Recently, Sophia and I made the trip here to Tendermacs, which was profiled on Channel 13 for their Friday Flavor segment. When it comes to small restaurants, that is one area besides Yelp where checking out local spots is valuable. So, would this live up to the hype along with online reviews? We were immediately greeted by the staff at the counter once we walked in. It's typically a takeout place with 80s decor and two small tables if you decide to dine-in. We were in luck so dining in it is. We both ordered Cowabunga Fries which consists of crinkle fries topped with diced chicken, cheese, ranch and buffalo sauce (Sophia ordered hers without buffalo sauce). Very good stuff. The fries came out nice and crispy and the chicken tenders came out hot and slighty crispy. And where can you go wrong with ranch and buffalo sauce and cheese on top? We got full halfway and took it home. However, there is a reason for a star being knocked off. If you prefer to dine-in, there's no bathroom. Not really a big deal in my book. But we needed liquids to go with our food. They did not have bottled water nor diet drinks. Both Sophia and I are diabetic and even though we eat sugar, having a Pepsi or Coke will raise our levels above the normal limit (we do take care of ourselves so it wouldn't be life-threatening). I do hope down the road they have a bigger container for all types of drinks and water for folks who travel outside of Chespeake like us. Would we come back? For now, yes as long as the drink situation is fixed. Just being constructive. Otherwise, it was a very good dish. Truly worth the drive from the Peninsula. read more

Tendermacs - Cowabunga Fries - Soul Food Near Me - Chesapeake, Virginia

This is a small local restaurant that was highly recommended to us by friends who know the meaning of good food! This friendly, family owned eatery offers great comfort food. Their main dishes include Mac-n-cheese and chicken tender entrees. Be sure to plan your order ahead because they close early and out closed Sunday & Monday. While the Freaky fries entree was delicious, we weren't a fan of the beer cheese brat Mac that was a special that day. So, we'll be sure to order something different next time. We will definitely be back very soon for more comfort food and to support this family business! read more

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The name covers most of the menu! When you want chicken tenders for lunch support local not a chain. The max was definitely a good portion. More than you'll get in a portion cup from fast food spots. The chicken tenders are nicely breaded and fried. The breading was not falling off. However, the menu states large tenders. Maybe they started out with large tenders but these are regular but not large. Flavorful but not large. I got 3 tender mac to be on the safe side. Glad I did. The mac? Seasoned! Yes! Tasty! If you walk-in prepare for a bit of a wait. Why? Freshly prepared food! Score!! Why four stars? I can't give 4.5 stars. Will I be back? Absolutely! I need to get one of their Fries entree! read more

Tendermacs - 3 tender mac with Buffalo sauce. - Soul Food Near Me - Chesapeake, Virginia

If I could give more than 5 stars trust me I would when I say I've never had such an impressive mac and cheese from a restaurant not to mention this place specializes in it and doesn't just offer it as a side item. There was thought put into the recipe I actually preferred it over the chicken tender and that is a rarity for me to say. My one complaint would be the chicken tender was way too salty for my taste still quality chicken don't get me wrong. I would go here like every weekend if it weren't for me living 30min away from the heavenly restaurant. Next time I will only be ordering the Mac and cheese as I couldn't get enough of it the first time. read more

Tendermacs - Mini Mac Plate - Soul Food Near Me - Chesapeake, Virginia

Tender mac got your back! This is comfort food for sure! Everything is made fresh to order, tenders were perfectly fried and juicy. Mac and cheese was moist and tasty. They even have different flavors of Mac and cheese. I also tried the loaded fries, so good I had trouble sharing with anyone. Service was great, owner ran the register so its definitely a small business. The place is small and there are tables to eat in, but it seems most people take out. I'm going back for more, but I won't tell anyone so I won't have to share! =) read more

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Saw this place on another random food group, one on Facebook so it's been on my list. Finally made it out. The service was outstanding the staff friendly and the menu simple yet effective. It took a bit of time to get food, about 20 minutes but it was worth it. The food came out hot and delicious. read more

