Hawaiian Hot Chicken

"Hawaiian Hot Chicken isn’t a restaurant, it’s a late-night food stand that pops up every night on the sidewalk along Reseda Blvd. Lines are definitely long (by 7:15pm, there will be 50 people posted up), but the hour-long wait is worth it. For one, they play music and the line of very hungry CSUN kids is fun to hang out in. Secondly, the chicken is very good. Sandwiched in a sweet Hawaiian bun and topped with coleslaw, pickles, and their house “volcano sauce,” it’s different than the Nashville-style hot chicken you see around town, and that’s not a bad thing. The sweetness of both the bun and coleslaw cuts through the heat of the chicken, but never overpowers the meat (or the spice). Definitely get a side order of the luau fries, too - they’re tremendous." - brant cox

"Hawaiian Hot Chicken started as a late-night food stand along Reseda Blvd., but has now transitioned into a full brick-and-mortar a few blocks away on Lassen Street. Lines still form during peak weekend hours (when the drunk CSUN students all leave their dorm parties), but just know that the chicken here is worth the wait. Sandwiched in a sweet Hawaiian bun and topped with coleslaw, pickles, and their house “volcano sauce,” it’s different from the Nashville-style hot chicken you see around town, and that’s not a bad thing. The sweetness of both the bun and coleslaw cuts through the heat of the chicken, but never overpowers the meat - or the spice - itself. Definitely get a side order of the luau fries, they’re tremendous." - Brant Cox

"Hawaiian Hot Chicken is the current star of the ‘hot chicken at a car wash’ trend that has somehow also swept across Los Angeles. From the King’s Hawaiian buns to the nightly showcase of cool rides that roll through, this is a great place to get a real feel for the street scene that has come up around hot chicken in recent years." - Farley Elliott