Excellent service. Great location and wonderful staff. Your choice to sit inside or out. They prep and bag your food in to-go containers and bring it to your table. The chicken - not what I was hoping for. A mix of white and dark meat. I personally love both, but if you're thinking of a fried chicken breast, that's not what it is. The sandwiches are messy so grab yourself a whole bunch of napkins. My wife ordered the mild. It had some spice to it. The bun was not big enough to cover the sandwich (might be a good thing for some) so she ended up eating part of a half. The chicken was disappointing. My daughter had the naked Sando - she ate half and gave the other half to me, which I took home. She didn't like the chicken either. Pricing - much higher than what I would've paid for this type of meal. Expensive. We paid $70 (including tip) for 3 meals + a side of queso. Meals come with seasoned fries (very tasty), Mac & cheese (delicious), or Cole slaw. We drank water - didn't order drinks. I'll be back for food from Rudolfo's, but not for Heatwave's. read more

See all

The food was very good. I ordered the spicy chicken sandwich (medium) and it was seasoned perfectly. It was spicy so I'd recommend being cautious if your spice tolerance is low. I ordered extra wavy sauce for my sandwich. The tsunami fries (mild) were also delicious. The portions are huge and my wife and I both had food left over. Definitely check this place out! read more

Heatwaves - Tsunami Fries. Spicy (Medium) Chicken Sandwich. - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Food! Mild Chicken Sando- had some kind of sweetness to it and had no spice to it at all. I think the fries and my chicken sando had the same seasoning. Mac and cheese was just different and unfortunately I was not a fan. Fries were okay with the same seasoning as my sando. Side of ranch is not homemade, straight from Hidden Valley. Service was amazing with very friendly staff and attentive. Ambiance was nice and the place got packed quick. Although seating capacity compared to the line, look like some people may of had to get it to go. read more

See all

While it is a cute location - that is about it. We ordered a really simple order. 1 medium sando combo and 1 mild sando combo. They labeled our sandwiches wrong and we didn't realize it until like half way through the sandwiches since I was so confused on the spice level. I wish I could review the medium space level for you but I can't. The fries are cold and sad. To me it seems they cook everything including the chicken in the morning and just assemble from them. The chicken was not fresh at all - the fries were dry, sauce was average. It's a decent amount of chicken for a sandwich but that's about it. They also just give out all of their food regardless if you are eating in and out in to go containers - just not really a vibe. I was hoping for more. I would never go again. read more

The food is sooo bland. Got a mild fried veggie sando (didn't know how spicy it was going to be) with seasoned fries. The sandwich had an odd sweet flavor either from the sauce or the slaw, almost tasted like medicine. It was not spicy at all. They got my order wrong and didn't even give me fries. Good thing I ate it there so that I could go back inside and ask for them. When I was waiting for the new box I saw big plastic bags full of frozen fries that they were about to cook. Good to know they're not fresh. They had no salt at all and tasted incredibly bland. Overall way overpriced. Service is not existent (you order at the counter) with no one to greet you when you go. read more

Heatwaves - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

See all

This was my first time trying it and they're known for the fried chicken sandwich. I order the spicy level MEDIUM. It was the perfect spicy level for me. It for sure had a kick, but it was tolerable. If you like spicy and also want to enjoy the sandwich this is probably a good spicy level for you. They do have an other level of spicy. The sandwich has coleslaw so it balances the heat , a perfect combination with the pickles. Overall I had a Good sandwich. The fries are seasoned in a nice spice blend, im not usually a crinkle-cut type of fries girl but they still tasted good. They also had Mac and cheese and it also balanced out the heat if you have a spicy level flavor. The service was really good, for our first time he guided us on what to order and how it works. They have outdoor sitting and inside seating the place is decorated nice with plants around. Forgot they have Ice cream and slices of pies. they do only open on Sundays so for anybody trying to get a fried chicken sandwich Sunday's are the day they open. as for the rest of the days it gets turned into a restaurant which I haven't tried, but would love to. read more

See all

The hottest chicken is too hot. Delicious and punishing. This is not what I expected from a hot chicken place in PG. Respect. 10/5 stars

The third time trying this place out in the past few years and it was still disappointing. Online makes it look so appealing but everything is flavorless and the chicken is always gross. The wavy sauce flavor disappears in your mouth, the fries are "seasoned" with little to no taste, and yes the tenders are plain but that should not mean flavorless. The Sando was Okay. It's always just Okay. For the two meals was $40 and you're left feeling disgusted ‍ It's not worth it and I will probably not give it another chance. read more

Heatwaves - Medium sando, Mac & tenders - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

DO NOT EAT THE HOT SANDO (TMI warning) So I love spicy food and I love hot chicken sandwiches; I am not shy to hot and spicy or a food challenge. I'd heard a lot of buzz about this place and was excited to try it out for dinner. I go in and order the 'hot' sando. To be fair, both the counter server and Rudy warned me that it was very hot. Yes, it was indeed very hot. I had the sweats, mouth burn, and watery eyes for about 15 mins after putting it down. The creamy mac salad was a nice compliment to the heat, plus they had ice cream and local beers on tap. But overall this was the hottest thing I'd ever eaten. I had to take a break, but finished it. Aside from the heat, the sandwich quality stood up with the hot chicken sandos I had in Nashville and while living in Charleston. Top notch. A+ But the next day I was wrecked. Had to call off work. I spent the afternoon and all night in bed twisting in pain. I had no appetite, my gut microbiome likely obliterated. My colon and butthole inflamed. Brutal. Over 24 hours later, I'm still swollen down there and thinking it might still take another few days to fully recover. This the kinda stuff you wish only on your enemies. The last time I felt even close to this was after eating a dozen jalapenos in 5-min for a contest. This is far far worse. On one hand, they did warn me about how hot it was; on the other hand, why on Earth would they serve such an unholy mixture of peppers to someone? It should come with a tube of Preparation H. Would def go back for the medium sando and other menu offerings; and I liked the vibe of the place and the staff. But under no circumstances would I suggest the hot sando to anyone. But I ate it and lived to tell the tale. read more

Friendly staff and best tofu sandwich in the area!! Calm setting with cute outdoor seating read more

NOT RECOMMEND.....I had a really upsetting experience at this place. I ordered their classic chicken sandwich "hot," not realizing it was the spiciest option on the menu. Unfortunately, the staff didn't bother to inform me about it when I was ordering. When I tried to return the meal, they simply said, "You ordered it, and there are no returns." I ended up with a $20 meal that I couldn't eat at all, and there was no sympathy from the staff or the owner. The way he treated me made me feel terrible, especially since all I asked was for them to remake my order. On top of that, the chicken was incredibly greasy. As a local, I really expect better food and a more pleasant experience. read more

I had very high hopes since on Google maps it was all 5 stars... I got two meals and 2 drinks which came out to be around 50$...the service is good but and the food took a bit to come out which is fine but the food was horrible I've had many fried hot chicken places chicken in out, Dave's hot chicken, and many other places in California and this place was the worst. The chicken was slimy and they didn't cut out the skin of the chicken which mostly all places do and it was fried like popeyes chicken( which isn't good in my opinion) and didn't have a good taste. The mac n cheese in the papi culo meal was very bland and the chicken was very hard. Big portions which are good but couldn't stand to finish it. I wouldn't recommend I wasted my money. read more

Heatwaves - Sando chicken meal - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

See all

Best hot chicken on the Central Coast. Hands down. We are here most Sundays. Pro tip: the "hot" level is legit super hot. I'll get it only if I am doing the sando. For tendies, medium is where it's at. My kids love the mild. And the younger ones can still get naked. Tri tip sando is tasty as well. read more

