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    Red's Hot Chicken

    4.7 (277 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Order Red's Hot Chicken Takeout or Delivery

    Red's Hot Chicken Photos

    RED'S HOT CHICKEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Red's Hot Chicken

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    Medium Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders mustard potatoe salad fries. Delish.
    Misty H.

    This place was amazing and worth the wait. I've tried to eat here a few times but their hours are a bit obscure. They are crank out the food. Lines were long call ahead!! Honestly this place gets the full 5 stars because of the food. I got medium hot chicken tenders fries and potato salad. It was enough for 2 meals. Don't be nervous about the way it looks that's part of the charm. It's a little shackish. But man the foods delish!! I'll be back

    Medium spice tenders and potato salad
    Anushka M.

    The fried chicken here is delicious. The spice actually has flavor and doesn't just burn your mouth. I got the medium spice level tenders and potato salad as a side. The chicken was cooked fresh and was crispy and delicious. The potato salad had lots of flavor as well and I really enjoyed both. Ordering was simple, and it ended up taking about 30 minutes to get my food since they make it fresh for you. There's not much seating at the location, so we took it back to our place to eat but it was still so good. Would come back!

    Hot chicken & waffles
    Nena F.

    4.5/5 - first timer at reds hot chicken & it did not disappoint! Ordered the medium slice hot chicken & waffles with fries as a side. The chicken was fantastic - crispy, juicy & spicy! Fries were average - hot & seasoned but nothing special! I didn't have any of the other sides although I would love to try them if I make it back! We did wait 45 minutes for the food - but they have a sign flashing which tells you the wait time BEFORE you order so this was nothing surprising! Would recommend everyone to try it out if they make it to Nashville

    Stephen E.

    Red's Hot Chicken Been on a roll of spots I wanted to try recently. I have always heard good things about reds but never made it over there. Finally had time at lunch today! Showed up 5 min before they even opened and there was already a line! A good sign that what you're about to have is awesome. I debated the dirty bird sandwich but needed it to be a little less messy so go the Crunchwrap in HOT. It has pimento Mac and cheese, pickles, bacon and comeback sauce inside. I have a higher heat tolerance than probably 98% of the population but man the HOT is up there. It's a pleasant heat, not anything crazy but if you're the average person I think mild or medium would be just fine. The flavors all work together really well. My only nit pick and totally just a personal preference would've been a little more grilled tortilla and cut in half. But that's irrelevant to taste. Staff was friendly and welcoming, seating area is kind of half inside/half out with an inside bar area. Definitely worth checking out and getting away from the tourist chains for a better product.

    Hot Chicken Sandwich
    Amanda G.

    Food this place while planning my trip into town. Luckily we were there right at opening because it gets packed!! Food was absolutely delicious! If you're in town check this spot out!

    2 Tenders and 1 thigh box (they ran out of thighs and so substituted w/tenders)
    Anthony D.

    This is the place for Nashville Hot Chicken. Between the texture, flavor, and overall package, Red's is the place to stop for NHC. It's located right near the Parthenon area and is semi-connected to a bar. Check their hours before you go since it seemed like they are mostly lunch hours-oriented. The cashier and service was friendly. It took about 15 minutes for our food to be ready and we were able to take it and eat inside in the adjacent bar. The hot chicken flavor is excellent! So much flavor and I loved the texture of the chicken. It looks like they pound-out the thigh a little bit to make it thinner, which makes the bites equal and uniform where you get a perfect amount of skin (that stays intact) and meat. The seasoning is insanely flavorful! The mac and cheese was the best I've had in the city. The pimento flavor shines through and the overall texture/consistency of the cheese was spot-on. This is where I'm stopping every time to get my Nashville Hot Chicken fix.

    Menu (Jan 2026)
    Albert T.

