Crimson Coward is a chain of fast-casual Nashville-style hot chicken restaurants that opened in Downey, California in April 2019. It was founded by Los Angeles native Ali Hijazi. After first trying a Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich in Los Angeles, the Lebanese-American quickly developed a spicy obsession. Two weeks later, Hijazi traveled to Nashville to sample as much of the regional specialty as possible. A few weeks after that, he returned to meet the chefs behind the hot commodity. After some experimenting, Hijazi perfected his recipe in his garage, and soon he was on his way to building his own brand. Crimson Coward was officially founded in 2018, and the first brick-and-mortar location opened in Downey the following year. Every location of Crimson Coward prepares dishes featuring chicken that is fresh-never-frozen, non-GMO, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, all-natural, and 100% halal. As of 2026, Crimson Coward has 19 locations in five states. My family and I recently visited the Crimson Coward in National Harbor, Maryland (opened in February 2025) while we were staying in the area for a few days. As dinnertime approached, we headed to the waterfront to choose from area's plethora of great restaurants. When we saw Crimson Coward, we were immediately in the mood for Nashville Hot Chicken. We looked over the menu and decided to order multiple staples. I had the "Joey-Eat-Fries" (chopped chicken, sauce, slaw, pickles & cheese over fries), my wife had "The Crimson" (breast, Crimson sauce, pickles & slaw on brioche bun), our older son had the "Crimson Nugs" (served w/ pickles & Crimson sauce), and our younger son had the "Loaded Mac" (mac topped w/ diced chicken, melted cheese & Crimson sauce). Everything was excellent; delicious and generous portions of chicken and some really great sauce too! We were all thoroughly happy with our experience at Crimson Coward and would definitely visit again if we see another location in the future! read more

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Hot chicken spots are popping up all over the place. I've noticed about 20 of these Nashville Hot Chicken spots I'm reviewing today!! So yep, today is the day I'm pulling up on them...LET'S GO!! . Where I am: @crimsoncowarddmv . Location Reviewed: 140 National Plaza, National Harbor Oxon Hill M.D. . Items Reviewed: LIKE THAT! Their Mango Lassi ($7.99 a mango yogurt drink). Thick, sweet, fruity, & good! STAMP!! Their 3 Piece Tender Combo ($17 for 3 large medium heat chicken breast tenders, pickles, toast, fries, sauces, & a drink). The heat level was bearable on the tasty, crunchy, meaty tenders, with nicely fried fries!! PASS. Their Crimson Nugs ($5.99 for a 7 count "Burn Baby Burn" heat level, chicken nuggets with toast, pickles, & the sauces). The chicken breast nugget was fine, that Burn sauce, made these non-edible to me...FIRE!! DELICIOUS. Their Joey Eat Fries ($12.99 with medium heat chopped chicken, sauce, slaw, pickles, fries, & cheese). The chicken was good here, things just got soggy too quickly. LIKE THAT! Their Bone in Wings ($12.99 for 6 medium heat level wings). Crispy with that mild heat, & a tasty Crimson sauce. STAMP!! Their Crimson Sandwich ($12.99 with hot heat level fried chicken breast, slaw, pickles, & Crimson sauce). This is a hit! A buttery brioche bun, & spicy chicken that the slaw evened out!! DECENT. Their Crimson Onion ($8.99 for a battered, & deep fried onion with Crimson sauce). I needed more batter, & a garlicky sauce with this. STAMP!! Their Homestyle Chicken Sandwich ($12.99 with a medium heat level fried chicken breast, slaw, pickles, cheese, & Crimson sauce on Texas toast). With that buttery on the inside toast...STAMP!! . Customer Service: On Point . Parking: Decent pay to park. . Recommendations: Can't miss with their sandwiches!! . Accessibility: It's wheelchair friendly, & it's differently abled persons friendly. 5 Stars=STAMP 4 1/2 Stars=LIKE THAT 4 Stars=DELICIOUS 3 Stars=DECENT 2 Stars=PASS 1 Star=NAH #Bigschlimsreviews read more

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I met a friend at Crimson Coward while in National Harbor for a work conference. Honestly - I didn't have high hopes for the sandwich when I walked in to the restaurant. The food was surprisingly better than my expectations upon first impressions, though. The spice level and chicken were delicious. The coleslaw lacked a delicious punch. The fries were also a good surprise! read more

Crimson Coward - Medium Spice - Chicken Shop Near Me - Oxon Hill, Maryland

The food here was a lot better than I expected. We got wings, tenders and nuggets; as well as a smash burger. Service was fast, friendly and prompt as we were the only ones in there at the time. The chairs are a little uncomfortable for people with bigger hips and thighs, so next time we'll sit at the high top. Everything was well seasoned and good. The mild heat was perfect for me, but medium was too hot. My daughter got hot and I declined to try it. Surprisingly the smash burger was the best thing we had. The crimson onion was very good as well. We would return. read more

