I'm actually super surprised about how well this place impressed me, from the entry greeting and great service of the staff, to the fun, casual, vibey environment, and good music. But most of all I was impressed by the food. Truth be told I'm not a huge lover of fast food. I cook a lot (and quite well too thank you very much! Lol) so when I eat out it's usually for more than a drive thru. With that said, all norms get thrown out the window when travelling. So with this location being super close to the hotel I was staying at, and although I'd never heard of the chain before (just found out it was one) I was hungry and thought I'd give it a try. So happy I did! I ordered the 2pc tenders (one medium, one hot) that comes on 2 pieces of bread with cheese fries and a drink, extra pickles (bc I'm extra lmao!), and the kale slaw. The chicken was seasoned perfectly (the hot was more like a nice medium for my palate) and was super crispy on the outside, tender & juicy on the inside. The fries were also crispy & delicious, and the cheese sauce was tasty (I had mine on the side). The kale slaw which the staff person said they make fresh every morning was really good and definitely tasted fresh. The Dave's sauce was a spin on a 'Thousand Island' type of taste, and the honey that came highly recommended, pushed me well over the edge... Pros: Courtesy & professionalism of staff, fun ambiance, well-cooked/great tasting food, portion size, and price Cons: No grilled chicken items on the menu for those of us trynna behave ourselves on the road Would I go back? Absolutely I would, and it may be today!!! read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Dining area - Chicken Shop Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

See all

Pleasantly surprised, the sliders were quite good and the slaw, pickle combination with the chicken really was quite good!

First time visitor, person at the register meant well in greeting us but we could not understand much of what she said. Needs to speak more clearly but I appreciated the intent. Chicken slider was too much, the chicken did not fit the bread or visa versa. The tender was served very hot, which was nice, much rather have something served hot rather than cold. Ordered the tender with medium flavoring for heat, next time I would probably go a step down from medium because it was spicy. Seemed well staffed and the staff there was keeping busy. Not sure if I would go back, the flavor being delivered via a dusting might not be my cup of tea. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Menu - Chicken Shop Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

A go to for Sunday lunch! The chicken is juicy and jammed pack with flavor and the fries are like top 3 for me! I used to always get the sliders (delicious) but recently switched over to the bites for best value! Staff is fast and always willing to give out extra Dave sauce. A fit large groups too! read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - 10 pc. Dave's Bites w/ Fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Food was amazing, the only complaint i would have is that there needs to be a camera on the way to the bathrooms. That's weird asl that there isn't one someone tried to come into the womens' restroom after my woman closed and locked. Thankfully she did so, but thats all i can complain abt fr everything else was amazing. read more

Delicious chicken sandwich! The serving people there were so friendly! Fast pick-up procedures. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

See all

Walked in and immediately we were greeted with a warm hello and smile. She asked if it was our first time in and we said yes. She explained their menu and the levels of heat in the chicken. I'm not a spice girl anymore so we chose lite mild. I can't imagine how hot Reaper must be!! Dining area was very clean and we loved the Illini decor. Dave's sauce is a definite go to and their Mac and cheese is comfort food to the max! Overall 5 stars!!! read more

I'm leaving a 2-star review based on my experience with the sandwiches at this location. I've tried the chicken sandwich here more than once because I've heard a lot about the brand and wanted to give it a fair chance. Unfortunately, the sandwiches at this location have been pretty inconsistent each time I've visited. The chicken itself is sometimes decent, but other times it seems overcooked or dry, which makes the sandwich harder to enjoy. For a place that focuses mainly on hot chicken sandwiches, consistency in the quality of the chicken should really be a priority. When the chicken isn't cooked well, it affects the entire sandwich. Another issue is the balance of the sandwich. Sometimes the seasoning or spice level feels uneven, and other times the sandwich feels like it's missing the freshness you'd expect from a place that specializes in this type of food. When people come to Dave's Hot Chicken, they're usually expecting something that stands out compared to typical fast food chicken sandwiches. The overall experience just hasn't matched the hype that the brand has built. I was hoping for a sandwich that was consistently fresh, well-seasoned, and cooked properly, but the quality at this location has been hit or miss. I'm not saying it can't improve, but based on my experiences so far, the sandwiches here haven't been as good as expected. Hopefully the location can focus more on consistency and quality moving forward. read more

My favorite Chicken restaurant, which is saying a lot! I went today, I ordered on their great app. I was so hungry when I saw the food that my mouth watering self forgot to order spice on my sliders. Of course, the food was already done when I got there, and when I realized, I asked if there was anything they could do to fix it, even though it was my fault. They took it back, no questions asked, and had it fixed. The cherry on top was that they even included some nuggets in there too! The people are so, so friendly, and have made it easily my #1 go to spot for some quick, fantastic food. read more

Soooo good! I ordered online and picked up inside. I was going to do the drive thru but it was too busy. I got 1 chicken tender and one slider. The slider was without spice and the tender was medium. I would highly suggest getting a seasoning on anything you order as the plain one tasted plain if it didn't have sauce or anything on it when taking a bite. read more

See all

My husband and I went to dine in. The young lady who took our order quoted us a price of $24.28. He asked for the receipt so we can scan and get our points. We didnt select the option for a tip. In our opinion why tip when they only take our order. They dont bring our food to us, they dont refill our drinks, etc. She took it upon herself to add a tip and our total ended up bring over $30. Im all for tipping if it is deserved. You do NOT take it upon yourself to take it from me. Not going back if you are going to steal from me and the service is poor. read more

The food was delicious, but what impressed me the most was the service. All the employees I encountered went above and beyond to be sure we had everything we needed and/or wanted. read more

Went for the grand opening!!! I absolutely love Dave's. My last time was in Chicago in Roscoe Village. My experience there was not good so I was wary to try Daves again, but im glad they opened one here!!figured it would be busy so I ordered for pickup. Everything was packaged and placed just as it should be. Upon arrival, someone at the door directed us to where we should be picking up our order. Once I got to the pickup counter the staff was extremely kind and made sure to give us the right order. We ordered 2 hot, 2 medium, and 1 hot and 1 medium. Everything was delicious!! We received everything we ordered and despite us arriving after pickup time, everything was still hot and fresh. read more

See all

This is for the vegetarians out there, and bold carnivores. The cauliflower sliders are AWEsome! Nuff said.

