10/10 taste spice good service w The waiter was super nice Stephanie H wad very kind and gave me 2 free wings read more

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Hot chicken establishment located upstairs inside the north market. It is the only sit down establishment In the whole market. Walk up and order and seat yourself establishment. They will call out your name when your order is complete. Menu size not very big but most hot chicken places have that issue. They had done local bottled sodas. But if you didn't want that then they had free fountain tea and water. So that was cool. The chicken itself was pretty tasty. We got the hot flavor and while it did have a good kick it wasn't overbearing to the point where you couldn't taste your food. The Mac and cheese was very good and the baked beans were solid. All in all a cool place to grab a relatively quick tasty lunch read more

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The chicken is excellent, I really enjoyed the mild rub. The beans tasted homemade and were decent. The banana pudding though...it was FANTASTIC!! read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Beans and banana pudding - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

One of the best places to get an honest to goodness SPICY chicken sandwich! Don't try to be brave and get the hottest sandwhich they offer because this is not one of those places that exaggerate, it really is spicy! Super delicious and wet with spicy saucy sauce and HUGE. This is not something you take to go. Too big and messy. You definitely need to dine in over a table I wish one of these was in Cincinnati. Hopefully they will come down one day, but every time i go to Columbus i stop by here. And for a refreshing change their beverages are free! Go and check it out read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I wish I had a better update but guess what? The prices have now gone even HIGHER! It's hard to believe that a meal that cost $11.25 in December 2019 could now be a whopping $18.25 but that's the shameful reality here. Surely this must be because of those "difficult times" that their Yelp PR lady blamed earlier... Funny, it doesn't seem like the "difficult times" have affected Untamed Brands (who bought Hot Chicken Takeover in 2021) as they've been happily sharing news of their profits and growth in press releases... read more

I love Hot Chicken Takeover. I have been going avidly since attending OSU nearly 10 years ago, and I have always loved not just the food, but the attitude, decor, and vibe of the place. I have recommended HCT to everyone I can think of, I bring friends near constantly when I am in the area. Even now, I live an hour outside the Columbus area, but I make it in at least every other month as I am travelling. For the last couple years, the restaurants have been going downhill. This started post-COVID with the removal of free iced tea. It seems most decisions made since then have been about improving the bottom line and not the customer experience. I frequent the locations north on High street, in the Short North, at Easton, and on Grandview. Same story at every location, food and vibes have been going downhill steadily for years now. Today was my last time visiting a Hot Chicken Takeover. This was my first visit since the rebranding to HCT: Southern Chicken. The food has hit an all time low. The menu is confusing and has lost all the magic of the original. The service is minimal to none. The chicken: I have been getting the original sammie for years now. The breast has been getting smaller in portion over the years, the breading recipe changed a little while ago, but this was all mildly acceptable because you can rationalize small changes over time even if the product is constantly getting worse. Today my sandwich had no more white bread, just a dry bun trying to make up for the height that the meat lacked. The cole slaw was horrible (more on this below), and the "original sauce" added to it doesn't make sense when the chicken is seasoned and sauced by itself. The sides: The sides are now all soulless imitations of what used to make Hot Chicken Takeover great. The highlight of this restaurant used to be the cole slaw. The vinegar slaw recipe was incredible, and something that no other restaurant offered or did as well. Now today I was served a bland GFS mayo slaw that I couldn't pick out of a lineup from any other cafeteria food. This is true of all the sides. The mac and cheese, the slaw, they all have no seasoning and taste like they are bought in frozen food. The portions: While prices have continued to climb, the portions are laughable. The chicken has to be 30% smaller on the sandwich than 5 years ago. The sides and the pudding are maybe 50% full (true on multiple visits recently). The community: A large part of what made HCT great was its inclusiveness. My girlfriend is vegetarian, and we both LOVED this place. The vegan nuggs were great, and I enjoyed ordering them myself from time to time. This place made both meat and plant eaters feel like they could enjoy the same food. Today the new rebranded menu had the vegan nuggs removed. When we asked about them, they told us they still had some, but no vegan ranch. It seems like the vegetarian and vegan options are being pushed out of the way in favor of the new "Southern Chicken" branding. A sad failing of one of the most important aspects of this place. All of these changes have turned a beautiful unique restaurant I loved into a soulless Popeyes knock off. I would rather go to Chick-Fil-A at this point, which breaks my heart to say. I wish I had anything positive to report, but I will be telling my friends that I was wrong and we should look for another local place to fill this void. I hope one day maybe these profit based changes will give way to some of the old charm, but unlikely. read more

