I liked this place! We stumbled upon it after finding out another restaurant's wait was so long. The vibe of this place was cool and we were seated immediately. I got the two pieces of fried chicken with Texas Toast! We also got a round of fried pickles for the table (super delicious). The portion sizes are huge and the chicken was delicious! I would have gotten the sandwich next time because that was a table favorite. I think this is the only place I have had a solid fried chicken meal. It's connected to a burger joint next door and I think it's worth a shot. read more

So good! We stopped here after a long day of shopping, actually we walked over from our hotel. Everything we got was amazing. We had the Chicken and Waffles, Chicken Biscuits (a little too much biscuit) and the Lumpia (GET THESE! Soo good!). We will be back the next time we are in Milwaukee! read more

"Employee Benefit Charge" of 5% added to the bill? And no mentioned or note in the menu? Raise prices if you need more revenue. Adding a hidden fee will only disappoint a decent percent of customers and reduce the actual tip to the server. Wood give food a 4 star and lack of transparency on pricing a 1. Not tipping 20% and paying a 5% "fee". read more

Not sure why this place has a bad rep. I can't say it's the best fried chicken but it's definitely better than most places. My wife I tried it after a couple drinks at Burnhearts right around the corner at the advice of a friend we were drinking with. I pushed my wife to get the Nashville Hot chicken and I ordered the honey butter chicken sandwich with a side of mashed potatoes and koolaid pickles for a starter. The pickles were ok. Lily's Q in Chicago does them better. They were minimal on the koolaid flavor. The mashed potatoes were solid. My wife absolutely loved her Nashville Hot. It was juicy with a nice kick to it. Can't say it's truly authentic Nashville Hot but not far from it. My honey butter chicken was ok. I cut it in half and pretty much lost all the breading on one side. Thinking they don't coat it in flour before the egg or the didn't get excess egg off before frying. Either way it was a mess. The flavor was great but the chicken breast piece a little over cooked and tough. If you're going to be a fried chicken place then you'd better perfect it each and every time you serve a piece. That's why Hot Head is just ok. I'd be happy to go back since my wife loved it, but I don't think I'll be making it a regular place. read more

Glad I hadn't read any reviews prior to trying Hotheads. We didn't have the chicken, but I ordered mac and cheese and greens. I had the choice between cheddar or Gouda mac and cheese and I chose the Gouda. It was delicious. The greens were wonderful. Husband ordered off the burger menu and enjoyed his burger, while he thought the price was a bit high. We'll definitely go back. I'm always looking for good greens. We'll try the chicken. Loved the environment as well. Update: Had the chicken. It was delicious. read more

Ordered food through Uber eats and was excited to try something new but disappointed once we got food. Fried chicken is fried very hard and very dark, char on chicken in dry and inedible. Seemed burned but looking at other photos it's pretty much just dark. The batter tasted too sweet and the coating was way too thick. We pretty much peeled the skin and coating off. Sides are just average and I honestly think these were the worst greens I've eaten. They are salty, Sweet and way too much garlic. Corn muffins were good but not spectacular for $3 a muffin (I got 5). Maybe this is some people's idea of fried chicken and southern sides ... just not mine. read more

Hot Head Fried Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

This place is amazing!! The vibe is very welcoming and the food is to die for. I'm looking forward to going back so I can try more things! You will be so happy you went there. I recommend their cheese curds and the Nashville hot chicken. Great sides too! read more

If you would have asked me a week ago, I would have given it 5 stars... we had sat at the bar, the food was amazing, and the bartender was great.... NOW...sadly, we will not be back. The chicken was burnt. I had the Carolina Gold sandwich and cheddar Mac n cheese. Both subpar. Now the serious issues: 1. How many times do you have to ask for silverware? 2. HIRE MORE SERVERS... seriously, either you have the worst servers ever, or they were never proper trained... either way, horrible service. 3. DO NOT PUT YOUR THUMB IN THE MASHED POTATOES WHEN CARRYING THEM... small rule of thumb. 4. Your drinks are WAY overpriced and frankly, just okay. If you are charging 10 for a drink, make it good. 5. FIX YOUR DAMN PHONES!!!!! we tried to call to make reservations and the phones were out of order. Seriously, who does that?! We had such a good time last week, we wanted to come back this week.... sadly, we won't be coming back. And in an area with such great restaurants, I'm not seeing a long future for this place... unless they get their stuff together. read more

