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    Red's Hot Chicken

    4.7 (269 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Order Red's Hot Chicken Takeout or Delivery

    Red's Hot Chicken Photos

    RED'S HOT CHICKEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Red's Hot Chicken

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    Menu (Jan 2026)
    Albert T.

    First meal after landing in Nashville? Hot chicken of course. I love this dish, having visited some of the classics (Prince's, Bishop's), the newcomers (Hattie B's), and the decidedly non-Nashville Hot Chicken joints (Dave's is probably the most well known, but plenty of others. Shout out to Hancock in Grand Rapids, my favorite outside of Nashville). I'm obviously not as experienced as a native Nashvillian, so I thought I'd try expanding my repertoire this time around, starting with Red's. This restaurant is essentially a small shack with only outdoor counter seating - not a great situation for a freezing cold and snowy Friday early afternoon! Luckily the bar next door (per the bartender, the oldest in Tennessee) allows customers to eat inside where it's much warmer. I visited at 1PM and there was no line at the time. I especially love how the restaurant has an electronic sign hanging from the ceiling stating the estimated wait time for fresh hot chicken. It displayed 15-20 minutes when I ordered and I found it pretty accurate because my pager rang 17 minutes later. Note: I didn't realize going in that Red's doesn't serve bone-in chicken, only tenders and boneless thighs. Hot Chicken Plate ($16.50) - This includes two boneless thighs, fried and seasoned to perfection, with the smoky smell of cayenne and paprika drifting out from the takeout box. They have good, consistent breading all around. The skin is rendered well, and while some fatty parts remain, the rest keeps moisture contained in the meat, allowing plenty of juices to drip out while taking large bites. The breading is very consistent, almost a singular width all throughout the surface of the thighs. It's somewhat resistant to shearing off, but when detached, it comes off in sheets. It's fried to an excellent almost crunchy consistency. The seasoning is exemplary. It first starts sweet and salty before evolving into a pleasant heat with a slight hot sauce vinegar tang. It's a phenomenally balanced flavor. At medium spiciness, it's not bad at all, topping out only with a little sweat and a warmth that spreads through the entire mouth. It's a really nice heat level to allow the rest of the flavors and spices to register. I think I definitely could have gone up one spice level, but better safe than sorry! (5/5) A plate comes with two sides. For the first, I went with the seasoned fries. These are crinkle cut fries that are dusted liberally with seasoning salt. They aren't fried that hard so come out a little soft and floppy. Meh. I'd probably skip the fries in the future. (3/5) For the second side, I went with the mac & cheese, which is quite nice. It's super creamy and is mixed with plenty of pimento cheese to give warmth and extra tangy and rich flavor. The macaroni itself isn't cooked too far after al dente, so there still some solid texture there. (5/5) Overall, a single plate is enough to serve two people, at least persons of my stature. I ate a little less than half of the meal and was stuffed afterwards! This visit placed Red's clearly on top of all the other hot chicken joints I've tried in Nashville in the past. And even after visiting a couple other places on this trip, I think it' still safe to say that Red's is my favorite. I'll have to do some more comparisons next time I'm in Nashville - unfortunately a lot of other recommended places were closed during my time in the city. Bathrooms - Small rooms available in the bar. Kind of dingy, but that's what you get at the oldest bar in TN. I love the "voice activated" sticker on the hand dryer.

    2 Tenders and 1 thigh box (they ran out of thighs and so substituted w/tenders)
    Anthony D.

    This is the place for Nashville Hot Chicken. Between the texture, flavor, and overall package, Red's is the place to stop for NHC. It's located right near the Parthenon area and is semi-connected to a bar. Check their hours before you go since it seemed like they are mostly lunch hours-oriented. The cashier and service was friendly. It took about 15 minutes for our food to be ready and we were able to take it and eat inside in the adjacent bar. The hot chicken flavor is excellent! So much flavor and I loved the texture of the chicken. It looks like they pound-out the thigh a little bit to make it thinner, which makes the bites equal and uniform where you get a perfect amount of skin (that stays intact) and meat. The seasoning is insanely flavorful! The mac and cheese was the best I've had in the city. The pimento flavor shines through and the overall texture/consistency of the cheese was spot-on. This is where I'm stopping every time to get my Nashville Hot Chicken fix.

