeps getting hotter. For me, it was the perfect level of heat to where it was enjoyable and not uncomfortable. But that's for me who likes heat. If you're a bit cautious I would play it safe with the medium or less. I will definitely return to try the very hot! The staff was also very friendly and gave us tons of ketchup + honey to go. The sandwiches don't need anything else really, but still try that honey. It absolutely smacks. Thank you Dave and your fire chicken for heating up my day.

Ate here the other week. Normally don't like non mustard sauces on my Sandwiches but it was pretty interesting the sauce. The chicken was fried, tasty, savory. Crinkle fries are special and the pop balance for Coke is well calibrated.

I stopped in to try the new Cauliflower chicken. It was really good. Erika took my order at the counter and she was very friendly and helpful. I will definitely return.

A great chicken spot to hit up with friends! I say with friends, because, first off, the serving sizes here are huge! When you first glance at the menu, there looks to only be 3 meal options. Dave's #1 comes with two tenders, Dave's #2 comes with two chicken sliders, and Dave's #3 comes with a tender and a slider. I ordered Dave's #2, but these were definitely more like full-on chicken sandwiches than sliders. The serving sizes here are huge and definitely seem meant to be shared with at least two people. I was able to finish one of the sliders and had to take the rest to go. They have a pile of to-go boxes sitting on the counter, which made things easy. The chicken sliders are super good! It came with a spicy mayo sauce and pickles on the side. You can also choose your spice levels for the chicken as well. The buns were super buttery as well. The fries that came with it were generously seasonsed and crispy. My meal was in total $19 which is more than I expected from a fast-casual restaurant. But I easily had two meals worth of food, so I think it is worth the cost. The service at Dave's was great as well! Everyone was extremely friendly and our food came out pretty quickly. Definitely hit this place up if you are in the Lakeview West area! Definitely bring a friend or two to help you with the large portion sizes!

Good Service and Good food all the time! Attentive and speedy service! 100% must have! S/o John! Hooked it up fr!

I excitedly came across Dave's Hot Chicken on my search for a new Chicken place to try. I loved that the menu was simple with a few options. You can get a chicken tender or chicken tender slider and both comes with fries. I ordered the chicken tender and chicken slider meal with a side of mac-n-cheese so my household can try it. Unfortunately I forgot to mark no coleslaw on the slider when ordering because I never trust coleslaw. This decision bit me in the butt. My husband and I shared the sliders and chicken tenders. The coleslaw tasted a little funny but I thought it was because of the special sauce. Within 30 mins of eating the slider I found myself rushing to the restroom. It has been a little under 24 hrs since eating that slider and I still cannot stomach the thought of food or hold anything down. This will be my first and last time eating at Dave's.

Quick service, parking lot and it's nice you can mix and match and they offer their own sauce. Now let's talk about the actual food.... It's been 3 hours and my stomach is still bloated... I'm very much concerned with the food that I ate. I can't even say you get what you paid for as it was kinda pricey for fast food. Overall, It be nice for them to get a food inspection of some sort.

First time trying it and it as pretty good big portion and can mix and match to try some different like chicken sandwiche and chicken strip but the portion is big love how you can pick how spicy you want it fresh and quick highly recommend coming in and trying it out il not be disappointed

It was my first time to Dave's Hot Chicken. Pretty delicious. Comparable to chick fil a. But definitely better because you get to choose your spice level. The fries came seasoned and crispy. The slider was my favorite especially since I added cheese and it had some type of spicy Mayo. They also give you packets of honey so you can throw on there too. Staff was super friendly and the restaurant seemed pretty clean.

