Dave's Hot Chicken

Abel at the counter brings the customer service and the crew in the kitchen brings the flavor and the heat! I’ve had Dave’s before in other states but it has never been this tasty, quick and perfect! The restaurant was sparkling clean and we got our order super fast we barely waited! We got a slider and top loaded fries and damn they were good!

Tried the hot sliders and fries — and they definitely delivered on flavor! The chicken had a great kick, and the sauce was seriously addictive. Fries were crispy and tasty, but I’d recommend asking for extra crispy for that perfect crunch. Overall, a solid spot for spicy chicken lovers!

Absolutely love this place! The chicken is crispy, juicy, and packed with flavor. Heat levels are no joke—go “medium” if you’re unsure. Fries are solid, and the Dave’s Sauce ties it all together. Quick service, cool vibe. Definitely coming back!

A good goto place with the family. Visited after a trip to Legoland. One of the few places which are open up late hours compared to other restaurants. Abel was our server for the day. Will recommend, and definitely visit again.

Honestly when I’m having a long day or week or anything and I feel like I need to cheat my training days. This place is by all means my very favorite one! I love it so much ! In my opinion the Mac n Cheese here is better than Angry Chicks lol 🤫 anything on the menu (Hot level Medium) is going to be BOMB.com!!! Enjoy !!😉- Annie said it !

Foods always great. Mac n cheese and fries are always fresh. Flavor on point with the sauce. Staff is super friendly

I had an amazing experience at Dave’s Hot Chicken! The food was everything you’d expect—crispy, juicy, and packed with flavor. The spice levels are spot on, so whether you want just a little kick or full heat, they’ve got you covered. What really made the visit stand out was the exceptional customer service from Tony. He went above and beyond to make sure my order was perfect, checked in to see if everything tasted good, and made me feel genuinely welcome. It’s not often you get that kind of personal attention at a fast-casual spot, and it truly elevated the whole experience. I’ll definitely be coming back—not just for the chicken, but because the team (especially Tony) made it such a great visit. Highly recommend!

My siblings and I always come here to get their sliders and fries, and they’re consistently great! Their chicken and especially their fries have an amazing seasoning. Also, service and ambiance is perfect!!

I've enjoyed the many times I've been here. Angie was the cashier who helped me and was very kind and provided great service. Thank you Angie. It looks like they could use another cook as wait times can be a bit long sometimes during peak hours, for me it wasn't bad at all. I think they have one of the best chicken/chicken sandwiches around (and shakes!)

Angie gave great service at cashier and was very helpful and friendly. Food was as usual reallyyyyyy yummyyyy!!!! Tender and juicy! Ordered # 1 w/ kale slaw and extra hot tender All the staff from this location- thank u for making each of my visit amazing!

I recently came here again to try their sliders Soooo small!!! Sad because they looked good in video and pictures I've seen So small, and my whole order was really expensive I was not full after eating here. Their shakes are good but come on now! The sliders were tiny and not even all that good at all. I am not going to be coming back again

I've been to Dave 2 time in my life. Both times disappointed. The best thing there is their French fries. Chicken has no flavor, no taste. Will not return Mini sliders horrible

I love that they still have the cauliflower options in the menu! The tenders were cooked perfectly and so tender n juicy. Usually get these as a sandwich so not sure if they are usually so salty. Still quit good. The Mac n cheese has never been exciting to me. I get it and I enhance it.

The food is fast, fresh, and delicious. The staff are always friendly, efficient, and attentive. The vibe is vibrant and colorful. Jared was very welcoming and helpful. Early or late it's always great!

Ordering for pick up is wonky. You start at the Dave's Website where you are asked to develop your order. And then it asks you for pick-up or delivery. I chose pick-up. Then it takes you to another site, Grubhub, where you must re order again. If you try and bypass this and call, Dave's message continues to repeat that the website is the quickest way to order meals and to not disturb the busy staff as they will not be able to pick up. Upon arrival I had to order my food in person as my order was not placed even though the site said "15-25 min" pick up. This turned out to be a blessing because to order pick up through Dave's site they charge you a convenience fee to use their tech. The cashier confirmed, yes the menu items are inflated if you go thru the site. It's all a terrible practice especially when Dave's phone message tries to filter you to use their site to charge the public more money. This review is for anybody who wishes to hear my opinion...

