The popular California chain Dave’s Hot Chicken opened two locations in the Kansas City area this summer. The Overland Park location opened on Aug 4, 2023. The restaurant has a very fun atmosphere, with lots of painted walls and a lively crowd.
Customers go up to the counter, order their food, pay and then find their own seat. The menu only consisted of tenders and slider meals that could come with either fries, slaw, or mac and cheese. The chicken comes in a spice range going from no spice, lite mild, mild, medium, hot, and extra hot. Dave’s also has a flavor called the Reaper, which you need to sign a waiver in order to buy. I ordered Dave’s #3 for $12.99 and a small Oreo Top Loaded Shake for $5.99; $20.71 was the total. The food took about 10 minutes to come out.
The Dave’s #3 consisted of one large chicken tender, a slider, Dave’s sauce, fries, and pickles. I got the tender and slider in the Hot spice level and it was quite spicy, even though I have a generally high spice tolerance. Other than the heat, it was good quality and well-seasoned. The slider had one tender, slaw, pickles and Dave’s slaw. It tasted great, but was quite messy to eat as it fell apart a little bit. I would recommend just getting tenders and getting slaw on the side if you want to try it.
The fries were crinkle cut, well seasoned and crispy. Dave’s sauce was average; very similar to a Raising Cane’s sauce, but less tangy. The Top Loaded shake was mediocre, other places have better shakes. It is, however, a good remedy to battle the spice.
The meal ended up being delicious and large enough to have leftovers. It is another good option if you are craving chicken tenders. Overall, I would recommend Dave’s Hot Chicken to anyone, even if they can’t take the heat.
