Dave’s Hot Chicken

Their chicken is sooooo good! I like this better than canes for sure, but the canes sauce is a bit better. This location is big and has a huge outdoor seating. They seem fairly quick with their orders and the staff is friendly. I get med spicy bc the very spicy just tastes bitter and not spicy. I always get the fries with cheese. So yummy! It could be a little cleaner inside, but other than that, foods great and nice workers.

We have been excited for this location to open up. It was definitely worth the wait. The chicken was excellent. The breading was perfectly crunchy. The seasoning is delicious and pairs perfectly with the sauce. The fries are great too, lightly seasoned. Will definitely be back for more!

Excellent, juicy hot chicken sandwiches & fries. Super clean. They do take a while to get our food out but there were lots of people ordering and totally worth the wait. We got Dave's order #2.

You are on a road trip and feeling hungry. What better than a chicken sandwich! Even better, you know you will be passing by in 15 minutes. So naturally you order ahead online with the intent to make a quick stop and be on your way again with a hot sandwich on your lap. Think again, it was an additional 15-20 minute wait. This place is crowded, loud, and slow. No way I'd be sitting on their dining room to eat. Chicken sandwich was mediocre as well for the price. $18 for a sandwich meal via Uber Eats? Three $ more than their posted prices? I won't be back anytime soon.

Date of visit: 9/28/25 at 4pm Mom inquired about DHC, I praised the place for great chicken strips/tenders due to the size of the strips. Well worth it. Mom found.a table and I went to counter to place order. The employee was very friendly but in a weird way, couldn't figure out why until I didn't tip and the demeanor changed. Just another employee working for a tip. I order #2 2 chicken sandwiches and fries, looks like they took one strip and cut it in half, as the strips didn't make it pass the bun. Mom had #3 and what I was use to seeing large tendors/strips as I was expecting. Mom made comment "did they put chicken on yours" I just smiled. I will not return to DHC. It's not my responsibility to pay for your wages. Spent $37 that should be enough. Fast food and this place is fast food, it's pathetic a tip is even expected.

Outstanding food, outstanding customer service—just absolutely OUTSTANDING! This location is very clean and well kept. Jessica, the employee working at the counter, was very helpful considering it was our first visit, and also very friendly. Our food came out within minutes of placing our order—it looked amazing and tasted even better! Hot, delicious and full of flavor. Whatever seasoning they use—it’s on point! And the sauce is the perfect way to cool it down. We noticed that when Jessica was not taking orders at the counter, she always had a broom in hand and was cleaning up the restaurant. We loved seeing this! It’s so rare that you actually see employees these days taking pride in their work and keeping the restaurant clean, rather than just standing around on their phones. Great work, Jessica! We look forward to our next visit!

Tender and slider quality are great the last few times I’ve ordered so I’m hoping this stays consistent unlike previous times. Ordered Mac and cheese today but tasted like burnt milk. Otherwise everything else was great.

Ever since this place was opened my family and I started coming here. We are a frequent visitors. At the beginning, their food was great and the service was ok. Unfortunately, since past 2 months, their chicken slices are getting smaller and messy day by day. On top of that, their service is dropping to the ground. The employees lack the proper manners to interact with the customers. Only this week I visited this Dave hot chicken 3 times and unfortunately, every time my order had a problem and was prepared in a messy way. Finally today, when I talked with them, I met with the most unprofessional person. I wasn’t even allowed to talk with the manager. My whole family liked this place that’s why we were ignoring the problems with our orders until today. Most of the times, I used to think that the customers turn into karen but today I found out that behind most of the Karen customers there is a Karen cashier/ employee. I feel bad for the owner that doesn’t know how his employees are taking care of the business. I have noticed that the employees don’t care about the business because it’s not their own but they have forgotten that if this place is closed, they will lose their job and have to struggle to find another one. We have decided not to come to this place anymore, at least not until they learn how to do proper business.

Love this place only because it has halal burgers They let you add cheese to your burgers which angry chickz don't so they are better for that reason Not as spicy as angry chickz The wait is usually long. I've waited up to 40-50 minutes one time

I enjoy the food and I think it's a decent price. What I don't like is that I call ahead and they tell me a time frame and when I get there and that exact timeframe, the food is still not ready to go. I understand they want it to be super fresh, but I called ahead so that I didn't have to wait and I end up waiting every single time. I hope they fix that.