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Today was the soft opening! Tried the MacNcheese 3 combo: 2 chicken tenders & 1 zucchini. Mac is tender, I definitely recommend the zucchini. The breading-like tempura batter is seasoned and fried just right- not mushy. Cheese is gooey deliciousness, there's a secret seasoning (more than salt and pepper) that makes this dish better than homemade! read more

Tendermacs - 3 tender Mac combo + Zucchini (soft opening) - Soul Food Near Me - Chesapeake, Virginia

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Bomb food for a good price point, only thing that sucks is they close early! Nice people usually too

Staff has a great attitude, tenders were great with the house sauce, diner has a 80's arcade vibe. Good people with good heart making good food. Definitely will be coming back. read more

Tried this place today and it was great! The service was fast and they were very friendly. The food came out hot and fresh. For the price, you do get a lot of food. The tenders are huge and the fries are delicious. Lots of good sauce choices too. Definitely check them out if you're in the area! read more

It it closed! I was SOO DISAPPOiNTED! It is listed on Yelp, I went there only to find it has been out of business for a while now. Please update your sites so others will not make unnecessary trips. read more

Love love Tendermacs. Chicken Tenders are real chicken not rib meat and Portions are generous for the cost. Chicken sandwich was oversized. The Mac and Cheese is outstanding and the owners are very friendly. Just wished they had long hours. read more

Honestly obsessed is an understatement. If I could put 10 stars I absolutely would! My family and I absolutely love tendermacs. We get it at least once a month for dinner. We love everything, from the juicy tenders to the flavorful Mac - delicious brownies .. don't even get me started on the wraps and the chili & cornbread omg. Not only is the food absolutely incredible but every single person that works there is amazing, but Amy & Larry are really just wholesome, wonderful people. They are such wonderful people and that's the best part of a business. read more

Amazing tenders. Amazing fries!!! Easy to order and totally worth the wait!!! Super cool establishment!!!

We cannot get enough of this place. You can tell their food is made with love. It is so unique and flavorful. The fries somehow remain super crispy under all the layers of sauces. And the service was wonderful. The person taking our order patiently explained and described each offering until we knew exactly what we wanted. It does take a little bit to cook so I recommend ordering ahead of you can. read more

Your basic chicken tender takeout place. That's not an insult. There are a lot of bad versions of this concept out there. I got the chicken tenders and mac and cheese. They had a jalapeno version of the mac and cheese, which I'll probably try next time. But I went with the classic. It was solid baked mac and cheese. One of the better mac and cheeses I have come across out in the wild. The chicken tenders were lightly battered and crisp. They had an interesting texture. Overall very light, well seasoned, and just enough crisp on the batter without it overwhelming things. The pickle brining flavor stands out when eating the tenders. Not to damn it with faint praise, but they reminded me of an upgraded version of Chick Fil A tenders. The tenders come with a variety of sauces to dip them in. One thing that I really appreciated about how they made the tenders is they hand bread them when you order. Takes about 10-15 min, but it's nice to have such fresh results. I also saw them checking the internal temp with a meat thermometer, which I really appreciated. If you've ever gotten a raw tender you'll understand why. I also got a brownie to round things out. Those brownies are HUGE. And delicious. You can easily split one into three portions. Perfect for people that like moist, gooey brownies. read more

I had heard about tendermacs from a few folks and was very intrigued. Chicken tender and macaroni and cheese are a classic combo. I headed over there for lunch to check them out. I was immediately greeted when I walked in. The employee who was ringing up my order asked me a variety of questions to determine what would be the best meal for me since this was my first time. I selected the chicken sandwich with the class mac and a side of fried zucchini. The told me ahead of time if I ordered the chicken sandwich it would take some time due to the cooking process of seasoning, dredging, and ultimately frying it since they had run out of the chicken a bit ago and were filling back up their supplies. All of the employees were kind and helpful; they helped me out since I had my son with me and the stroller. The chicken sandwich was good, it needed a bit more seasoning, but they are serving quality chicken meat. The Mac n cheese was really good. They put their spin on the Mac so don't expect grandma's Mac. My son loved the Mac and cheese and the fried zucchini. Great portions, a good customer experience, and my son enjoyed it. We'll be back. read more

