Crimson Coward — Restaurant in Redmond

Halal food enthusiasts in Seattle have long been asking: Where can we find Halal fried chicken? When will we get a chicken-and-waffle spot? And how about a Halal smashburger on the Eastside? Well, this October, all these questions were finally answered with the opening of Crimson Coward's nation-wide 20+th franchise location in Redmond/Bellevue.

The restaurant serves everything Halal, with beef sourced from Thomas Farms and machine-slaughtered chicken.

The Crowd: Despite visiting at an off-peak hour (2:45 pm on a weekday), the place was almost full.

The Reception: While I was enjoying my meal, a couple approached me to say, "The food was very good." It took me a moment to realize that they had noticed me taking photos (and they understood i am going to review) and wanted to share their spontaneous satisfaction.

I also saw two senior citizens, one South Asian and the other likely Middle Eastern, dining solo and savoring their meals—definitely a heartwarming sight.

What I Tried: Double Snash Burger: Two 4-ounce beef patties, sautéed onions, pickles, and American cheese on a brioche bun. Tenders: Served with bread, pickles, house sauce, and ranch (medium spice). Wings: Accompanied by the same sides (hot spice level). The Crimson Sandwich: Crispy chicken breast, crimson sauce, slaw, and pickles on a brioche bun. Garlic Twister: Crispy chicken breast, garlic sauce, and pickles wrapped in a pressed tortilla. Crimson Onion Joey Style: Chopped crispy chicken, crimson sauce, and pickles on a whole battered and fried crimson onion. Crimson Waffle: Two tenders on a freshly made waffle, served with honey.

My Top Picks: Wings: Extra crunchy, juicy, and the heat level was just right. Tenders: Well-seasoned, tender meat, and great value for the portion. Snash Burger: The beef was juicy with a slight crunch, cheesy, and perfectly spiced. Crimson Onion Joey Style: This was a recommended item, and it did not disappoint. Though it looked messy, it was served in a large box, making it easy to eat. It had that classic American fried food vibe—make sure to enjoy it quickly for maximum crunch.

The other items were also enjoyable, although the sandwich could have used a crispier patty. The Garlic Twister reminded me of fusion shawarma; a thinner tortilla would make it even better. The chicken and waffles didn’t disappoint—while not the best I've ever had, they were still pretty good.

How about the left overs: Had put parts of everything in the fridge and tried them the next day after air-frying. Tried the tenders with home-made indo-chinese fried rice. So good, tenders tasted same as the day before, no gaminess, becmae super crunchy in the air fryer. Wings however picked up a bit of gaminess (makes sense as they are bone-in)

Service: The staff were friendly and helpful, though service was a bit slow, likely due to the restaurant's recent opening. They use fresh chicken (never frozen) and special flour that absorbs minimal oil.

Spice level: For spice lovers, I recommend trying level 4 if you’re used to heat. I had level 3, and it was quite manageable. Overall, Crimson Crown is a long-awaited and exciting addition to Seattle’s...

This was during last year towards the end of 2024. I had heard that this was a good spot to try Nashville Hot Chicken so I decided to give it a whirl. I live in Everett and had time so I took the scenic route, skipping the freeway and took the streets. It was over an hour but the drive was pleasant and I was able to see other spots that I added to my list but the day belonged to Crimson Coward.

The place was on the corner of a strip mall that seemed to be under major construction/ renovation but was far enough away to not mind. Parking was cramped but I found a spot a few spaces down but nothing to be bothered about.

I went in and it was spotless, clean, bright and welcoming. You could smell the spices and the staff were attending to orders , dash an hub probably but the only patrons inside were finishing up. I took my time and decided on a 6 piece wings, or the Half Coward , getting the hot, which I kinda wanted yet regretted but I’ll explain later. I also ordered the fried pickles and a serving of their Mac and cheese. and a regular fountain drink.

The young lady who took my order was very nice and accommodating. When I was finished eating and needed a to go box she offered to help me figure out how to close it considering it was a not your typical box but I eventually got it.

Every order is cooked to order so there is a wait but it’s a good thing but keep that in mind if you’re starving and there’s a wait for dine in.

Now the food. The chicken came out piping hot. It was great looking. Saddled with pickles and white bread. A side of crimson sauce rounded it out. The texture was crispy. Juicy and fresh. The bones were thick on some pieces but I think that’s because of the type of bird they used. Also, if it matters they use halal chicken. Now, here’s the regret. The hot was hot. I mean really hot. I couldn’t really enjoy it. It had flavor but it it was more hot than anything. Now I know it’s called Nashville Hot Chicken. I’m not upset. I just thought that there’d be more than just hot spices. If you’re familiar with Nashville Hot chicken and you enjoy it then you’ll be fine. I don’t eat that much spicy food anymore so I was more than taken aback but I still enjoyed it.

The pickle chips were somewhat disappointing. The flavor was decent but there was no crispiness whatsoever. It came with ranch that was ok but without them being crispy I was not impressed.

The Mac and cheese was just ok. It tasted like a decent straight out of the box variety. Kinda underwhelming as well but more pleasant than the pickle chips.

Would I or will I come back? Yes but I’ll wait. I’ll try other items and go for a lesser spice option but I’ll definitely be back. I can’t remember how much I spent but it was around 25-30 not including tip.

All in all I recommend giving this...

Update: I have been here 4 times now. The salt is always so high in the chicken. I don’t know what is wrong with the chef there who thinks that amount of salt in the chicken is fine. I kept trying again and again hoping they would have fixed it but I don’t think the restaurant owners care. Went there today for the last time. Not going back again.

Below was my old review. I was so hopeful about this place because of lack of similar halal places in the Redmond/Bellevue area. Unfortunately Crimson Coward turned out to be a disappointment too :(

I am hopeful about this place. They are new so very busy and getting a lot of orders that they are trying to fulfill at the same time.

I cut one star because the burger was slightly too salty for my taste. Otherwise it was almost perfect: crispy chicken breast, not soggy or oily, fresh bun, good tasting coleslaw, and a pickle! I also cut one star because the boxes were not labeled to clarify which burger was country, medium, and hot. We had ordered all 3 and the only way to find out was by taking a bite from each of them. And that was uncomfortable since everyone had ordered their own burger. And the hot was not hot at all. The taste was great. But it was not spicy as it should have been. And it was slightly too salty.

It really is an almost perfect burger. They are almost there and I hope this mistake was only because of the extra rush of orders they had. I truly hope they can introduce better quality control to check the taste of the batter/sauce or whatever it was that made the burgers so salty.

The wings were spot on. Crisp from the outside and juicy from the inside. Seasoned fries were also nice. And the fried onion was a bomb! So good! So much better than onion rings.

I won’t let one bad day with the burger put me off this place. Not yet. I will definitely go back and give them another chance.

The interior is nice and bright and clean. Also spacious and ample parking.

I did notice they had a pretty angry supervisor at the back who was barking orders at everyone and distracting the busy workers and over worked employees from doing their jobs. It was annoying for me to just listen to him shout at other people. I don’t know how the other employees were actually tolerating his constant...