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Crimson Coward is a Nashville Hot Chicken restaurant located between mezeh and Ben & Jerry's. Restaurant has a fair amount of interior seating and the menu included Sandwiches, Tenders, Wings, Wraps, and other items. Heat comes in five different levels from county to burn. I ordered the three-tender combo in country that came with fries, a drink, and two sauces. The tenders at the country level had just enough spice for me to keep it interesting, but not burn. My friend ordered medium and it was making him sweat. The fries were perfect and both sauces were good. The crimson sauce has a nice flavor, and while I don't like Ranch, the chunky ranch they offered had a light, non-overpowering flavor. Considering how busy they were, we received our food in a reasonable amount of time. Overall food was tasty and I would return here again. read more

Crimson Coward - Three-tender combo. - Chicken Shop Near Me - Oxon Hill, Maryland

Good for a quick bite was walking the harbor and need something good n quick. The kids enjoyed the tenders! The service was standard. Nice and clean ambiance. read more

Crimson Coward - Fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - Oxon Hill, Maryland

This is a hot chicken spot but the halal makes all the difference. I ate my entire meal and left not one crumb. The mini Joey fries were delicious. The service was quick and although it's a carry out the ambiance is cute. You'll want to come back for more. read more

Crimson Coward - Mini Joey-Eat-Fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - Oxon Hill, Maryland

Delicious spot for a quick bite in the National Harbor area. While I do think there are better options in the area, this spot is reliable and still really good. Had the chicken box and it was good! 1 star off because the bathroom when I went was in very poor shape. The restaurant itself was clean though. read more

Crimson Coward - Chicken Shop Near Me - Oxon Hill, Maryland

Yum is how I would describe the food. While exploring the area, we came upon this hit Nashville chicken sandwich window advertisement and decide to give it a try. I ordered the Crimson Sandwich which included a large piece of chicken breast, slaw, pickles, and sauce in a brioche bun. Great combination and perfect size. I did not need any sides and I was full (and I'm usually a hunGREEDY woman; lol). We noticed a sign at the register to follow them on social media for a free soda and we did just that. It's a soda machine off to the side where the napkins, forks, and such are located. The machine needs to be maintained as my Pepsi flavor was off. It didn't have the proper fizz and sugar levels. read more

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I stopped in a week ago to try out the chicken and I loved it. First, it's a fast casual place and it's made to order . So, plan on waiting 15-20 minutes. I love spicy food and the hot chicken really is my thing. They offer 5 different spice levels. I ordered a chicken sandwich and a snashburger . Both are delicious. I loved the Coleslaw and pickles on my sandwich. If you are looking for something tasty and fast , check them out. I plan to visit again for the chicken and waffles and wraps . read more

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Thoughts: I came originally because it was supposed to be Halal Nashville Hot Chicken, it seems I might have been wayfaired lol Food: I got the Snash Burger(yes I know it is a chicken spot, I wanted variety), and the Half Coward wings(Are you happy, I got chicken lol) the with the "Hot" and "Burrrrn, Baby, Burn"(hottest flavor because I'm African it is a challenge) heat level. While the table order the "Joey-eat-fries" and chicken sandwiches. Ummmmmm yeah the Snash Burger- 6 out of 10- Bun was good but burger really didn't stand out Half Coward Wings - 4 out of 10- It tasted like chicken rolled around in a ramen seasoning packet, Hot was not Hot and Burrrrn, Baby, Burn had a slight kick(no sweat) but it felt like it was concentrated in localized spots and not evenly distributed. Taking a full bite to the bone of the chicken there was no flavor besides for the initial spot. Chicken Sandwich- Nothing special Fries- A few batches for people came out cold Mac and Cheese- Batch we got was really watery The portion sizes are very big though Service: Staff was normal, they did warn you that order would take at least 20-30 minutes. Fountain drink machine was not working properly options came not as one would expect Ambiance: Typical fast food lobby, small tables and chairs and it seemed that you were on top of the table next to you. Since this location was at the National Harbor I would recommend just grabbing food and eating outside. Recommendation: If you came here looking for an especial Nashville Hot Chicken don't get your hopes up, the food itself is solid but the weird ramen seasoning packet hot flavor is not my cup of spice. Average 6/10 Probably would not drive 40 minutes there and back for it. read more

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GRAND OPENING The first 400 people to show up to the grand opening received a free Crimson Chicken sandwich with a side of fries. So you know I braved the cold to be one of the first in line. The hearty chicken sandwich was dressed with two pickles and a big scoop of coleslaw that complimented their signature rub. The heat level was mild on my sandwich, so the next time I go back I'm definitely going to try the medium level. As I'm starting to become more conscious about what goes into my food, I love the fact that their chicken is halal focused and hormone free. read more