    First meal after landing in Nashville? Hot chicken of course. I love this dish, having visited some of the classics (Prince's, Bishop's), the newcomers (Hattie B's), and the decidedly non-Nashville Hot Chicken joints (Dave's is probably the most well known, but plenty of others. Shout out to Hancock in Grand Rapids, my favorite outside of Nashville). I'm obviously not as experienced as a native Nashvillian, so I thought I'd try expanding my repertoire this time around, starting with Red's. This restaurant is essentially a small shack with only outdoor counter seating - not a great situation for a freezing cold and snowy Friday early afternoon! Luckily the bar next door (per the bartender, the oldest in Tennessee) allows customers to eat inside where it's much warmer. I visited at 1PM and there was no line at the time. I especially love how the restaurant has an electronic sign hanging from the ceiling stating the estimated wait time for fresh hot chicken. It displayed 15-20 minutes when I ordered and I found it pretty accurate because my pager rang 17 minutes later. Note: I didn't realize going in that Red's doesn't serve bone-in chicken, only tenders and boneless thighs. Hot Chicken Plate ($16.50) - This includes two boneless thighs, fried and seasoned to perfection, with the smoky smell of cayenne and paprika drifting out from the takeout box. They have good, consistent breading all around. The skin is rendered well, and while some fatty parts remain, the rest keeps moisture contained in the meat, allowing plenty of juices to drip out while taking large bites. The breading is very consistent, almost a singular width all throughout the surface of the thighs. It's somewhat resistant to shearing off, but when detached, it comes off in sheets. It's fried to an excellent almost crunchy consistency. The seasoning is exemplary. It first starts sweet and salty before evolving into a pleasant heat with a slight hot sauce vinegar tang. It's a phenomenally balanced flavor. At medium spiciness, it's not bad at all, topping out only with a little sweat and a warmth that spreads through the entire mouth. It's a really nice heat level to allow the rest of the flavors and spices to register. I think I definitely could have gone up one spice level, but better safe than sorry! (5/5) A plate comes with two sides. For the first, I went with the seasoned fries. These are crinkle cut fries that are dusted liberally with seasoning salt. They aren't fried that hard so come out a little soft and floppy. Meh. I'd probably skip the fries in the future. (3/5) For the second side, I went with the mac & cheese, which is quite nice. It's super creamy and is mixed with plenty of pimento cheese to give warmth and extra tangy and rich flavor. The macaroni itself isn't cooked too far after al dente, so there still some solid texture there. (5/5) Overall, a single plate is enough to serve two people, at least persons of my stature. I ate a little less than half of the meal and was stuffed afterwards! This visit placed Red's clearly on top of all the other hot chicken joints I've tried in Nashville in the past. And even after visiting a couple other places on this trip, I think it' still safe to say that Red's is my favorite. I'll have to do some more comparisons next time I'm in Nashville - unfortunately a lot of other recommended places were closed during my time in the city. Bathrooms - Small rooms available in the bar. Kind of dingy, but that's what you get at the oldest bar in TN. I love the "voice activated" sticker on the hand dryer.

    Unassuming and glorious.
    Craig W.

    You want Nashville hot chicken? This is the real deal. It's an unassuming shop located next to the Springwater, Tennessee's oldest bar. In fact, they will bring your food to you at the Springwater, if you want. Everybody does it. Or just sit in the shade at Red's. The chicken is very juicy and flavorful. I went with a "hot" spice level for my sandwich and handled it just fine, although I was warned that it was "very" hot. Decades of eating Mexican peppers and salsas have probably turned by stomach into iron. It was pleasantly hot but not crazy hot. The sandwich combo comes with slaw and pickles on the chicken and it is a sloppy, wonderful mess. It is absolutely delicious. The crinkle-cut fries were heavily-seasoned and delicious and you get an absolute ton of them. The pimento mac and cheese was fine (ordered separately with the tenders) but it is not a must order. Get the fr Skip the touristy chicken spots and come here. This is a great hot chicken sandwich.

    Their Pimento Mac & Cheese is my favorite Mac & Cheese in Nashville. It's delicious!
    Jeff T.