    Unassuming and glorious.
    Craig W.

    You want Nashville hot chicken? This is the real deal. It's an unassuming shop located next to the Springwater, Tennessee's oldest bar. In fact, they will bring your food to you at the Springwater, if you want. Everybody does it. Or just sit in the shade at Red's. The chicken is very juicy and flavorful. I went with a "hot" spice level for my sandwich and handled it just fine, although I was warned that it was "very" hot. Decades of eating Mexican peppers and salsas have probably turned by stomach into iron. It was pleasantly hot but not crazy hot. The sandwich combo comes with slaw and pickles on the chicken and it is a sloppy, wonderful mess. It is absolutely delicious. The crinkle-cut fries were heavily-seasoned and delicious and you get an absolute ton of them. The pimento mac and cheese was fine (ordered separately with the tenders) but it is not a must order. Get the fr Skip the touristy chicken spots and come here. This is a great hot chicken sandwich.

    Their Pimento Mac & Cheese is my favorite Mac & Cheese in Nashville. It's delicious!
    Jeff T.

    Red's is the Best Hot Chicken Dive in Nashville. Yes, this place is a dive. But the food is delicious, the portions are huge, and there's air-conditioned seating and beer next door at Springwater. Remember, this is a Chicken Tender place. There are no 1/2 birds or 1/4 birds here. Tenders are the only chicken they serve. But, it is so worth it. Ok, let's start at the beginning... First, you walk into the open air shed and you review the menus on the wall next to and above the windows. Once you've determined what you would like to order, you stand in front of the window on the right. When the window opens, you place your order. If you order their "Hot" you will be warned that it is very spicy. Personally, I Love their "Hot." It delivers the flavor and heat I want when eating Hot Chicken. It's so tasty and it's just enough to make your nose run a bit! I always want coleslaw on my hot chicken sandwich, so the Hot Chicken Sandwich here is perfect. It comes with 2 Tenders, coleslaw, pickles, and Comeback Sauce. It's served with a large portion of wonderfully seasoned crinkle cut fries. Honestly, all their sides here are very good. But, my favorite side is the Pimento Mac & Cheese. I can boldly say that, in my humble opinion, this is the best Mac & Cheese in Nashville. For sure. After you pay (I believe this is a cashless operation) you have the option to take your food to go or to have it delivered to you in Springwater next door. If you have time, definitely take the Springwater option, walk next door, sit at the bar, and order a beer. Your food will be delivered right to you in lovely styrofoam containers. If you do not want any alcohol, you need to order soft drinks or water from Red's. Those things aren't really on the menu at Springwater. The staff at both Red's and Springwater are wonderful, and they definitely contribute to all of this being a wonderful experience! I highly recommend Red's for delicious chicken tenders and sides. As long as you don't need anything fancy, like a soda fountain. Seriously, this place is really good.

    crunch wrap
    PD M.

    I'm not even sure who first told me about Red's Hot Chicken, but I'm glad they did. It's a little shack -- totally nondescript -- with no real seating and just a walk-up window next to one of Nashville's oldest bars (which dates back to the Prohibition era). When you order, they tell you upfront how long it'll take, and in our case, it was about 30-35 minutes. Later, the wait stretched closer to an hour, but honestly, it was worth every minute. There wasn't much of a line outside, which was misleading because they clearly had a ton of orders queued up inside. We ordered the medium chicken strips and the crunch wrap -- and both were absolutely incredible. Easily one of the highlights of our weekend in Nashville. It's the definition of unassuming: simple setup, no frills, just amazing food. Grab a casual beer next door or hang out while you wait. When we went, there was a huge arts-and-crafts event going on behind the restaurant with thousands of people, so I imagine on a normal weekend the wait would be shorter. This was the cheapest meal we had all weekend, yet it made us smile the most. If you're in Nashville and want what I'd call the best hot chicken in town, don't miss Red's. Totally worth the stop.

    Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders Mustard Potato Salad
    Anita W.

    Wait time can get a bit wild, but I can see why it's worth the wait. Also, I did go on foodball saturday! I got hot for my 3 peice tenders, and it's HOT! A side of potato salad, so soothing for the spice Cash only at the bar! There is an ATM available. Most domestic beers, and sheltzers. Great service, very informative about the menu

    Becca W.