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While away for business in the National Harbor, I wanted to try some Nashville Hot food. It was a nice experience especially for being located in a tourist area. The staff was friendly. They offer chicken sandwiches on a heat scale from 1-10. I had mine set for four as I want flavor, but not feel punished :) read more

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This review is from my 11 year old son who's also a foodie! He loves a good chicken sandwich so he wanted to check this place out! He got the crimson chicken sandwich combo! A little pricey for the amount of fries that came inside of his box. But it did come with fries and a drink! He said the chicken sandwich was a 8. He enjoyed that the bread had seasoning on it (I didn't because the fries had alot of seasoning already). He enjoyed the flavors of the chicken and stated it very tender! The service was good and took about 10-15 minutes to get the food. The restaurant is very clean inside and out. My son said he will go back but I told him with his own money read more

I ordered the 3 tender combo and thought the portion size was lacking a bit for the price, but the chicken asted great and came out fresh. The fries were fine, nothing memorable. read more

This place is amazing. The chicken is super fresh and fried perfectly. And I'm not even a big chicken fan

I visited this location before their grand opening. The food was fresh and tasty. I had the crimson chicken sandwich and it was pretty big. They have so many good things to choose from. It was hard for me to make a selection so the nice young ladies at the register helped me. The staff was really nice. It took a long time for me to get my food, but they were just getting into the swing of things. I definitely will be going back. read more

Crimson Coward - Chicken Shop Near Me - Oxon Hill, Maryland

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First time at Crimson Coward. The food at this place is amazing. Chicken sandwiches are huge and the flavor is on point. Well worth the money and on another level compared to the fast food chicken sandwiches. Even the French fries were great. 5 stars! Friendly service too. read more

This place operating without open bathrooms not sure if the cooks was washing their hands couldn't wash my hands not sure the cooks was washing their hands. Why are they open and operating without restrooms open they should be shut down. That's the law took my money down the street. I guess I have to give him at least one star for a nice looking sign. That's about it in order to do this post. read more

Crimson Coward - I went to this place on Friday the workers said the bathrooms were out of order. No one washing hands. Where is the health inspector? - Chicken Shop Near Me - Oxon Hill, Maryland

Food sat ready for 15+ mins and others got theirs before ours. Then the flavors were wrong. When i told the cashier, she took the box back and touched my chicken with her bare hands!!!! Then proceeded to ask me for the other box and said she's going to re-fry my chicken instead of doing right by the customer and giving us fresh food. We waited 45+ mins so we said NO and asked for a refund. The refund should have been 29$ but the girl handed me a 20$ and even seemed annoyed when i asked where's my other 9$. TERRIBLE SERVICE read more

This place said that it had the best Nashville wings so I had to try service was great ambience it's a chicken place so it is what it is food I had mild and it was pretty good. I got nothing negative to say I didn't get a good picture of the food, unfortunately But if I'm in the area, I would definitely go back again. read more

Lunch for two was $40 and an hour of paid parking wasn't worth the "ok" experience of a fairly new restaurant on a Friday. The chef fried our chicken to order. That part was good. All ingredients were salty. The seasoned fries were cold and unevenly spiced. The soda fountain carbonated water was flat. Staff didn't offer to refund us money for that. The restaurant rap music was extremely loud. Bathrooms were clean. read more

Paid for my food at 9pm and received it at 9:30. The chicken was hot and the waffles were cold. Everyone in the place was waiting for food to be cooked by two servers. This place has very poor processes if the average wait time is 30 minutes per every 2 customers. Cooking chicken is not a lengthy process so why their small menu takes so long to make means they haven't established any requirements or process to get food served within a reasonable time. Would not recommend at all. Close it down and do the proper training for the staff to deliver food in a timely manner instead of literally preparing two orders at a time. Since they leave the doors open the place is filled with bugs. It's a wasted experience. Go to another chicken place that you can get your food in 15 and have a bug free experience. read more

Flavor was fine and portions won't leave you hungry. However, I paid $35 for a chicken sandwich, three tenders, some basic fries (the combo that includes a drink was more expensive than just getting fries), and a 30 minute wait was unreasonable. Coupled with the fact that the door to enter the restaurant sounds like a screaming chicken, there isn't much seating inside the restaurant , and the music is load, makes this place only a viable option if I'm drunk in the area and nothing else is open. Like I said at the beginning, the food is not bad, just not worth the money IMO. read more

I entered the Restaurant and was blared with the heavenly fumes of delicous fried chicken. I ordered the food and not even 10 minutes later, it was in my hands. It was the most divine chicken I have ever eaten and I felt like I was in Heaven. Every item on that menu is delicous. I would give more stars if it went past 5. read more

Amazing fresh chicken. Perfect seasoning. Got the crimson and the burrito/wrap and both were great