We tried out their Sunday matchas, so this review is solely based on the beverages! We ordered all four drinks they offered, and my favorites were for sure the tiramisu latte and berry pie matcha. Those two flavors were so delicious, sweet, and worth it. I was more neutral feeling for the raspberry danish matcha and the coconut mango, as the mango was sour and raspberry danish didn't stand out too much. However, all the drinks had amazing presentation. So aesthetically pleasing. The workers were very sweet! They called out your name whenever the drinks were ready, and if there was no response, they walk outside to deliver it to you. Also, the drinks came out super fast, despite the long lines. read more

Heatwaves - tiramisu latte, berry pie matcha, raspberry danish, and coconut mango matcha - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Saw this place blowing up on social media, so of course I had to try it for myself! Starting with the chicken sando -- SO good! The chicken was perfectly fried, juicy, and well seasoned. I loved the toppings and sauce too. I got mild since I wasn't sure how spicy it would be, but it was the perfect level of mild. Next time I'm definitely going for medium or hot! The matcha, unfortunately, was a bit of a miss. Both the berry pie and orange cream matchas were really cute aesthetically, but the matcha itself was pretty bitter. The berry pie was saved by the marshmallow cream, which was delicious, but overall it tasted more like marshmallow than matcha. The orange cream was very milky and didn't have much orange flavor. Overall, I think this place is pretty okay! The staff were super nice even though they were slammed. The matcha definitely has some room for improvement, but they're on the right track! Would 1000% come back for the chicken sandwiches alone! read more

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Don't be fooled by all the influencers, and don't pay any mind to the line out the door, neither the chicken nor the "viral" matcha is worth all the hype. The food is good... but there's an obvious reason that they don't put all the prices on the menu, and it's the same reason that there are no prices on the little drink flyers: you're going to spend no less than 20 dollars on fried chicken, and $10 for a matcha that you'll have to wait 20 minutes for. I will say that they recently changed the cups, I think the size might be smaller-- the downsize is a welcome change because they were basically serving green milk before, and now you can actually taste the matcha! However, last weekend they ran out of the smaller cups, and went back to the big cups. Their online menu also doesn't have the prices so don't come at me if you don't end up spending $20, that's just what I remember paying. And since they don't post their prices they could be changing them every week for all we know! read more

Wish we could order drinks ahead of time, but I get it. They are worth the wait and if you show up towards the end of the day, the long lines are gone. Everything is always so fresh and you can tell homemade. I love trying all the new drinks they come up with. read more

Do yourself a favor and call your order in and pick it up. The place is always packed! Also note that medium spicy is hot AF so order the mild unless you want a mouth on fire. The sandwich is fantastic. The chicken is so light and crispy cooked to perfection. Not a huge fan of the fries. read more

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Excellent service. Great location and wonderful staff. Your choice to sit inside or out. They prep and bag your food in to-go containers and bring it to your table. The chicken - not what I was hoping for. A mix of white and dark meat. I personally love both, but if you're thinking of a fried chicken breast, that's not what it is. The sandwiches are messy so grab yourself a whole bunch of napkins. My wife ordered the mild. It had some spice to it. The bun was not big enough to cover the sandwich (might be a good thing for some) so she ended up eating part of a half. The chicken was disappointing. My daughter had the naked Sando - she ate half and gave the other half to me, which I took home. She didn't like the chicken either. Pricing - much higher than what I would've paid for this type of meal. Expensive. We paid $70 (including tip) for 3 meals + a side of queso. Meals come with seasoned fries (very tasty), Mac & cheese (delicious), or Cole slaw. We drank water - didn't order drinks. I'll be back for food from Rudolfo's, but not for Heatwave's. read more