This place is definitely over hyped. Looks nothing like pictures on Instagram (which is understandable but taste is not there either) When we went in we ordered mild and guy at register persuaded us to get medium if we liked a SMALL kick to it. Medium was EXTREMELY spicy, we took one bite and couldn't finish. We never are the type to ask for something else but In this case it was just too spicy to eat and they declined. They said we would have to pay for another sandwich which to begin with wasn't worth $20 in my opinion. Also, mac looked soooo good on their IG but, just plain ole mac with LOTS of pepper... Keep in mind, I'm Latina, I love spice! read more

Heatwaves - Medium Chicken sandwich (exactly how it was given to us btw) - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

See all

2 stars because the verdict is fill out for my wife and I. The sandwich is glorious to look and it delivers a crispy tasty spicy punch. The flavor was awesome but the heat for a medium was through the roof. My wife and I were able to handle it but it was way spicer than expected. It could of used more coleslaw to counter it. However I appreciate that they are careful with the coleslaw so not to make a soggy sandwich. I also looked how this hot sandwich was a dry spice rub vs a sauce. It keeps the sandwich crispy. The wave sauce and the pickle were also an excellent pairing. On qualm we had was the actually cooking of the chicken. It thigh meat and although there was no link, it was extra chewy and stringy which makes us think it wasn't cooked all the way. I'm not too concerned about food poisoning as there was no link but it def could of been cooked a bit more for texture and so not to freak my wife out. Hopefully this is an anomaly as no one else has commented about it here. We will come back but I will probably get the mild over the medium and with the hopes that the chicken is cooked a little more. We will try read more

Heatwaves - Medium Chicken Sando. - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

See all

The staff is very friendly and food is amazing. I'm a vegetarian ordering fries and Mac and cheese and it never disappoints. My dad gets the Chicken sandwich, so I know that it's bomb too. Definitely recommend! Currently I go to Cal Poly, but if I can make it home for the weekend it is one of the main restaurants I hit up. read more

My Sunday tradition right here. Always hits the spot and the staff is amazing! Bella is always so sweet!

I can take a LOT of heat. That said, I ordered the "medium" spice and it was so dang spicy my eyes were actually dripping water. I'm not joking. I was disappointed because I had heard great things about the Classic Heatwaves Sando and I was excited to finally try it but I couldn't even enjoy it. I could only manage a few bites before deciding it wasn't worth it. read more

Food was okay and took about 50 minutes to get our food, probably wont be coming back

The best fried chicken I've ever had. I have worked my way up to the medium and not looked back. Order extra pickles.

Would recommend avoiding at all costs due to slow service and poor customer service. We were really excited to try this, but the long wait time (30 mins.) for two chicken sandwiches and unfriendly staff ruined the experience. We came in 20 minutes before opening without realizing it, because their website said they were open. When we got to the register we were met with "we're not open" and an attitude. That should've put us off, but we decided to give them a second chance. When they opened, we ordered with another employee and sat down, the first table to do so. Two other tables came in after us, and one of them was an employee because they proceeded to make social media content with someone who came out from the kitchen while we were waiting. After 30 minutes we asked for a refund since there looked to be a full kitchen yet we hadn't been served. There were also to-go orders that were coming out before ours, even though we were the first people in the restaurant. The same girl who gave us attitude when we walked in the first time didn't apologize for the slow service and said "this is normal by the way." When I replied that we were the first table, and that they were too busy making social media videos to make our food she said "he's not a cook" even though he walked out from the kitchen, in an apron, with a bowl of chicken? If she hadn't been rude, I wouldn't be leaving this review, but she was argumentative and rude. From the other reviews it looks like the food isn't very good so I think we dodged a bullet, and you should too! read more