Excellent chicken, hot is like a slow burn 6/10.. really nice heat. Great slaw. Mac n cheese is the greatest ever read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Hot drums - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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We were checked in awaiting our jumbo chicken tender sandwich, spice level hot! Fries and a delicious sweet tea! The service was awesome, the manager brought me and my daughter multiple fresh cups of sweet tea, while dining. read more

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Never had a bad meal or experience at a HCT! Good every single time! Soooo good! I'm glad they opened one in Grandview not far from me!

Better than that other chicken place down south. I know those might be fighting words but in my own opinion Hot Chicken Takeover is taking the chicken to a next level. The chicken is fried harder giving it a nice crispy texture and the spices in their sauces are more complex and robust. Columbus you really have a special place here and I see why the reviews are so high. Going into trying here I assumed the reviews my be inflated due to the lack of hot chicken in the area but I found it better than some of the more established places in this space. Keep up the good work! Would love to see one come to the Atlanta Area soon. I remember when I lived in Columbus talking about when Jenis ice cream would expand and now they are killing it down south. I have a feeling Hot Chicken Takeover would do the same too! read more

rhian was very nice and the food is so good !!! I come here as often as I can. I tell all of my friends and family.

I was ready to treat my taste buds to a marvelous Nashville hot chicken sandwich in Ohio. Fellow 20-somethings such as myself lined up in anticipation. The line was long, but the wait was sure to be worth it. Half an hour in, our eagerness began to wain. Our masked faces showed the look of slight concern as the wait increased. Forty-five minutes in, my order was placed for a chicken sandwich. I was happily given my sweet tea while I waited for my food. It's the only thing that kept me sane. One hour in, as our sweet teas became room temperature, we could see it in each others' eyes - maybe we won't ever get our chicken. As orders were handed out, online pickups came out of the woodwork and revealed we were further down the line than we thought. One order was called but no one claimed it! We stared at each other in fright, realizing we were waiting for literally nobody. Then, I got my chicken. I opened up the glorious box to realize IT WAS ON COLD FLOPPY WHITE BREAD. If I wanted Wonderbread I would have just stayed home. The chicken itself was delicious. The mac and cheese was as well. The ranch was great. However, Hot Chicken Takeover literally took over my afternoon. I won't be back. read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - White bread may be common practice, but a good ole brioche bun would have made the wait more worth it. - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

We ordered the Chicken sandwich warm! It was slightly spicy, but at the level of a Chick-fil-A spicy sandwich. It's a pretty big sandwich and was delicious. The Mac n cheese are delicious and have a homemade taste to it. Located on the upper floor of the North Market! read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - We ordered the Chicken sandwich warm! - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

+.5 for service Messy is probably an understatement for this place, and they don't even have sauce. Located at the upper floor of the North Market, HCT is quite popular with locals. They certainly don't skim on the word "hot", because I ordered mild and it was definitely hotter than I expected. I had the dark thigh and leg chicken, which came with bread, slaw and a side of mac and cheese. For around $12, this thing FILLS YOU UP. The chicken is a big piece (that you'll have to split in two by yourself), the slaw is plentiful, and the mac and cheese is even more so. I could probably do without the bread, but everything worked out perfectly with this order. Service is fast and efficient, and they will shout out your name once the order is ready. They have free tea and water while you sit and wait! read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Dark thigh and leg chicken with ma's slaw, ma's mac, bread, and pickles - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

The staff at hot chicken takeover at this location is top tier! The food is always good and the playlist is always soulful and good! Great job guys! FedEx Ground Poth Rd location read more

Interesting. Nashville-style fried chicken sandwiches are making a sort of renaissance all over the country, and though I appreciate the trend, I can't say why it's all happening now. There's typically a line here, and I like how they have a chalkboard communicating the number of chickens they have left for sale - a nice touch. Also nice - complimentary teas, one sweetened and one unsweetened, in addition to the typical water. You go, you order, there's five levels of spiciness. The branding style is actually very very similar to other Nashville-style hot chickens that I've seen all over the country, interestingly, not that it bothers me too much. The result? The sandwiches are wonderful. The chicken is juicy, and I ordered just the right amount of spice, which comes out to a surface-spice, building slowly as you eat the meal. The interesting quibble is the bread - two slices of white bread on both the top and bottom. This makes the sandwich look initially huge, though it compresses with the push of your fingers and the juices of the sandwich, eventually not being able to support the sloppy delicious mess you are creating. The chicken is "succulent", yes, and a large juicy portion that hits the taste portion of your brain satisfactorily. Mac n cheese, fries, and everything else is really just icing on the cake - the fried chicken sandwich, however, was a real winner. read more

I prefer the Clintonville location, because the line is exponentially shorter, but few things beat North Market for a fun atmosphere, and it's definitely worth going once just to experience what I think is the original HTC location. I'm a wimp who orders the Cold chicken, usually with slaw and mac (and a sweet tea and a banana pudding - it's worth it), but it's the perfect kind of greasy salty goodness I personally want out of fried chicken. I don't eat there often for the sake of my arteries, but it's always worth the trip. read more

We had a wonderful experience and the food and staff were excellent! The store was so clean and fresh looking. Thank you.

HCT is still serving up my favorite Cbus chicken, and now they even have tables inside! Pandemic Comfort Food. read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Worth the line.... - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

The sandwiches are great and aren't too expensive. Their medium is on the spicier side, so beware! But don't let that deter you from trying this place. My husband and I LOVE the Mac and cheese, and often take it to go as a midnight snack for later. However, make sure you're hungry, as the sandwiches are only good for around an hour after you order them because they get soggy. read more

Love me some fried chicken! The chicken is perfect, with the right amount of crunch and flavor. I do like this location. We were able to eat at the socially distances seats overlooking the market. Their teas are great. The deserts are amazing! I'm so happy that they are still in business! read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Take out only. - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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In an effort to save my fellow yelp community from the massive caloric and sugar intake, I have taken it upon myself to sample Hot Chicken Takeover. No need to thank me, just doing my civic duty. Hot Chicken Takeover sits on the second floor of what might be my favorite kind of food destination, an indoor food market(North Market to be specific). There are so many glorious things happening between these 4 walls, but the smell of hot chicken conquers all. So I've had Nashville hot chicken. Im sure I am not the first and won't be the last to make the comparisons; this is nothing like that. I really can't explain it without boring you with details, but technically speaking, they really very much different. In terms of the menu, pretty simple: chicken, Mac, coleslaw, waffle. Of course ordering the chicken is a little more complicated, as you'll have to choose your cut of meat + white vs dark + heat level. This is where I usually take the opportunity to talk down on white meat loves....I'll refrain lol The food: Chicken - dark comes with a quarter chicken, leg and thigh. A piping hot, super juicy, absolutely perfectly crispy breaded piece of meat. Call me a softy but the 'warm' is the perfect heat level. A nice kick, but not enough to drown out the wonderful chicken. It's no Nashville hot, but it's good enough for me to be forced into getting a second piece! Don't judge... Mac - solid Mac and cheese. Cheesy and nicely al dente. The only thing that could have made this better was a little change in texture. Maybe a crumble topping or browning of the cheese. Maybe that's just a personal preference, but this is easily a satisfying version. Coleslaw - I don't like coleslaw. I'm not sure anyone actually does. There's no such thing as a good one. Period Banana pudding - So many thoughts! First of all, I'm walking into this a huge skeptic, as I've never been a fan of pudding. But this is absolutely delicious. These three layers could not have been a more perfect ensemble. With that being said, this is diabetes in a cup. If you happen to pair this with the "free" sweet tea, you might not walk out alive..... I am grateful places like Hot Chicken Takeover remain far away from me. Who wants to deal with that kinda temptation ? Oh and I've come to the conclusion that if your city doesn't have an indoor(no one wants to deal with the outside elements, unless you live in San Diego) food market, it seriously needs to step its game up.... read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Do not go to this location, This HCT is not good. They forget things to your order and the drums and wings are smaller here. Go to Easton location it's only 15 mins away. read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Nestle upstairs at North Market, these place brings me back to the OG Nashville Hot Chicken when I lived in Nashville. The perfect blend of a crispy, well seasoned crust, juicy flavors of meat, and all your fixin's to cool off your palate, I craved this place when I'm nearby. For those who haven't had hot chicken before... the chicken is usually marinated in a mixture of buttermilk and hot sauce. The breading also has dry spice and seasoning too! It's your more flavorful fried chicken that's seaming with flavor! My favorite cut is now the legs -- they told me you get more meat! Plus, I found it juicier than the thighs I got before (both are delicious!). My fixin's (sides... can't you tell I'm from the south) are the coleslaw and mac 'n cheese. I really love the lightness of their slaw to cool down the spice of the hot chicken. The Mac is really just for enjoyment :) I hope they are doing well during these surreal time! And side note: if you have leftovers and want to reheat it, toss it in an air fryer or really hot oven to crisp it up. Don't keep it in too long or the meat will dry up! read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Legssssss - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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I'm from out of state so when I was looking at where to go and seen this place I was like "ouuuuu" gotta go hereeeee. So you can online order and pick up. I dined in so I went to the register and ordered. Since I was food venturing, I didn't get the meal. I just got the chicken. 5 piece wings. You can mix and match the heat level! What!!!!!! How convenient! So I got 3 warm and 2 hot. I didn't want to even touch the holy. After ordering, you seat yourself. It's community style here. Then someone will yell out your name while holding your food when it's ready. So the chicken tasted as I expected. I thought it would wow me more. You can definitely taste the spices. I feel like with hot chicken, you need some salt lol. I noticed that with all the hot chickens but maybe that's how it's supposed to be! Warm was good. Not spicy. Give you a tiny tingle but barely. Then I tried hot. Hot actually wasn't that hot to me at all. My nose ran a little bit but my mouth was still not stinging and such. Maybe because I started off with the medium. I should've gotten the holy. But the chicken was still juicy! And crispy skin. I think I would have to come back before heading back home. read more