1st time visiting Dave's Hot Chicken and wanted to see what the hype was about. The gentleman that helped us asked if we were returning or new customers and once we explained we were new, he took the time to explain the menu to us to include the spice/ sauce variations. I thought it was cool that he took the time to do that and it elevated our experience. My son and I both got the #4 , which is the slider with crinkle cut fires. The chicken was brined to perfection, moist, tender and super crunchy and the spice levels we ordered were perfect and paired nicely with the slaw and pickles. Loved the touch of the seasoning salt on the fries. It was all delish! The ambiance was chill and the art work on the wall was hip and fun. Glad we stopped in and had this experience. Good food is a gift.

First timer here. Last timer here. Chicken was not tender. Fries and cheese sauce were meh. Mac and cheese was disgusting. Extremely creamy but not cheesy. Stale slice of white sandwich bread. Would choose chicken and bread from Raising Canes, nacho fries and cheese sauce from Taco Bell, and Kraft Mac and cheese any day over this place.

Wait time is bad!!!!!! Hire more people Only 2 here at lunch, food was ok, seemed like to was kind of put together fast. Prefer the one in Escondido

Dave's Hot Chicken is a staple chicken sandwich restaurant chain available in California. I've never had the pleasure to eat at Dave's growing up in Hawaii, and I definitely missed out. I went late (9:00p) on a Friday night, and the store was nice, clean, with plenty of seating available. Our order was prepared quite fast! The #2 (2 Sliders + Fries) and #3 (1 Slider + 1 Tenders + Fries) are both hearty options to satisfy any hungry adult. I would even say getting 2 sliders might be more worth it, as you can eat one and save the second for another meal later on. The sauce it comes with reminds me of the Chick-fil-A sauce; I added some to my sandwich and also my fries. Overall, super delicious fried chicken sandwiches and definitely a fast food joint I will return to.

I would 100% pick Dave's Hot Chicken over Raising Cane's. It is served hot, fresh, crispy and very delicious! Definitely great for on the GO! However, beware of the spice. I went with Medium and Hot and OMG!!! Hot was REALLY HOT! My lips were burning, I couldn't do it; BUT medium seasoning was perfect, highly recommend.

Unbelievable wait times, notified that online order will be ready 6:19 its now 6:41 and its not ready yet. I might not cone back here anymore . To Bret G the answer is no

This place served just nasty food! I don't see this place open in mid/late 2026. You have to change the way the extra fry their chicken and their seasoning. This restaurant is definitely not kids friendly. Overall, just really bad food.

Very very long wait time (40 minutes) for an order. Staff is nice but wait is ridiculous and they limit your honey packets to 4 as if honey is an expensive item?

Thank you for the free sandwich promotion! The staff was ready and willing to provide the sandwiches. Ended up getting combo #1 as well and everything was delicious, hot(both heat & taste) and fresh!

The food is good but absolutely the worlds slowest service. I have lived out here for a few years and typically avoid coming here due to how long it takes. I have waited now over 40 minutes for a single entree.

I prefer Dave's over the other fried chicken chains because the chicken has more flavor in the coating and the chicken is not dry. We tried medium and hot spice level and liked both. Fries are okay. The service is prompt but you need to ask for the condiments and cutlery if you want any. The only downside for me was this strange smell inside that was like old or rancid oil. We sat and ate outside and totally enjoyed the meal but the smell inside was off for sure. Like the place and food.

Outstanding food, outstanding customer service--just absolutely OUTSTANDING! This location is very clean and well kept. Jessica, the employee working at the counter, was very helpful considering it was our first visit, and also very friendly. Our food came out within minutes of placing our order--it looked amazing and tasted even better! Hot, delicious and full of flavor. Whatever seasoning they use--it's on point! And the sauce is the perfect way to cool it down. We noticed that when Jessica was not taking orders at the counter, she always had a broom in hand and was cleaning up the restaurant. We loved seeing this! It's so rare that you actually see employees these days taking pride in their work and keeping the restaurant clean, rather than just standing around on their phones. Great work, Jessica! We look forward to our next visit!

Been wanting to check this place out for a while, inside is clean. Not busy at the time I went. Kollin was friendly and greeted me upon entering. Ordering on the app was easy and straight forward. I forgot to add a drink so I purchased one while I waited for my order. They have coke products and gold peak tea selections. I ordered the slider and not chicken cauli bites both in the mild- medium heat range. Food is made fresh to order. Restrooms were clean and well stocked. I was pleasantly surprised by the bites, cooked nicely subtle sweetness with a hint of smokey heat and not overly spicey. The pickles and dipping sauce compliment it well. The slider was also very good, chicken was freshly cooked and juicy. The potatoe bun was nice as well, my only complaint is that there needed to be a little more saw with the slider to really pull it all together. Overall I'd come back again and maybe move up to the next spice level to see what's too hot and just right.