Sandwiches are all about the bread to meat ratio and I don't think there is a bigger ratio of meat to bread anywhere in the world. The sandwiches are perfectly crunchy pieces of chicken that make the regular bun look like a slider. It's nice to get a few bites of bread free chicken to really get the idea how good this spice combo is. They are for now only available Sundays and Rudolfo's Cafe in Pacific Grove. I usually order online first, but have also done walk in where the wait was about 20 minutes. Just enough time to stroll around downtown for a bit. I don't like mac and cheese, but hear it is good here. The fries are alright and a bit of an after thought I think compared to the amazingness of the chicken. I'd go just sando tbh. read more

Heatwaves - Hot sando - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Apparently, Heatwaves is just open on Sundays, which makes sense because only the hand of God could have created something as truly awesome and monstrous as the Papi Chulo Bowl. Chicken sandwich is the best chicken sandwich that ever chicken sandwiched. It's a 5 out of 5 for me, dog. read more

Don't walk....don't run.....fly!!! When we walked up to the restaurant we would not have known what to expect had it not been a recommendation from a friend. It's a pop up with little advertisement of what you are about to experience. We placed our order as we had drooled over instagram photos for some time so knew what we wanted. The menu itself is small but don't be fooled the sandwich is not. We ordered the mild based on my friend's recommendation the chicken sandwich was prehistoric sized served with a large mound of well seasoned crinkle fries that came with a secret sauce for dipping. The chicken sandwich is out of this world perfection! Crispy, fresh to order and well seasoned and the mild is possible the highest heat level I would go. You can order any level of heat. The coleslaw and pickles were just the right balance to carry over the spice and a party in my mouth. The owner was a delight to talk with (and the chef). We will hands down make this a Sunday funday adventure!! We also look forward to trying the restaurant Tuesday through Saturday. Hoping they are able to make it in Salinas! read more

Heatwaves - Chicken sandwich larger than both my hands - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

See all

As you can see my food had mold on it . Luckily I did not eat this. This made me sick just looking at it. You never know what your eating. I spent 25.00 for unedible food. Never going back. Showed it to several people and they asked if I went back. Why it was bad service I think the young lady was having a bad day, not pleasant service. I wil not refer anyone to this business, it was referred to me gotta becareful where you go. Now I will look for somewhere else to go. Want a good steak go to Fandango best steak I ever had. read more

Heatwaves - Mold I was lucky I did not eat this. Not a friendly place. I think the server was having a bad day. I will never return to this business. - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

SUPER AMAZING Food! Service, EXCELLENT! It's so good! You could DIE for it!!! Ambiance was amazing! #besthotchicken #nashvillehotchicken!!! read more

My order got mixed up understandably because of same name on the order. I'm a lightweight on spice and the chicken that I got was way too hot so it was a relief they called me and said that they were making me a fresh order. I got a mild chicken sando and fries with plain salt instead of the spice mix. The owner made me a fresh batch of fries that were piping hot and delicious. I will be back for the great food and service. read more

Stopped by during the Good Old Days festival and finally tried their chicken sandwich. The overall quality was pretty good. I like things a little spicy, but as other reviewers have said--"medium" is too hot for most of us ordinary folk. Even a cold festival beer wasn't enough to sooth my palate after a bite or two or the sandwich. I think the mac and cheese was good, but I couldn't really tell after my taste buds were burned off. Portion of chicken and overall sandwich could have been a bit bigger for the price. Service was pretty fast, considering that they were getting slammed by festival-goers, including a large group or two. read more

I ordered a chicken sando and it was so poorly cooked. There was barely any meat at all and it was just fried skin. It's surprising cause the wait was longer than 30 minutes. Honestly was looking forward to eating here but it was just low quality. read more

Second Sunday in a row ! Mild chicken sando first time which is basically no spice "heat" wise at all. 2nd time medium and it's got a kick. The slaw ànd pickle balance the sandwich nicely and the portions are large. The place is baller. read more

I've been here at least 6 times now. Boy...what a good sando. Perfectly seasoned and moist and just perfect. Will continue to come back. The fries are also awesome. But the BEST is the banana pudding. read more