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I've been eating at hot chicken takeover ever since it opened in the north market I loved the idea of helping people get back to regular life after jail. I've always been super happy with it and the food has always been amazing. With that being said ever since it franchised out to gahanna the experience has gotten worse and worse. I went into the location in gahanna and the whole place felt gross. Not actually dirty but the whole place smelt of food that had spoiled in the fridge. Their was one person working and she did a great job getting it out fast but i walk out to my car and open it up and the chicken was burnt to a crisp like it had been sitting on a hot plate for a couple days, the Mac and cheese looked like it had been sitting as well and the banana in the banana pudding was brown. It makes me sad to see such a place i've enjoyed growing up with turn from a beautiful welcoming place to a place I won't be going back to anytime soon. Also last part whilst eating in my car I looked up and saw the same employee go out to her car in her apron, grab a cigarette then proceed to play on her phone and smoke in her apron and at that point I had to stop eating and get food from elsewhere. safe to say I'm heavily disappointed read more

My SO and I split the Sandwich. It comes with 4 slices of bread, pickles and a vinegar based slaw on top. We got the Hot because why not. It was just the right level of spice for me. When we ordered, they asked "What sides would you like" which traditionally means that the sides are included in the price. Turns out that this wasn't the case :( Still got the mac&cheese. It was slightly disappointing. It was cheddar cheese forward. There is a distinct lack of hot sauce available at the restaurant. Since what they use on the meat is a paste, you can't even get that to add to the mac and cheese :( The ranch is great, but pretty useless on the mac and cheese without the hot sauce. The slaw was awesome. Dirty Frank's needs to get their recipe so their Pittsburgh Princess attracts Pittsburghers (or, just call it the Foster House Dog and be honest about it) I would absolutely go back again and get the sandwich. I would probably skip the mac and cheese. read more

This was my absolute favorite restaurant. No joke would choose it over any other in Columbus. They've COMPLETELY changed the menu even though they originally said the Columbus restaurants would stay the same. Coleslaw no longer vinegar based, quality is horrible, portions smaller, they've changed all the iconic seasonings, food is all around just awful. It is SO sad to see such an amazing restaurant go. Genuinely devastating what they've done to this place. I will never ever get it again and if you're a old HCT don't even bother trying it now. I would give 0 stars if I could. read more

Customer service was great!! Ozella was very friendly and helpful. Thank you from my picky eater that enjoyed her food. read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

