Went here based on how much I like Nashville hot chicken and some of the older photos here. BE WARNED: There seems to have been a major change to this restaurant since most of those photos from a few years ago. The big red flag for me when I arrived is that they don't sell class Nashville fried chicken plates (light meat plate, dark plate, 1/2 chicken, etc.) like they did in older photos. They only serve the chicken itself in tenders and sandwich sized cuts. I don't know this for sure, but especially after trying it, I strongly believe that they now buy their chicken from a food supplier frozen and give it a quick fry to thaw to order. This is a huge problem because it leads to oil chicken with a soggy lack of crunch, and frankly, any place that specializes in fried chicken should be utterly ashamed to serve Sysco-style frozen food. Frying chicken is their ONE job. As for the tenders themselves, if you look at older photos, from 2020-2022 or so, the tenders are typical of Nashville places, which is to say about a 6 inch breast cutlet with the kind of crispy flaky breading. That is not what they are selling now. The tenders I show in my photo are about 3-4 inches and very thin, with some having next to no meat inside. I'd say the box with them weighed around 4oz. They don't have a freshly fried crispy breading but rather have that kind of thin soggy layer that coats grocery store nuggets. The Nashville style hot sauce (a spice mix bloomed in the fryer oil at real places, but just a dusting of spice blend here) was applied unevenly with some pieces nearly unseasoned. This was a complete waste of money. I suspect that the restaurant changed owners or chefs, and the new crew has switched to selling mediocre reheated frozen Tyson chicken style food in meager portions for about triple what it should cost. This is what I would expect if Burger King offered "Nashville hot chicken". Don't trust a fried chicken shop that doesn't sell chicken on the bone. 2 stars instead of 1 because they at least had the guts to go hard on the spiciest level. It's not as hot as Hattie B's "Shut the Cluck Up" (which they imitate with "What the Cluck"), but it's good for anyone who likes strong heat.

Dan R.

"She'd better have some kind of evidence Of all this extra pay She'd better have some cold, hard facts 'Cause I suspect foul play" (Robert Cray) Hot Chicken is all the rage, and I don't mean hot as in terms of temperature, I mean hot as in terms of spice level. Fowl Play knows that tolerance for spiciness is a very personal matter, so they offer all of their freshly made chicken in five different spice levels ranging from Zero flames (Country style with no heat) to What the Cluck -RIP (Six flames). If you're doing the math at home, you should know there are no 4 or 5 levels. Fowl Play sells chicken sandwiches, sliders, wings, chicken and waffle plates, and chicken tenders in all of the 5 spice levels. They also have quite a bit of side dishes, like slaw, greens, mac and cheese, fried potatoes and pickles. I went for an order of three tenders ($9.99) with a "Medium - Heating Up" spice level (2 Flames). This was the mid-point of their 5 levels. The tenders were freshly made before my eyes, and calling them tenders is really doing them a disservice. These tenders were gigantic, each one was as big as a bratwurst. The medium spice level was about right for me, plenty of zip factor, but not enough to set the old mouth on fire. They were plump, juicy, full of flavor and quite honestly, were delicious. They were served with pickle slices and a container of "Comeback Sauce" which reminded me of a Spicy Chipotle Mayo. I was 100% happy with my visit to Fowl Play

Ian L.

My first visit here did not live up to the hype. I hope to change this review by my next visit. Today I wanted to try some the chicken tenders and fries. You can choose different spice levels so I went with mild and the what the cluck. I truly expected the what the cluck spice level to put me in the hospital but that's where I was fortunate enough to be wrong but a little too fortunate. I understand it is supposed to be spicy but the group I was with had trouble determining which one was mild and what the cluck. Not sure if this is how it is supposed to be but their what the cluck spice level must have not be rubbed in evenly or something. I took a bite and said "that's it?" On top of that the fries were fairly soggy. However I did like the slices of pickles they give you. Really refreshes the meal as a whole. Service was pretty good and the chicken itself was good enough for me to order again. So with the tenders that failed to meet standards for extremely spicy and the soggy fries to put out the fire that never started, 3-Stars for now.

Jason P.

