***USP: fried chicken fast food place with a wide range of heat levels from mild to high heat for more adventurous palates. ***AMBIANCE: graffiti style artwork on the walls. Place order up front, find a table and wait for your buzzer to light up. ***FOOD: this time around we got the chicken bites. It was after school and kids wanted a quick snack. The bites came with a mayo based sauce, a slice of white bread and some pickles. The chicken was surprisingly beautifully cooked, it was soft and flavorful. The coating wasn't too thick but still crunchy enough. We got a medium spice level and it wasn't too hot but delicious with a perfect balance. The pickles in my opinion did not go well with the spicy chicken. The mayo helped by providing a nice creamy element though. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

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Not bad if you want some chicken. I came on a not busy weekday to grab some lunch and I was the only person in there. You can order via the front or they have some kiosks where you can order. I ended up getting the Dave combo #3 which was a slider/tenders and some fries. They apparently charge extra for dave sauce, if you want more than the little container that they give you which I hate when places charge for extra sauce. It's pre-portioned most likely so give throw in another container. The food came out somewhat quickly and I don't know how but the fries were still a bit cold but had good crisp? The slider was a pretty good size and the tender was pretty huge actually. I got medium spice and I could really only taste the spice once I got into the tender. It gave me a little bit of a head rush from the spice but nothing too crazy. I may come back if I really want some hot chicken but the meal itself was $20 and for lunch, is a bit on the higher side for me. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Dave's #3 1 Tender & 1 Slider w/ Fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

This is the second time I've come to this location, and the chicken sandwich I ordered today is one of the best I've ever had. It was juicy to the point of dripping, and the slaw was much sweeter and less salty than the one I had last time. The chicken had a really great spiced seasoning crust, and it went really well slathered with the hot chicken sauce read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Single Slider - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

The spicy chicken sandwich definitely hit the spot! The cashier was super friendly, too. Great food and excellent customer service!

This is my first time having this chicken and it's BOMB. I got a tender and slider combo in spice level medium. Fries with the pickles and bread was really, really good. Ordered online and it came out hot and fresh right on time. I really don't understand why people fawn over raising canes, it's nothing c ompared to this place. Also pro tip: Most of the recent 1 star reviews are bots or just p eople who don't understand what "reaper" means. Highly recommended. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Medium spice slider and fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

We had the double chicken sandwich. It was preorders and ready when we go there so good service. The chicken was fresh and tasty with condiments that are appropriate. Will keep them as a valid option for a spicy chicken sandwich. read more

Delicious chicken. Amazing fries. Crinkle cut fries. Their special sauce is pretty epic. I got medium spice on the chicken and it was perfect for me. Food was really quick and packaged nicely and service was fast and efficient. Easy to order because they have everything plotted out into meals. There's plenty of tables to eat inside, but I took mine to go. The only thing that sucks is parking because it's next to a very busy Trader Joe's, but it's worth a fight for the good food. read more

Got the slider and tender combo, which comes with fries and a small side of pickles. I ordered extra hot, and it definitely had a nice kick. It's spicy but still very manageable for someone with a high spice tolerance. The service was fast and efficient, you can order at the front or through a kiosk. The ambience is casual and lively. The chicken was juicy and well-seasoned, and everything came out hot and fresh. read more

We had a nice dinner here tonight. It wasn't too busy and we quickly placed our orders. This location is closer to where we live, which is convenient. There is a lot of seating and it's always clean and tidy inside. I ordered the slider combo with fries and my husband ordered the slider and tender combo with kale salad and a chocolate milkshake topped with Oreo cookies. Within 10 minutes our pager buzzed and our food was ready to be picked up. Their chicken is so delicious and juicy. It's always made fresh and I love that they give extra pickles and sauce on the side. We enjoyed our dinner and the milkshake was really good. read more

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Sorry to say it but I have to question the shape of these sandwich's , not only that the texture is strange, it seems like some kind of animal but not a chicken, maybe it was the animal screwing the chicken from behind that gave him that look on his face like ouch! lol seriously makes one wonder !! Have you ever seen chicken having these shapes before? It's not just me is it? read more

Very disappointing experience this time. The food is definitely not worth the price anymore. The sandwiches and chicken portions have gotten noticeably smaller, while the prices remain high. Dave's Hot Chicken used to be much better, with generous portions and great value. You can clearly see the difference--this place used to be packed with customers, and now it's nearly empty. I believe the decline in quality, smaller portions, and high prices are a big reason why. Please bring back the quality and portion sizes you had before. read more

