Hot chicken smacks different in the bay, and a new spicy chicken chain debuted in Oakland on Friday that’s backed by rapper Drake and actor Samuel L. Jackson — buzzy Los Angeles-born staple Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Dave’s was founded in 2017 by friends Dave Kopushyan — a chef who trained in the organization of Thomas Keller (French Laundry) — Arman Oganesyan and Tommy and Gary Rubenyan as a mere hot chicken cart in an East Hollywood parking lot.
The popularity of the cart’s Nashville-style hot chicken tenders and seasoned curly fries grew quickly with lines down the block. It even received high praise from Eater LA, which wrote that Dave’s “might blow your mind.”
Dave’s took the Nashville hot chicken craze that cast its spice-laden spell over America and franchised the business with more than 300 stores in the U.S. and Canada. It also caught the eyes and palates of celebrity investors, such as Grammy Award-winning rapper Drake and badass motherf—ker and Academy Award-winning actor Samuel L. Jackson.
Dave’s Hot Chicken’s newest location is located at 2228 Broadway in Oakland.
Courtesy of Dave’s Hot Chicken“I tried the food and it was amazing,” Drake said in a statement in 2021. “After meeting the founders and hearing their story, I jumped at the opportunity to invest.”
With all the hype buzzing around this hot chicken chain and my affinity for spicy foods, I visited the Oakland location at 2228 Broadway during its soft opening on Wednesday evening.
Dave’s spacious dining room has plenty of large windows with ample seating to watch the busy Broadway foot traffic. Wall-to-wall colorful street art, which is synonymous with Dave’s locations, and a playlist after my own heart that included the likes of Joy Division and Buzzcocks set the tone for my hot chicken experience.
The dining room inside Dave’s Hot Chicken in Oakland features the chain’s signature wall-to-wall street art.
Courtesy of Dave’s Hot ChickenEager customers swarmed the cash registers for a taste of Dave’s sliders topped with a sweet kale slaw, crisp pickle chips and the famous chicken tenders that started it all.
There are seven spice levels at Dave’s, ranging from no spice to the reaper. I fear the reaper. So my colleague Joshua and I ordered two medium sliders and a couple of hot tenders as our introduction to the cult of Dave’s. We also ordered a small basket of seasoned fries and a side of mac ’n’ cheese.
First up, the slider, medium heat: Medium is the sweet spot at Dave’s. It’s the kind of spice level where you get a welcome kick of heat and can still enjoy the other components of the sandwich. A lightly sweetened kale and purple cabbage slaw and zesty pickle chips against Dave’s signature spice-rubbed crispy chicken tenders play nicely. The soft, buttery bun held the sandwich together well and soaked up the juices from the slaw successfully without becoming mushy by the last bite.
After sampling a few forkfuls of creamy mac, we detected a slight funk but couldn’t quite pinpoint it. In the end, it was a respectable side of soft macaroni noodles covered in cheese sauce. I also enjoyed the seasoned crinkle-cut fries, which had a pleasant double-fried texture.
Dave’s Hot Chicken, which made its Oakland debut at 2228 Broadway on Friday, is known for its Nashville-style hot chicken tenders and sliders.
Courtesy of Dave’s Hot ChickenNow onto the hot sliders: They were indeed hot. Although my colleague said the heat level was unenjoyable, I thought it was manageable. The tingling sensation and overall burn coat the tongue immediately. But it doesn’t last too long, so you’re lured in for another bite to chase that capsaicin dragon all over again.
The sliders come on a stale slice of white bread with the same crisp pickle chips and a side of Dave’s signature orange sauce. It’s like a slightly spicy, orange-hued aioli dip. (I added a bit more of this delicious sauce to my slider for kicks.)
Dave’s Hot Chicken isn’t the only hot chicken restaurant in Oakland, let alone the Bay Area. World Famous Hotboys and Hotbird are both popular hot chicken destinations in the East Bay, while The Bird and Angry Chickz hold down San Francisco and the South Bay, respectively.
With Dave’s opening its latest Oakland location this week, on top of debuting additional stores in Union City, San Leandro and Sunnyvale last summer, it’s clear the hot chicken craze isn’t burning out anytime soon.
Dave’s Hot Chicken, 2228 Broadway, Oakland. Open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight.