Awesome food and lots of it, great service, and the free tea is always a plus! I loved eating here and left very full. It is a great place for a quick lunch, and there is plenty of seating. There are four levels of spice, and I always get the cold that has a little cayenne pepper. The mac and cheese is some of the best I have ever had, and the wings are always good. read more

Wonderful hot chicken, nice heat with great flavor is some of the best around. Side options include mac n chees and slaw. The slaw is some of the best around while the mac is just average. read more

The chicken is pretty good but the wait is ridiculous! And the sides are mediocre at best. They add salt to the banana pudding. SWEET TEA is amazing read more

AMAZING - Amanda was the nicest EVER, plus the food is . Highly recommend the warm wings and Mac 'n cheese, also really appreciate the free drinks! read more

Great chicken breast. Enjoyed the atmosphere as well. The "warm" setting is hot enough for me.

We planned on going to another restaurant in the market but it didn't look good so this was our plan B and it was DELICIOUS. We are from out of town and have never been here. I may well dream about the chicken and Mac n' cheese. All absolutely delicious and fast service. read more

The customer service was better than the food and the food was amazing! Thanks to the owner for his business practices! The tea was epic!!! read more

CHICKEN IS SO GOOD! I got the hot wings meal and a banana pudding and everything was so good. I personally thought the cole slaw had too much vinegar in it and the mac and cheese was OK at best. I would definitely come again for the chicken though! read more

Delicious comfort food. Long lines move quick. Choice of white, dark, wings, or boneless- all great in four varying degrees of spice! Don't miss if you are at the North Market! read more

Not going to lie, after hearing and reading about this place, I was excited but that is where it stopped. I ordered the sandwich with medium heat and the flavor was good, but the chicken itself was very dry and tough. And in all fairness, mine wasn't the only sandwich like that. The two guys sitting across from me said the same exact thing. So $13 for the sandwich and a side of mac n cheese, it was not worth it. read more

I've been to to Nashville and had hot chicken from many different restaurants and this ranks as some of the best I've had. read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Chicken is great! I can only get the warm one though. The mac and cheese is good plus if you dine in you get free sweet tea. Who can beat that? read more

HOMEMADE RANCH IS OFF THE CHAIN, SON! Also, everything else is great and free tea is an important detail.

Had the next to hottest and it was almost too hot. Was good juicy and delicious. My friend suggested dipping in the ranch dressing. That would have been a good idea . However, cole slaw had hardly any dressing. It was sweet but I would rather have a mayo based dressing. Mac n cheese was good but not special Tea was very good. Biggest complaint was price but you are at the North market. It goes with the location read more

hands down! best fried chicken I have ever had! Every time I visit columbus, this place is a must. I wish they have one in Texas! read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - drums with holy seasoning! - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Good but not the best. Everyone freaks out about this place, but I don't understand the hype. It's a place to try once just to say you did. You won't be disappointed, but you definitely won't be thrilled. read more

So i finally got to try this! And is only because they happened to be in the Dublin area. The restaurant was so helpful trying to help me track down where the food truck in the park. I ordered the chicken sandwiches and the drumsticks. Now, I was not a big fan of the sandwich bread. Maybe if it was toasted I would have liked it more. But by the time i got back to work with my sandwich the bread was soggy and falling apart. I would love to try this again with a different type of bread. But the chicken itself, is yummo! Delicious spicy hot crispy chicken. What's not to love about that! read more

It's been a while since I've been to HCT, but I was pleasantly surprised. I've had the hot, and the holy. The holy was good going down but... a little spicy for my tastes later on. The spicy chicken, ranch dressing, pickles, bread, and mac are a delicious combo. I usually make a sandwich of it all - but enjoy the mac on the side. So glad they opened one up in Clintonville but my family isn't into spicy food so... I need to sneak it in over lunch in most cases. read more

service is amazing but the chicken is really the reason why we line up half an hour before open and devour everything on the menu. if you are a spice lover, i dare y'all to try the HOLY level of spiciness.. lol but don't say i didn't warn you! read more

Hot Chicken Takeover - drum stick meal with waffles! - Southern Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Fantastic food, stellar staff, awesome atmosphere. Don't miss out on this up and coming chain in the heart of Columbus. Ask for Liz:)