Brother said "1 honey per COMBO it's always been like this" what penny pinching establishment acts like their doing you a favor by giving you 1 extra 10¢ serving for free not every Dave's is like this but grow up put it on the counter and let us grab some f$$king sauce. Thank you.

Food was not bad, the chicken was a little dry but the spicy level was spot on. First time trying this location, will go back.

My kids really love this place, so I gave it a shot. I would like to say I've eaten all over the south at A LOT of hot chicken places. Dave's offers the sandwich and chicken tenders, you can spice it up how ever you want. I can take the heat, but found the medium to be enough. The chicken was breaded great, and not overcooked. My only suggestion is that they consider offering different sauces, as one just isn't enough variety for a true foodie. The service was good, and the place is casual and clean.

Big shoutout Kollin for the awesome customer service. He was friendly, and was very good at explaining the menu thoroughly. He also gave us the option of getting our drinks right away or with our food. Very productive and personable employee

Tasty chicken, but nothing mind-blowing. The menu is simple and they're always consistent. Food is fresh and delicious but definitely on the pricier side. We came on a day when they had a promotion so it was more crowded than usual, but the line was moving quickly. The wait time for the food also wasn't too long. The restaurant is bigger than the other one I've been too and has a good amount of seating. Definitely stop by if you're interested and have never been!

Food is awesome. Music has ALWAYS been too loud (wouldn't be bad if the speakers were decent). Now the cooks have a competing genre of music playing in the kitchen louder than the dining area.

Good on flavor, small on portion size. The strips of chicken were definitely small but they were very flavorful. I had mild and added honey on top. Good flavor and crunch. Hubs got the hot and in his opinion it was more medium than hot. Mac and cheese tasted like your typical velveeta cheese. Order and pay at the counter. Bathrooms were clean.

Amazing food and service I got a number 2 with a dr peeper carbonation was on point amazing music too ‼

We stopped here for a quick bite on the way to wine tasting. Gotta build that base! The seasonings are very heavy-handed, even if you don't order the hot! Don't let the name fool you, there are not hot options. You can also douse with honey if that is your jam. Comes with Dave's sauce if you are a dipper. The service was quick and the people well-trained. This is located in a large shopping center, so there is plenty of parking.

I've seen these places all over San Diego and happened be in Temecula charging my EV and saw Dave's Hot Chicken. Now I've always thought, "ok the chicken is hot (temperature hot I was thinking) what could be the big deal? Don't all restaurante sell hot chicken?" So this time I decided to try them. First and Foremost the place was spotless and I was greeted very warmly. Now y'all know me, I gotta comment on the bathrooms. I think a clean bathroom means a clean kitchen and I was right! The bathroom was clean and there was someone actually in the bathroom cleaning it right before I went in. So I ordered the #3 as suggested by the kind woman at the front and I got medium heat. Definitely a unique tasty Chicken sandwich and now I know what they mean by hot chicken. It really is good. Pickles and daves sauce with honey is righteous! I'll definitely stop in now that I know how good it is and stop passing them by.

We have eaten here many times, and love the chicken, but today I ordered 6 sandwiches for my family, and after getting our order wrong and disputing what we ordered, they re-made the order. On the re-made order, all of the spice levels were higher than they have ever been. Even though we've always been fine with the spice levels, all of my kids couldn't eat more than a bite of their sandwiches. Even though it was spicier than I've ever had, I powered through my sandwich. The lady with a nose ring that re-made the sandwiches looked from the back and smiled several times from our discomfort. Be careful not to make the employees mad, or they will punish you with extreme spicy levels. We probably won't be dining here again.

Customer service needs to be faster. Taking way too long for food to come out. This place is understaffed and you can tell. Came here for lunch time and won't be coming back.

Great service ! Addy promptly took our order and service was efficient. Ambiance was great for our family of six.