Man, what a let down. We went twice: once shortly after it opened, and a second time a few weeks ago, thinking the kinks would have been worked out. We had similar experiences both times. The chicken had a nice crispy crust, but was so salty that it was almost inedible. The sides were also disappointing. I ordered the Mac and cheese twice, hoping the terrible dish I had the first time was a was a one-off. If you like watery, flavorless Mac and cheese, then you're in luck, because it was just as awful the second time around. I also tried the corn salad on the second visits, and it was cold and tasted mushy, like they had used frozen, bagged corn. The server was kind enough to take this off of our bill, so the service deserves a nod. Items to note: cheese curds and Carolina gold sauce were both outstanding. I was really hoping this would be our new go-to chicken place, but I guess we'll have to keep looking. read more

No joke, this is the worst fried chicken I've ever had. The batter was over cooked, rock hard, and impossible to eat. Fried chicken should be crispy, but this was more like trying to bite through bones. I had to pull it all off to get to the meat. I got the Nashville hot too, which isn't really Nashville style chicken, which is fine, but the batter was more sweet than hot, FYI. Like others have said, it takes forever to get your food. We were THIS close to just walking out because we were sitting for close to an hour waiting for some fried chicken. There are several other restaurants in the area that have good fried chicken, walk over to those if you want chicken. Or, you know, you could go to KFC or pick n save, and even those are better options, sadly. I'd never go back, and couldn't ever recommend their fried chicken based on what I had. read more

Chicken was juicy with the perfect crust. Keep in mind that everything has to be ordered separately. 2 piece chicken with a side of mashed potatoes was just enough. I was going to give it 4 stars, but on a not so busy night the server was lost in space. Nice and polite but somehow lost. I got my chicken and when I was almost done eating the chicken the mashed potatoes showed up. I will go back and I would recommend this place. read more

I was so excited to finally give Hot Head a try because we go to North Carolina yearly and love hot chicken. We were hoping to get a taste of it near home. Sadly, we were very disappointed with the visit overall. Despite a mostly empty restaurant on a Saturday afternoon, it took an unacceptable amount of time to get a drink. Although the menu states, 'expect to wait a long time for your food', 45 minutes seems a bit ridiculous. Also - appetizers were not brought out early and everyone's meal arrived at different times. As for the chicken itself, I will say it was moist meat if you could find any on the bone. They clearly don't purchase quality ingredients. The batter was flavorful, but so thick that the skin underneath wasn't even cooked properly. They claim everyone gets one large pieces and one small piece, but there's no size consistency. The 4 piece meal didn't even include a breast piece. Overall - long wait, mediocre food and slow service. I don't see this place lasting long. Such a disappointment. read more

Not good, everything tasted overly sweet! I ordered shrimp/pork belly grits, fried chicken/biscuit, and corn/mashed potatoes chicken leg. Literally every bite was super sweet, including the side of pickles. Even the fried chicken batter tasted like maple syrup...which may sound good...but it was not after the first bite. Will not return. Don't waste your money or time. read more

I'm going to join the chorus of "Nopes" with this review. Being from Tennessee, I've enjoyed a LOT of Nashville Hot chicken in my life. The recipe they're using at Hot Heads is decidedly not it. The breading was inconsistent - caked on in some places and non-existent in other spots. It was also crazy sweet; tasted like burned brown sugar and a splash of hot sauce. Also the apps are over priced and not great. The fried pickles were overloaded with thick, tasteless batter. And the dipping sauce was forgettable (a simple ranch dressing). My cocktail was good, but probably not worth $10. And my side dish (broccoli kohlrabi salad) was very tasty, if somewhat overdressed. Service was slow and took some prodding to get basics like napkins and silverware. So, all things considered I didn't have a great experience at Hot Heads. I doubt I'll be back. read more