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Where do I even start here! A few weeks ago I attempted to try this place out but the line was so long we didn't even bother. However today I had time and decided to give it another go and come shortly after they opened and still ended up waiting for a little over a hour. Get to the front and begin to order and find out they don't do any milk substitutions for their drinks.... I just want to mention nowhere on their menu (that I saw) or on their website does it mention this and had I known this I probably wouldn't have bother waiting in line. As disappointed as I was to hear this I was so excited to try it I ended up spending it anyway because 1. I've seen this place all over social media and 2. I love to be an informed hater and after waiting in the line for over an hour I'd be damned to walk out of there without an informed opinion. My matcha (Miss Darcy) $10 btw egregious for a drink but I've fallen victim to spending that much on a drink before so what ever- if it's tasty I'll spend that no problem. However upon tasting the drink why does it literally taste like nothing? Quite literally the afterthought of matcha- the concept of matcha flavoring. The berry flavoring was okay and I liked the almond flavoring I was picking up on but the flavors in general were so muted and im not sure why the globs of blueberry are like gelatinous. Had my friend taste it as well to make sure it wasn't just me and she felt like it tasted like absolutely nothing and the berry puree had all the texture of a blueberry but none of the flavor. I can't speak for the food and the service was just okay. If you wanna go for the experience (not sure what that would be exactly) or just to say you went knock yourself out but honestly I would say don't waste your time on the matcha if you're a matcha lover read more

Heatwaves - Miss Darcy Matcha - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

WORST matcha i have ever tried!!! threw it out after one sip because i just couldn't get past the taste. i tried their most popular flavor the berry pie and it was horrible quality matcha, syrup, & berry puree. honestly just tasted rotten. we ordered 5 drinks and spent $52 all just to go to the trash. their coconut matcha & tiramisu coffee was bad too + the actual tiramisu cake. we didn't try their food so i can't attest to that. the service was good as well as the ambiance but their drinks are a -100/10. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE INFLUENCERS & SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!! read more

The drinks were really bad they were literally undrinkable :( I've never have matcha or coffee that bad and it's expensive I asked for them to try and maybe fix it and they were like hesitant the people are nice but not worth it. read more

Heatwaves - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Strongly recommend this place for hot chicken. Great food and friendly staff. Nice place and located in downtown Pacific Grove

I had an amazing experience at HeatWaves, the chicken was great as well as those new matcha drinks, it was all incredible! On top of that the staff was very nice. Overall a 10/10 definitely would recommend especially if you're into chicken, spice, and good vibes. Will be going back! read more

Food! Mild Chicken Sando- had some kind of sweetness to it and had no spice to it at all. I think the fries and my chicken sando had the same seasoning. Mac and cheese was just different and unfortunately I was not a fan. Fries were okay with the same seasoning as my sando. Side of ranch is not homemade, straight from Hidden Valley. Service was amazing with very friendly staff and attentive. Ambiance was nice and the place got packed quick. Although seating capacity compared to the line, look like some people may of had to get it to go. read more

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The food was very good. I ordered the spicy chicken sandwich (medium) and it was seasoned perfectly. It was spicy so I'd recommend being cautious if your spice tolerance is low. I ordered extra wavy sauce for my sandwich. The tsunami fries (mild) were also delicious. The portions are huge and my wife and I both had food left over. Definitely check this place out! read more

Heatwaves - Tsunami Fries. Spicy (Medium) Chicken Sandwich. - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

I felt compelled to write this because I wish it was a review I had read before going there. Heatwaves Sunday service menu consists of chicken sandwiches, fries and rotating drinks. I didn't try the chicken since I wanted something else for lunch. The flavors we chose were the berry matcha and og tiramisu. The cake on top of the tiramisu was a nice touch but I felt like I finished the drink in 4 sips. The cups are small and had too much ice. Was the matcha good? Yes, but nothing amazing. The marshmellow cloud topping was also hella sloppy and definitely not as thick as the pictures on their IG. I'm not from the area so maybe there's a shortage of places that serve matcha. If you want to stand in line for 1.5 hours for a drink that's on you, but for me it wasn't worth it. They had a million people in the kitchen and an assembly line. I think they would benefit from opening up a to go window solely for drinks. read more

While it is a cute location - that is about it. We ordered a really simple order. 1 medium sando combo and 1 mild sando combo. They labeled our sandwiches wrong and we didn't realize it until like half way through the sandwiches since I was so confused on the spice level. I wish I could review the medium space level for you but I can't. The fries are cold and sad. To me it seems they cook everything including the chicken in the morning and just assemble from them. The chicken was not fresh at all - the fries were dry, sauce was average. It's a decent amount of chicken for a sandwich but that's about it. They also just give out all of their food regardless if you are eating in and out in to go containers - just not really a vibe. I was hoping for more. I would never go again. read more