    Super friendly staff. Very proud of their place. Steady stream of customers proving that this is a local favorite. Great hole in the wall joint when all you're looking for is hot chicken and sides---cuz that's all they got. Everything was delicious. I got the medium spice level for my tenders which was a decent level of heat but didn't make me sweat. Would be curious to go one more level up (there are four levels). Go for the experience. This is a dive place. Almost questioned our choice when we pulled up. But don't be scared off. You'll feel right at home once you order and seat yourself. Signs everywhere say cash only, but we were able to pay with ApplePay.

    10 out of 10, my fave in the city.
    Paddy K.

    Treated myself to a tour of five hot chicken spots in Nashville, and all had something going for them but the rest didn't come close to Red's. Juicy on the inside, molten crisp on the out with just the right amount of dry rub dusting to finish it off. I had mine with two cheap Narragansett's at the bar next door and I'm itching to go back. Make this your first stop. This is a gem.

    Southern Dirty Bird, medium heat.
    Jay B.

    Feels like a true Nashville experience. And nobody in line was wearing boots or a pink cowboy hat. I'd had Hattie B's in Atlanta and loved it, so I wanted to try this much ballyhooed shack. My group of 9 was very glad we did. There wasn't much of a line when we pulled up, and we found a parking spot easily. Despite the short line, the wait was a hearty one. The 45-minute wait gave us time to hoof it over to the Parthenon. Kudos to them for getting the wait time right. The family found some seating in Nashville's oldest bar next door. I ordered the Southern Dirty Bird sandwich, with comeback sauce, pimento cheese and two fat medium-heat tenders. I like heat, and the medium provided plenty. It was massive. The fries were excellent as well, seasoned fantastically. My wife got the Mac and cheese with mild tenders. It was also excellent. I'd love to return and try some of the other items, especially the crunchwrap. Great spot. I'd give 4.5 if I could, but the wait cost a star.

    Hot chicken snack box with tenders and mac and cheese, seasoned fries, hot chicken crunchwrap
    Merry B.

    We've visited this chicken shack twice now on recent visits to Nashville and will keep coming back! The chicken crunchwrap is unique and delicious! I like to get tenders and mac and cheese separately just so it's easier to take the leftovers to go. We tried the seasoned fries on this last visit and those were great too. Some were slightly too salty for my taste, but they were hot and crispy. The service is straightforward and pretty quick for being made to order. There's an area to wait and to eat inside under their overhang, as well as at the bar next door. There's also a convenient parking lot on the other side of the bar, which we didn't realize the first time we were there. Highly recommend!

    Seating in the bar next door
    Leilani Q.

    So delicious and spicyyyyy! Get the thighs, they are boneless and soooo juicy! Very very good. I liked the medium although it was making my nose run a bit and sweat a little. If you're not into a little bit of a burn, the mild is also very good! Order at the window, they are very nice and will give you recs! I liked the fries and the slaw as sides. Fries were nice and crispy and well seasoned. The slaw was cold and crunchy, perfect! Love that you can get different spice levels within your meal, makes it easier to share if you're wanting different spice levels!

    Chicken Snack Box
    Shashikala P.

    Well all of there 5star reviews are true, so glad we went here today for lunch, guys at the store are nice, attentive and sweet, fried chicken, it's the best I've ever had, took a friend there who was not interested eating fried chicken, after tasting their food, she's not stopping raving about it, chicken, fries and Mac b cheese everything is 10stars, definitely try this place. Fyi: there medium is like hot(and it's coming from someone who likes spicy food and knows little about spices).

    Inside the bar

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    3 months ago

    Home run! Exactly what I was looking for in Nashville. Oh, and hot means HOT. Cold beer next door, for the total experience.

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    This means the world to us! Thank you so much Matea.

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    5 months ago

    Best hot chicken I've ever had. Would return to Nashville just to get another meal. Ambiance was cool and service was extremely nice.

