Chen Chen's Nashville Hot Chicken — Restaurant in Toronto

I would have done things differently if I had known this place was at a bar, and they were holding a random disco party at 3pm on a Sunday. I'd have come a different day. I really believe this place needs a stand alone location to thrive. Not in a bar. We had OG chicken sandwich, mac and cheese, dirty fries. Dirty fries were amazing. Needed no changes. Flavour was unique. Mac and Cheese was not mac and cheese. Cooked a bit too al dente, and not enough cheese sauce. Let's get to the sandwich however. The chicken itself needs no help. Dipped in medium sauce, it was juicy, temperature hot, the crunch and flavour have a depth like I've never had. It was pretty great! One of the best medium sauces I've ever had. Breaking down the sandwich: the coleslaw was a good accompaniment. It gave a cooling and extra texture the sandwich needs. The bread and butter pickles are fresh batch made, and not too sweet. I could do without these though as I've never been a fan. You can't do dill pickles however. It isn't the right choice. The bread and butter pickles are. The real issue here for me was the bun. It came partially frozen which was a good indicator that the team needs more experience handling a bit of a crowd. The bun also fell apart halfway through eating. The bun really needs buttered or some other spread, and seared off or warmed up on a flat top grill. I see the potential in the bun choice but it was not served fully thawed and fell apart. The Corona was a perfect choice for me to go with the sandwich. I'm not much of a drinker at all. I just felt it was the right thing to do. Note: $10 minimum purchase to use debit or credit at the bar. Overall I won't be visiting again unless the atmosphere changes and all the product evolves, right down to how making payment is done. It feels odd that the cooks were taking payment. The chicken is the star and it really is a great piece of meat that can be built around to further develop the menu and concept. I'm glad I tried it once. On a side note, you can tell that the staff cares about what they're producing and...

WOW. Considering Toronto is trying to become a “world-class city”, it really is difficult trying to find the perfect fried chicken sandwich. But Chen Chen’s… we may have a contender here. We ordered some snacks and the “Dine for Two Combo”, which includes two sandwiches, two sides, two drinks. While the sandwiches are typically made with dark meat, for a small fee we were able to get white meat.

Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Sandwich: The only modifier was getting white meat vs. dark meat. Fantastic sandwich full of flavour, while still being able to actually taste the chicken. It was juicy, fresh, and oh-so-crispy. The brioche bun was toasted and was really good. We went for a medium heat level, as we didn’t want the heat level to take away from enjoying all the flavours.

Szechuan Hot Chicken Sandwich: Same as above, we went for white meat instead of dark meat. The flavour balance between sweet, savoury, and spicy was just right, so much so that this was my favourite sandwich of the two. Very unique flavours along with the house-made aioli, without taking away from the star of the show: the chicken. Absolutely fantastic.

Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders: We went for the highest level of heat, to give it a shot. These things were HOOOOT and SPICY!!! I don’t think I would go for that level of heat again, but if I’ve got any congestion I’ll be sure to get these. Coupled with the aioli sauce, it was very flavourful. These are easily my new favourite chicken tenders in the city.

Sides: We chose the mac n’ cheese and spicy fries. Excellent choices as they tasted fresh, with the fries at a perfect level of crispness. We also got a free potato salad by ordering through UberEats, which was quite tasty too.

Overall, excellent place, with excellent sandwiches and sides. We’ll be coming back again to try the other sides, which seem to be meals in their own right! Note that there is no indoor dining, so you’ll have to either eat outside, in your car, or at home. I recommend eating them when they’re fresh. You won’t be...

I ordered on Uber Eats not familiar with the location but the menu and deals looked TOO good to pass up.

When I tell you that this is the most presentable, and tastiest food I have ever ordered on Uber Eats in my life?? The best fried chicken I have EVER eaten? Absolutely true.

I didnt know what I was expecting but I tried pretty much a bit of everything. Read the reviews on the chicken sandwich and knew I HAD to try it. Even with delivery, BEST CHICKEN SANDWICH I HAVE EVER EATEN. In my life. 100%. I got it with just pickles on it due to being a picky girl. Still amazing.

I was smacking my gums on it like I just rolled up 🍃, completely sober, on cloud 9. I have leftovers too!

Pictures attached of the things I ordered and individual thoughts for convenience:

Side order of bacon mac and cheese: so rich and creamy, the bacon and chives added the perfect amount of savoury. Loved it.

Elote: the corn was the perfect amount of sweet and savoury. If you like parmesan you will love this, it is what adds the salty flavours. (Tip: add extra melted butter it elevates it 🤭)

Szechuan Chicken sandwich: Fantastic, give me 14 of them right now. Not too saucy, the bun was soft and NEVER soggy.

Chicken and waffles: gorgeous. They came without sauce and the seasoning underneath the breading. Think popeyes but so much better. Crispy, melt in your mouth. I dont know how a chicken tender felt like it was falling off the bone but it did. The Belgian waffle was just a normal waffle but worked as a buttery fluffy bread if you want a tender sandwich.

Side of waffle fries: usual waffle fries but salted perfectly, crispy, good oily flavour.

I have never in my life felt drawn to write a review after a delivery order....