I'm a veteran of the chicken sandwich wars. I rose to the Popeyes taste test and hold my own version of the Hot Ones challenge with guests and the authentic Heatonist sauces every season. So when I heard there was a Dave's Hot Chicken nearby, an iconic So-Cal franchisee, I had to make a pilgrimage and try it out. First of all the location in Westgate near Trader Joe's is clean, colorful and inviting. Dave's is cribbing a page from the Chik-Fil-A book with friendly, well trained staff that walked this first timer through the menu and also checked on me later to make sure I enjoyed my meal. And enjoy I had! I got the Slider and Tender combo with cheese, prepared "hot" (of course). The chicken was crisp, juicy, tasty, and spicy without compromising taste, and most of all filling. Next time I might skip the cheese on the chicken, it's the nacho style pump/squeeze cheese and, in my opinion, unnecessary on Dave's dry rub chicken. On the other hand, the cheese added to the fries so I'd do that again. To compare with the known standard, Dave's is plumper and crispier than Chik-Fil-A. Portion size is bigger but so is the price tag. I liked the hot variant which also had more kick than CFA. I'll try the extra hot or reaper options next time to mix things up. And yes, there will be a next time! Dave's was well worth the drive especially if you're a happy veteran of the chicken sandwich wars. read more

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First time here and I loved the chicken sandwich. I got it in a mild spice level. I may actually move the spice up another level when I come back. I was going to share a sandwich and cut it in half but the sandwich was small. But itself was pretty good + added cheese and pickles . I actually liked their shake. I got a strawberry shake with lucky charms on top. The shake was delicious thickkk as I liked. I love the idea of having cereal as toppings. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

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Stopped by at Daves on Prospect and I am so impressed with Mavis who took my orders. Her customer service is above and beyond! She is a true asset to Daves Hot Chicken. You have to hire more employees like her. The food is always fantastic. Keep it up! read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

Amazing!!! Cant believe why this place isnt packed. I had a #4 medium, the server tried to upsell ( i appreciate the hustle), the flavor was perfect, the fries were perfect. Literally everything was on point. I hope everyone sees this and drops them some serious business. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Great food good value - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

First time trying Dave's was at a San Diego location. Awesome to realize there was a location close to where I grew up so I gave them a try! Ordered a Dave's #2 and a Dave's #3, adding cheese to the sliders. The pricing here is a bit more expensive than the SD pricing. Lots of seating inside. Flavors are just the same as the one in SD! Vanessa was extremely friendly...shoutout to her! I can definitely see Dave's being super busy when Prospect kicks back up for school...so be weary of that. Parking can be difficult in the small lot. read more

At the time of this review, they had the X-Men '97 collab meals, which were pretty good portions if you want something smaller than the standard Dave's meals. Each meal comes with a figurine, which is cool if you're a Marvel fan. Shoutouts to Jose, very friendly and informative staff member who was able to provide good suggestions on what food and sauces to order! read more

The place is open and clean and friendly with pop music and big graphics and high ceilings and self-serve soda refills- it's like the MOD of chicken. We were there 8:30pm on a Friday night and almost every seat was taken. Fast-food chicken isn't really my thing, but if it's yours... Dave's is more about the spice than Popeye's, more about being trendy and late night food trucky than KFC's, and more inclusive than Chick-Fil-A. read more

The ordering app bugged out. I tried ordering through both my phone and at the kiosks. All had a weird Uh Oh! error message when I tried to pay. At least the staff was very helpful and I was able to walk over to the cashier and order it through them. My order was 2 sliders with fries $17.49 and mini sliders $8. I noticed the length of the chicken is shorter than before. Regardless, it tasted great. This took me back to my first time tasting a Dave's Hot Chicken sandwich. Good memories. They have a good team here. The food, wait times and helpfulness all shows. The man with hat double checked my order before I walked out. I appreciate the little things. Extra points for being open until 12am. read more

