Dave’s Hot Chicken opened last week on Neil Street in front of Harvest Market. I live in the neighborhood and was excited yet nervous to try it. There is no drive-through, but the staff were prepared even though the place was packed. There was a staff member who greeted us and held the door. He was also taking care of the trash and making sure it was clean. Another staff member was taking orders on a tablet to help the line, and there were two other cashiers hustling through the orders.
The menu isn’t large which I find nice. There are options of four different combos (main item with fries) which are either tenders, sliders, or both. They also sell hot boxes for larger orders and smaller chicken pieces called Dave’s Bites. Dave caters to everyone with seven different spice levels from no-spice to reaper.
Since it was so busy, we knew we’d be taking our order to go. For how busy it was, we didn’t have to wait too long.
We ordered Dave’s #2 ($13.99), two sliders with a side of fries. My partner and I came for hot chicken, so we ordered both of our items seasoned hot. It was a good choice. The seasoning was hot enough to give us the heat we wanted but not so much that we didn’t taste the chicken. The sauce and kale slaw was a great combination.
We also had Dave’s bites ($6.69), ten bites of chicken with three different spice levels and served with a piece of white bread. I’ll go back to try the next step up in spice: extra hot, but if you like reasonable heat, the hot level is perfect.
Drinks are not included in the meals nor are the other sides (mac and cheese, cheese fries, and kale slaw). They also have a small selection of milkshakes.
Overall I was impressed with Dave’s. We’ll be going back whenever we’re looking for some hot chicken or when we finish shopping at Harvest Market and don’t want to make dinner.
Dave’s Hot Chicken
2009 N Neil St
Champaign
Su-Th 10:30 a.m. to midnight
F+Sa 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.