The spicy tenders are pretty good. Had the number one and it came with a slice of bread per tender to make myself a mini slider. Their sauce is pretty good. The hot sauce wasn't great on its own, but mixing it with their signature sauce as one of the employees suggested, it gave it a nice kick. Medium was the perfect spice level for me to get a little kick without letting the chicken's natural flavors get lost in the spice. The mac and cheese was decent, I will get the fries next time instead. Service is a bit slow considering the limited menu, but the staff is informative and cool! Located in a plaza with plenty of space for parking.

I like the flavor of Dave's hot chicken and I like their fries, but I cannot believe how long it takes to get food at this place. It's fried chicken. It doesn't take that long to cook fried chicken. It took us almost 30 minutes to get our meal. 30 minutes - at a fast food place.

In March 2023, Dave's Hot Chicken came to Oceanside California. Although 2 years have passed, here is my review on this popular spicy chicken chain that has people clucking. Dave's Hot Chicken is a popular chain that specializes in Nashville-style spicy chicken and their Mac n' Cheese. I will never forget the line of people that wrapped around the corner of the building on the opening day of this trendy establishment. I believe they were giving away free chicken. Dave's Hot Chicken is conveniently located on Oceanside Boulevard & College Boulevard, right at the heart of inland Oceanside. Their exterior decoration is rather unique, and they have a beautiful mural on the side of the building, facing the road, that depicts their mascot within the Oceanside surf culture. Their interior has some pretty decent seating options and allows for a view of the street & also highlighting their cute hipster decor, & surf-urban murals. I recall the service being friendly and relatively fast, considering the crowd of people there. I ordered some simple chicken tenders with no heat or spice and that was intentional, so I can taste the flavors of the meat without being overwhelmed by the heat. This was my first time having Nashville-style, hot chicken; and while I'm not entirely sold on them, it was rather tasty. I also enjoyed a small portion of mac & cheese, and that was very flavorful and creamy. Overall, I can understand why it was trending, and that people love the spicy chicken from Dave's Hot Chicken. I can also really appreciate the attention to detail from the marketing team and their desire to blend in with the community using their artwork & the decor.

The food is amazing. The service was even better! Ordering in advance would definitely be the way to go the food is worth the wait though.

Well there are soooo many hot chicken spots these days. Where did they all come from? Tennessee or some sh!t like that, I don't know. But I can say as they are all similar they are all pretty good. Can't really tell if one is better than the other but maybe Dave's Hot Chicken gets the win by an inch. What I can say is, I do like this style of chicken place and the tenders are, well tender. I stay on the cooler side and stick to mild for the flavor and maybe pick it up to a medium. I think hot can be too hot and not that enjoyable to eat. Just my opinion, you do you! lol. The service has been a little slow at this spot the last couple times I came here so the wait was a little long but the food was good when I finally got it. They may be short an employee or something but I don't know. Either way it's worth the wait just don't drink too much soda while you're waiting lol.

I wouldn't have considered coming here if it weren't for a recommendation by word of mouth. He said he saw a cauliflower sandwich as an option for vegetarians and I half didn't believe him. However, for limited time only, they indeed have "Dave's not chicken" which is made from fresh cauliflower!! Whoo!! Their plates were super great! I was so impressed that their cauliflower "not chicken" was a decent size slice of cauliflower. The fact that there were extra pickles plus extra Dave's sauce was super cool. My partner and I both got the extra hot spice level, and it indeed was a bit hot. Haha! It was super tasty, but it left my lips burning afterward. Thank goodness for soda, honey, and pickles. Their wavy French fries are seasoned well and super good. I love that they use a kale slaw because, hey, I needed some greens today. We would totally come again while they still have cauliflower and order the two slider combo with fries (just regular hot spice level, a side of kale slaw, and a soda. Maybe even a shake! The guy at the cashier was super helpful in helping explain how their menu worked, how spicy their spice level truly was, and asked if we needed anything else. The lady was also helpful in providing assistance when asking for utensils. The indoor seating was comfortable and had very cool murals inside. If you dare, get the spiciest reaper spice level! It's definitely worth trying if you always enjoyed spicy chicken sandwiches at your favorite fast food restaurant. I'm actually bummed that their cauliflower is only limited time (who knows how long???) Because I enjoyed it so much but it will eventually leave. Also, why does cauliflower have to cost $2 extra? It's cheaper at the grocery store than chicken...