The food is sooo bland. Got a mild fried veggie sando (didn't know how spicy it was going to be) with seasoned fries. The sandwich had an odd sweet flavor either from the sauce or the slaw, almost tasted like medicine. It was not spicy at all. They got my order wrong and didn't even give me fries. Good thing I ate it there so that I could go back inside and ask for them. When I was waiting for the new box I saw big plastic bags full of frozen fries that they were about to cook. Good to know they're not fresh. They had no salt at all and tasted incredibly bland. Overall way overpriced. Service is not existent (you order at the counter) with no one to greet you when you go. read more

Heatwaves - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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This was my first time trying it and they're known for the fried chicken sandwich. I order the spicy level MEDIUM. It was the perfect spicy level for me. It for sure had a kick, but it was tolerable. If you like spicy and also want to enjoy the sandwich this is probably a good spicy level for you. They do have an other level of spicy. The sandwich has coleslaw so it balances the heat , a perfect combination with the pickles. Overall I had a Good sandwich. The fries are seasoned in a nice spice blend, im not usually a crinkle-cut type of fries girl but they still tasted good. They also had Mac and cheese and it also balanced out the heat if you have a spicy level flavor. The service was really good, for our first time he guided us on what to order and how it works. They have outdoor sitting and inside seating the place is decorated nice with plants around. Forgot they have Ice cream and slices of pies. they do only open on Sundays so for anybody trying to get a fried chicken sandwich Sunday's are the day they open. as for the rest of the days it gets turned into a restaurant which I haven't tried, but would love to. read more

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The third time trying this place out in the past few years and it was still disappointing. Online makes it look so appealing but everything is flavorless and the chicken is always gross. The wavy sauce flavor disappears in your mouth, the fries are "seasoned" with little to no taste, and yes the tenders are plain but that should not mean flavorless. The Sando was Okay. It's always just Okay. For the two meals was $40 and you're left feeling disgusted ‍ It's not worth it and I will probably not give it another chance. read more

Heatwaves - Medium sando, Mac & tenders - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

The hottest chicken is too hot. Delicious and punishing. This is not what I expected from a hot chicken place in PG. Respect. 10/5 stars

DO NOT EAT THE HOT SANDO (TMI warning) So I love spicy food and I love hot chicken sandwiches; I am not shy to hot and spicy or a food challenge. I'd heard a lot of buzz about this place and was excited to try it out for dinner. I go in and order the 'hot' sando. To be fair, both the counter server and Rudy warned me that it was very hot. Yes, it was indeed very hot. I had the sweats, mouth burn, and watery eyes for about 15 mins after putting it down. The creamy mac salad was a nice compliment to the heat, plus they had ice cream and local beers on tap. But overall this was the hottest thing I'd ever eaten. I had to take a break, but finished it. Aside from the heat, the sandwich quality stood up with the hot chicken sandos I had in Nashville and while living in Charleston. Top notch. A+ But the next day I was wrecked. Had to call off work. I spent the afternoon and all night in bed twisting in pain. I had no appetite, my gut microbiome likely obliterated. My colon and butthole inflamed. Brutal. Over 24 hours later, I'm still swollen down there and thinking it might still take another few days to fully recover. This the kinda stuff you wish only on your enemies. The last time I felt even close to this was after eating a dozen jalapenos in 5-min for a contest. This is far far worse. On one hand, they did warn me about how hot it was; on the other hand, why on Earth would they serve such an unholy mixture of peppers to someone? It should come with a tube of Preparation H. Would def go back for the medium sando and other menu offerings; and I liked the vibe of the place and the staff. But under no circumstances would I suggest the hot sando to anyone. But I ate it and lived to tell the tale. read more

Friendly staff and best tofu sandwich in the area!! Calm setting with cute outdoor seating read more

This place is definitely over hyped. Looks nothing like pictures on Instagram (which is understandable but taste is not there either) When we went in we ordered mild and guy at register persuaded us to get medium if we liked a SMALL kick to it. Medium was EXTREMELY spicy, we took one bite and couldn't finish. We never are the type to ask for something else but In this case it was just too spicy to eat and they declined. They said we would have to pay for another sandwich which to begin with wasn't worth $20 in my opinion. Also, mac looked soooo good on their IG but, just plain ole mac with LOTS of pepper... Keep in mind, I'm Latina, I love spice! read more