So when you are coming to a place called "Hot Head Fried Chicken" you are expecting something that is inspired by Hattie B's or Prince's in Nashville. Thanks to social media, blogs, etc Nashville hot chicken is getting it's moment in the limelight. So I was excited to see a Milwaukee Variant of this. There are some problems here. When you order from Hattie's or Prince's for example you have different levels of heat. Not so here. I didn't think twice about it until I took my first bite and it was something that I would rate 0/10 on heat. Externally it looked like it hit all the right marks. Nice thick skin with various red shading throughout and a red grease running onto the plate. As a patron I would at least like the option of choosing the heat. Especially from a place called "Hot Head" I thought the bun used for the sandwich was good. Pickles were fine as well. The chicken was something that had me curious. It almost seemed to toe the line between cooked and undercooked. I had the feeling if they would have pulled the chicken 15-30 seconds prior it would have been undercooked. I did order a side as well. For $4 I got a bowl of beans. I want to say that I am certain either these were Busch's baked beans or they found a copy cat recipe and used it. The taste was exactly like it was straight from the can. I was kind of surprised by that. $4 is a pretty tall order considering Hattie's gives you a side with your order and princes would cost roughly half that. Looking at the menu I would advise that the pricing structure be reconsidered. I sat at the bar and during my wait chose to watch the place in action. I wasn't immediately greeted nor attended to. There were awkward gaps where people sat without menu's and slight service delays post lunch rush. My service would have been rated 3/10. It was slow getting the order taken and slow getting the check back. Again it was not busy in here. To be honest this isn't something I am interested in going back to. With Foxfire, Palomeno and a few other joints I can get hot chicken elsewhere. I write that regretfully as I really wanted to see success here but I am just not seeing the right elements to make this an established chicken joint. read more

This was some of the best fried chicken I've had! We got the fried tomato appetizer which was amazing. Tried the wings and chicken sandwich and everything was great. A TON of food though so it may be helpful to share an entree and a side! Lost one star because of the service, extremely slow even though there wasn't many people in the restaurant. read more

I'd really like to give them 3.5 stars. The service was good on a busy night and the chicken was good! I had the Nashville hot sandwich. Nice price for a huge piece of chicken. My friend had two pieces of traditional southern fried and really liked it. The sides left much to be desired. We had the cheese grits and the Mac and cheese and didn't like either of them. But look - it's a chicken place and the chicken was really good. so go try it. read more

Chicken was pretty okay but waiting over an hour for it to be on our table was a joke. Even funnier when we asked if we could choose the pieces of meat we're purchasing. We were told no, because the chicken takes 30 minutes to cook and it's already cooking before people arrive ... it took over an hour. The side items. Wow. Seriously laughable. Mac and cheese was so overcooked, sitting in a soup with zero flavor. Just mush. Beans didn't even do canned beans justice. When we we're asked if we wanted to bring them home we explained that they we're good, we were given no response as our plates were removed from the table. One other note. We put in an order for two other sides then were told they were out 1 hour later when our food started to deliver. This review comes from a seasoned traveler who's spent 20 years of his life growing up in Louisiana. Save yourself and your wallet, there are better options for southern food! Quite a bummer, I thought I had a legit chicken spot in my neighborhood. Back to the Palomino we go. read more

