I didn't visit Oakland much back when I lived in the South Bay, but I had heard of Hotboys having some of the best fried chicken sandwiches around. When I saw that they opened a location in Carmel, I decided to try it out on a recent trip to the area. The restaurant has kind of that gritty Oakland vibe, with graffiti-like art plastered all over the walls and a dim interior. When you eat in, you can actually choose whether you would like full service (seated on the other side of the bar) or a more casual counter service experience. We chose the latter and ordered a couple of items:
Dark Chicken Meal, Medium Plus ($14) - I normally try to get the Hot spice level from hot chicken places, but after reading the reviews here I decided to tone it down just a bit and I'm glad I did. Even at Medium Plus, the spice level is legit. It starts quite pleasantly sweet, but then morphs into a beast, lighting the mouth on fire with each passing second. It's more spicy than the hot level at other hot chicken places in my opinion. Now the comparison kind of ends there. Firstly, the heat is added by a mixture of dry rub and a generous addition of a dry spice mix rather than hot cayenne oil. The amount of breading lends a nice crunch, but I found it to be a bit excessive - it's actually a little difficult to reach the chicken and it insulates the chicken a bit too much, resulting in meat that isn't particularly tender and kind of gets stuck to the bone. The meat is quite moist and juicy but much more difficult to eat than normal fried chicken due to the texture and stick factor. The chicken is kept skin-on, but thanks again to the thick breading, the fat isn't rendered out all the well, resulting in a somewhat rubbery texture. Overall, the bone-in chicken is a bit weaker at Hotboys compared to some other places, but it still tastes good. The chicken comes with some tangy but soft, rather than crisp, pickles, and two small cups of house ranch to help mitigate some of the heat levels. It also comes with a side - I chose the greens, which consists of smoky, vinegary, tender collard greens with some pieces of smoked turkey. The broth is actually a bit spicy and you can feel it in your throat as you eat. (4/5)
Sando Meal, Mild ($16): The chicken consists of a piece of skinless, deboned chicken thigh that has been breaded and fried. The breading is not as thick compared to their bone in chicken and is perfectly appropriate in my opinion. The chicken itself is tender, but not super moist or on the verge of falling apart. It's topped with coleslaw to help cut down on the heat, as well as pickles, all held together on a fluffy potato bun. For me, at least, the mild is basically not spicy at all - just a small tingle on the tongue so you know they added something, but not enough for any pain. For the side, we got mac and cheese, which was pretty disappointing. The elbows seem to be cooked thirty minutes past al dente, and then are dunked in a cloying cheese sauce that isn't particularly well seasoned. There are small bits of pimento pepper, but they only serve to be a points of visual interest as they do not contribute anything to the taste. On the flip side, the crinkle cut fries that other members of our party got were surprisingly delicious. I personally think that the crinkle cut is inferior as it's typically not cooked very well - either soft and floppy, yet oily at the same time, or fried until coal-like. These, on the other hand, are well crisped with fluffy interiors. They're great unseasoned or seasoned, and are not overly salty. Dipping them into the house ranch is the perfect complement. (4/5)
Hotboys certainly serves some really tasty chicken. Next time I'm in the area, I will visit again.
Bathrooms - Larger ones behind the stage
Some other tips:
Kids eat free on Tuesdays
By the time we left, they were setting up the stage for live music. It's probably better to go later in the evening if you're interested. read more