This hot chicken is LEGIT. Other words to describe this deep fried goodness: -juicy -awesome -succulent -tasty -divine -delicious -crazy good -amazing -spicy AF Don't pass up the opportunity to dine at Hot Chicken Takeover. You'd be a fool if you did. read more

We missed the prime time for breakfast and skipped straight to lunch while we were in Columbus for the day. I found this place online and had to see if it lived up to the hype. When walking in, it was a bit tough to find (second floor of market), but the place was large enough where everyone can social distance while ordering. The people who took my order were so kind and helpful and recommending things. First we tried the hot chicken sandwich, I got it hot (not extremely hot because I wanted to taste my food without tears). It comes with double bread and freshly fried chicken, super moist! I added their slaw to every bite, amazing! It was delicious and had a kick, I would recommend going for medium heat just to enjoy the chicken a bit more. We also got the combo wing platter with Mac and cheese, great flavor all around, well cooked chicken. DO NOT forget to get their banana pudding, perfect addition to this meal and it was delicious. read more

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Last night was my first experience at Hot Chicken takeover at the Gahanna location and I have to say it was a great experience. We arrived 20 minutes before closing even though they were out of a few items, which is to be expected, Sissy took real good care of us and made awesome suggestions of what we should try. ​The food was perfectly seasoned, ​hot and well worth the trip, but it was the professionalism of sissy and her crew that stood out even more than the delicious food! We will definitely be returning! read more

The chicken here is so good but pricey. I got hot wings. Yum!! You have the option of earring in or take out.

I think this store is amazing and a the staff is awesome! t new menu rocks and a very friendly environment!

This is the go-to for my friends and I! The full chicken meal is such a good option for a group of 4/5 and their pickles always hit. I think that the spices have gotten a bit hotter, so where I used to order medium, I now order medium-mild, but it was an easy adjustment:) It's an easy to-go spot, so we don't often eat in-house. read more

Really great chicken from this place. Today was my first time here and I enjoyed it. My wife got the breast with mac and cheese. I just got the breast because I'm not a fan on mac and cheese or coleslaw. I wish they had fries or mashed potatoes because that would be a great combo with their chicken. I wonder what the hottest chicken taste like? I'll try it next time. read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Delicious chicken. The equal to true Nashville hot chicken. Five stars. Why can't I buy three thighs? They sell only in increments of two. Remove one star. The cole slaw... not great. Remove one star. EDIT... Employee did something very unexpectedly nice for me for longish food wait. Add one star!! read more

This was THE most disappointing chicken place I have EVER eaten. After eating there my stomach hurts and I want to throw up. I will have nightmares of this place. When I close my eyes I will see the chicken. NEVER go here unless you have a death wish. PS fries are fire. Jaquese Washington out. read more

This was possibly the worst meal I've ever eaten. The original Hot Chicken Takeover is completely gone. If you enjoyed anything about the original, do yourself a favor and don't bother going to HCT now. The menu has expanded which is fine but when you change up how everything on the original menu is made or prepared, that's an issue. The hot heat/sauce, now known as Nashville Hot, seemed like it had no spice at all. The coleslaw is no longer vinegar based and instead creamy and mostly made up of RED ONION. I've never heard of onion, let alone, red onion in coleslaw. The macaroni and cheese has gone from seeming to be homemade to being boiled macaroni noodles with some sort of bright yellow orange fake looking cheese sauce mixed in. read more

Can I get a heck yes?! This is what was needed! I had heard good things, and Hot Chicken Takeover exceeded all expectations. Walk upstairs in the market to find the corner location. Super casual with essentially long picnic tables, you stand in line to order based off the menu displayed above the registers. We arrived about 11:30am on a Friday to find a 10 person line that moved pretty quickly. By noon, however, the line did span the length of the whole hall! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the tea (sweetened or unsweetened) and the delicious homemade ranch is FREE! Felt like true southern hospitality with these even being the primary choices and then FREE made it even better!!! Food was ready about 10 minutes after ordering. (They call out the name you give when you order) The trays are neatly organized with your chicken, two sides, pickles, and bread! It's so much food I could have split this with someone. I got the hot wings, and while delicious, I thought the sauce was slightly more mild than the head of franks red hot sauce. Being dry-rubbed after frying, the texture was very crispy! Wings were fattier than expected- next time I'm going to try the bone-on chicken! read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Hot White (Bone-In Breast) with beans and Ma's Mac - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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