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    Dave's Hot Chicken

    3.7 (82 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 11:00 pm

    Order Dave's Hot Chicken Takeout or Delivery

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    DAVE'S HOT CHICKEN ATMOSPHERE

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    Dave's #1 - Tenders with Fries
    Kristine S.

    Dave's Hot Chicken has been on our radar for a while now so when we drove by this location in Albany we just had to stop in. Hubby ordered the Dave's #1 Hot Tender Basket and I ordered the Dave's #3 Mild Tender & Mild Slider Basket. Our food came out in about 5 minutes. Everything was delicious! The slider was huge, more like a small sandwich. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, even for mild. It also had a really nice crunch. I enjoyed the thick cut pickles, kale slaw and Dave's sauce. The toasted potato bun was an excellent choice. The tenders were fairly big as well. Hubby got 3 tenders in his basket. The hot was spicy and packed with that classic Nashville flavor. The crinkle cut fries were seasoned very well and had a perfect crisp to them. Overall, a solid hot chicken joint. Until next time Dave's!

    Sarah M.

    My husband decided to eat hear on a Sat afternoon after an event nearby. I'd been talking about it since it opened because he loves spicy chicken sandwiches. The atmosphere was kind of industrial, casual with spray painted Dave's hot screaming chicken and graphiti muruals. Food was a decent value for the portion and quality. They're using good deli pickles which I love. I ate my husband's and my kids. I ordered a slider and tender combo lite mild so I could share with my kid. The slider came with daves sauce, kale slaw on a nice soft bun. I kind of wish it was a toasted bun. It also came with 5 pickle slices, Dave's sauce on the side and good crinkle fries with some powder seasoning. The tender came on top of a slice of bread. As someone from western NY I was missing a little pat of butter for the bread. Anyways, everything was good but not spicy at all. Also the powdered seasoning blend was kind of thick on the tender and dry in my mouth. I wish it was spicy with out the seasoning on the chicken and fries. The Dave sauce was just doctored mayo, good but nothing fancy. Next time I would just get the tender and use the bread to make a sandwich. Loved the fries.

    Chicken sandwich roulette.
    Suthasinee S.

    Chicken sandwich roulette was fun! Coworkers and I decided to do the roulette for our quick lunch. Placed an order for a pickup, easy process. Sandwiches were tastety, and so trust them when they say it's spicy.

    Alicia R.

    TLDR: elevated chicken sangwich, Cole slaw is too runny. Service was a little slow as there was a large order right ahead of me, looks like they ordered one of everything on the menu. Restaurant was clean. Bathrooms were clean. The decor of the restaurant was pretty cool. Split the double slider with fries with my husband. The fries were nice and hot, seasoned right out the fryer. The Cole slaw must've been sitting in its juices bc it was quite wet and made the rest of the sangwich very soggy. Pickles were also a bit moist. This would not have traveled well. Very messy to eat as it was juices flowing everywhere. Good sangwich, significantly better in Toronto where I had the same thing the day before. Go for the hot, it isn't too spicy!

    Fries
    Seth P.

    Dave's hot chicken is serving "Not chicken" cauliflower options. I stopped in specifically for this after seeing and advertisement on social media. The fries were good. The cauliflower was good, not as crunchy as advertised but it was extremely flavorful. Service was good, they made sure I was ordering everything I wanted and told me to expect a short wait as everything is made to order. When my order was ready they asked if I wanted any additional sauces so I took some ketchup for the fries. The sauce didn't look vegan so I didn't try it. I'm assuming it's some kind of mayonnaise based sauce with spices. On a budget? The $16+ meal deal is probably not for you. But an order of six cauliflower nuggets comes with a slice white bread and pickles which makes a half sandwich. The pickle with a cauliflower bite is a nice salty and savory bite when paired together. So the 6 piece bites and fries come in at about half the price of the cauliflower "not chicken" sandwich. Overall, I enjoyed the meal and would go back again as long as cauliflower stays on the menu!

    Jem B.

    What in the world did I just eat lol! Got the small to try --Chicken was dry with white wonder bread & pickles. husband's fries bland tasted like high school cafeteria frozen style. If I want fast food chicken next time, I'll just go to Central Ave or where my dad used to work KFC and Popeyes. Or any of the Asian spots that sell fried chicken. What does Thomas Keller have to do with this? Lol

    Kelsey B.

    All things considered, this was definitely a 5 star sandwich for me. The place was surprisingly busy at 3pm on a Saturday, especially for Albany. I did like that the decor had some Albany-themed decor too. My friend and I were brought here because of their app download promotion. Within a certain timeframe, if you downloaded it they would give you a free slider when you order ahead. I thought the slider would be pretty small because of the name, but I'm happy with how much it filled me. You get to choose from 5 of 6 different spice levels which I appreciate! My friend got it hot while I chose mild. I could've gone up a little bit, but I accidentally bit the spicy first and thought they were trying to kill me. Luckily my mild was sort of perfect, I could've done a bit spicier. If you're not sure what to pick between two options, choose the spicier one because you can grab honey packets that both make the slider yummy and cools the spice. I'm giving 5 stars because this is a fast food chain restaurant that had a solid product. Also, I liked that you can see the differences in chicken size and shape between two sandwiches. I'd 100% prefer that to say McDonald's consistent one size for each item. Dave's is a little more fun this way

    Dave's Hot Chicken
    Frank T.

