Dave's Hot Chicken — Restaurant in Gilbert

Dave's is the California chain that has tried to make a bid at commericializing the Nashville hot chicken flavor that has become the spicy alternative to Southern fried chicken. The chicken at Dave's is nicely cooked, and spice is both reminiscent of true Nashville hot chicken spice and yet adds a unique sweet twist. The pricing is reasonable, and the theme of the chicken shop is clearly urban culture. All that, with decent chicken, and Dave's still comes in a distant 3rd in Phoenix metro area for Nashville hot chicken flavor.

The new Dave's hot chicken location in Gilbert AZ is located on the south east corner of Stapley and Baseline Rd. Its recent opening has both shrunk the lines at nearby chicken houses "Canes" and "Chick Fil A" and tried the patience of the block long line of cars that wait for a taste of Dave's. I've made 2 visits to Dave's in 3 days, and each time the wait of 20 minutes for dining in was worth the delay.

The flavor of Dave's Hot Chicken includes a dry spice that is cooked nicely into the chicken breast tenders that they serve. But they are serving tenders, not the bone-in whole or quarter chicken breasts as the traditional Nashville hot chicken purists will know. The spice is dry applied before being deep fried and isn't dusted on post cooking, as is evident from the fact it cooks into the skin and fat. The crust of the chicken skin is very nice. But aside from the spice one can also taste sweet sugar. Dave's has blended in sort of sweet glaze into the spice, which is actually kind of unique for Nashville hot chicken. I personally don't want the tinge of sweet, but it is easy to see why so many people get addicted to Dave's.. sugar does that to you.

The spice levels at Dave's are not at all that hot. I tried medium, all the way up to Reaper. The highest spice level at Dave's os thr equivalent of a true Nashville hot chicken medium spice. Dave's is clearly playing to the public penchant for moderate heat and topping it off with a little sweet. If you intend on trying to get a burn from Dave's, you may be disappointed.

Still the flavor is good, and the chicken is cooked nicely.

The prices, quantity of the tenders, and size of each tender tell a story of a good stab at commercializing Nashville hot chicken, but surrendering to small serving sizes, and watered down spicesl level to do so. I don't begrudge Dave's for their approach, but I won't go there to get the best hot chicken in Phoenix metro area- that crown still sits on the Crazi's Hot Chicken counter (with Monroe's come in a distant 2nd place). Still Dave's is worth eating if it saves the drive. And it is the nicest facility of all three to eat in, with its plentiful seating and moderated music levels.

I will return to Dave's, but not as...

I don’t normally leave reviews, but I had to take a second to shout out Autumn at the Dave’s Hot Chicken drive-thru because she turned what could’ve been just another late-night chicken run into one of the best fast-food experiences I’ve ever had. Seriously, give this girl a crown, a promotion, AND a lifetime supply of sliders because she deserves it all.

From the moment I pulled up to the speaker, Autumn’s energy was unmatched. You know how sometimes the drive-thru feels rushed or robotic? Not with her. She greeted me like I was an old friend, with this upbeat tone that immediately set the vibe. I had no clue what spice level I wanted—because, let’s be real, Dave’s goes from “oh, that’s nice” to “call the fire department” real quick—but Autumn broke it down perfectly. She explained the heat levels in a way that wasn’t overwhelming and even gave a couple of recommendations based on what people usually like. It felt like I had my own personal Dave’s Hot Chicken concierge guiding me through the menu.

When I got up to the window, she didn’t just hand me my food and send me on my way. She actually double-checked my order, made sure I had all the sauces I needed (including that heavenly Dave’s sauce—basically liquid gold), and even slipped in some extra napkins without me asking. That level of thoughtfulness might sound small, but when you’re about to dive into hot chicken with fries and slaw, trust me, napkins are a lifesaver.

What stood out most, though, was how genuinely kind and positive Autumn was. I’ve been through plenty of drive-thrus where the interaction is over in 20 seconds flat, but Autumn made it feel like more than just a transaction. She joked with me about braving the “extra hot” and told me I was “about to live my best spicy life.” It made me laugh, and honestly, it just made the whole experience memorable. You can tell she takes pride in her work and cares about making people’s day just a little brighter.

By the time I pulled out of the drive-thru, I was grinning. And when I finally dug into the food, everything was perfect. The order was 100% accurate, fresh, hot, and seasoned to perfection. The fries were crispy, the chicken was juicy, and I had every single thing I needed, thanks to Autumn’s attention to detail.

In a world where customer service often feels like it’s on autopilot, Autumn reminded me how much of a difference one person’s energy and kindness can make. If management reads this: PLEASE recognize her hard work. People like Autumn are the reason customers like me keep coming back, and why Dave’s Hot Chicken will always be a go-to spot.

Shoutout to Autumn—you’re the real MVP of...

Every time I drive by this place they’re busy, and I think to myself I need to go there… So I did, I wish I lived closer…that’s how good it was! THESE people know how to make spicy chicken. They literally have a scale and if you need an explanation like I did, they will give it to you. I went through the drive-through and had the nicest woman take my order, told her it was my first time through here, so I decided on the medium, which was compared to jalapeño. I don’t know that I could of gone to the next level which is comparable to habanero. This was excellent! I’m not certain if there’s a lot of paprika in it it looks by the color of it that there is. One thing that I loved about their chicken was it was properly cooked, it wasn’t dry…it was so juicy and tasty. You had a little heat that made me set up and take notice, the best thing was it didn’t last for the rest of the day. My lips didn’t feel like they were on fire…lol! Their fries are excellent, the dipping sauce is excellent too. I ordered a couple of chicken tenders. It came with a little stack of yummy dill pickles on top of the sauce and a couple pieces of white bread under the chicken and of course the fries… I could hardly wait to get parked to break into this! I wish I lived a lot closer, they would see me a couple of times a week. This is -the- best chicken bar none, as far as I’m concerned all the other spicy chicken I have had are all wantabee’s! I would definitely recommend you try them, come hungry! They also offer chicken with no spice so if you’re not into spice or you have little kiddos, everybody will find something that they like… I promise! PS. No, I am not...