When three high end chicken sandwich places (that I'm aware of), all open within the last couple years, it's hard not to compare them to each other. I first had a Mild Nashville OG hot chicken sandwich from Fowl Play before I was actively reviewing on Yelp. In the past two months, I had a similar mild spicy chicken sandwich from one of the other places, and a regular fried chicken sandwich from the other place. I decided it was time to return to Fowl Play to test my 3rd Place ranking for Fowl Play among those three places. The verdict - 3rd place ranking confirmed. Of the three times I've been to Fowl Play, this was my least favorite. I ordered the Mild Nashville OG hot chicken sandwich and Pimento Mac and Cheese. Notwithstanding the picture I posted, the sandwich had a lot of chicken. It's just that Fowl Play wrapped the portion of the sandwich that was really thick and left the thinner part exposed. Fowl Play might want to reverse that because first impressions mean a lot. The inside texture of the breast meat was good. The outside texture of the sandwich, however, was not crispy and Fowl Play placed a distant third among the three chicken sandwich places in that category for me. My other issue with the sandwich was that it was very drippy. Sometimes, that can work, like when a chicken parm grinder oozes thick delicious marinara. It did not work here. It just seemed like there was too much thin liquid from the cole slaw on the OG, and a pool of liquid formed in the container as I ate the sandwich. Otherwise, the sandwich components were good. The bread was fresh and satisfying. The cole slaw had nice texture, and I picked up some celery seed seasoning from the slaw. The pickles were decent. Overall, this was a good chicken sandwich. It just wasn't as good as the other two places. Fowl Play had an off Mac and Cheese day. At first, the Mac and Cheese did not seem cooked through and it was room temperature. After two bites, I asked them to remake it, reheat it or offer a new side and they kindly obliged. It seemed like they made a new one. It was much hotter, and some of the cheese was stretchy. However, the base sauce of the cheese was a bit soupy. I also need to comment on this long corkscrew pasta I'm seeing more places use for Mac and Cheese. It's not my favorite pasta type for Mac and Cheese because I don't like how it catches the sauce. I'd prefer a smaller pasta type with some sort of hole or pocket. Fowl Play has done better on my prior visits, but if I'm looking for a chicken sandwich, Fowl Play is not my first or second choice in the Greater Hartford area. But if you're at Parkville Market with a group of people and you're in the mood for a chicken sandwich, I think Fowl Play is a good option.

Elisa F.

Pretty disappointed on our first visit to Foul Play. We ordered a 5-piece combo with fries and mac & cheese. I asked for ranch on the side and he nodded. Opened it up and it was some kind of comeback sauce. From looking at photos, it looks like that's all they have. The guy at the register could have said that, but chose not to. The chicken was pretty good but I wasn't impressed. We ordered the medium which had a good spice level! The most disappointing part was the mac though. It's supposed to be pimento mac & cheese but was definitely just buttered noodles. Highly disappointed. The price for the combo was also $1 more ($16.99) than the advertised price on their menu ($15.99). With a digital menu screen, you'd think they would update that right as the prices do. With so many of these Nashville Hot Chicken places popping up around CT, this is a skip for me.

Eric D.

Fowl Play is located in the Parkville Market with plenty of parking towards the back. Pretty cool food hall to visit. I was fairly disappointed on my visit here at Fowl Play unfortunately. They had no Mac and cheese availability during the lunch hour and they ran out of utensils and no napkins. The person working the front had asked me to ask other merchants for utensils--but why would I if I didn't purchase from them? The quality of the chicken wasn't bad overall--although Hot tenders were not hot at all. Lackluster spicy flavor. Barely any pickles came with the meal. Fries were nothing to rave about either. Soggy right off the bat. We had our meals onsite as well. Maybe it was an off day--but I probably won't be returning to try Fowl Play again.

H R.

LONG OVERDUE REVIEW (July 22nd, 2023): I love hot chicken, and when I heard about this establishment I was so excited! Eagerly, I headed to Parkville Market to try it out. I looked at the menu and my eyes instantly saw a dream come true. THE MAC DADDY. Apart from the name, it looks amazing. It's your regular Nashville chicken sandwich except the coleslaw is replaced by Mac' and cheese! I ordered it mild and also got a side of fries. The employee I ordered from told me it was going to be about 10-15 minutes, and it felt like less! After getting my order and sitting down, I was excited! I opened it up and it looked absolutely amazing. I took one bite and my expectations were hit. The hot chicken was bursting with flavor and the creamy Mac and cheese was perfect. My only complaints were that the texture of the chicken was mediocre and I felt like it needed more breading. The comeback sauce was also average, it was a little on the bland side and I've had better. It was still yummy though. The homemade pickles were very good, I would've wanted more. I apologize I wasn't able to take a picture of the fries, I was so exciteded to try everything. The fries were generic and the Cajun seasoning helped give it the little amount of flavor it had. They gave me a little cup of comeback sauce for dipping and a barbecue sauce too. All in all this place was very good, and maybe in a month or two I'll return!

Rick S.

I was very excited to try a Fowl Play Chicken Sando at Parkville Market in Hartford. Aside from the long wait time the Mac Daddy was an excellent burger. The kitchen just must have been having a bad day. And if you are a fan of heat, go all the way! You won't be disappointed.

Thomas F.

Was looking for something small and quick to eat while shepherding my group of seniors on our month Tour Hartford trip. So I picked the sliders/solo at Fowl Play in Parkville Market. What a big surprise from a little bite. These were delicious; the best, sweetest and juiciest chicken breast pieces ever. I picked 3/medium for the spiciness level but could have gone with the 2/mild. These two super treats came with creamy slaw, fresh pickles and comeback sauce. AND comeback I will!

Joe B.

MAC AND CHEESE SPICY chicky sando! Amazing! I will say, please get and eat in person but takeout or delivery will still be delicious. Just mostly to preserve the crispy and crunch factor. Real hot, would have again many more times.

Jackie O.

Delicious fried chicken sandwiches can be found here. I'm always craving a fried chicken sandwich and it can be hard to find a good one. There other food looks yummy too but I only ever stop by for a chicken sandwich and don't plan on stopping anytime soon!

Sho R.

This place is inside Parkville Market food hall. Food here has a heat in it. Not just spiciness, but a real heat. I went with Nashville sliders, medium heat. Still it was very hot. I eat spicy food in general, but this was hot. For mac daddy burger I went for hot. I think because of the mac and chees inside the burger, this heat level felt ok. The burger was big and heavy. You should try this place only if you can handle the heat. Mac and chees side was good. So was the crinkle cut fries. Those were not spicy.

Alex P. T.

Fan of Nashville-Style Hot Chicken? This is your new spot! I was there last night for their grand opening with a couple of friends and I'm super stoked to help get the word out about Fowl Play located at Parkville Market. First off, Abby working behind the counter was super friendly and knowledgeable about the food items they were offering. One of the biggest things to know about Fowl Play is the level of hot sauce you will be ordering for your meal. Pro tip: If you think you like hot, you might want to go with medium. lol There are five different levels of heat. 1. Southern- no heat 2. Mild- touch of heat 3. Medium- warming up 4. Hot- feel the heat 5. What the cluck- burn notice! They offer various chicken plates and southern sides. My friend ordered the Small Dark- a leg and a thigh quarter that comes with two sides. He went with the crinkle cut fries and pimento mac and cheese that I happily claimed. The first bite of the leg at Medium Heat was spicy and delicious with an excellent crunch. It has a good zip at medium! The pimento mac and cheese is a delicious version of your classic mac and cheese with a little southern charm. It has roasted bell peppers and a nice spice to it. Definitely try it. The southern greens were great too. I'm also digging that Fowl Play has Cherry Pepsi too- a sweet compliment to their hot sauce. Fowl Play was so good that I went back there today for their hot chicken sandwich called The O.G. (chicken breast, coleslaw, Nashville Comeback sauce and a kosher pickle served with your choice of side)! It was definitely worth it! Shout out to Chef Alex! Fowl Play brings the heat. Bring yourself to Parkville Market and check them out! Great prices and high quality here. Fun facts about hot chicken: The originator of hot chicken is the family of Andre Prince Jeffries, owner of Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville, TN. She has operated the restaurant since 1980 and before then, it was owned by her great-uncle, Thornton Prince III. Jeffries says hot chicken was the product of some sweet revenge that backfired. Her great-uncle Thornton was supposedly a womanizer and after a late night out, his girlfriend at the time cooked him a fried chicken breakfast with extra pepper. Instead of agony, Thornton liked it so much that by the mid-1930s, he and his brothers had created their own recipe and opened the BBQ Chicken Shack Cafe!