Daddy's Chicken Shack — Restaurant in Littleton

EDIT: Because the location is close, I went again about a week or two ago. I should have updated my review immediately. When I went I ordered an order of the Nashville Chicken Meal (the tenders). During the order I ordered them "crispy" instead of grilled. When I received my order they looked like grilled tenders. There were sides of the tender that had no breading on them at all. They had (very good tasting) spice on the side, but no breading. I went and asked the person working and verified I ordered crispy, and asked if they should look like that. He said "no" and they remade the tenders for me. They looked nothing like the photos. They seem to have something wrong with their batter process.

Original review:

I live down the street from this restaurant and have been really excited for it to open up. I absolutely love Fried Chicken and am somewhat of a fried chicken tourist. I've been swinging by about three or four times a week to see how far along they are in construction. I was excited to see it open last night.

Overall, I think it's a solid (I would put a solid at a 3 on a 5 point scale) restaurant. If it was great I was planning on going about once a week, but I wouldn't put it in the "great" category.

I went yesterday when my daughter went to Starbucks and came home and said "Dad, that chicken place you've been excited about is open." We were eating dinner when she told us but decided to go get some tenders as a snack to see how it was. I ordered a fried (not grilled) tender and when they came out the presentation was like fair food, I would say. When I went to grab the tender the (almost impossibly thin) breading slid off the tender. It was really disappointing. The spicy level (this was hot, not extra hot) was good. The tastiness of the breading (that slid off ) was better than the incredibly bland Raising Cane, but just okay.

I went again today for lunch thinking that it may have been first day jitters while they were onboarding the new crew. I didn't get the tenders again so I can't speak to that, I got a spicy sandwich today. I also ordered the seasoned fries, and I put "extra crispy" when given that option.

I would say the relish was absolutely delicious that they put on the spicy sandwich. I'd give it an 9/10. Great work on that recipe. The sandwich was just solid, but nothing to write home about. More flavorful than Raising Cane's, but not as good as Dave's Hot Chicken or Houston Hot Chicken (the gold standard), nor as good as Birdcall.

The sandwich was solid, but I would say the fries were disappointing. Mine were not at all crispy, despite selecting "extra crispy." And the portions of an expensive side of fries were also disappointing (picture included). They were seasoned, which is better than most places, but just meh.

Overall, I would say Daddy's is worth trying, but I was really hoping it would be incredible considering how close it is to my house (I can walk to it). I would rather drive up to Denver and eat at Dave's Hot Chicken than eat at Daddy's. I saw that they opened up today with about 20 5 star reviews. I assume most of those are their Friends and Family that came through yesterday. If you are a casual fried chicken fan, or comparing it to something bad like Culvers, then it's solid. If you love fried chicken I think it's an average chicken place. I would not say it was food that looked like the photos (their tagline). Check out that piece of lettuce I included in one of the photos. That would never make it to an advertising photo.

I'll probably go here very occasionally if I don't have time to travel a bit further for better fried chicken. Again, if you are casual you'll probably like it.

Note on the service: the staff is really friendly and they seem great. They were offering to sample things like the cookies. But when I ordered on opening night I think the person had just come in from a cigarette break and the smell was overpowering as they took my order. That definitely made the experience a bit worse when I was thinking...

On july 1st around 3pm, My gf and i were next door at the dentist (broadway location) and figured Daddys chicken shack looked like a cute, nice place to have a quick bite.

She ordered the 4 piece nashville fingers meal with a drink and i got the 303 fries totalling a ridiculous $20.

She had one of my fries, just one and i took a small bite of one of her chicken fingers.  We ate our food on the stools there inside the broadway location near the front door.  The stools in the front eating area were sticky and dirty. The booths in the back were a little better but we stayed in the front area.

The food was so so. Fries were undercooked but the sauce hid that until the last few bites which by then, was too late. The Chicken fingers tasted ok but there was a lot of grease left under them which seemed odd. They were spicy but not overpowering.

4 hours later we both had severe stomach pains and cramps followed by explosive diahhrea.  The next day i saw my doctor. Fortunately i had a physical scheduled that day so the bloodwork they took also had results for the food poisoning.  The results showed a  virus most likely caused by parasites or human/animal feces contact with food/ contamination.  Daddys chicken shack was our only meal that day. That was 6 days ago and we are still extremely sick. Each day has brought worsening symptoms like chills, fever, soar torn throats and swollen abdomens. The fevers and chills have also inlcuded achy bones and extreme sweats.

We both can't keep any food down. Drinking even water is difficult with how much our thoats hurt and swollen glands. We've both had food poisoning before a few years back while traveling but this is truly nightmare level sickness. My gf has missed 4 days of work so far, she has the next few days off so we pray she gets strong enough to go back or her job might be in jeopardy.  Thankfully her doctor has been keeping records of her illness and it's developing issues should he job need more proof. This is a horrible ordeal. My gf missed a family reunion/memorial yesterday due to this sickness.

As an editor and photographer, i have lost two high value jobs due to this incident.

One of my co-workers told me he too had contracted nearly the same illness when eating at the broadway location two months prior.

We have spoken with several other Daddy's chicken shack patrons in the past few days who also swear they will never eat there again as that location has made them and their loved ones also extremely sick.

I can only speak for the broadway location but my gf and family and friends will definitely stay away from Daddy's chicken...

This place is FANTASTIC, easily my new favorite chicken spot. Better than Raising Cane's, you may ask? Better than Chick-fil-A? YES. The slogan is "food that looks like the photos", and it absolutely does hold up to that. There's a good variety of options to choose from, everything was cooked perfectly and just as ordered, the flavors are amazing, all the ingredients were fresh and unique. Crunchy Napa cabbage in the slaw, the salad has not just lettuce but kale and rocket, the fries are wonderfully seasoned and crispy, the crispy chicken breading is on point, the grilled chicken is phenomenal, and the chicken was cooked just right - all the way through but still juicy and tender, the bacon is thick and fried (not microwaved), thick crunchy pickle slices, I mean seriously, everything was so surprisingly good. It's everything I want out of a chicken place. I will not only return several more times in the near future, but I will also be bringing folks and telling folks about it lol. And not to mention very friendly service, the sort of warm hospitality I associate with a family-owned Midwestern or Southern joint. And for dessert, don't sleep on the fresh baked cookies, those are also chewy and delicious!

Hubby and I had, between the two of us: The 303 sam (grilled) Side salad Slider flight - Nashville (crispy), big daddy (grilled), american (crispy) Fries Two Chocolate chip sea salt cookies Two medium fountain drinks Just shy of $40, after tax and a tip (y'all, chick was so friendly, I don't like tipping everywhere I go but she was a pleasure to interact with)

I deeply regret not taking photos before eating, I will add...