Crimson Coward Nashville Hot Chicken — Restaurant in Columbia

You can't really go wrong with Nashville-style fried chicken so we wanted to give Crimson Coward a shot to see how it measured up. Not disappointed at all! Despite spending some travel time in the car, the chicken and onion bloom were still crispy and crunchy. The flavor was excellent and the heat level satisfying.

The "hot" was exactly what you would expect in a restaurant outside of Texas :) Very approachable and no lingering spice burn, but it will capture your senses while you are eating it. Maybe a little hotter than Cholula but weaker than Tapitio. I'll probably try the extra hot next time. Other folks enjoyed the mild and said there was a little kick in there that was perfect for the mild level.

The onion bloom was tasty. Not as much batter as the one at Outback. I prefer Outback's for this reason, but this one is by no means a slouch, and I prefer the blend of the Crimson sauce, which is a little creamier with no horseradish, but otherwise similar. I found the Crimson sauce a perfect accompaniment to the hot chicken.

So... where does it stack up versus the big boys? Sadly (or maybe fortunately) I'm just now getting on the hot chicken circuit so there are places I still need to try, but this is up there near the top. I prefer BRD in Baltimore's hot chicken taste (maybe because of the peanut oil), but there is less oil on the Crimson Coward, so it's a little easier on the stomach. Very closely behind is the the legendary but short lived Burger King Ch'King. Thereafter would be Popeyes, then Chick-fil-a, then maybe Raising Cane's, which I found bland based on my personal preferences, but if you are sensitive to spice it might be right up your alley.

I'd happily order Crimson Coward again. Glad to have it as a new choice.

EDIT: Ordered a second time. This time I tried the Burn Baby Burn strips. They will bring the pain if that is what you are looking for, but the amazing tasting sauce helps counter the spiciness. Unfortunately the extra two sauces we ordered were not included, or the pickles. Still a 5 star for the quality/taste of the chicken, but a bit...

This place is a solid offering for hot chicken, with an awesome bonus of having one of the best burgers around, if chicken isn't your thing. This place is on par if not a little better than some competition (I'm looking at the seasonless Cane's, textureless Royal Farms, etc) but it falls short to Dave's hot chicken, which has more flavor. Not to say this place isn't good; They have a good variety of chicken offerings, some being better than others. I've gone here multiple times before writing this review, and the main takeaways are:

Chicken heat is on point. Paired with their crimson sauce, the tenders and sandwich is enjoyable. as others have pointed out, the chicken itself could use more flavor. I understand they will claim they season it, but it needs something more than what is currently used to be a 5 star.

Some of the offerings are too greasy. The crimson onion will clog your arteries, the fries are decent (need more salt in my opinion), the garlic twister was WAY too dry.

My personal favorite item however, is the Double SNash burger. It is greasy, yes, but the flavors there are sooo on point, it really reminds me of an In-N-Out burger, it is really that good. It's a shame they don't offer toppings, because you really could pass it as an east coast version of the popular California smash burger.

Overall, I don't think they're quite at a 5-star level, but it is a solid offering, and I hope they expand more into north Maryland so I can enjoy it at home instead of...

After waiting a few weeks for the crowds to die down, I decided to give this new hot-chicken place a try after work. The staff was friendly and I opted for their 3-piece chicken tenders combo meal. They have five spice levels to choose from: none, mild, medium, hot and nuclear. I chose medium, as I wanted some "kick" but not too much. There are very few tables in the restaurant (maybe 4?), and since they were all full, I was forced to sit at the counter. Food is made to order, so expect a 10-15 minute wait for them to prepare your meal. When my combo box arrived, I noticed that they gave me one extra piece of chicken, which was nice. They provided one small container of dipping sauce, but I believe you can ask for more if you run out. The chicken was very tasty and definitely had some "kick", so I give that part of the meal an A+. However, the fries were extremely bland and tasteless, and instead of some nice Texas Toast, you instead get a hardly-toasted slice of white bread. I wound up eating all of the chicken, but I took only a few nibbles of the bread and tossed most of the fries. If all you want is hot chicken for take-out, then perhaps this restaurant is for you; however, I was extremely underwhelmed with the fries/bread part of the combo meal. I will probably not be returning unless I am craving some hot...