Tonight was our first time trying Dave's Hot Chicken. We placed a to-go order, but when my husband got home with our food, we realized our order was wrong. On 2 of our meals we paid the extra charge to upgrade to cheese fries, but neither order had cheese fries. We also ordered a 2 piece tender meal, and they gave us chicken bites instead. Yes, perhaps my husband should have checked the order before leaving the restaurant to make sure everything in the order was correct, but he was trying to get home after work with dinner for our family. When we realized our entire order was wrong he called the restaurant to let them know. The lady he spoke with, Anastasia, said we needed to bring in our receipt so she can remake the cheese fries. My husband explained to her that he handed the receipt to an employee at the pick up counter when his order was called to be picked up. Anastasia seemed annoyed by this, and never apologized for their mistake. Instead, she rudely said to bring in the food so she could exchange it. We live across town, it was getting late, and we were hungry. We chose to take the loss and eat the food we were given. Unfortunately, it wasn't even good. The chicken bites had several pieces that were burnt. The fries were greasy and tasted like old cooking oil. Definitely will not be returning.

Can't say enough good things about this place! I usually order through the app (to earn rewards) and pick up my food to-go. It's always ready when it says it's going to be ready and accurate every time. Every single staff member I've interacted with is super courteous and helpful. I always order my chicken super hot--it's a good amount of heat and yummy flavor. The reaper level of spice is just heat, no flavor. Don't recommend. Food is amazing, love the pillowy buns and the crispy, flavorful chicken. I get a side of cheese sauce to dip my fries in. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating, casual fast food vibes. Whoever manages this location should be proud!

This place is big and had plenty of seats! So far management was great and the workers are so nice. The manager was diligent in even organizing the napkin holder! It was a pretty orderly place! Their wasn't a huge line when it opene, but when I first came there was about 20 people or so. I've been to other locations and it's always been decent. I was the 2nd person in line but the order did take a little bit. I ordered the number 3. I got one hot and one medium. The hot was pretty good. I imagine if it was more hot than this, it would lose its natural flavors. Sooooo the medium was perfect for me. A tiny bit dry but still so awesome. One thing I love about this place are the fries! Added cheese to it, awesomeness!! Ibalso got the Mac n cheese. Kinda runny but still super good for me. Super cheesy!! Yum! They have really good daves sauce as well. You can ask for more! My only qualm is that it can get expensive quick!!! But what isn't expensive now and days?!?! Lol I really enjoyed the atmosphere here and the workers were sooooo awesome. They were welcoming and always said their names! Awesome!

Amazing chicken tenders bc of the seasoning is so on point. Fries are very good. Sauce is outrageously good. Mid kale slaw.

Great place , The Chicken is really hot and always fresh . I appreciate the great customer service accompanied by a great meal .

Im just going to start off by saying it was my me and my gfs first time trying Dave's, we wanted to see what the hype was about.The fact that when I got my food the chicken tenders were too seasoned like extremely it wasn't good so was the chicken on the fries. My gf and I didn't wanna make a problem or make it a big deal so we tried to eat it and not let it go to waste well it's currently 10:23 pm and I am throwing up and having to go to the bathroom my gf and I got food poisoning and we feel so sick to our stomach im just going to say it definitely was a waste of 30 dollars and and definitely won't be eating at Dave's again.

I ordered a number 3# on the menu I ordered online on uber eats right my food arrives and I open it mind u there is 2 tenders I ordered a slider and a tender the tenders already look sus as well as the pickles because why would y'all do this to a pregnant girl oh and also I ordered a hot not a mild

I wish they had sauce here, last time I went which was last year, they didn't have any. Food rocks though.

White bread and an unseasoned chicken strip with thousand island dressing as a sauce. Very subpar and disappointing.

I love this Dave's! Great atmosphere, friendly staff, and delicious hot chicken always!

Ok, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this place. I'd heard from friends the food here was really good so my son and I figured we would test it out. Upon entering the shop it is bright, cheerful and clean. The cashier greeted us with a smile and took our order after all my many questions. Don't forget i had never been here before HaHa. I ordered the slider combo and noticed that it was a pretty good portion of food. With my plate I received two sliders & fries, the drink is extra. Each slider had a good size chicken tender on each bun. You can also get it on white bread but I chose the bun instead. They put coleslaw and pickles on it and I got my chicken mild. I requested honey and their sauce on the side, which made the sandwich even better. The chicken came out really hot and fresh and I liked the breading on the tender. We both enjoyed the fries that came with the meal but they could have given you a bit more in my opinion. They reminded me of "Cane's" krinkle cuts. My son had told me he had gone to "Angry Chickz" with a friend and that she really liked their food better than DHC. He didn't eat that day but was very curious. So we both feel compelled to try them so we could compare the two. Be on the lookout for that review! Overall we thought the food was good, & worth the price. I would go back for sure, also the staff was friendly and accommodating, which I truly appreciate!

one of my new fave spots! im so glad to see a new chicken sandwich spot in temecula. i was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype and it truly has! im usually not a coleslaw person but i actually really like this one in the sand which. the chicken was juicy and cooked perfectly. the fries were also very yum! the service was pretty good. i was greeted right when i walked in. the restaurant is quite small for how busy it was. the inside filled up very quickly but luckily there was outdoor seating. will definitely be back.

