A comedy of errors led me to lunch on the South side today. It's a long story... I've wanted to try Chicken Heat for some time. I love fried chicken and I'm a glutton for punishment... Although I errored on the side of caution and steered clear of the ghost and Carolina reaper levels. I walked in at about 1130 AM today and was greeted straight away! The gentleman at the counter asked if I needed a menu. But like any decent foodie I'd already done my due diligence online. I ordered a hot chicken sandwich with pickles and slaw, an order of the Nashville shrimp, and a grape Sunkist soda. I want to say the total was $18 and change before tip. He let me know it would be about a 10 min wait. Mannnn... Talk about hot and fresh. I unpacked it in my car. And hot in more ways than one... I loved that the styrofoam container for the shrimp was vented so the breading didn't get soggy. The spice level on the shrimp was excellent. A little burn, but not enough to completely overpower the delicate taste of the shrimp itself. I'd read a couple of reviews that said the spice levels on the chicken sandwiches were to the milder side so I was confident ordering hot. Those reviews were wrong. Lol My tolerance might be down a little but this was way way past the "Iowa hot" we usually get in the metro. Thank God for the slaw and the soda. There were no tears but I could sure feel it. It was so very good! Portion-wise the sandwich was massive. There were enough shrimp it was worth the money. I can usually put down two Popeye's and here...one was sure enough. I finished my lunch as one happy camper. Good show guys! I didn't feel like the extra carbs today but next time I'll definitely sample the collard greens, the mac n cheese, the onion rings, and anything else that catches my eye. I hear they do catfish on Fridays... And I love me some catfish! While my order was take out there is an indoor dining area available. To order enter through the front and head to the Right. The dining area is kind of a seperate area with it's own set of doors. After ordering head back towards the front and it's kind of to the Left. Make sure you check their sites (below) for their hours... https://chickenheat.com/ https://www.facebook.com/flameonheat?mibextid=LQQJ4d read more

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Finally stopped by Chicken Heat for the first time at their new location. I'd tried their sandwich a while back when they were still selling out of the truck. Honestly kinda mad I waited so long! It's even better than I remember. I had their "hot" sandwich the first time, and I wished it hurt a little more, so I tried the "xl" spicy this time. It was pleasantly spicy, but still not as punishing as I wanted, so I'm definitely going to try the next level up next time. The sandwich itself was HUGE, the chicken was juicy, the breading was crisp, bun was fresh, and the pickle+slaw was a nice accompaniment. All in all, a solid and satisfying sandwich (even if it didn't leave me in tears). Partner and I also got a side of fried okra, and that was a good treat! Only slight disappointment was that they didn't seem to be set up for dine-in, so had to wait a car ride home before inhaling this delicious dinner. read more

Chicken Heat - Hot Chicken Sandwich (XL spicy) - Chicken Shop Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I was excited to try Chicken Heat because I had heard rave reviews when they were a food truck. I finally made it to their restaurant and was not disappointed. The interior is nothing too special - you order up front and can dine-in in one of the booths, or you can wait for takeout. I did the latter and there were chairs to sit and wait and they were full throughout my time ordering and waiting for my food. I got 6 garlic parmesan wings and their Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich, the dish that inspired the food truck. The food stayed warm during our drive home, which took about 15 minutes. Unfortunately, when I got home I was so hungry and excited to try the food that I forgot to take a photo so I'll try to describe it as best I can. The wings were substantial. I had heard some people say their wings were tiny but I was pleasantly surprised. They were just a bit smaller than my fist, and I'd say I have average-sized hands. I wish I could think of something better to compare the size but suffice it to say, they weren't tiny and had plenty of meat on them. The garlic parmesan sauce was a little salty but not inedible by any means. It wasn't strong on the garlic or parmesan flavors and had just enough sauce to taste it but not make a mess eating them. The star of the meal was the sandwich. It's a breaded chicken breast and it was HUGE. It went way beyond the bun, kinda like a tenderloin does. It was also thick. I could easily have cut it in half and had enough the sandwich and some leftover chicken for lunch the next day (but I didn't because it was so good - although I should have because I was so full)! I asked for medium heat because I'm a wuss. It was plenty spicy for this wuss. It wasn't making my nose run or anything but my tongue was hot and my lips tingled. But it had so much great flavor that I didn't mind. The tanginess of the pickle, plus the cool sweetness of the coleslaw rounded it out well and the bun was soft. It went together amazingly and made me wish gas was cheaper so driving 15 minutes to the south side for a sandwich didn't give me so much pause. I want to try their other wing flavors and will definitely be back to get another chicken sandwich! For those braver than I, they have a heat level where you have to wear rubber gloves to handle it and if you eat the whole thing you get on their wall of champions. But, if you don't you also get put on the wall and that group of photos is nearly three times the size of the winners so beware! read more

This place is close by and I have been there a few times. The sandwich is huge and juicy and wonderful I have tried the strips and several sides. So far everything I've had from here has been so good. I hope it stays right where it's at and I can continue to eat there. read more

Chicken Heat - Nashville hot chicken sandwich - Chicken Shop Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This will be our 2nd visit! My wife and I finally gave this place a try last month after driving by for couple months and it does not disappoint. Walked in and was greeted promptly. Menu is good size and easy to figure out. Great music playing while you wait. We probably waited 12 minutes in total. We got 2 orders of chicken tenders and a side fries. Everything is perfectly seasoned, probably some of the best chicken I've ever had. Mild will make your nose run for sure. The hot seasoning had me sweating no lie. Definitely coming back, this is a hidden south side gem for sure. read more

Amazing food and service. Stopping here every time I visit Des Moine. I'm from the south and they make the real deal collard greens. I could eat them every day!! read more

