Came for the chicken, stayed for the cauliflower
K(ate)’s Takes is a food column that explores and reviews dining spots in the Columbus area.
Since opening its second central Ohio store just over a month ago, Dave’s Hot Chicken — located at 1828 N. High St. — offers Ohio State students and campus-area residents a fresh take on the typical chicken tender.
When it comes to the chain’s hyped-up hot chicken, however, I’m offering an equally hot take.
The chicken joint’s options are fairly limited, with its menu offering four combo meals and six side items. Customers can select two tenders, two sliders, one slider or a tender-slider mixture, all of which are served with fries.
One of the chain’s standout quirks is its ability to customize the heat of customers’ chicken — no spice, lite mild, mild, medium hot, extra hot and reaper — per individual tender and slider, which was greatly appreciated.
I opted for the “Dave’s #1” combo ($11.99), which came with two tenders that I customized to be mild and medium, respectively, along with seasoned fries, sliced bread, pickles and Dave’s sauce.
The bread was the restaurant’s first misstep. An under-toasted and under-seasoned piece of white bread offered no solace from the heat of the tenders and felt more like a filler than a welcome complement to the meal.
The chicken was extremely juicy and sizable for the price. Even so, the mild tender lacked any level of spice and the medium was hardly more impressive for a restaurant with “hot” in its name.
Luckily, the fries made up for the underwhelming slice of bread and were just the partner the chicken needed. Seasoned with an unspecified but intensely flavorful blend of spices, the crinkle-cut potatoes paired well with the entire meal and were easily the strongest component, especially when dipped in the supplemental cheese sauce (49 cents).
Speaking of cheese, the mac and cheese side ($3.49) was just OK, and a bit too creamy for my liking; I could easily skip it with no qualms.
In addition to the combo meal and mac and cheese, I also tried a single hot slider ($6.69) — single tenders and sliders are also available as side items — which definitely lived up to its name. The combination of bun, slaw and pickles with a punch of heat was lovely; moreover, I can confidently say the flavors paired together with more success than the sad bread and mild tender, partially due to the tangy pickles that provided necessary relief for a slightly scorched tongue.
I tried “Dave’s sauce” knowing I may not be the best test subject due to my general aversion to creamy condiments, so it’s no surprise I was not a fan. Still, those who enjoy Chick-fil-A or Raising Cane’s sauces will surely have a more positive experience.
No meal is complete without a sweet treat. Unfortunately, I would recommend having something prepared at home to accompany your Dave’s meal, as the small chocolate shake ($3.99) was nearly undrinkable due to its extreme level of sweetness, which led to the drink tasting like several spoonfuls of sugar and nothing more.
My final and perhaps hottest take: Dave’s cauliflower is better than its chicken — and that’s coming from a meat eater. Offering cauliflower tenders, sliders and nuggets, the restaurant hits a homerun with its vegetarian option.
Here, I chose the six-piece cauliflower tender bites ($4.29) at a medium spice level, but next time — and there will be a next time, just for the cauliflower — I will opt for hot, as the flavor is more impressive and delicious, successfully living up to the restaurant’s name.
Overall, Dave’s Hot Chicken is a worthwhile option for vegetarians and carnivores alike. Though there are a few slip-ups and disappointing menu items, at least one trip to the restaurant is worthwhile; and, if you’re anything like me, you may leave with a new favorite food.
Rating: 3.5/5