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    Ask the Community - Red's Hot Chicken

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    Hattie B's Hot Chicken - Nashville - Melrose

    Hattie B's Hot Chicken - Nashville - Melrose

    4.3(1.2k reviews)
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    First time in Nashville. Since Nashville hot chicken restaurants are spreading like wildfire in…read moreCalifornia, we decided to try the original. My wife found this place on social media. They have multiple locations, but this place is away from the usual tourist spots so we decided to give it a try. This place is busy, most people here looked local. The place was clean, bright, decorated with bold red colors. We decided to share half a chicken, dark meat, hot. The food came out shockingly fast. The skin was spicy, flavorful and the meat was so tender. I was thoroughly impressed. My wife's first time trying southern grits at my insistence, and of course it blew her mind. Finally the beans was also really good. Two thumbs up! Tip, they sell t shirts and spice where you wait in line, they are such cool Nashville souvenirs

    When in Nashville go to this chicken sandwich place! We ordered it to go and it was quick and ready…read morewhen we got there. It smelled so good we ended up eating it in the restaurant. To start we got the fried pickles. These are probably the best fried pickles I've ever had. They were so crispy on the outside and dipped in their ranch and comeback sauce made for the perfect pickle. We ordered the chicken sandwich (medium) and chicken tenders (hot) with fries and mac and cheese. The chicken sandwich had some flavor to it but was pretty mild on the heat level. The chicken was crispy and the buns were fresh. The chicken tenders were a 10/ 10. They were crunchy with a ton of meat in them. The hot was slightly more spicy and dipped in ranch/comeback sauce was perfect. The comeback sauce reminded me of a version of a chick fil a sauce but in a better way. The fries and mac were average. For dessert we got the banana pudding. This recently became my favorite dish coming to Nashville and theirs was pretty good but not the best I've had. Overall for being a fast food/sit down place it's a must go to when in Nashville. It is very high quality and everything you could ask for in a chicken place. We didn't know what to expect on the heat level but next time we would definitely order the next level up (damn hot) on the menu. It was all around good but we love spicy!

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    Hot chicken, dark meat, hot

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    Champy's Chicken - The best fried jalapeños ever!

    Champy's Chicken

    4.7(49 reviews)
    2.3 miSobro, Downtown
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    After a bunch of visits I can tell you that this excellent fried chicken is not a coincidence, it…read moreis a safe bet - every time! My favorite is the meat plate (breast and wing) or the Chicken Finger Basket, and that comes with the fries too and the fries.... Yay! They are delicious, crispy and dipping them in the Champys sauce is just one more way to make your day! If you have room for another side or a starter I will recommend the Fried Jalapeno Basket, it comes with its own sauce that is perfect to contradict the mild-spicy jalapeños. The staff is always attentive and nice ( Kayla in the bar is fantastic). If you have a larger group they also have two separate rooms you can rent.

    This is a basic place. Basically good. The food is typical food you will find at many places, but…read moreit has a that southern aspect of it. To be more specific, the Mississippi and Louisiana area of the south. Customer service was great, and it came with honesty when asking about certain items. I do like that they did not say the typical, "Oh everything is great" especially when I see gumbo, etouffee, and jambalaya on the menu. For many of us when we see that on the menu you are like me and think, "What do they know about gumbo?" The gumbo was not bad, and it is different but still enjoyable. I am more of a seafood gumbo, but I can get down with the sausage (stop giggling), chicken, and shrimp. I did enjoy it and you might want to order an extra side of rice with it to go along with the two scoops that already come with it. The only thing missing was a piece of French bread. I also tried the tamales which were also pretty good. It has been a minute since I had tamales also. The star of the apps were fried green tomatoes. At many places you order FGT and if you are lucky, you get four at a ridiculous price. The FGT appetizer here was a whole tomato and you could tell it was fresh. Someone in the back doing some dipping and frying when you place this order. Pretty good-sized order and the remoulade sauce that came with it was not as tangy as I would like but still good. A solid four stars. This is a great place in case you got that person who has no idea what they want or did not make a suggestion of where they want to eat. The menu is limited so there is no constant searching around due to a large number of items but still offers variety. My only issue is that when you see a place serving up some cajon options you start getting a taste for some boudin but unfortunately they do not offer it.

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    Dining area with open windows to the street

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    Red's Hot Chicken - southern - Updated May 2026

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