Our favorite fried chicken in MKE is Tandem, but figured we'd give this new place a try. Hot Head isn't dethroning Tandem's chicken, but this was still very good. We stopped in on a Friday night. Restaurant was half-full. The drinks: They were handing out free samples of their Crafty Cow lager from next door, which was very good--light and mildly sweet, a perfect complement to hot fried chicken. We ordered two right away. The food: We skipped an appetizer to just go all on in the chicken. I ordered the chicken sandwich, fiance ordered four piece--half Memphis hot, half Southern Fried with the Carolina gold sauce on the side just to try it. Tip: the Carolina Gold chicken is just the Southern Fried with the Gold sauce on top. Just get the sauce on the side if you're curious to try. Carolina Gold sauce is tangy, mustard-y and vinegar-y. Both of our chicken dinners were tender, juicy, salty (just a tad too much salt, IMO) and hot. Portions were good, breading was crispy and spicy, and Memphis Hot had a good, lingering, warm spice. Not too much of a bite, but a lip-tingling cayenne heat. Fried chicken dinners are served on a warm piece of thick garlic bread that, by the end, soaks up all the hot, tasty and spicy oil. We both had a bite and it had a sinus-clearing kick. To share we got mac and cheese (smoked gouda) and french fries. French fries were crunchy and salty, but the mac and cheese was a disappointment--cavatappi noodles in a watery, sort-of gouda sauce. The sauce was way too runny, but the flavors were there. Just mildly disappointing, certainly nothing that would ruin the meal. I recommend thickening the cheese sauce, but that's just how I prefer mac and cheese. TL;DR: Chicken is good, crunchy and mildly spicy. Not as good as our favorite, Tandem, but still damn-good and worth a try. We'll be back! read more

Bar area was small, but nice. Great specials during the week! The vibe is cool, but the music didn't match. Hard core rap + down home country cook in' just don't go. Ambience would be improved with better music selection. Dinner was reasonably priced. You have to have fried chicken here, right? Options include plain fried, Carolina, and two versions of hot chicken. This chicken is different from Nashville hot chicken. The spice is in the sauce, not the breading. Speaking of breading, they spare no expense. The Carolina has more of a mustard flavor to it. The two versions of spicy chicken are hot! Be ready! Sides were okay. We shared mac'n cheese and each got a corn muffin. Am I happy I tried it, yes. Do I need to go back? Not for the chicken, but maybe for something from the kitchen next door or for brunch! read more

Really wanted to like this place. Today I ordered fried chicken both Nashville hot and the regular southern fried style . The pieces of chicken for both the orders were grossly raw and bloody. the last time I ordered from hot head, though the chicken was cooked and dry, the breading was charred and uneatable. quality control appears to be a major issue. read more

Hot Head Fried Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Hothead fried chicken was incredible! It reminded me of Nashville which I wasn't able to get to this year! I had the fancy chicken which was delicious and the honey biscuit! Oh my goodness! The honey butter on the honey biscuit is phenomenal. The chicken was fresh on both and pickles were fresh and crunchy! I will definitely be back! I'm sad I don't have a picture. No not sad I just didn't have time to take one because I ate it so fast! I will be back very soon! 10/10! A Must! read more

I was craving a good chicken sandwich and this hit the spot and cured me! I got the classic sandwich which comes with pickles and I added the chipotle aoli as well. It's a big sandwich but for $10 I wish it came with a side included. I just got back from Nashville and for $10 I got a giant chicken sandwich and Mac n cheese. So it is a little pricy for what you get but really tasty. read more