Big fan of Dave's - I find there is equal amounts of flavor as there is with spice (unlike some other hot chicken places that are all spice and no flavor). However PLEASE try to be consistent on heat levels! I always order Hot and some days it's solid and consistent with other locations and other days it's way spicier which totally ruins the enjoyment.

I love this place very much because the chicken, fries, and Texas toast, here are the most delicious things in town, there was excellent service, great ambiance, and I also enjoyed listening to the Song All Star by Smash Mouth. It was so upbeat.

Love this spot so much I've been coming to Dave's for years now and this location had some of my favorite experiences with service and staff! Jerry was a super sweet employee who was so eager to assist with anything we and other customers needed and as always the food was perfect! Thanks!:)

Went there twice with my husband & we both had generally the same critique overall. This type of chicken at different places is basically the same. It's not very different in cooking method or flavor. The place was so filled with people that u couldn't really have a conversation without it being overheard by the table next to you. A lot going on, a lot of noise a lot of hustle and bustle topped with long wait in line. It was underwhelming unsure if we'll be back.

Came in this past Saturday an hour before close. I was coming back to north county from watching a friend play a concert. I always wanted to try Dave's Hot Chicken but it was always so busy. Any ways Abel was really friendly and food was on point!! I would definitely recommend this location if you have been thinking about it. Food, Service and ambiance is on point.

A Masterclass in Time Travel... Backwards So this was maybe the fourth time I've tried to tango with Dave's Hot Chicken in Oceanside, and let me tell you, each time I walk in, I feel like I'm entering a black hole where time slows to a dead crawl and logic no longer applies. Einstein himself couldn't figure out the wormhole of nonsense that is their "food's ready" notification system. They've got this cute little app that's supposed to tell you when your food is ready. "READY FOR PICKUP!" it chirps with the blind confidence of a pathological liar. That message is pure fiction, like a bedtime story told to calm your rumbling stomach before it dies of starvation. You roll up thinking you're minutes from a chicken-fueled climax--and instead, you end up watching your soul slowly disintegrate under the buzzing fluorescent lights while one overworked employee, who clearly missed the part in training called "basic coordination", packages up one order at a time like she's assembling a goddamn Fabergé egg. God bless her, truly, but I've seen DMV lines move faster. I've watched paint dry with more urgency. I could've roasted a whole chicken from scratch in my backyard with a Bic lighter and still been eating before they even opened the bag drawer. By the time your food is handed to you--30 minutes after the app told you it was "hot and ready"--you've aged. You've formed new opinions about life. You've made peace with your enemies. The fries? Cold. The sandwich? Decent, but tastes like the tears of regret and poor time management. Still, somehow, like a toxic ex, I keep going back. Because damn it... that chicken is good. But if you're ordering from here, bring a book. A long one. Like War and Peace... unabridged. 2 stars. One for the chicken, one for the emotional growth I've experienced while waiting.

Never heard of Dave's until we saw it pop up in Oceanside but it's so good! They know their spice- even mild has a good kick. Fries are perfectly crispy and well cooked. Chicken is juicy and sandwich is thoroughly enjoyable- not too big!

I wanted to highlight: Jerry! He gave the best customer service last night during the free slider night! As we were waiting for our order we observed him- he greeted and acknowledge everyone he served and helped. Thanks Jerry! Food always great!

I have been to this Dave's four times now. The first experience I had was eating in and I waited over 20 minutes for my order. The chicken was alright and didn't taste as fresh as it could be. The restaurant has a decent sized area for seating inside and outside. The following three times I ordered via the app and the food has been fresher, ready faster, and overall the experience has been better. I recommend downloading their app so you can earn points. I enjoy this Dave's Hot Chicken and I will continue to come back to enjoy their tasty and juicy chicken packed with flavor! I also recommend their cauliflower. It's delicious!

The employees here are super nice and the food is amazing! The interior is clean and the ambiance was very nice!