Heatwaves - Medium Chicken sandwich (exactly how it was given to us btw) - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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I had very high hopes since on Google maps it was all 5 stars... I got two meals and 2 drinks which came out to be around 50$...the service is good but and the food took a bit to come out which is fine but the food was horrible I've had many fried hot chicken places chicken in out, Dave's hot chicken, and many other places in California and this place was the worst. The chicken was slimy and they didn't cut out the skin of the chicken which mostly all places do and it was fried like popeyes chicken( which isn't good in my opinion) and didn't have a good taste. The mac n cheese in the papi culo meal was very bland and the chicken was very hard. Big portions which are good but couldn't stand to finish it. I wouldn't recommend I wasted my money. read more

Heatwaves - Sando chicken meal - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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NOT RECOMMEND.....I had a really upsetting experience at this place. I ordered their classic chicken sandwich "hot," not realizing it was the spiciest option on the menu. Unfortunately, the staff didn't bother to inform me about it when I was ordering. When I tried to return the meal, they simply said, "You ordered it, and there are no returns." I ended up with a $20 meal that I couldn't eat at all, and there was no sympathy from the staff or the owner. The way he treated me made me feel terrible, especially since all I asked was for them to remake my order. On top of that, the chicken was incredibly greasy. As a local, I really expect better food and a more pleasant experience. read more

2 stars because the verdict is fill out for my wife and I. The sandwich is glorious to look and it delivers a crispy tasty spicy punch. The flavor was awesome but the heat for a medium was through the roof. My wife and I were able to handle it but it was way spicer than expected. It could of used more coleslaw to counter it. However I appreciate that they are careful with the coleslaw so not to make a soggy sandwich. I also looked how this hot sandwich was a dry spice rub vs a sauce. It keeps the sandwich crispy. The wave sauce and the pickle were also an excellent pairing. On qualm we had was the actually cooking of the chicken. It thigh meat and although there was no link, it was extra chewy and stringy which makes us think it wasn't cooked all the way. I'm not too concerned about food poisoning as there was no link but it def could of been cooked a bit more for texture and so not to freak my wife out. Hopefully this is an anomaly as no one else has commented about it here. We will come back but I will probably get the mild over the medium and with the hopes that the chicken is cooked a little more. We will try read more

Heatwaves - Medium Chicken Sando. - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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Best hot chicken on the Central Coast. Hands down. We are here most Sundays. Pro tip: the "hot" level is legit super hot. I'll get it only if I am doing the sando. For tendies, medium is where it's at. My kids love the mild. And the younger ones can still get naked. Tri tip sando is tasty as well. read more

I can take a LOT of heat. That said, I ordered the "medium" spice and it was so dang spicy my eyes were actually dripping water. I'm not joking. I was disappointed because I had heard great things about the Classic Heatwaves Sando and I was excited to finally try it but I couldn't even enjoy it. I could only manage a few bites before deciding it wasn't worth it. read more

Sandwiches are all about the bread to meat ratio and I don't think there is a bigger ratio of meat to bread anywhere in the world. The sandwiches are perfectly crunchy pieces of chicken that make the regular bun look like a slider. It's nice to get a few bites of bread free chicken to really get the idea how good this spice combo is. They are for now only available Sundays and Rudolfo's Cafe in Pacific Grove. I usually order online first, but have also done walk in where the wait was about 20 minutes. Just enough time to stroll around downtown for a bit. I don't like mac and cheese, but hear it is good here. The fries are alright and a bit of an after thought I think compared to the amazingness of the chicken. I'd go just sando tbh. read more

Heatwaves - Hot sando - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Would recommend avoiding at all costs due to slow service and poor customer service. We were really excited to try this, but the long wait time (30 mins.) for two chicken sandwiches and unfriendly staff ruined the experience. We came in 20 minutes before opening without realizing it, because their website said they were open. When we got to the register we were met with "we're not open" and an attitude. That should've put us off, but we decided to give them a second chance. When they opened, we ordered with another employee and sat down, the first table to do so. Two other tables came in after us, and one of them was an employee because they proceeded to make social media content with someone who came out from the kitchen while we were waiting. After 30 minutes we asked for a refund since there looked to be a full kitchen yet we hadn't been served. There were also to-go orders that were coming out before ours, even though we were the first people in the restaurant. The same girl who gave us attitude when we walked in the first time didn't apologize for the slow service and said "this is normal by the way." When I replied that we were the first table, and that they were too busy making social media videos to make our food she said "he's not a cook" even though he walked out from the kitchen, in an apron, with a bowl of chicken? If she hadn't been rude, I wouldn't be leaving this review, but she was argumentative and rude. From the other reviews it looks like the food isn't very good so I think we dodged a bullet, and you should too! read more