Order: Carryout. 8 pieces of chicken; 4 Nashville hot, 4 regular. Carolina style BBQ and 414 hot sauces on the side. Slaw, beans, fries, curds, corn muffin with honey butter sauce. Overall, a very satisfying meal. This was about $45 in food, which amply fed my family of 4 with plenty left over. We were very full and very pleased. Chicken - just about perfect. The breading was thick and crisp, but not hard or greasy. The flavor of the traditional was great, as was the Nashville hot. The hot style is medium-spicy, also a little sweet. The meat was juicy and tasty, but again not greasy. I like the big pieces of bread beneath the chicken. I'd like to try their wings. Sides- Slaw was great. Curds and fries were very good, too, though both were a little soggy. That was probably just due to condensation from hot food in the styrofoam container that accumulated on the way home. Muffin and honey butter sauce were delicious. Beans were fine, but nothing like the smoked beans at Milwaukee Smoked BBQ which is what I'd hoped for. Sauces - Carolina BBQ is sweet and tangy. Very good. 414 hot is intense. Rich, smoky flavor. A little oily; the heat creeps up in a big way and really lingers. I've had 200k-scoville sauces and this is hotter. Looking forward to trying that on some wings next time. I have no doubt that the bad reviews are real. I heard much the same via word of mouth around the neighborhood. However, I wanted to give it a try; we hoped for the best and we got it. If Hot Head is able to put out, with consistency, the product we got last night, my family and I will be eating it frequently. I'd encourage anyone to do the same. Thanks to Hot Head for a very enjoyable meal! read more

The guys from next door told me to check this place out. I am so glad they did! This is my NEW go to place for chicken in the city. Everything was cooked perfect and juicy. If you are in the area, and like chicken you have to stop in. I am very happy I did. read more

Really enjoyed my BBQ Chicken salad. Surprised actually how much I loved it. Partner enjoyed his two piece traditional. Had fried pickles which were decent. Drinks decent. Would mostly go back for that salad myself and because restaurant is walking distance from home. Presentation and vibe was kinda lame. Could find better wine glasses and dinner plates - had college dining center feel. Decor felt Hobby Lobby. Yes, pretty empty, but generally...I could look passed all tjis for delicious entrees. And I mean delicious. Would go back. read more

Internet images made me think of Northbrook I'll Korean hot Corn chicken... this is not. .However niche they assuredly do fill and fill it well. Menu excellent, price point excellent drinks on point absolutely ZERO issues with this place other than not finding them sooner. Period ...end of review get there soon and give them your money. Your welcome. . read more

See all

Over 40 bucks for two mediocre burgers (no sides) and a small chicken biscuit sandwich. Never again. A complete ripoff.

I'm surprised at all of the negative reviews-I've been here twice within the last month and have never had a problem with wait time, the service, or the food itself. The fried chicken is just plain good and I could easy make a meal of the delicious sides. The food is reasonably priced for the quality. Last I went, I ordered the burrata avocado salad, which was great despite this being a fried chicken place. I probably would not have come here had I seen the Yelp reviews first, so please give this place a chance. read more

I'm surprised by all of the negativity. My mom and I each had the honey butter chicken biscuit tonight with mashed potatoes and creamed corn. The sandwich was excellent (crispy skinned and juicy with just the right touch of sweet) and while the potatoes were slightly salty, mixed with the corn, they were creamy and lovely. Everything was really reasonably priced too. Will definitely be back. read more

Hot Head Fried Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

Nashville hot was barely edible. Tables are humorously small for a meal with lots of sides. Waitstaff was inattentive. Received nothing but wings and thighs. For the cost there should have been a breast involved. Skip this joint and head to Palomino for legit fried chicken! read more

OK but not going to be a destination. On a crisp, cold fall night, the temp in the restaurant was probably 65ish. Not a good sign when the staff are wearing knit caps (and only partially to look hip). We got the southern fried chicken and it came out very quickly. Too salty, too much batter and waaay too much rosemary/thyme. But it was well cooked so the batter was crisp and the meat was juicy. I don't get the Texas Toast if you're getting a dry fried chicken. Makes sense with sauce. The collard greens side was very good. read more

Stumbled upon this place when my dad and I were looking for a really good chicken place. I had been craving a chicken sandwich for awhile. It was an hour and a half before they closed and my dad and I rushed right over. We get there and do the 'Tuesday Date Night Special' cause we're all about saving a few bucks. With that special you get an appetizer, 2 entrees and 2 drinks, all for $29 *plus tax. I ordered the Fancy chicken sandwich and my dad ordered the classic chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries and 2 Moscow mules. We get our sandwiches and they are displayed beautifully so you can see what's inside. The chicken was unbelievably crunchy while the inside was nice and juicy. My asked the witness, who was the sweetest, for something with honey to add to the sandwich, not that anything needed to be added. So goes and gets him some honey butter. The honey butter was SO good that I was dipping my fires in it. The waiter and waitress were attentive and so kind. The food was amazing. The atmosphere was welcoming and cozy. I highly recommend you try this place out. It's a place you can bring your family or if you wanna go out to eat with some friends, you could come here too! So good! So nice! Definitely try it out. *if you were to try this place on a day were there wasn't a special going on, the prices were still nice* read more

