There was some level of seriousness when I told my family that I'd join them on a road trip excursion, with the condition that we make numerous stops for chicken in Nashville. I recalled the highlight of my last Nashville visit being our hot chicken meal, and I hopped on the chance to enjoy it again. The vacation lent itself to exploring a few hot chicken locations across Nashville. I am not a fan of ranking, but aimed to explore and access a few of the options across Nashville; 1) for a broader sampling than the single meal I had in 2013, and 2) to share my finding with other lovers of fried and fiery fowl.
Consistency
Order: At every establishment, I ordered a half-chicken. This way, I'd try some light and some dark meat. Apples to apples, and oranges to oranges; ja feels? We also ordered at least 1 of every side, for the whole family to sample. Typically fries, greens, and beans.
Heat Level: Hailing from western NY, I can appreciate spice, but not heat for the sake of heat. Relating to Duff's chicken wings in Buffalo, I searched for the “medium” at every place. As hot as I can personally handle, while still enjoying the taste of the chicken.
Timing: While arguable that I could enjoy chicken at any time of day, the locations' hours varied and it made most sense to visit during dinner time. This helped gauge popularity, ambiance, and a typical experience.
Criterion:
- Experience – the general process, start to finish (ordering, service, etc.)
- Taste – flavor, juiciness, white/dark meat, spiciness, heat, wetness, etc.
- Rations – size of portions
- Ambiance – decor, seats, tables, comfort, lighting, etc.
- Sides – taste, variety and availability of non-chicken items
- Drinks – homemade v. canned
- Overall – general take-aways and recommendations
Hattie B's in West Nashville
We ended up at Hattie B's, as Prince's was closed on Monday (we took the pre-Y2K approach and didn't see it's their only day closed). We navigated to the downtown Hattie B's location, but the line was out the door. To avoid parking logistics, we meandered to the West Nashville location.
- Experience – Waited in a short line in front of a giant menu board, ordered, placed number on our table, and an employee brought out food. We were supposed to throw out our own food, but they took care of that for us. (5/5)
- Taste – Described their heat in relation to peppers and for me; it really resonated. Immediately, I was reminded how much I love spicy chicken (and that us yankees have no clue what we're missing). Might be the first time that I'd prefer white meat over the dark. Each bite was juicy and had a bit of kick. My only knock is that it might be too good or consistent. Hattie B's is a franchise (a few locations across TN) and with that, you can get a factory-like consistency that is slightly less homey. (4.5/5)
- Rations – I am fairly sure that the whole family had to-go boxes. Rations were generous. (5/5)
- Ambiance – Full-on restaurant; plenty of tables, mural, fun lighting, outdoor area with string lights, and plenty of room for my 3 year old niece, Mary, to run around and cause ruckus. I am curious what their downtown location is like, as that line was out the door. (5/5)
- Sides – Were included in a chicken order. French fries, potatoe salad, mac & cheese, greens, black eye peas. Not the focal point of the meal, but we were all presently surprised by the sides. (4.5/5)
- Drinks – Fresh sweet tea and lemonade on tap, and plenty of fountain drinks. All were fantastic. (5/5)
- Overall - For a polished, restaurant experience, come to Hattie B's for spicy chicken. Yes, you get a small taste of gentrification and corporate consistency, but with that, you avoid the annoyances of the hole in the wall. Flavor-wise, it did not miss the mark, and still had a local flare. Traveling with kids or just want a place to sit and relax, do Hattie B's.
Prince's Hot Chicken Shack
This was a returning trip for my sister, Becky, and myself. We visited here a few years ago with mom and I recall it being the best chicken I'd ever had. Coming in with a bit of a bias, I was glad that Prince's was the second of three locations that we visited, and that it'd been about five years since the last visit.
- Experience – Waited in a fairly long line, ordered at the front, waited for our number to be called, and took it to the table ourselves. Parking was a bit rough, and the wait was fairly long, when you factor in order time, and cook time. (3/5)
- Taste – spice, juiciness, white/dark meat – Their heat levels were pretty clearly described on the wall but if there were any hesitations, the employee taking my order made it clear that “hot” still had a great bit of flavor in the chicken, while x-hot and xx-hot were more about the spice than the chicken itself. The chicken was the perfect level of spice. White meat, dark meat; it all was equally as great, and I tend to avoid white meat unless smothered in sauce. (5/5)
- Rations – Prince's knows how to put enough in front of you that you're inclined to overeat a little bit. (5/5)
- Ambiance – Definition of hole in the wall. The restaurant is in a small, old shopping center plaza neighboring a vape shop. Painted windows and old furniture. Line out of the door but moved pretty quickly. Getting a table involved a bit of vulturing, but other patrons were not cut throat by any means. The wait for the food was not that long, and every employee was genuine, courteous, and warm. Our booth was a bit cramped, but to be expected in a place only offering 5 or 6 tables, with a family of 6. (4.5/5).
- Sides – Weren't included in the meal and were out of a few. Pickles, Seasoned Fries, Baked Beans. (4/5).
- Drinks – They ran out of their sweet tea and lemonade. We had orange drink, fruit punch, and soda. (3.5/5).
- Overall - Prince's has that hometown charm. There's a reason why there's consistently (all 2 occasions I've experienced) a long line. No bull; folks are there because the food is great and they'll crank it out as fast as they can without sacrificing quality. For the most hometown feel, defintiely go to Prince's if you aren't concerned with ambiance and flare.
Bolton's
Found Bolton's online as a great alternative to the more “popular” restaurants. It was on our way home from the suburbs back to downtown.
- Experience – Genuine, hole-in-the-wall. Employees clearly didn't care to put on a smile, but did give us a free piece of fish, and a free water (as they don't have any on tap). I was a little off-put by a customer returning his undercooked fish for a refund. All of our food was cooked fine. (3.5/5)
- Taste – Bolton was spicier than the others, living up to their proud warnings of being the hottest chicken in town. I had a pretty severe hiccup attack, but benefit of the doubt; this was the 3rd consecutive day of abusing/treating my body to spicy chicken, and I went in pretty fast and hard on Bolton's. White meat was great, even as leftovers after a couple days. (4/5)
- Rations – Pretty generous, and gave us some extra that was going to go to waste. (5/5)
- Ambiance – Plenty of tables availible, fairly clean, and local comfort without the flare. Was a bit odd, as there were few other customers in the duration of our visit (were probably there a little early for a typical diner). Bare bones; tables, few decorations, and somewhere in the middle of Prince's and Hattie B's. (4/5)
- Sides - Served with chicken as a platter. Mac n cheese, cold slaw, mashed potatoes & gravy, Turnip greens. Mashed potatoes were incredible and the rest of the sides were pretty darn good. The chest pie came in various flavors and hit the spot. Also: shout out to their hot fish, a sandwich that I enjoyed as another side (when in Rome?). (4/5)
- Drinks – No tap water (but gave usa free bottled water). Cans of soda. Nothing too special. (3/5)
- Overall - I would recommend Bolton's but it wouldn't be the top of my list for revisiting. If you're in the neighborhood, or in Nashville for a few days, definitely give Bolton's a “go”. But with all of our visit's hiccups (pun intended), you can get a more localized experience at Prince's or well-rounded at Hattie B's. I do appreciate how the employees made up for some shortfalls. In the end, the food was incredible. And if you're sick of chicken (is this such a thing) or just want some catfish with a little heat, definitely pick up a sandwich here.