Great place! The staff were friendly and genuine. The food was flavorful and delicious. Give it a try! read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Dave's #4 1 Slider with Fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Menu is small but no complaints. I got 2 sliders medium heat and cheese fries. Slider is a little misleading because it's really a regular size sandwich. I ate both but should have stopped at one. Fries are just ok but had good cheese sauce. I will definitely be back to level up the heat next time. I think there is 5 or 6 heat levels to choose from. read more

Wow is this amazing! Staff was stellar and hilarious. Ordered the extra hot slider and it was stellar. Hot but not too hot. Told them I'd try the Reaper the next time and so they gave me a sample: WOWZA! That was next level 10/10. Will be back! read more

Nick was great! the chicken was tender and a perfect amount of spice. Loved the food and the service :)

Quick and very enjoyable seasoned chicken. You get to choose your level of hot and fries and sauce added to the overall meal. A little high in price for tenders but the it's not your small man tenders, so understandable. A good safe pick if you enjoy chicken tenders or sliders. read more

Fresh food! Super crispy and flavorful! Staff was nice and very helpful when ordering :) Bathrooms and dining area were super clean as well! read more

I was very impressed. The chicken and customer service were both fantastic. The store design is cool as well. I will be back.

I was given the wrong spice level and didn't realize till a couple bits in and couldn't handle the heat and had to throw my meal away. I was very disappointed since this is my go to place to eat. read more

Service was above average. Chicken was incredible and full of seasoning as well as the fries. It's expensive but the bites are worth it.

Every time I travel over to Champaign my daughter insist on getting some Dave's Hot Chicken! I never tried until last weekend. I have to say it is pretty darn good! Had the mild bites and they were very tasty. Fries were fresh and good! Can not imagine going past medium on there heat level!!! Lady behind counter is the only reason they didn't get 5 stars. I get everyone has a bad day!! But you got to deliver on customer service at all levels. Can make or break some places. All in all I would try again next time I am in the area! read more

Went to hard opening on 15SEPT. It had a big crowd, but service was great and they had staffed up to handle the rush. Ordered a tray ahead of time and went to pick up. Turns out they had not packaged the items correctly and literally had just packed the tenders in two boxes with nothing else. The pick up person figured it out and sent it back to the kitchen to get fixed, but had to wait another 10 minutes. Service as almost perfect minus the order mistake. I've had many different Nashville Hot Chicken offerings and nothing stuck out about their product, even their special "Dave's Sauce" was very mayo forward which I did not enjoy. Price was step for the product ($4/tender) and felt it was a poor value. I did not try any of their shake offerings, but it seemed the menu was some sides (nothing unique), tenders, tender sandwiches and shakes. I give it 2 stars for the service, can't give stars for anything else. Average tenders at in my opinion inflated prices. As a local, I hope they make it, but I think the hype can only get you so far. read more

Eric and Amanda from Champaign branch front staff were excellent and very warm and welcoming. Highly recommend. Will come again. Thank you both! read more

Very pleasantly surprised. Ordered a Tender/Slider/Fries combo to go, order was ready quickly. Food was still hot after a 10 min. drive. Crinkly Fries were seasoned well (and spicy), and both the Tender and Slider were juicy and fresh (Medium Spice level). In addition both the Tender and Slider were larger than I anticipated which was a good thing. I will be back and will certainly recommend it. read more

We order 70.00 worth of food. 4 adults and 2 children. After eating the chicken we woke up the followong morning throwing up, diarrhea, headaches, and no energy. Took out my whole family. This was my 1st and last time earing at this place. read more

3 of us ordered a 2piece tender meal.... and then drinks.... came out to almost $54?!?! My daughter got "No spice", my son got "mild" and I figured I'd try the "hot". My daughter loved her no spice nuggets -- she said it was juicy and super yummy. The fries were crinkle cut which always remind me of frozen fries from the grocery store. My son enjoyed his Mild tenders but my hot ones were almost inedible --- and I love spicy things.... it was crazy peppery/salty dry rub on top and you could smell the heat coming off of it. I had one and it obliterated my mouth -- was thinking I got reaper by mistake?? It was unpleasant. I had my son try a bit and it kicked his butt hard! But anyways, I guess that's the signature dish.... but OMG, I think I may go to "no spice" if I go again. I could only eat one tender and took the others home because if I'm paying $54 for three meals, I feel obligated to eat everything. So here I am, two days later trying to choke down that other HOT tender. :( read more

It is expensive but very good ......cashiers and manager are very customer friendly.....the manager walks around table to table and engages in conversation with people read more

great food! Great atmospher! love the designs in the inside of the store and I definitely will be coming back!

Right from the moment I walked in, the staff was very welcoming with a smile on their face. The food came out fast and it was absolutely great! read more

Good food with a great indoor setting! Staff is very accommodating and they are always willing to help customers. Would recommend!