Drove all over the country and back for 5 weeks and this is the meal I keep daydreaming about…read more Unassuming strip mall place with the juiciest, crispiest, most flavorful chicken I've ever had. Add pickles and ranch and crinkle fries and HOT DAMN what a perfect meal. Service was very sweet too. So glad we stopped here!

Very good chicken! Awesome flavor. Cooked perfectly! Spice is just right!…read more The guy at the counter was really helpful when trying to decide what to order. He made great suggestions on spice levels and how "well" they cook their wings. I went with three whole wings, sauced medium, cooked well done. Food arrives and I am a happy boy! The wings are perfect and the beans are good!! Win. Win. While I was sitting inside I started to see a pretty hefty vagrant situation outside. I didn't notice it at first when I pulled up, but by the time I left there were 6-8 homeless looking folk in the parking lot. One guy came in and asked to use the bathroom. They let him, I was there another 20 mins or so and he never came out. Hmmm Bottom line. Chicken is good. I would come here again no matter the area. I love fried chicken!! 26' - 101

We love canes so much! The energy and ambiance in this specific location was amazing…read more We always park and go inside for a to go order. The service was quick and efficient. The food is delicious as always. Sidariah (sorry if it is mispronounced) took the time to open the door for a customer struggling. She also made sure we had all the necessary additions to our order. She was so sweet! We will be back.

We recently had a great experience at this Raising Cane's location off of White Bridge! Our good…read morefriend told us she'd actually never had Cane's before, and we knew we needed to change that. We stopped in around 7:30 PM on a Tuesday night, and ordered at the counter! The service was as fast as I've ever seen it ... literally my friend was still finishing paying at the cashier and her food was already ready. The restaurant itself was clean as well - and there were team members checking in on the dining room regularly to pick up trash and wipe down tables. Everyone was friendly, which is always refreshing, especially in a fast food restaurant. You really can't go wrong with Cane's chicken tenders, and these hit the spot after a particularly long day. One of my favorite hacks is swapping the coleslaw in the box combo for an extra piece of Texas toast. They also had Leprechaun Lemonade for St. Paddy's Day, which was a fun twist on their classic Cane's lemonade.

Their beans are absolutely phenomenal! They may be some of the best baked beans I've had!…read moreHot chicken: 8/10 Cole Slaw: 10/10 Baked beans: 12/10

I came back today to try some more great food and was not disappointed. Today the wonderful owner…read morerecommended I try the fried fish and it did not miss! I also upped the heat for my tenders up a notch to 3rd base and let me tell you I should've stayed at the Stealing 3rd level because I thrown out on 3rd. Chicken was amazing, but I reached my heat ceiling. Best part of the entire meal besides another great customer service experience, the GREENS!!!!! Can't wait to go back.

Really enjoyed the meal here. Service was very friendly, and the hot chicken sandwich was made…read morefresh. If you are a serious hot chicken fan, add plus one to your normal spice - I had medium and it was mild. Great flavor though. I thought the inside was nice, they have beers and TVs with the sports games on. This would qualify as fast casual but its comfortable inside and they also have a patio. Walking distance to all the hotels, ita perfect for a quick meal. Id eat here again for sure.

We're hosting some friends from Spain, and we wanted to introduce them to Nashville hot chicken…read morebefore they traveled home. Due to some mixups on timing, arrived about 30 minutes before closing. Although they were setting up to close, they gladly accepted our party of 9 people. We ordered a variety of dishes from the menu, including chicken tenders, chicken breast & thigh, catfish sandwich, and the hot chicken bowl. While most of us got mild, a few got adventurous and ordered medium or hot. The staff even gave us a side of the hottest sauce for our guests to try. They have bottled beers and a few on tap as well. We weren't sure what we wanted, so they let us have a taste to find the right one. All of the food was delicious, and the portion sizes were quite large. We had some leftovers for lunch the next day. Admittedly, we stayed well past their 9pm closing time, but the staff never tried to rush us out or make us feel unwelcome. Our only regret was waiting too long to order one of their ice cream bars for dessert -- they had already closed out the register. We'll definitely be back. Thank you for making their Nashville hot chicken experience so awesome! And I'm glad that there's a tasty hot chicken spot near us so we don't have to drive into Nashville.

