Royals Hot Chicken — Restaurant in Louisville

I have been to Royal’s multiple times and it has always been absolutely delicious. I moved away from the area about a year ago and just moved back and was very excited to go to Royal’s (as it is one of my favorite spots), however today was the first time that I was actually disappointed in my experience. The lady that took our order was very kind, and informed us of using the flag system (flag is attached to table, you just flip it up) to get service if we needed refills/condiments/etc.Thought it was a great concept, however we sat with our flag up through the entire dine out and no one came to our service not one time. My boyfriend had to go up to the counter to get ketchup, of which they gave us three small packets, which was not enough. I also had to go to the counter to get a to-go box and extra pickles (that I would’ve loved to have while I was eating). Mind you, we were one of three diners in the restaurant, it wasn’t busy by any means at all. Aside from the lack of service, food was okay. The only thing I can really give praise to is the Mac and cheese. I’m not sure if Royal’s has changed the recipe to their hot sauce they put on the chicken, but something was off. It just tasted like chili powder, and was also gritty?? It was really weird and not at all what I had ever expected or experienced when dining in previously. The chicken tenders themselves were huge and crispy, but the sauce (I got hot) was definitely either prepared wrong or the recipe was changed, very unfortunately.

Giving three stars because this review is not meant to bash the establishment or the staff, I really love Royal’s Hot Chicken. I just want to highlight the problems that I noticed today and hopefully get the manager’s attention, because like I said this is one of my favorite spots, and it makes me sad to see it’s not doing as well as I...

The pros: amazing service over the phone, amazing service in person, the place itself is cute, quaint, looks to have a good bar for creative drinks. In NuLu which is of course cool. I think this is a great lunch date location or brunch drinks with friends while strolling the area. Lastly, the coleslaw was the star of it all. Its delicious and semi-sweet. Crunchy and peppery with a red onion bite. I mean its great! The cons: overly salty waffle fries, pickles, and overly seasoned chicken tenders. The x-hot is above average in heat with cholipotle/ smoky seasoning. Its good but not great. The hot tenders are just right in my opinion with a good amount of dipping sauce. Overall the tenders are average. The mac and cheese was disappointing. Nebbish, merely segway for the overly seasoned x-hot tendies. Just didn't do it for me. I also tasted the cheerwine slushie which was delicious. Overall this is a solid 3. The price is a little on the high side which I get- its located downtown so this seems right. Better value if you visit and stay at the location. Take out would need to be 10 to 15 percent less cost wise to make this worthwhile. Final verdict: have to check this out again and see if maybe the chef was just happy about seasoning food or if its really like this taste wise on the average day. Great service and the coleslaw saved the day value wise but if the price was a little less this would certainly mark...

PRO TIPS: Place your order online for pickup. There was a very long line out the door and as soon as I got in line I placed the order and we were about halfway to the register when my online order was ready. We waited in line to get drinks but we didn't have to wait for our food order. Download the app so that you can get your free frozen pink lemonade.

SHARE: -Loaded Potato Wedges or Crinkle Cut Fries - I wouldn't recommend these only because the toppings made the potato wedges very soggy especially the pickled onions and the portion is extremely large and we barely touched it. -Cheesy Chicken Poppers

CHOOSE YOUR MEAL/PLATE: -Tenders - my portion on the tenders (3 to an order) was much larger than what was on the sandwich and less messy to eat -Sandwich - messy and the bun gets pretty soggy from all the sauce -Tacos -Salad Sandwich -Salad -Mac & Cheese

CHOOSE YOUR STYLE: -No heat/naked (just fried) -Some heat - I'm pretty wimpy so this was the right amount of spice for me. -Hot -X-Hot - my SO liked the spice level but later in the evening had a stomachache -Gonzo (+$1)

CHOOSE YOUR SIDE: -Coleslaw - really crunchy and creamy, everything you want in slaw to offset the spice on the chicken -Broccoli & Bacon Salad - same as coleslaw, delicious combo -Mac & Cheese -Spicy Potato Wedges -Crinkle Cut Fries

I also got a Royal Chocolate shake which was rich and decadent. Overall...