I met my friend Eric at this Dave's Hot Chicken Restaurant tonight at 7 p.m. This restaurant was extremely crowded inside and was a really long line of people waiting to be served at the front counter. I was surprised to see this many customers in line at a restaurant. Usually, I don't see many customers dining inside some restaurants. I only see about 6 people eating inside a restaurant. Most people pick up their orders. I met my friend Eric tonight for dinner at this Dave's Hot Chicken Restaurant. Eric was already inside the restaurant waiting for me. I placed my order with Avery. She was very friendly and she had an awesome personality to me tonight. I ordered the Single Chicken Tender with one slice of white bread, one Chicken Tender with the Slider it includes mild sauce with 3 pickle slices on this slider bun. I also order one side of Macaroni and cheese. The price was $3.49. I also bought one bottle of the Sprite Soft Drink . The price was $3.00. My total order cost was $22.90. Their prices are good. Then Avery asked me what kind is sauce do I want to put on my Chicken Tender Slider and on this Single Chicken Tender. I told Avery I want my sauce mild and not very hot. My friend Eric ordered 3 Chicken Tenders with 2 slices of white bread with a side of pickles and Dave's Signature Mild Sauce and just drank water. My number was 178 and this number was called at 7:30 p.m. to come over to their side counter to pick up my Chicken Tender and my Chicken Slider Sandwich order. One of their employees this really friendly guy really smiled at me and he was packing up my order and placing my order in a black Styrofoam container. He also placed my order in a plastic bag and he added a lot of condiments that was included with my order tonight. Eric received his order the same time my order was ready to go. Then Eric and I sat down and we ate inside this Hot Dave's Restaurant tonight. This restaurant still had a lot of people walking into the front door waiting in a really long line at the front counter to have their orders taken by Avery this younger lady with short black hair wearing eyeglasses. Avery has a very positive and a very friendly attitude to me and all of her customers tonight when she was accepting their orders yesterday. This Dave's Hot Chicken Restaurant is extremely busy last night. I saw 4 younger men eating outside their restaurant. Most of their customers were placing their orders with Avery then these people picked up their orders and took their orders home with them. When Eric and I were eating at this one table, this dining area it was very crowded in this area. i saw about 15 people were sitting down in their Hot Dave's Restaurant dining room area and eating and their meals and these people were really enjoying eating their Chicken Tenders and their Slider Sandwiches. Everyone of their customers that I observed last night were really happy with their food. It was really great for me to see, this crowd of people that are enjoying dining inside and also talking in conversation with their families and their friends last night. It was good for me to see. This was my (first time) eating out at this Hot Dave's Restaurant. I also saw 4 employees working in the back. I noticed 3 guys are preparing the Chicken Tenders in adding these seasoning spices in the (Light Mild, Medium Hot and really Hot Spices) in spreading this seasoning mixture onto these Chicken Slider Sandwiches. Avery this cashier, she was the only person accepting their customers orders last night. Eric and I were involved into our conversation about different restaurants we have eaten out at and we talked about this Yelp Review website. Eric told me he uses Yelp very often to help him make the right decisions on where to eat out at. I believe that Yelp is a great resource for me and several people. I received excellent customer service from Avery. I also ate the light mild and spicy Chicken Tender. The white sliced bread I poured the honey on top of this bread and then I ate this honey and this white bread. It was very delicious. The Chicken Slider Sandwich also has a spicy breaded texture. I chose the (mild spice) and I like eating my Chicken Sandwiches this way. The Sprite was very good too. Avery said to me this Hot Dave's Chicken Restaurant has been in business for about 2 months now. Avery said also said their restaurant is extremely busy with their new customers waiting to place their orders with Avery every day for their Lunch crowd and for their dinner menu. Their Macaroni and Cheese was very creamy and really delicious. These pickle chips tasted like dill pickles and were also tasty. I highly recommend Dave's Hot Chicken Restaurant.

Jerry gave us amazing customer service and made us feel very welcomed. Definitely coming back!!

The amount of waste is off-putting. A two piece meal with fries included 3 packets of honey, several ketchup packets and 2 sauce packets all in a heavy plastic bag to travel 30 feet from the counter. Putting that aside, order-taker Jared was attentive and cheerful.

First time trying Dave's. I had a feeling they'd be busy so I placed my order for pick up online. The ordering process was quick and easy and I was given a pick up time. Got to Dave's a few minutes early, my order was ready. I ordered three slider meals, hot, medium and lite mild. They were all spiced perfectly. The sandwiches are not sliders, they are full size. The chicken is plump and juicy, the fries were tasty and I enjoyed the sauce for both the sandwich and fries. I like that the food is packed as a meal in individual containers so there's no french fry stealing on the drive home! Unfortunately, they use styrofoam containers :( Overall a great first experience!