5 stars for the best hot piece of chicken! And their fries are absolutely phenomenal, as well! Initially, I was surprised at their price point. The 1 tender combo without a drink is about $12, same as the one slider combo. But, the tenders are big and the slider is a sandwich, it's filling! SLIDER: The chicken itself is very tender, juicy, and flavorful. Then you add the kale slaw, sauce, and pickle, inside a sweet bread?!? The answer is FIRE! The flavors explode all over your mouth. Then, enjoy the perfectly crisp and seasoned fries?!? HEAVEN! I got the mild flavor, because I was afraid of the Uber heat, but their spice level is true to taste. I'll be brave next time, I'll get the medium, then work my way up. Great customer service, clean, good price point, simple and easy menu, plus the chicken cooked to absolute perfection, this place is a winner!!! I'll be back!

I ordered Dave's for pickup recently through their website online ordering and was super impressed. Their online menu is super easy to navigate- customizations are easy to make as well. I ordered the half and half dinner- one tender and one slider and opted to sub the fries for the Mac and cheese - at no extra cost! My fiancé tried the two slider meal. I ordered medium and he ordered mild. I typically like spicy food and I'm glad I went with the medium as I thought it had the perfect amount of kick. The food was ready super fast too- only ten minutes! I'll definitely be back to Dave's!

This place is all the craze over tiktok and I'm so happy they opened up a spot in the city. Their other location is in Naperville - too far. I haven't had chicken this good in a long long time. I think this place is better than Budlong if we're being honest. Staff was so kind - they greet everyone coming in the door by yelling, "Welcome to Dave's!" #3: Portions are HUGE! They only have 3 options so I opted for the one with one slider and one tender and it was way more than plenty. First I want to talk about their seasoning. Probably the best seasoning I've ever had on fried chicken. It's so flavorful like I can't even describe it, it's so good. I got the medium which was just the right amount of spicy for me! The tender is huge in itself! I ended up eating the tender first for one meal then ate the slider when I got home. The fries were so good too - I believe they sprinkle their chicken seasoning on the fries too! Their sauce - one of the best I've had in a while and they aren't skimpy with it either!!! Definitely more on the salty side. This place is a MUST. I don't know how busy the Naperville location is but I came to this location on a Saturday around 4pm and it wasn't that busy.

When I saw that Dave's Hot Chicken had just opened a Chicago location, I was so excited to finally try it, as I had heard about it my whole life. However, it saddens me to say that my expectations were quickly dashed upon my first bite. I've tried a lot of hot chicken in my life, so I think I know what I'm talking about when I saw Dave's Hot Chicken is not at the top of the list by a long shot. I'll start off by saying I got takeout, and takeout is never as good as dining in, so I'm sure that played a role in the averageness of the meal. While the chicken itself was not bad and had a good heat to it along with tasty spices, the sauce is where it all went wrong. Something about the sauce was just not sealing the deal for me. Maybe it was because it was too Dijon mustard-y? I can't put my finger on it, but it wasn't for me. And the thing about hot chicken is you can't fully enjoy it without an amazing sauce, so I had to knock off major points for that. The fries were good, but again, without the sauce, just eh. Sad to say that I have yet to find a hot chicken place in Chicago that makes me cry of happiness (and maybe a little bit from spice).

I didn't physically come to the location, but a sandwich was brought to me. I sure do love me some hot chicken, but unfortunately my buddy brought me a very mild in spice tasting sandwich. The chicken itself was very tender and juicy, and although my wimpy friend bought some mild sandwiches the flavor was still definitely there. I will definitely be returning to order something spicer. The fries were also very tasty and they seem to have very decent specials.

The service is amazing super friendly and quick but the food is not the best. It is way over seasoned. It kinda reminded me of canes but just with spicy chicken. I had the #3 witch was a hot chicken sandwich and mild chicken tender. I also had the Oreo milkshake witch was just regular ice cream and Oreo not worth the price witch was 7$.

I'll keep coming back, The reaper flavor truly has the heat your looking for. Great spot

Great food and showed lots of hospitality, workers are great and the place is always neat

Mac and Cheese... Soup. Would not recommend. Chicken tenders were ok. I got one medium and one hot; I couldn't tell which was which.