See all

Yummy!!!! I had a pulled pork sandwich... it's with a slight super delicious twist, not your traditional pulled pork. We also got the chicken and waffles, and let me tell you... new fav spot for chicken and waffles! We have been trying to find a good chicken and waffle place ever since wolf peach closed. Will definitely go back read more

Great fried chicken....oh yeah, there is other stuff on the menu, but get the chicken. Try the Nashville hot, its a Wisconsin level of heat. Dont be a baby. Also you can order off both thier menu and the crafty cow, if you diet needs a real kick of deliciousness. read more

Hot Head Fried Chicken - Menu - Chicken Shop Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

I ordered from Hot head about two months ago Via UberEATS and the chicken came BURNT. It was also so salty it was almost inedible. To their credit their ranch chips and "Chicaronne" are actually pretty good. But if your claim to fame is fried chicken, it had better be good. Against my better judgment I ordered again via UberEATS. The chiccarone and the chips which I knew were good. I instead received two orders of chicken and a salad. This may be an UberEATS mistake but the food again was BAD. (I worked out the mistake with Uber.. they told me to keep the food) Same issue either the chicken-- over cooked and so salty it wasn't edible. One order was doused in their mustard sauce, which made the chicken salty AND gummy AND mustardy. Not tasty. The salad was okay but the dressing was a really unappetizing color of green. I've learned my lesson and will not be ordering from them again. This place is really just missing the mark entirely. read more

This is simply the best fried chicken I've had in my life. The honey butter chicken biscuit is amazing. The portions are huge. I have not stop coming back read more

Mom and I stopped by for an early dinner after reading about Hot Head in the Shepherd Express. We opted for the two piece plate, white meat, and ordered ala carte sides. While we were waiting, we talked to our server. She was friendly and knowledgeable and really made us feel comfortable as first timers. She explained the menu and the unique layout of the restaurant - the Crafty Cow is connected to Hot Head and shares a kitchen, so you can order from both menus in either place. The Crafty Cow's specialty is burgers and Hot Head's is fried chicken. Our dinner arrived and we were served 2 really big pieces of crispy, golden chicken on a piece of Texas toast and a side of dill pickle slices. I ordered the pepper jack mac and cheese, which was creamy and delicious, and my mom ordered the hand-cut, seasoned, skin on fries that came in a basket suitable for sharing. I usual avoid french fries, but these fries are my new best friend! Now, I could see myself going to Hot Head just for the fries and one of their impressive selection of craft beers on tap. The chicken, hot out of the fryer, did not disappoint! The coating was very crispy and spiced just right. The chicken was tender and juicy and I cannot wait to go back! I have to say that Hot Head fried some chicken and dropped the mic! Well done! read more

This place went down hill. The chicken on their chicken sandwiches used to be at least an inch think now it is pounded or sliced to an 1/8 of an inch. Should not cut corners like that. We will not go back or recommend read more

I've tried this place twice now. It wasn't very good the first time, but I thought I'd give them a second chance because they're right up the street. The fried chicken was Awful. Burned, VERY greasy and the pieces I got on my last order were all breading and almost no chicken. The seasoning also just seemed "off" to me. (Too much sage, I think) The Mac and cheese was also not good. It was "soupy" and bland like Craft Mac and Cheese, but worse and with less flavor. I'm honestly not sure how this place stays in business. Terrible chicken both times. I will not be trying this place a third time! read more