I came into Dave's Hot Chicken in Oceanside for the first time and was provided with excellent customer service by Abel. He was very polite and super helpful! He gave us the best customer service I've ever experienced before, thank you Abel. I will definitely come back! The food was also super delicious!!

My favorite fast food place. This location is the best. Love the customer service. Very respectful.

Amazing chicken. When I'm fighting with my husband we like to eat the extra hot to redirect our negative emotions

Saw this place open but hadn't been in because the line is always out the door! Finally on a rainy day I was able to satisfy my hot chicken cravings! The counter guy was cool. How did he know it was my first time? I got the plate with two tenders and fries, plus one extra tender. Two would have been plenty, they're large! I'm not afraid of hot, but I don't enjoy painful. I got "hot" which was about the middle level, and it was a good amount of heat. Liked the pickles and sauce that came with; they could leave off the white bread. Reheated the extra in the oven and it was great too - better cut up into chunks for dipping.

Bella was so kind and welcoming to everyone! Our order was perfect and she was attentive to everyone although she was the only person at the front. Food was yummy and worth it :)

Have not been to a Dave's before. First visit. I ordered a two slider meal and soft drink. It came with some pickles, seasoned fries, sauce, two slices of bread and two good size pieces of seasoned chicken. First the pickles were very good. I am a lover of fries, these were worthy. Well seasoned, not over cooked. Two slices of white bread. I guess you could make a sandwich. The chicken was different than I've had. It was soaked in seasoned. So it was very moist and tender. I really enjoyed it. I selected one mild and one medium hot. It was new to me so I was going easy. I think I'd go with medium in the future. Over all I'll go back. Great service and nicely decorated.

angie was so helpful and nice and food was good! definitely coming back. Service is always super good aswell.

Hands down the absolute worst food I have placed in my mouth in the past 70 years! why anybody would put such food in their mouth is beyond me, without even mentioning the high cost of this......gross un-eatable piece of junk, in my view, and I am being polite...in addition to extremely slow service, Horrible experience

Had planned on getting Rubio's for lunch but when I got there, saw that they were temporarily closed due to construction. Thankfully, there was a Dave's next door. Ordered the Slider, medium spice. Quick service and yummy per usual. Will be back for lunch when I'm in the area.

The chicken was as good as a spicy chicken sandwich can be. A little salty but the flavor is great! Quick service and clean space.

Not my favorite chicken joint at all. The chicken itself was good but if you want any spice get the hot. Fries were dry and had no seasoning and the coleslaw tasted bland. Won't be returning

very clean, cashier nice. excellent food perfect spice very very very very very very good

Better than Chik-fil-a OMG this place is my new FAVORITE!! The flavor is amazing and the chicken is always juicy and cooked to perfection!

Really yummy. I love this place, Bella is the best super cool place awesome sauce. quality food and great atmosphere

I cannot eat here because I am 100% gluten-free, but my husband got their I want to call it their sampler place...not sure. Anyhow, it came with a chicken sandwich, some chicken nuggs, and fries. He absolutely loved it and has to date not stopped talking about it. We do not have one by our house, but whenever we visit my brother in Oceanside my husband wants to go here. He said that it was a great heat, great sauce, and just overall a great meal.

Taking soooo long to get my food that I just want to leave. 30 minutes and i'm still not next to get it. Don't waste your time like i'm wasting mine rn.

Pretty good! I ordered delivery so no comments on the place itself. I got a chicken sandwich mild spice with a side of coleslaw. If you like spice, I'd do Medium. Mild was tasty but I needed a little more heat! I'd eat it again. I wasn't absolutely blown away though! I've had better, but still a solid option.

Went weekday mid afternoon and it wasn't too busy. Service was fast. The chicken is really tasty and seasoned well. Customizable spice level is key, I'm good with medium or less. Fair amount of seating inside. Newish location, come and get it!

Food was amazing and customer service was fabulous l. Abel was incredible and helped us get our order fast and correct! Thanks so much

Food amazing inside amazing everything Chicken good fries sauce good Fast change that we gave them is so loooooow

Mini chicken sliders were perfect! The fries could have been more hot and fresh, but I picked up the order 15 mins before closing. Mac and cheese is decent, I would skip next time though

The new mini sliders are perfect for when your not too hungry, and still want to have there sandwiches that are really good