Chicken Heat - Nashville Hot tenders and Collard Greens - Chicken Shop Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I have had their tenders twice. Once was Grubhub and the other in person. They are much better in person. The breading fell of when I Grubhubed but stayed on well in person. I did the mango habanero and it had quite the kick. The fried okra was crispy and delicious. The fries are fantastic. I would definitely go again but maybe would not Grubhub again. read more

Located at the midpoint of Army Post Road, Chicken Heat is in a small building next to a liquor shop. There wasn't much seating, if any so I took it to go. I ordered the Nashville sandwich and fries ($15). You choose among 5 levels of heat so I selected mild. The fries were hot and not your ordinary fries and overall pretty good. The sandwich is the star. It was oversized for the bun and was hot and plentiful. Mild was a good selection in addition to including the topping of coleslaw. The heat of the spice and coolness of the slaw was is an interesting combo. Service was friendly. Other menu items are wings, and variations with a multiple of sides. You are forewarned that all entrees are deep fried. Not an everyday indulgence but overall pretty decent. read more

Best Nashville hot chicken sandwich in the State of Iowa. Hands down. It might take a little longer to make because it's made with love so call ahead if you can. I wish they would give more fries though because they're yummy too. Also if you guys are reading this, you need to release that dirty Mac and Cheese on to your menu, pretty sure it's Mac and cheese with your chicken in it. Mmmm mmm mmm baby! Bring on the HEAT! read more

Always delicious. Kinda expensive but you get what you pay for. I had the mild chicken sandwich but it was spicy enough for me

The cole slaw just makes it that much better. So delicious has a lot of good flavor spice. Customer service excellent read more

Chicken Heat - Nashville Hot Sandwich - Chicken Shop Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Damn. Damn. Damn. Took longer than I'd expect at 2pm, but damn it was worth it. This place could be a franchise. Killer wings and sandwich, but START WITH THE FRIES. Damn. read more

tried it once the people were nice, however... the food was bad, i had to go back in 3 times because the order was not correct not going back read more

Ordered online for 1:00 pickup. Food wasn't ready until 1:30. My son had to wait for 30 minutes and didn't receive an apology or anything. Very disappointing. Because of the terrible customer service, I won't be back. An apology would have gone a long way. read more

Really good food. Like super yummy. Mild is not too spicy. Got the chicken sandwich and that coleslaw was scrumptious.

Best chicken sandwich around ! I get via DoorDash but they are located on army post ! If haven't tried.. you won't regret it !

Ordered mild spice but still had a good kick to it. Order chicken sandwich and strips was very good

This place is absolutely phenomenal, I don't think there is a place in Des Moines that comes close to the breading that covers the chicken here, super flavorful food. 10/10 read more

I live on the opposite side of town as Chicken Heat but I've been wanting to try it for a while. I had an appointment nearby, and even though I wasn't super hungry, I took advantage of being close and stopped in for lunch. I didn't have a ton of time so I had to get the sandwich to go and then drove 15 minutes before I could eat it. It was the best chicken sandwich I've ever had. I got the "hot" level and it was perfectly hot. There are two levels of hot for people who want really hot. The slaw on it provided a nice balance to the heat. Just a great sandwich, and very good sized too. I can't wait to go back and try the fries with it and a few other items on the menu. read more

Chicken sandwich was fricking awesome. Coleslaw was creamy, pickles crunchy and chicken out of this world. I got my sandwich plain and people I was with cot theirs dipped. Yummy!!! Will return to try the wings and mac&cheese. People were friendly. Service was a little slow but well worth the wait. Will just plan earlier next time or call ahead. read more

Had gotten food from here multiple times the past few months and have loved it, service is always pretty good too, kind staff. However my partner and I got tenders there last week and both got sick after eating all of our food & went to doctor for food poisoning. Have to give them benefit of the doubt, maybe there was new staff in the kitchen or something, but was quite an unfortunate few days. read more

I wanted to like this place. Small business. Highly rated. Who doesn't love chicken!? I walked in at 1:30 on Saturday afternoon after dropping my wife off at the airport. There were 4 total customers there including myself. Not busy at all. I was greeted by a young man (maybe 6 or 7 years old) at the door he said "hello" with a big smile. I told the lady taking orders that I hadn't been there before and asked her for suggestions. She said she like the sandwich so that is what I ordered. Sandwhich, fries and a drink was roughly $17 and then the screen asked for a tip. I hit 20% and bill came out to around $22. She told me it would be about 10 min for the food to come out. I walked in to the dining area and sat down with the 3 other fellas and we waited and waited and waited for our food. Finally, the first guy recieved his food and the other group waited with me. They got impatient and went and asked what was taking so long and were told it was coming...another 10 min go by and they finally get their food. They said it was cold.. I mean really cold. They took the chicken sandwiches back and asked to warm them up and kept the sides they ordered thinking they would be hot. Wrong. The sides were cold too. So they took those back. When the other customer came back to the dining area he had a sack of food with him and gave it to me! It was my food 45 min later delivered to my table by another customer, not the waitress! I opened the bag and my sandwhich was cold too! Cold. Like it was in the r fridge cold. Not a single thing about it was even on the warm side. The only thing in the bag that was remotely warm were the fries. They were ok. 6/10. By this time I was 50 min in and had to get on with my day. I ate the cold sandwhich 2/10 and left. Never once did anyone from the restaurant check in or check on us... not to tell us it would take longer than the 10 min they had told me or to DELIVER the food I ordered to my table OR to see if it was to my liking. I wished I could have given the 20% tip to the fellow customer who brought me my order! I learned my lesson... tipping before any service is provided is silly. What a mess. Probably the weirdest and worst restaurant experience l have ever had. The irony... a place called Chicken Heat serving COLD chicken. read more