Came to HCT for the first time with a friend. Heard very good thing about this place. My friend and I ordered HOT boneless chicken meal. The chicken was good, Mac n cheese was OK, but the coleslaw was below average. From reading past review, a lot of people mentioned free banana pudding with yelp check in. However, we were told that the offer is no longer available. We were kinda disappointed. Before we left, we noticed the owner, Joe walked in. He smiled and greeted several people (he has such a cute smile!). Overall, we would come back again for their chicken. TLDR: Chicken and Mac n cheese were good. Coleslaw needs improvement. read more

Friday afternoon lunch, headed to the North Market for our 2nd tour of Hot Chicken Takeover...Arrived at HCT roughly 1145 and of course there was a line.. Don't let the line discourage you, the line moves very fast and Food is up quickly... decided on all white "warm" with double order of mac and cheese ...there are different degrees of heat, warm has a bit of a bite, but not over the top and seasoned to perfection. The meal comes with 2 pieces of bread (nothing fancy, to sop up sauce or to make sandwich), pickles slaw and mac n cheese...do yourself a favor and get a cup of sweet tea at the condiment line (free) and load up on the buttermilk ranch dressing... I use the ranch in my slaw and also pairs nicely with the heat of the sauces... warning, the ranch and sweet tea are addictive and I made 2 trips to load up on both!! Chicken was amazing, 2 huge Chicken Breast covered in sauce, chicken was perfectly cooked juicy and each bite brought a bigger smile to my face.... the meal was 13.50, well worth the experience and quality food... seating is cafeteria style, don't let that steer you away, people are friendly and busy polishing off their meals...do yourself a favor and get over to HCT on the 2nd floor of the North Market, definitely a restaurant you want to check out!! You won't be sorry read more

HCT is worth trying once for the experience it offers. Today was my third and the last time. I was not impressed by the chicken meat quality. It's fried chicken, but the pieces came out loaded with grease/oil. We choose the dine-in option and walked out with smelly clothes! read more

Everything is Perfection here! The staff is warm and welcoming and always want to make sure you're satisfied!

I'm a native Nashvillian, so I have to be a tad critical. The chicken was good, yes, but it was NOT real hot chicken. The seasoning and flavor was WAY off and it wasn't even hot. The mac n cheese was ok, but I don't like Cole slaw, so not having any other sides to substitute was unfortunate. They need more sides. The sweet tea was good. They are also WAY overpriced for what you get. 12.50 for a meal and they're gonna charge extra to get double Mac n cheese instead of cole slaw? That's insane. Basically, sure it's good chicken, but if you want real hot chicken drive the 6 hours to Nashville. read more

Its good fried chicken and mac and cheese what's not to love.

Some of the best fried chicken in Columbus. The menu is simple (but expanding). The quality is pretty consistent. I love the emphasis on community and providing opportunity. HCT's business philosophy and food keep me coming back. read more

Having lived in Nashville, TN, the home of hot chicken, this was disappointing. The chicken itself was pleasant but the side dishes are incredibly mediocre and disappointing. The slaw... I can't finish the sentence. It was disappointing. They only have those two sides to offer and they blew it. The banana pudding is enjoyable though. read more

Yum is all I really need to say... and I'm glad there's multiple locations now.

This place is great! Free ranch and wait for it...... free sweet tea!!!! Must try in Columbus!!

Hot Chicken Takeover is really great! They have really nice people there and really great food. They have lots of tables so there is always available seating, which is great in such a busy environment. This is my first time here and I would say I will definitely be coming back. Thanks for the great experience! read more

So first off, this place does probably have the best fried chicken in Columbus. But let's face it, that's a low bar to clear. There's not even a Bojangles in this town. So that said - it's fine. It's a perfectly acceptable rendition of Nashville Hot Chicken. But Hattie B's it ain't. Or for that matter, it doesn't stand up to Rocky's Hot Chicken in Asheville either. And considering it's a restaurant that is only trying to do one thing, and do it well, I think it falls a bit flat. The chicken itself isn't as juicy and flavorful as it could be. So while it's the best in town, there's certainly room for better. read more

worth the wait. Make sure to get there early on the weekends, if you get there later in the afternoon, they just might be out of chicken. The levels of spice is great! The portions are big enough to share and the price is fair. Excellent succulent meat! read more