For my second hot chicken on this latest trip to Nashville, I went with Pepperfire, visiting for a…read moreSaturday lunch. I guess it was too cold for the locals, with a high of only 20 degrees, so the place wasn't very busy at all during my visit. I ordered on the kiosk at the front counter - while ordering is somewhat impersonal, the employees are also available to answer any questions. They quoted twenty minutes, but it took 25. A lot of the reviews state that this place is take-out only. This is no longer the case. There's a large seating area with plenty of tables to choose from. Classic Dark, Spark Plug ($10.99) - This meal includes a thigh/drumstick quarter, fried to perfection, dry rubbed with seasoning, then doused in cayenne oil. The dish looks mean coming to the table given the fiery dark red color, but at Spark Plug, level 3 of 6 spicy, it's not too bad at all, equivalent to about a medium spicy at other places. It's enough to elicit just a bit of sweat from me, warming the mouth and throat as the spices hit. It's not nearly spicy enough to be overwhelming, nor does the heat cover up any notes from the Nashville hot spices. This mixture has just a tiny hint of sweetness, but is mostly salty, heavily peppery, and earthy and smoky. There's a bit of an anise-like quality as well. Some older reviews mention that the chicken tastes too heavily of cumin, but I didn't get that feeling at all. I do feel like the chicken isn't brined at all, so while the exterior is flavorful, the interior tastes somewhat bland, other than a mild natural chicken flavor. The breading is thinner on top and more craggly on the bottom. The skin isn't completely rendered so it helps adhere the breading to the chicken, preventing large swaths of breading from detaching. It has a nice hearty crunch. The chicken inside is moist, flowing with juices. Since it's on the lower end of fry times (still cooked through), the meat isn't able to detach from the bone that well. I actually had a lot of trouble trying to detach the drum from the thigh due to the cartilage still firmly adhering the bones together. It's definitely more of a two handed fried chicken, so prepare to get all fingers dirty. (4/5) The chicken comes with a slice of bread and some pickles on the side, as is traditional. There's more oil soaked into the bread for a medium compared to what I remember from other places. In fact, some parts of the bread were completely soaked through and turned into mush. I don't feel as if the spice level is higher than a normal medium from somewhere else though. The chicken also comes with one side, of which I went with the Green Chili Mac & Cheese. The green chile definitely isn't as fresh as what could be found in New Mexico. It's rather vegetal and contributes somewhat of a bitter note to the mac & cheese which I didn't find to be that pleasant. The cheese sauce is thinner, but still creamy. It's not overly salted. The mac is cooked until very soft, but not to the point of being mushy. Apparently they are known for this side, which is why I ordered it, but I found it to be somewhat underwhelming in both flavor and texture. (3/5) I had some food left over at the end of the meal and decided to do a direct comparison against the other two places I visited this time around (Prince's and Red's). Heating the chicken up in an air fryer and eating them side by side with the other hot chickens, I found Pepperfire to be the blandest in taste and the least spicy. I'm honestly kind of disappointed in Pepperfire. It's still above average hot chicken, but it pales in comparison to other places around Nashville (heck, I've had much better hot chicken outside of Nashville). I was waffling a bit between giving a 3 or a 4, but ultimately decided to go higher. Bathrooms - Single unisex room

Pepperfire is one of the better hot chicken spots in my opinion. They have very flavorful heat…read morelevels without it tasting artificial. The food had always been fresh and I can tell they cook to order. Sometimes the wait is a little long compared to other places but it is worth it.