Tendermacs - a car parked in front of a store - Soul Food Near Me - Chesapeake, Virginia

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So the wife and I finally got to Tendermacs and it is amazing! The biggest and best chicken strips I have ever had. The fries and Mac and Cheese also fantastic. The prices for the amount of food is very good and you have to try the house made freaky sauce! Loved it, I highly recommend Tendermacs and we will be back. The guys in the place were super nice also and made sure everything was great. read more

They truly care about the quality of food. Every tender is checked for proper internal temp and they taste great.

Chicken was amazing. However, the man n cheese was not. We were so disappointed it was dry with no flavor.

It had been a while since I was last here but i was in the area so I thought why not. The staff was nice and friendly, helped me out with questions that I had. I ordered a 4 Tendermac combo. The food is really good but you better be willing to wait. I arrived a couple minutes after they opened and was one of the first couple people to order. I ended up waiting over an hour for my food after being told 20-25 minutes. They are a small business so I'll give them some slack. Plus, the 2 employees also said this is the first time they were working together. I feel like they should be more prepared for a weekend. Food was good but they could be more prepared for busier times. I'll give them another chance. read more

Literally just a 3rd year college student that wanted some solid soul food in the area. I love mac n cheese and chicken and i saw this spot. I got a 3 piece chicken strip combo with mac and cheese and that joint was bussin. I plan on stopping again tomorrow because the food was so great (mind you i live 20 mins away, near ODU). The staff was super friendly to and even gave me some recommendations. Definitely a spot worth checking out if you want some good chicken strips and mac and cheese read more

Larry's fries were awesome . Mac n cheese was very tasty. Small place with big flavor. Generous portions. I'll be going back! Definitely recommend! read more

It was decent. I love how it's local. The food was decent. I got tenders and fries. The tenders were decent not the best, but it was very filling. The fries were so delicious. I hate to say this, but I threw up afterwards, so beware if you have a sensitive stomach. Overall, it wasn't bad. I just did not like the tenders. I feel like I'm really upset my stomach. read more

I was driving to get Popeyes and saw this little place on the side of the road and thought why not. Reasonable prices, friendly service, and the ambiance is alright. Now the food....the tenders were soft, fries were crispy, broccoli cheese was a little too soggy but not everyone likes it crunchy. Food was HOT so I appreciate that, the first bite was good but then as I kept eating I felt like I could taste the old fry oil in everything. I thought maybe it was me but my kid said the same thing. When we were done eating I felt sick. It's one of those feelings of I'm not sure if it's them but I don't think I can come back bc of the way I felt. Prices are very very reasonable. read more

We were in the area so I looked at my list of saved places and decided to try Tendermacs. First impression when we walked in was that it was really clean and the food smelled wonderful! The gentleman behind the register was very nice. I told him we had never been and he said to let him know if we had any questions. I love loaded fries so I asked him about the ones they had on the menu. They all sounded delicious. My kids chose the chicken sandwich with half their portion of mac on the sandwich. I ended up choosing the tender meal with mac on the side. The tenders weee delicious! Lightly breaded, flavorful. I was surprised by the flavor of the mac and cheese. I think there was garlic maybe? And some green spice (parsley?) It was so good. Creamy. The browned cheese on top was my favorite! My kids really enjoyed their chicken sandwiches. All around a great experience. We'll definitely stop in again. read more

Excellent food and quick service! So happy to have a good food option in the neighborhood!!

portions are excellent. tender are juicy and well sized. my issue is the Mac n cheese. y'all are doing to much. oregano and fennel do not belong in Mac n cheese. This ain't spaghetti sauce! Try a simpler recipe and maybe less egg. read more