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Dave's Hot Chicken is a tasty new fried chicken establishment in West San Jose. I often come here for lunch since it's close and allows me to grocery shop at the Trader Joes next door. Parking shouldn't be an issue, there is plenty of parking space for now (until the Costco gets built). The interior is clean and the staff is very friendly. "Two Tenders with Fries Combo" - 8/10: I think this is a great deal for the price. The meal decently sized chicken tenders, a piece of bread, pickles, and fries. The chicken tenders are juicy and have a fun texture outside. For spice levels, I highly recommend getting spice as the "no spice" doesn't have any flavor. The fries are seasoned nicely, but I think hey can be crispier. The pickles add a nice refresh and pair well with the salty chicken and fries. This place is a good place to satisfy a craving for fried chicken. I'll definitely be coming back here for more! read more

Glad to see more Dave's Hot Chicken restaurants opening up as I really enjoy their chicken. Medium spice was not spicy enough for me so next time I will have to go hotter. The tender slider and tender was perfectly seasoned and moist. Fries were crispy and yummy, regretted not getting the cheese fries! Love the sauce that comes with the tenders though and great for dipping the fries. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Tender slider and fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

I like their sliders: They make spicy food taste great! Please use the sauce it comes with, it numbs down the spice.

Too salty and too expensive for the portion size. The $8 slider came with only four small nuggets.

I've been to a handful of Dave's locations in the bay area and in SoCal. I think it's generally not the best hot chicken sandwich I've had, but it gets the job done if you're having the craving (+convenient since there are a handful of locations now). First time trying this new location on Prospect Road, in the Trader Joe's plaza. I got the #2 (2 sliders with fries) as I usually do. It was ready in less than 10 minutes. I like the crinkle cut fries because they're crispy on outside and soft on inside. I think the chicken itself could be more consistent because one piece was way bigger than the other, and the bigger piece was also way more tender than the other. Portions are pretty big - usually the 2 sliders and fries have me super stuffed afterwards. read more

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I've passed this Place a few times and finally stopped in today after shopping at Trader Joe's, which is next-door. The inside is cute and clean. It's bright and airy and the customer service was pretty spot on. Their menu is extremely straightforward with not a lot of options so I opted for just the single chicken, tender medium heat with an extra side of sauce, cause I'm a sauce girlie and I got it to-go. My order came out pretty quickly and off I went. Everything was still hot when I got home and here's my thoughts: Kinda pricy ($6) for one chicken tender but it did come with pickles, sauce and a slice of white bread. Chicken was tender and juicy and the med heat wasn't hot at all but it was seasoned and not sauced. Overall it was just "okay". I didn't care for the Dave's sauce. It tasted just like thousand island dressing. Overall I don't think I'll be back. The options are pretty limited and I prefer a saucy chicken vs a dry seasoning. We have several chicken places super close to Dave's so it'll be interesting to see how they do in this location. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Single Tender - Med. Hot - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

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I was excited to try this place since I've seen so many locations pop up around. I really enjoyed the food but I am a little indecisive about how I feel about the chicken. They were great big pieces, very juicy but they tasted slightly burnt on the outside. I got no spice level since I wanted to just try the chicken itself but I practically picked apart the second piece to avoid the breading. I will be back to try again so hopefully it's different. I would still recommend to try. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

Located on the border of Saratoga and Sunnyvale, parking is plentiful but at peak times spots may be difficult to find. The interior is large and good for medium sized groups. #3 (5/5): medium spice. The fries were perfect. It was crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside. The seasoning was a bit light but went well with the sauce. The spice is a good level. It didn't mask the flavor and still gave a good kick. Tap to pay is accepted. Service is good and pretty quick and the food is absolutely fantastic. Overall, Dave's Hot Chicken is a spectacular place for a chicken sandwich/burger. I would definitely come back here. read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Dave's #3 1 Tender & 1 Slider w/ Fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

The hype is real. I had heard about this spot from a couple of people and it was delicious. I am not a fan of spicy so I very nervously ordered the lite-mild and that was perfect. The chicken was very flavorful. Solid 4! read more

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The best Dave's location I've been to! The inside is super clean and well kept- I know it's a newer location so hopefully they keep it up. Friendly service and food came out quickly and was super fresh and hot. The fries were really crispy and had the perfect amount of seasoning, and the sliders were so good and hot. Parking is easy here and there are lots of seats inside and outside. Will be back! read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Dave's #4 1 Slider with Fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