I'd heard a lot of great thing from friends about Dave's Hot Chicken and was excited to try it out. I got there and it was super busy, but the service was still quick and friendly and I had my food in about five minutes. I got the #3, a slider and a tender with fries. For the slider I got the Reaper spice level and I went with Extra Hot on the tender. Both were great. I'm not usually a fan of slaw on sandwiches but their worked really well. The pickles and sauce were also really good. Spice level. I love spicy foods and typically the hottest wing sauce at wing places, vindaloo at Indian restaurants, and so on. As long as it tastes good I want the food to melt my face off. This had a good spice level and tasted great. I've had hotter but for most this is probably a very intense level of spice. But if you're a spice lover I think you'll enjoy it. Lastly, huge shoutout to Alejandro. The man was so kind and made the whole visit worthwhile. Give that man a raise! Thank you, Alejandro!

Oh my yum!!!do not walk, Run to Dave's hot chicken!! When we first walked in the staff all greeted us with a friendly hello. They were so helpful with menu choices for us as this was our first visit. They helped us pick the right heat for our taste. And honestly the food was outstanding! The chicken was cooked perfect and the fries were crispy and seasoned just right! I was stuffed halfway though my meal,but it tasted so good that just kept eating. I am going to dream about the food at Dave's hot chicken. Also,the store was gleaming clean, the music was the right volume, and they never let a table stay dirty. The staff was out bussing tables and engaging with all the customers. What a great overall experience.

Holy heck this chicken is good! The 5 star reviews aren't lying. I got 2 sliders, one medium and one mild. I preferred the medium but both were delicious. The fries were really good too. The order also comes with pickles and sauce which is a nice touch. Portions were huge and the price was good. I would recommend Dave's!

This place is a great halal fast food type place for hot chicken sandwiches. I am not a huge fan of the nashville hot sauce but for those who are this is a spot to try.

Chicken sandwich was top notch really love the flavor. Also felt like quantity was good for 2 sandwiches

I ordered through doordash the restaurant is pretty close to my home so my food temperature was fine when it arrived, I chose *Extra Hot* for my sandwich seasoning which is right before reaper and I can't exaggerate how perfectly hot and delicious that sandwich was, cole slaw was like the perfect touch to it I'll definitely order from here again maybe in person ! ( my sister had cheese fries which she really enjoyed I have no photo for that)

Go for the hottest flavor. It was amazing. Amazing flavor and texture. Fries are good too. I judge a place on its fries. It surprised me when I had some.

I've been craving hot chicken and so I decided to try Dave's Hot Chicken. I ordered the chicken tenders with a side of cheese fries for delivery. I got the chicken tenders in hot and extremely hot. Both were delicious. The spice level was decent but the flavor of the rub was tasty. I probably could go higher on heat because both were just spicy for me. I also really liked the Dave's Sauce on the side. It has a nice tang to it and reminds me of Chick-fil-a sauce. Overall I definitely think I would order from here again.

Excellent, fresh fried chicken. You can actually watch them breading the raw chicken in the back. Such a rarity in an age of frozen food. The heat levels come from zero to reaper, so you can sort of choose your own adventure. They aren't messing around though, so be prepared if you choose the reaper! You'll need water, milk, napkins, tissues and possibly a bathroom about an hour later! The portions are pretty generous; I usually get the sliders and it probably has about twice the amount of chicken you'd expect in each one. And the sauce is really good. The focus here is the chicken, so I'd say the only drawback is the assortment of sides is pretty limited. The staff was super friendly and it's a big place so lots of space to dine in or take it to go. We've become regulars; gluttons for the pain : )

Not better than Harold's but it's up there. Sliders are the bomb.com, 8/10 would risk my life again. I recommend the extra hot for my ice spicey lovers

Live this place at the location up north. Customer service is always on point. Been here about 9 times, 4 by myself and 5 brining others with me and we all enjoyed it. One of the girl advised me to add honey to my hot tender, omg, then adding the Dave's sauce too it. What a game changer. I love my food hot asl.