My goodness, yes! I love me some good fried chicken but mostly, I'm disappointed by local offerings. HCT is more than the exception to the rule for me though. They are operating in a completely different realm from most other fried chicken offering establishments in town. Here's why. The chicken - First off, all 3 flavors, first and foremost actually taste like chicken. Amazing that something that basic can be missing in so many other fried chicken flavor profiles, but it is. The pieces are good sized, tender and juicy and the breading is light and crispy. As far as the three flavors go, they have cold, spicy and holy. Cold still has a little spice and a great flavor profile. Even if you are really sensitive to heat, it will be enjoyable, but don't worry, the sweet tea is free. ;-) If you like a little spice to a moderate level of spice, the cold version will still be nice and of course the other flavors come through a little more. The spicy chicken is pretty spicy. Think the hottest wings at a sports bar chain. For my money, this is where I like it. Too spicy for many probably, but not so spicy that you can't taste the rest. The holy is pretty painful. Both on the way in and out... I would compare the spice level on this to the green papaya salad at Bangkok, or a really spicy Ethiopian dish. If you want some heat and are worried about the spicy chicken, don't worry. They have amazing, house made ranch dressing for dipping, or pouring over the chicken, piled up high on your white bread. The dressing is creamy and has a nice herb and cracked pepper flavor profile. The sides - I mentioned the ranch dressing(as much as you need for free), as well as the free sweet tea, but wait, there's more! And if you call within the next 10 minutes... Wait, scratch that. There is more though. Each meal(yes, you do purchase them in meals) comes with fresh, vinegar based coleslaw and delicious, cheesy mac and cheese. The mac-and-cheese should satisfy everyone. It's kind of between a thick, béchamel-based, baked mac-and-cheese and a cheesy, gooey, boil noodles and mix with cheddar cheese sauce mac-and-cheese. Just right to satisfy without taking the spotlight from the chicken. As I mentioned, you also get some slices of white bread to go with it. The atmosphere - Two long lengths of picnic tables outside, under a pop-up shelter. Perfect for meeting new people and hanging out with fellow foodies. The owner - Probably part of the atmosphere, but it amazes me how, on a hot day with a packed environment, he and his wife can act so cool, generous and friendly. They make you feel like you are the only one there while managing probably 50+ people. I don't know how they do it. The amazing - All this talent. All this hard work. All this dedication. All these weekends sacrificed. What's the motivation usually? Accolades? Money? Usually, but not here. These folks are using all of these to give folks a chance to segue back into the workforce. Makes you want them to succeed even more! A few tips - Like I said, the spicy is pretty spicy, not what you might call a "medium" spice. They open at 12 and serve until they are out(sometimes less than 2 hours), so get there early. They might even serve a little early, so if you come before 12, then you can be sure to either get in line early, or maybe even get served early. This is meant to be a place with a community feel, so be friendly and come ready to chat with your neighbors! Yup, 5 stars. Wish I could give more, because this place stands above the rest. Wish we had more like it. read more

Another great local business to support! Overall just a great experience with amazing food.

Best place in Columbus to get Hot Chicken. I can't ever skip the banana pudding as well.

I can't say enough good things about the food. The holy is hot but not so far over the top that you can't eat it. I'm not a fan of cheese so I get the slaw. It's a vinegar based that's very fresh and with some nice bite to it. How they run the service is quick and easy. Highly recommended and try as often as I can to get down there read more

Some of the best fried chicken in Columbus. Simple menu, but it's all you need. The warm is pretty spicy. Sides are great, staff is great. Can't say enough good things about the Hot Chicken Takeover. read more

Today I finally got to partake of the now-nearly-legendary Hot Chicken Takeover, and it's a good thing I went early because going by their FB, they're going to be out of chicken by 3pm today. It did not disappoint. I ordered hot and white, and the crispy skin was delicious, flavorful and spicy - especially when dipped in the creamy, lovely homemade ranch dressing. The chicken was tender and flavorful - the flavor is not all in the crust here! Delicious sides and sweet tea and a fun, unique dining experience made it a great outing. I can't wait to go back. read more

As close as you will get to Nashville chicken in Columbus. Really good chicken and spicy- oh yes it is. It is soooo good. You wanna smack you mama over this. Mac and cheese very good and leave room for that banana pudding! read more