Came to try out daves hot chicken here locally. Large seating options both indoor and outdoor. No rush at all at a sunday lunch time. Service was good. The food was ok, maybe im not into the hot chicken but the sliders idk if the buns should be toasted but that would have helped and i feel they should put some more sauce in the slider itself, it was a bit dry. The fries were really fresh. Tried milkshake, vanilla, it was alright. Easy to drink unlike in n out but not as good tasting as theirs. When i saw the prices honestly its a bit if a rip off lol. One tender is 5.99 and u can buy a whole chicken between 5-$10 bucks. It was ok to try but not worth it, nice place tho if you like this style of food read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

Dave's Hot Chicken exceeded my expectations. I got medium heat & it was a good level of heat (I'd say 1 notch before the nose starts running ;) it was hot, temperature-wise, along with the fries (which were cooked to perfection, just the right amount of crispiness). $10.99 was a bargain, for the chicken slider sandwich & fries. I'd like to try a shake but I was a little skeptical after seeing the small shake machine & reading another Yelper's review. read more

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Tried the medium (after being a little intimidated I. The past and only trying mild.) the medium had so much flavor! Now I regret not trying one of each hotness (is that a word?) for the side I had fries and the kale salad. The fries were perfectly crisp, loved the dipping sauce and the kale salad was nicely chopped and crispy. Also, the kids had the Mac n cheese and loved it! The service was very friendly and I love the localized street art. This is a great addition to the area. Next time reaper? read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

2.5 rounded to 3. No change in my opinon for this location (and it's been a while since I've visited any others); the chicken meat is moist but the tender coating feels hard, like it was reheated or kept under a heating lamp too long. The fries were passable but they could have been reheated too. Service is still fine and friendly. In the afternoons it gets lot of students from the nearby high school and the noise level corresponds to that. I would guess their number diminishes late afternoon/early evening. read more

Ordered a #1, 2 chicken tenders and fries. I got one medium and one hot. So the chicken was cooked perfectly! The tender was just that, super TENDER! There was a definite heat difference between the medium and hot. Overall the food was good, but I wouldn't call it great. It was a tad salty and didn't have great depth. The pickles were also a bit flat. Anyway, I'm glad I gave it a try. I may go back at some point to try a slider or two! read more

Dave's Hot Chicken - Dave's #1 2 Tenders w/ Fries - Chicken Shop Near Me - San Jose, California

Fairly new customer to Dave's. I've ordered the Extra Hot chicken sandwich before and, as someone who enjoys spicy food, I was able to handle that level of heat without any issues. Since I usually order through the app, I assumed the Reaper level would only be slightly spicier than Extra Hot. Because of that, I ordered Reaper sandwich combos for myself and my family. The app never prompted any warning or waiver for this spice level, later I found out that customers are normally required to sign a waiver when ordering it in person. If I had known it was that extreme, I definitely would not have ordered it. Unfortunately, all of us ended up with severe stomach pain afterward--bad enough that we're considering going to the hospital if it doesn't improve. To make matters worse, it happened on my parents' anniversary, and the entire evening ended up being ruined because of how sick we felt. $60 worth of food down the trash. read more

DO NOT WASTE UR MONEY. Food was ass overloaded red40 chicken but the fries were good. The worker in the back with glasses and he's chubby and Hispanic. He has the most passive aggressive attitude ever towards customers I asked really nicely for a plastic container for my leftover food and a plastic bag, but all he could do was give me a really dirty side look and sighed heavily and snatched the bag and handed it to me while staring me down. overall service was bad the tables really dirty and bathroom as well the workers don't care bad place to eat. read more

I had never been to a Dave's Hot Chicken before, so I ordered the #3, which gets you a sampling of the slider (get w/cheese), tender, toast, and fries, and I ordered a side of Mac and cheese as well. Everything was hot, spicy and delicious! I tried at spicy level "Hot" which is about as high as I recommend you go, they're not messing around. Shoutout to Ian, she was friendly and had our food out quickly! And the bathrooms were clean to boot. read more

Was served by Vanessa. Courteous, helpful, restaurant was very clean, and most importantly, the food was amazing. The sandwich and fries were well seasoned and I would not change a thing about it. I would recommend this restaurant and come back here. read more

They have super juicy chicken bites and cauliflower bites, but the size of the chicken bites shrunk since the other numerous times I had them. The hot honey in my order tasted and smelled funky too. read more

I do not recommend this location. We are fans of Dave's Hot Chicken, so this should have been an easy rating. However, I have been here three times, and the customer service has consistently been horrible. The front staff needs training in communicating with customers. The only reason I gave two stars instead of one was because a manager gave me decent service. My advice - go to the Sunnyvale location. read more