    So, I am a big fan of extra spicy food. And this place did not disappoint. I was in Austin for the past month and searched for some hot Nashville Chicken. This place popped up, but the closest location was San Antonio. Not driving an hour for that, especially since I saw some Yelp reviews from my Yelp peeps in Albany. Nonetheless, I put this on my first place to enjoy when I returned to Albany. Well, I must say it was a challenging return, not because of the flights. They were perfect, but it broke my heart seeing all the Buffalo fans in the airport all depressed. Anyways, made it home only to wake up to SNOW Monday morning. Something I haven't had to deal with for the past winter. Well, the Jeep was up to task, and after a long day post travel day, I just wanted to head home. Tuesday was a better day, and I stopped in my Favorite Stewart's on Fuller Road and picked up some piping hot fresh coffee and a great breakfast sandwich. Sorry, forgot to check in and take pics. Well, the day passed and it was 3:30 and many of my colleagues we rushing out early to avoid the coming snow and sleet. I agreed and followed, but then my stomach growled at me in the car and I remembered... Dave's Hot Chicken. It was on my way home on Western Avenue, so I headed there. For those of you who don't know, it is one of the hottest new franchises spreading across the country, and I am so glad Smallbany got one. Location is great, lots of parking, and love the fresh new vibe inside. They greeted me at the register with a pleasant smile and asked if it was my first time here, which was a big star for me. It's places like this that not only focus on great food but great "SERVICE!" The service was fantastic, and the workers were so professional and pleasant. I took it to go, got home and was not disappointed. I ordered the extra spicy from their options and a slider with fries and side tender. This hit the spot. It was perfect. The chicken is real tender chicken breast and the extra spicy is really that.... Hot and Tasty. The fries were decent. I am just glad that my friends and colleagues have an awesome chicken place close to Albany Nanotechnology.

    Dave's #3 1 Tender & 1 Slider w/ Fries
    Hunter C.

    I'm always looking for great chicken places so I decided to give Dave's Hot Chicken a try. With that being said, I'm glad I did because it was delicious. Knowing that, I ordered the combo #3 and macaroni and cheese. The combo comes with a tender, fries, and a chicken sandwich. Anyways, I tried the chicken tender and it was great. To explain, the chicken was juicy and crunchy with just the right amount of spice. Next, I tried the crinkle cut fries which were solid. To elaborate, the fries were crispy and seasoned. On the other hand, the macaroni and cheese was awful. It was incredibly bland and the noodles were generic. On the flip side, the chicken sandwich was excellent and it is the best item here. As I said before, the chicken itself is great, but it's even better on the sandwich. To put into words, the chicken went great with the potato style bun. Also, the pickles were delicious and elevated the sandwich. But, the real MVP of the sandwich was the sauce. The sauce had a tangy, slightly sweet flavor with a prominent heat. The sauce was so good I could have guzzled it down by the gallons. In a word, Dave's Hot Chicken has delicious tenders and sandwiches, but stay away from the macaroni and cheese.

    Dave's #3 1 Tender & 1 Slider w/ side of Mac and cheese & kale slaw.
    Brandi S.

    I saw a TikTok about this place, and when I searched it didn't realize we have a location nearby! I made an order on the app and it was ready within about 10 minutes. Food was hot and fresh, chicken super crispy. I went with mild and medium, but next time I'll go a bit hotter and put some honey on the chicken. Sides were great, too. The kale salad is delicious. The store is new, everything super clean. The staff was courteous. A bit pricy for fast food, at $20 for the meal + 1 additional side (free drink from the app), but better quality than the competitors.

    Dave's #2 2 Sliders w/ Fries
    Kylie M.

    Wow, for a fast food place, Dave's Hot Chicken is GOOD!! A little pricier but you get what you pay for. The chicken is so crispy and flavorful. I love that the combos come with dipping sauce and extra pickles. Service is quick and efficient. Definitely worth a visit!

    Sliders with fries
    Maeve M.

    It's definitely hot! I was pretty happy with the food from this new spot. The chicken was flavorful, surprisingly moist and tender, and yes, hot. I got the medium and it was just tolerable but I usually get mild when it comes to things with this type of spice so I wasn't too surprised. Although I'm not sure what the Reaper is like!! It's definitely loaded with spices, but I didn't find it overwhelming as that's the style of Nashville hot. Dave's sauce was delicious and the fries and mac n' cheese were decent. One slider with fries and some mac n cheese was plenty! Prices are reasonable.

    Hot Box - Tenders, medium please

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    2 months ago

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    Hi Josh! Thanks for showing us some love

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    Boom! Glad you loved it! Thanks for the awesome review!

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    Food is always fresh, good and hot! The service is good and ambiance bright and colorful!

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    1 year ago

    my friend and I went to the Dave's hot chicken on central avenue and the ambiance was pretty nice. I liked the service that I have receive.

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    First time having Dave's and it won't be the last. Delicious!! Beats Chick-filet by a mile!! Great great great!

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    Ask the Community - Dave's Hot Chicken

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    I drove up from NYC just to have brunch with a dear friend. Now in all fairness while I enjoyed…read morethis restaurant it was just that much better because of the great company I was with. The space is large and spacious. We went for brunch and it appeared to be family friendly. It's a nice place to go after church or to catch up yet you can still have an afternoon cocktail. I ordered the biscuit and gravy and my friend had shrimp and grits. In addtion we had beignets and candied bacon for the table. The beignets are not New Orleans good but would never expect anything this good in Albany. My biscuit and gravy were good. The gravy was savory and the biscuit tasted homemade. It was a little to thick for the amount of gravy. However I would love to try the biscuit by itself with another entrée. The shrimp and grits are not Southern style they are New Orleans style. My friend felt they were ok. Now the candied bacon was a hard NO. It was heavily salted. You could not eat do to the level of salt. I am not sure if this was a fluck or how it's prepared. Unfortunately we returned to the kitchen and I never return anything even if I don't like it. However, our server Alexa was very helpful and provided overall good service. If you are close by you should check out. True rating 3.5

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