When Dave’s Hot Chicken opened its doors in London for the first time in December 2024, a massive queue stretched along Shaftesbury Avenue.
The US fast food chain, which was born in Los Angeles, was an instant hit and even six months later, fans are so desperate to get a taste, they continue to wait up to an hour to order.
If you haven’t managed to try it yet, you might not have to travel to London to do so, as the fried chicken business is expanding across the UK.
Dave’s Hot Chicken (DHC) has confirmed two new major sites will be opening soon in Birmingham and Manchester – with the first to open in a matter of weeks.
Those in Birmingham will be able to try the chain’s Nashville Hot Chicken from July when a restaurant opens at 56 New Street.
The new location is inside an iconic Art Deco-style building with a space-themed interior complete with UFO installations, holograms, and graffiti art inspired by renowned L.A. based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehmq.
And following hot on the heels of this, on August 8, Dave’s Hot Chicken will open its doors in Macnhester’s Printworks.
This site will take its cue from Manchester’s warehouse rave scene and feature an industrial interior design, with towering ceilings, exposed steelwork and laser lights.
Speaking about the expansion plans, Jim Attwood, managing director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, told Metro: ‘Birmingham and Manchester are on the up, with food scenes to rival London’s. Opening up our next two locations here kicks off our national expansion, and we can’t wait to welcome our first fans through the doors.
‘Kicking off in July, Birmingham is our first major moment – the first UK site outside London, whilst our new spot in Printworks Manchester is right in the heart of one of the UK’s most exciting cities.
‘We’re taking Dave’s Hot Chicken nationwide. Watch this space.’
What does Metro’s specialist food writer think of Dave’s Hot Chicken?
Metro’s Courtney Pochin, gave the chicken chain a try and it was love at first bite.
She said: ‘I’ve only had food from DHC the once, but it easily blows KFC out of the water and that meal was all it took for it to shoot right up there to join Popeyes in the top tier of my fast food rankings.
‘The chicken is nice and juicy and the Medium spice level is perfect for those who want food that’s full of flavour with a kick of heat. They’re big on pickles, which I love, but the best part was hands down the loaded Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shake – that’s a drink that dreams are made of.’
What’s on the menu at Dave’s Hot Chicken?
DHC brought a number of US favourites over to the UK, with prices starting from £8.
Interestingly, there are just two main chicken items on the menu — tenders and sliders (sandwiches) — which are made using halal certified British chicken. However, they also recently launched chicken bites in London.
To pair with your chicken, there are a range of sides available including fries, pickles, and slaw, and you can also order combinations of these to make for a bigger meal, with four combo options to choose form.
Customers can also personalise their order by selecting a spice level for the dish, with seven different levels to choose from: No Spice, Lite Mild, Mild, Medium, Hot, Extra Hot and The Reaper.
The latter is so hot that anyone who dares to try it has to sign a waiver before they’re allowed to tuck into their food.
Alongside this, there are soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Sprite, and those feeling the heat can cool off with an indulgent top-loaded shake for £4.49. Flavours include chocolate, vanilla or strawberry and these can be topped with Oreo or M&Ms.
Dave’s Hot Chicken was founded in East Hollywood back in 2017, when four friends who loved chicken tenders scraped together enough money ($900) to buy a fryer and launch a pop-up business in a car park.
They began serving Nashville-style hot chicken and soon people were flocking to get a taste, with Drake, Samuel L. Jackson, and Usher all being counted amongst the brand’s biggest fans, and investing in the company.
The business was recently named America’s Fastest growing Restaurant chain, as it now has 200 restaurants across America.
The chain signed an agreement with Azzurri Group in the UK to open 60 sites across the country, so we can expect to see much more from them.
And if you’re still wondering how it tastes, fans on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram have praised the food as ‘unreal’, ‘amazing’, ‘elite’ and a ‘10/10’.
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