The staff is very friendly and food is amazing. I'm a vegetarian ordering fries and Mac and cheese and it never disappoints. My dad gets the Chicken sandwich, so I know that it's bomb too. Definitely recommend! Currently I go to Cal Poly, but if I can make it home for the weekend it is one of the main restaurants I hit up. read more

My Sunday tradition right here. Always hits the spot and the staff is amazing! Bella is always so sweet!

As you can see my food had mold on it . Luckily I did not eat this. This made me sick just looking at it. You never know what your eating. I spent 25.00 for unedible food. Never going back. Showed it to several people and they asked if I went back. Why it was bad service I think the young lady was having a bad day, not pleasant service. I wil not refer anyone to this business, it was referred to me gotta becareful where you go. Now I will look for somewhere else to go. Want a good steak go to Fandango best steak I ever had. read more

Heatwaves - Mold I was lucky I did not eat this. Not a friendly place. I think the server was having a bad day. I will never return to this business. - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Don't walk....don't run.....fly!!! When we walked up to the restaurant we would not have known what to expect had it not been a recommendation from a friend. It's a pop up with little advertisement of what you are about to experience. We placed our order as we had drooled over instagram photos for some time so knew what we wanted. The menu itself is small but don't be fooled the sandwich is not. We ordered the mild based on my friend's recommendation the chicken sandwich was prehistoric sized served with a large mound of well seasoned crinkle fries that came with a secret sauce for dipping. The chicken sandwich is out of this world perfection! Crispy, fresh to order and well seasoned and the mild is possible the highest heat level I would go. You can order any level of heat. The coleslaw and pickles were just the right balance to carry over the spice and a party in my mouth. The owner was a delight to talk with (and the chef). We will hands down make this a Sunday funday adventure!! We also look forward to trying the restaurant Tuesday through Saturday. Hoping they are able to make it in Salinas! read more

Heatwaves - Chicken sandwich larger than both my hands - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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Food was okay and took about 50 minutes to get our food, probably wont be coming back

The best fried chicken I've ever had. I have worked my way up to the medium and not looked back. Order extra pickles.

So the chicken was good BUT the medium was so freaking spicy I couldn't even get past two bites without my mouth being on fire. I figured medium would be middle level spicy because that's what I order most places. NOPE! Beware if you don't like spice! It's fire and not in the best way read more

Apparently, Heatwaves is just open on Sundays, which makes sense because only the hand of God could have created something as truly awesome and monstrous as the Papi Chulo Bowl. Chicken sandwich is the best chicken sandwich that ever chicken sandwiched. It's a 5 out of 5 for me, dog. read more

I've been here at least 6 times now. Boy...what a good sando. Perfectly seasoned and moist and just perfect. Will continue to come back. The fries are also awesome. But the BEST is the banana pudding. read more

Stopped by during the Good Old Days festival and finally tried their chicken sandwich. The overall quality was pretty good. I like things a little spicy, but as other reviewers have said--"medium" is too hot for most of us ordinary folk. Even a cold festival beer wasn't enough to sooth my palate after a bite or two or the sandwich. I think the mac and cheese was good, but I couldn't really tell after my taste buds were burned off. Portion of chicken and overall sandwich could have been a bit bigger for the price. Service was pretty fast, considering that they were getting slammed by festival-goers, including a large group or two. read more

Ordered the Fried Chicken Sando (medium spicy). First things first the medium level spicy was really HOT, I can't imagine how the spiciest level is. That being said I highly recommend mild level especially if you can't handle spicy food well. Other than being surprised by the heat they give a big piece of chicken that is tasty and juicy. The wavy sauce is delicious and the fries were just OK for being fries. They give you choice between mac n cheese and fries to go along with sandwich. Not bad at all, good meal overall read more

Heatwaves - Fried Chicken Sando (medium spicy), comes with your choice of fries or mac n cheese - Chicken Shop Near Me - Pacific Grove, California