Crimson Coward — Restaurant in Annandale

TLDR: Closest to true Nashville Hot Chicken in Northern VA My fiancé and I have tried A LOT of Nashville Hot Chicken or Hot Chicken-esque places in Northern Virginia and most suffer the same core issue: They are not traditional Nashville style chicken.They don’t have ranch or they flavor is off or they have no flavor at all. The Crimson Coward, however, actually included the traditional white bread underneath and, while not included automatically, did have the option to get ranch and pickles (which I get because not everyone likes those, so I’m happy with the waste prevention efforts). The spice level was good (we got hot) and while it was maybe missing a little depth to the flavor in the ranch and chicken, the chicken was moist and it’s leagues better than most of the other places here that call themselves a hot chicken restaurant. So while we still yearn for Prince’s or Hattie B’s, we aren’t making the trip back to Nashville anytime soon, so we will definitely be coming back to the Crimson Chicken again and again.

Pictured here is what was left of the chicken before I even remembered to take...

ONE WORD

WOW!

I had just seen this place while driving to work and said to myself I've got to try this place it says it has Nashville inside.

Plus, who wouldn't like a Coward Crime...lol

No expectations, just a whim. Boy, what a wonderful surprise.

The gentleman who greeted me was amazing. Didn't make you feel like a simple customer. He engaged in a conversation and delighted the conversation with his smile.

FOOD: The Crimson Sandwich. Mild, I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy food.

DANG! It was tasty, but I mean deliciously tasty. Just a fresh, tasty, and perfectly cooked chicken. All flavors were in tune.

And it was humongous. The sandwich alone was almost a full 3 course meal.

Price, it's too good to be true for the quality and the amount.

INSIDE: Spotless. Very clean.

OUTSIDE: Lots of parking.

SUMMARY:

For a fast food joint, it's way better than a lot of businesses in its category. Oh, and you can ask for Halal food.

All in all, a great secret fast food place you have to visit.

RETURN FACTOR 💯 %

RECOMMEND A...

I'm giving the place five stars because the food was good, the customer service was great and the place was exceptionally clean. However, there is a LOT this place can improve upon:

1. I got the sandwich in medium and I've had bell peppers that were spicier. The spice level is either horribly inconsistent or inadequate.
2. The piece of chicken breast was rather thin and dry. I think it's probably breast that's been pounded flat. Either way, the exterior texture was good but not nearly as good as the competition.
3. The food in general was very salt forward. It was absolutely delicious with the first few bites but half way through the meal, the salt was just too much.
4. The soda machine was out of syrup for two different sodas and the third one I tried was also heavy on the soda water side.

As they've just recently opened, some kinks are probably still being worked out. I'll update the review after...