The new loaded fries are so good. With slaw and pickles medium spice the best Thank you

Interesting new take on chicken sandwiches. Unlike all the other places, you can select your level of heat from no spices to Reaper, which I'm assuming is you'd better have the milkshake handy. We had the slider with fries and Mac and cheese which was not bad. The sliders are not tiny, you can have the chicken alone which they call a tender. It does take a bit longer because they make them to-order for the seasoning.

Kevin did an awesome job guiding us through our first time here. Comfortable environment and smells delicious!

I feel like this comes out as businesses open they get less hype, and then they get less careful as to what they put out from their kitchen. But I ordered a simple one count meal with one slider and fries with instead of regular size cheese fries instead I got the wrong spice level u asked for. And no cheese fries. At least I ordered though DoorDash so I got an instant refund. The ambiance was rushed, I stared at my meal for a solid minute before I was balled by the one employee at the front. While she juggles the line. She stopped helping mid way to direct the other customer in line to the tip screen. Then proceeded to get my meal, right behind the counter.

Make no mistake about this place, it's spicy as all heck. The fries have chili powder on them, the aioli is spiced and of course so is the chicken. I'm weak when it comes to spicy so I opted for a step above mild. I was hurting for two days. The chicken was heavenly with moist white breast meat with just a light breading . I appreciated everything was made to order fresh. The fries were so hot and fresh which kept drawing me into their heat which I regretted. (I never was able to finish those). I loved the sandwiches and will certainly be back. I see other locations are popping up around the state so I'll check them out.

Wow, I was very excited about this place, I have been telling friends and family, I've been there already 4 times. This last time I purchased large loaded fries close to $20 bucks, I had asked the lady for a sample cheese sauce, they normally give me one, again I'm only asking for one a tiny little size sauce, It's probably 1oz. She said no we don't do that, I explained to her that last week they gave me one. She said she was the manager, Anastasia, "we don't do that", she told me to call corporate. To top it off when I was paying cash to the kid ringing me up, said the total was $17.39 I told him I had $20 and 39 cents, the kid obnoxiously said " I got you", he started giving me the change in coins, I'm looking at him oddly he says "what did you want? Did you want a dollar to put in the tip jar"? He starts giving me a dollar back. I looked at him and said "I'm giving you $20.39 so you can give me 3 dollars back for my food to go". What kind of employees are these people. A kid that basically tells you you should tip them on a to go order from a fast food restaurant and a manager that is not trained on customer service and instantly escalates a request for a small cheese sauce (when in the past they have given me one), to "you can call corporate to complain!" Who ever owns this place, good luck having a good name out there! Your management and employees need to be better trained! This happened May 16th around 9:25 pm. Get better employees!

I decided to come back for a second try, sometimes a business can just have an off day. In fact that is what seems to have happened on my first visit. This trip the chicken was done to perfection and the hotness was just right. Presentation was chef quality work! Even the fries were delicious. The staff was friendly and helpful. I still don't like that it's mandatory to select tip or no tip before paying, but I can let that slide.

We came in on a busy Sunday. It was raining and the place was packed. Staff was really nice. Service was fast and expeditious. The food was good! You can choose the spice level. We loved the sliders and fries. We will def be back!

When we arrived the restaurant was clean and no wait. We were able to order quickly. Cashier wasn't the friendliest as she tried to rush our order. Upon completing our order she rudely tapped on the tip screen telling me to look there before payment. They are asking for a 15% or more tip on my order. As far as price, the #1 will set you back around $13 and a drink is an additional cost. In my opinion the drink should be included for this type of restaurant combo. Food came out after 15 minutes of waiting. It was hot and looked good. Chicken was cooked well but I had lots of pockets of dry spice when eating which made me choke a little. Bread underneath was covered in dry spice rub. Other thing we ordered was a number 4. That was better; however, is on the pricey side for the offering. For the price for our whole meal, we could have gotten more at other chicken places. Thanks for reading.