Ordered the Fried Chicken Sando (medium spicy). First things first the medium level spicy was really HOT, I can't imagine how the spiciest level is. That being said I highly recommend mild level especially if you can't handle spicy food well. Other than being surprised by the heat they give a big piece of chicken that is tasty and juicy. The wavy sauce is delicious and the fries were just OK for being fries. They give you choice between mac n cheese and fries to go along with sandwich. Not bad at all, good meal overall read more

Heatwaves - Fried Chicken Sando (medium spicy), comes with your choice of fries or mac n cheese - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Just went here last Sunday everything was very good but the fires were aright I recommend getting the macaroni it's sted because it's very creamy and good and I order the least hottest chicken sandwich but I think they got it wrong because it was very spicy and I was tiering up. read more

The girl answering the phones is pretty rude and you can't place orders for specific times anymore. You have to place the order and then pick up within 30-45 minutes. So if you want to eat later in the day, you have to hope they don't sell out. The food is good, but the business model with ordering makes it not worth the hassle read more

Go for the sandos for sure. And the smackaroni too, fries... I've tried each of the heats and can confirm the hottest will induce sweat and tears of joy. They have great flavor - though if you air a little too long can get soggy pretty quick. Good value. Am I compelled to go back? Not really. I'd meet a friend but don't really crave them enough to make the trip. Now, the burritos - they didn't hit the mark for me. Overpriced ... was ready 15 minutes later than their app suggested ... and the cheese on the outside of my tri tip burrito made it a greasy gut bomb. I ended up peeling it all off. Between that and trying out the Big Sur burrito ... until they improve it or cut the cost, there are better ones nearby. read more

Good sandwiches! I would argue the price was a bit much ($17.50 for one sandwich and you have to tip) but there's no other chicken sandwich places in the area...so I'd say "good" and not "great." Definitely eat quick so those fries don't get soggy. Stack up on sauces read more

Heatwaves - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

See all

Local in the area that loves a good chicken sandwich. First time I went tried the sandwich which was super expensive and had no seasonings or flavor other then spicyness. Gave this place another try because they had horchata on the menu and some other options. The philly cheesesteak was like 90% bell peppers and fell apart the second I tried to take a bite. It was So flavorless I didn't understand and literally promised myself to never spend another dollar at this overpriced terrible establishment. read more

Heatwaves - Burrito - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

See all

We've really looked forward to trying Heatwaves. My hubby loves a good fried chicken sandwich, and I love spicy food. My favorite way to eat pizza is to douse it with lots of Tabasco so the red pepper flakes stick better. I LOVE spicy food and have had Nashville hot chicken plenty of times. My hubby had the mild, said to be mainly sweet, and he loved it. I ordered medium, figuring it would be comfortably hot, foregoing the F'ing hot for next time. Sadly, the medium was crazy hot. I could eat it, but needed to cool off my mouth with their excellent macaroni and perfect Hugo spritz between bites. The chicken was juicy and tender with an excellent crust. The fries were crisp and delicious. I asked why there is no middle ground between no heat at all and burn off your head. I was told to order mild plus. It seems they ought to put that in the menu then. I brought half of mine home, and will likely pick off a good portion of the breading before eating the leftovers. Also, we sat at the table for two by the window. When I stood up I smacked my head in the light hanging there. I was told the table wasn't put in the right place. Ya think? I have a bad headache. We went there originally planning to go back. Between the ridiculous control of temp between mild and medium, and hurting myself just standing up, we probably won't be back. read more

Great portion size-fries and ranch are good. Ordered the medium and the hot sandwich. Beware the spice levels. The HOT is no joke. It could be renamed or customers warned it is EXTREMELY HOT. read more

Heatwaves - Chicken sandwich - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Ok we went again, and I still highly recommend. I do caution customers to look at their receipt. We were charged a couple dollars higher than the posted prices for each meal. Maybe their prices went up and they didn't update the menu. read more