I got a chance to check out Hurt's at the Hot Chicken Festival. It was really good. I got fish…read more(plain cause it was already hot outside) and my husband got mild chicken and fries. Everything was very well seasoned. My catfish was a touch mushy in one spot but it was really good otherwise. I'd 100% get the chicken again. The fries were the standard crinkle cut which I like and they were fried well. I also got to try the Mac & cheese which was really good and creamy. I'd like just a touch more salt in it but I know it's probably perfect once you add the meat and sauce on top. The service was excellent. Ms. Hurt is super nice and the kids (teens) worked hard. 10/10 Definitely check them out if you see them around.

The only thing worth the 25 dollars i spent at their food truck was the commradery I gained from…read morewaiting 2 hours for my order. Chicken was overcooked. Flavor was mid. My partner and I left incredibly disappointed

Food is great. Hot Chicken is well prepared and with a good blend of Cheyenne pepper and other…read morespices. Heat levels are consistent. Side of spaghetti was good. Needs a little Salt and pepper. The sign says open Monday - Thursday 11:00 to 8:00. Have been here 3 times during those hours and days and they were open 2 out of 3 times. Don't know about Friday and Saturdays 11-9 schedule. No inside seating. 4 outdoor picnic tables. Mostly an order and wait in car place. Right now they only accept cash or a Cash App. Wait is fairly long but about normal for a real Nashville Hot Chicken place.

We had the whiting and cod sandwiches and hot chicken. We got more whiting filets than cod but I…read moreprefer cod more. The whiting was a bit more fishy. But they were still very good. And the best was the chicken. We had medium spiciness because we were worried it would be too spicy. It was spicy and delicious but I think we can definitely handle a bit more spicy. All in all, they were very good. Please update the menu prices. We either got cheated or they had not updated the menu board for sometime :)

Helen's has some of the best hot chicken in the game! My friend & I are slowly making our way to…read moreevery hot chicken place in Nashville, so I'd rank them in the top 5. The food is cooked fresh to order, so be patient & don't come starving. We ate in, and the space is simple and clean. One of the team members was extra kind & welcoming- she's a star. There's affordable street parking and garage parking across the street has at least one hour free parking. Love: hot chicken (medium spicy, crispy, fresh); okra (well-seasoned, crispy, fresh)

I've eaten at the Helen's Hot Chicken location near Vanderbilt dozens of times now. This is mostly…read morebecause of the convenience, but no other place near me does chicken wingettes like Helen's. Their menu covers the standard Nashville hot chicken essentials, alongside an unexpected spread of seafood options if you want catfish or shrimp. My default order is almost always the 6-piece or 8-piece wingette combo, paired with fries and a drink. First, a quick reality check on the space and timing: Helen's is housed in an older, no-frills building. On hotter summer days, be prepared for it to get pretty stuffy inside since the HVAC clearly struggles to keep up. Everything is cooked strictly to order, which means your food comes out piping hot, but it also means ticket times can easily stretch long during peak rushes. Plan accordingly and don't come in expecting fast-food speed. When the chicken arrives, the fry job is exceptional. The skin has a serious, audible crunch that holds up all the way through the box. My only technical critique is that the chicken could really use an extra minute to rest and drain before getting packed up; taking that first bite often leads to a literal burst of trapped hot grease and oil popping out, noticeably more so than other fried chicken spots in town. That said, it often is convention to dip or brush chicken with oil before boxing to let it carry better. Service has a couple of distinct friction points. For one, they are notoriously stingy with dipping sauces. Most spots toss in at least one complimentary ranch or house sauce with a wing combo, but Helen's charges for every single packet. They also aren't particularly upfront about the upcharge until you see the total. Then there's the standard counter-service tipping prompt. I usually leave a tip because I'm a regular and the staff recognizes me, but it does sting a little when you realize you're still bagging up your own takeout containers at the counter. All that said, as long as you walk in with the right set of expectations regarding the service and atmosphere, Helen's easily earns a spot in my regular rotation. It lands at a solid 4 out of 5 stars for me... I just have to make sure I have my own ranch waiting at home in the fridge.