    Red's is the Best Hot Chicken Dive in Nashville. Yes, this place is a dive. But the food is delicious, the portions are huge, and there's air-conditioned seating and beer next door at Springwater. Remember, this is a Chicken Tender place. There are no 1/2 birds or 1/4 birds here. Tenders are the only chicken they serve. But, it is so worth it. Ok, let's start at the beginning... First, you walk into the open air shed and you review the menus on the wall next to and above the windows. Once you've determined what you would like to order, you stand in front of the window on the right. When the window opens, you place your order. If you order their "Hot" you will be warned that it is very spicy. Personally, I Love their "Hot." It delivers the flavor and heat I want when eating Hot Chicken. It's so tasty and it's just enough to make your nose run a bit! I always want coleslaw on my hot chicken sandwich, so the Hot Chicken Sandwich here is perfect. It comes with 2 Tenders, coleslaw, pickles, and Comeback Sauce. It's served with a large portion of wonderfully seasoned crinkle cut fries. Honestly, all their sides here are very good. But, my favorite side is the Pimento Mac & Cheese. I can boldly say that, in my humble opinion, this is the best Mac & Cheese in Nashville. For sure. After you pay (I believe this is a cashless operation) you have the option to take your food to go or to have it delivered to you in Springwater next door. If you have time, definitely take the Springwater option, walk next door, sit at the bar, and order a beer. Your food will be delivered right to you in lovely styrofoam containers. If you do not want any alcohol, you need to order soft drinks or water from Red's. Those things aren't really on the menu at Springwater. The staff at both Red's and Springwater are wonderful, and they definitely contribute to all of this being a wonderful experience! I highly recommend Red's for delicious chicken tenders and sides. As long as you don't need anything fancy, like a soda fountain. Seriously, this place is really good.

    crunch wrap
    PD M.

    I'm not even sure who first told me about Red's Hot Chicken, but I'm glad they did. It's a little shack -- totally nondescript -- with no real seating and just a walk-up window next to one of Nashville's oldest bars (which dates back to the Prohibition era). When you order, they tell you upfront how long it'll take, and in our case, it was about 30-35 minutes. Later, the wait stretched closer to an hour, but honestly, it was worth every minute. There wasn't much of a line outside, which was misleading because they clearly had a ton of orders queued up inside. We ordered the medium chicken strips and the crunch wrap -- and both were absolutely incredible. Easily one of the highlights of our weekend in Nashville. It's the definition of unassuming: simple setup, no frills, just amazing food. Grab a casual beer next door or hang out while you wait. When we went, there was a huge arts-and-crafts event going on behind the restaurant with thousands of people, so I imagine on a normal weekend the wait would be shorter. This was the cheapest meal we had all weekend, yet it made us smile the most. If you're in Nashville and want what I'd call the best hot chicken in town, don't miss Red's. Totally worth the stop.

    Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders Mustard Potato Salad
    Anita W.

    Wait time can get a bit wild, but I can see why it's worth the wait. Also, I did go on foodball saturday! I got hot for my 3 peice tenders, and it's HOT! A side of potato salad, so soothing for the spice Cash only at the bar! There is an ATM available. Most domestic beers, and sheltzers. Great service, very informative about the menu

    Becca W.

    Super friendly staff. Very proud of their place. Steady stream of customers proving that this is a local favorite. Great hole in the wall joint when all you're looking for is hot chicken and sides---cuz that's all they got. Everything was delicious. I got the medium spice level for my tenders which was a decent level of heat but didn't make me sweat. Would be curious to go one more level up (there are four levels). Go for the experience. This is a dive place. Almost questioned our choice when we pulled up. But don't be scared off. You'll feel right at home once you order and seat yourself. Signs everywhere say cash only, but we were able to pay with ApplePay.

    Southern Dirty Bird, medium heat.
    Jay B.

    Feels like a true Nashville experience. And nobody in line was wearing boots or a pink cowboy hat. I'd had Hattie B's in Atlanta and loved it, so I wanted to try this much ballyhooed shack. My group of 9 was very glad we did. There wasn't much of a line when we pulled up, and we found a parking spot easily. Despite the short line, the wait was a hearty one. The 45-minute wait gave us time to hoof it over to the Parthenon. Kudos to them for getting the wait time right. The family found some seating in Nashville's oldest bar next door. I ordered the Southern Dirty Bird sandwich, with comeback sauce, pimento cheese and two fat medium-heat tenders. I like heat, and the medium provided plenty. It was massive. The fries were excellent as well, seasoned fantastically. My wife got the Mac and cheese with mild tenders. It was also excellent. I'd love to return and try some of the other items, especially the crunchwrap. Great spot. I'd give 4.5 if I could, but the wait cost a star.

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    Home run! Exactly what I was looking for in Nashville. Oh, and hot means HOT. Cold beer next door, for the total experience.

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    Red's Hot Chicken - southern - Updated September 2026

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