Only a 4 because the wait seemed long. We got two orders of two tenders plus Mac and cheese, fries and a single tender for me. I got medium spicy and they included complimentary spicy ranch which had great ranch flavor but is just slightly too hot for me. Though I still went back . Fries are lovely! Crinkle fries with some spice. Mac and cheese is delicious even better spiced up. I'm a leftover girl these are all fab in the air fryer later. read more

I visited Dave's Hot Chicken in Hamden just under a month ago for my first experience with the chain, and based on all the positive reviews and hype I'd seen online, I was genuinely looking forward to trying it. Unfortunately, it ended up being one of the worst restaurant experiences I've had. I ordered a chicken sandwich and an order of loaded fries topped with chicken bites around 5:30 p.m. At the time, there were only two orders ahead of mine, so I expected a fairly quick wait. As the minutes turned into an hour, I started to get concerned. Around 6:30 p.m., I asked about my order and was told they were still working on it. Meanwhile, I watched multiple customers who had ordered after me receive their food and leave. By around 7:15 p.m., the employee who had originally taken my order noticed I was still waiting and asked if I had received my food. When I told her I hadn't, it took another 10 minutes before my order was finally brought out. By then, I was already late for another commitment and had to take most of my meal to go. The long wait might have been forgivable if the food had been worth it, but it wasn't. Everything was cold. The chicken sandwich was not only cold but also undercooked. The loaded fries were disappointing as well--the fries themselves were barely edible, the cheese sauce was cold, and the chicken on top was cold too. After waiting nearly an hour and a half, receiving food in that condition was incredibly frustrating. The following morning, I left a review, and management responded. I appreciated that they acknowledged my feedback, but the response was little more than a brief apology stating they strive for excellence and thanking me for bringing the issue to their attention. Given the severity of the experience an excessive wait, cold food, and undercooked chickenI expected more than a generic two-sentence reply. A refund, an offer to remake the meal, or even a gift card to give the restaurant another chance would have shown they genuinely cared about making things right. I understand that restaurants have bad days. Looking back, I probably should have been more assertive and spoken with a manager before leaving, but I was already late and didn't have the time. My hope is that this was an isolated experience and not representative of every Dave's Hot Chicken location. Unfortunately, based on this visit and the lack of meaningful follow-up, I have no desire to return. When a customer waits nearly 90 minutes and is served cold, undercooked food, the appropriate response is to make it right not simply apologize and move on. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Large Top-Loaded Spicy Buffalo Mac - Halal Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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7/10 Tried Dave's Hot Chicken for the first time today at their new location in Hamden, CT, and I've got to say -- the place definitely makes a great first impression. When you walk in, it's bright, colorful, and lively -- the kind of atmosphere that'll really appeal to younger crowds. There's plenty of seating, and I was greeted right away. Everything looked clean and well-kept, and my food came out in a decent amount of time. I ordered two slider sandwiches (one for me, one for my wife) and the 10-piece bites for our three-year-old. Our daughter liked the bites but didn't finish them -- which is pretty standard toddler behavior! Now, my wife and I both agreed: the chicken was juicy and flavorful, but we personally wished it had a bit more crisp to it. The kale slaw on the sandwich was a nice surprise -- first time I've had kale slaw, and it worked well with the pickles and Dave's sauce. One of the employees suggested adding honey, and while it added a sweet kick, I think the sandwich was solid enough without it. Overall, I'd give the experience a 7 out of 10. The food was fresh, the flavor was there, and the service was great. I'd definitely return to try something else on the menu. Plus, with Popeye's being the only other chicken spot nearby, it's nice to have another option in Hamden. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Tender slider - Halal Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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Service was pretty quick for day 2 opening. The cashier was friendly and efficient. The place has lots of indoor seating. Drink options were great; soda, slushy, and shakes. Prices are on par with other fast food restaurants in the area read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Colorful - Halal Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Dave's Hot Chicken is a chain of fast-casual Nashville-style hot chicken restaurants that opened in Los Angeles, California in May 2017. It was founded by Armenian-American childhood friends Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, and brothers Tommy and Gary Rubenyan. Kopushyan, the chain's namesake, was a professional chef trained by restaurateur Thomas Keller at three-Michelin-star restaurant The French Laundry. He and his friends had a dream to open their own Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant. After scraping together $900, they opened the first Dave's location which was nothing more than a street food stand in a parking lot. Following word of mouth in local publications and social media, the brand quickly took off. By the following year, the food stand had been replaced by a brick & mortar location at a nearby strip mall. Pretty soon, additional Dave's Hot Chicken locations began popping up all over California and beyond. As of 2025, there are over 300 locations in six countries. My family and I just visited the brand new Dave's Hot Chicken in Hamden, Connecticut for dinner. The Hamden location is the fifth one to open in Connecticut this year (following Milford, Newington, Southington and Stamford). We really liked the interior of Dave's, which featured street art on the walls: a feature that originated at the original Dave's location. I ordered the "1 Tender & 1 Slider w/ Fries" (served with kale slaw, pickles & Dave's sauce) and chose "Extra Hot" for my heat level, my wife had the "2 Sliders w/ Fries" and chose "Mild" heat, and our two sons both had the "2 Tenders w/ Fries" with no heat. We all had a delicious dinner!! We hope to be back again and again! read more

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First time and I got Dave's bite10pc chicken nuggets and french fries a soft drink . Not knowing how hot the chicken is i just got hot and wow it's was hot and good I hope Dave's Hot Chicken is in Hamden for a log time read more

This is the new establishment that moved into the space where DiBella's used to be. Very vibrant and clean atmosphere, friendly and dutiful waitstaff. I liked the food overall. My top loaded fries were more enjoyable than I thought they would be. Chicken was juicy, tender and flavorful. Fries were crispy and well seasoned. Pickles were crunchy. Kale slaw was creamy and savory with fresh vegetables. Cheese sauce and Dave's sauce were both delicious. Next time I'm getting a large. The "chocolate" shake was a letdown, however. There was barely any chocolate flavor; it was 99% vanilla. The shake was decent for what it was, but why be skimpy on the chocolate? Despite the underwhelming shake, I liked my meal a lot. I look forward to trying their spice levels in the future. Great food. read more

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I took my kids here and we ordered the two slider meal, a large loaded fries, and a small buffalo mac. When we brought the food to the table I realized that they gave me the small buffalo mac that I ordered, along with a large buffalo mac instead of the loaded fries that I ordered. All of this food cost more than $50, which is not cheap! When I went up to the counter to let them know they gave me the wrong food and the workers were like "ok" and didn't want to do anything to make it right. When I asked for ranch they told me they'd have to charge me!! We went to a fast food restaurant for a reason, and I didn't have time to wait for them to correct the order and I wasn't going to pay for ranch. I complained through Dave's Hot Chicken website and received a text from the manager at 12:30 AM (!!!) apologizing for the "mix-up" and thanking me for my understanding. Unprofessional conduct and garbage food. Don't go here!! read more

Coming from a Foodie / Chef. Chicken lover. This is my first time trying DHC. And first impression of the large medium spice tenders was a box containing 2 deep dark red spiced tenders. Looks tasty and a bit spicy. Upon tasting them first bite was salty and not at all crispy. A bit disappointing the fries cold and a total salt bomb. Actually the whole box was a One note experience. In the world of Chicken meals offered by so many restaurants, DHC wasn't the bites I hoped for. I may try it again down the road but for now just Ok. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Halal Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Food was cold, fries missing from meal, and I ordered in store not through third party too. Wanted to charge for sauce. Too expensive for basic chicken. read more

This is my third time here. They dropped the ball. My sliders had hard dried out chicken tenders. Tasted like old chicken that was sitting around and kept getting warmed up. With sauce and wilted veggies. Fries was the only thing that was good. Gave my dog the chicken smh. The young man that rang me out was great. read more