Dame's Chicken & Waffles

I love the atmosphere of Dame's. The decor is very trendy and the food is amazing. The drinks are to die for and the staff is also super engaging and funny. I am definitely going back.

I've been here a few times and I would love to give Dames a good rating, but I just can't. However, let's start things in a positive note. The food is delicious! The chicken was cooked perfectly and the shmears are to die for. This time I had the chocolate hazelnut and it was so so good! You can't go wrong with the perfect combination of sweet and savory. Now to the bad points, every time I've been here, it's been fairly dead and every time it's been ~30-45min wait to get our food. With us being one of the 4 tables there, this order shouldn't have taken that long to cook. Also, this might be nit-picky but our plates were dirty with grease. If you take a look at my plate you can see the finger prints of the cook grabbing the plate. Idk something about seeing finger prints grosses me out if I'm out at a restaurant. Anyways, if we isolate the food in itself, it was realllyyyy good, but I don't know if I'll make a trip back out there again since it's such a mood kill to have to wait for so long for food.

Awful. Food AND service.1. I checked out the vegan chicken & waffles on yelp & although an old pic it looked decent. A large cutlet that was possibly homemade, and when i asked the waitress she raved about it. What i got looked like a Morningstar vegan chicken pattie. Tastes like one too. I asked to swap it out for turkey bacon they declined. Then i asked to get another entree all together they declined. Then came back and said we'll give u turkey bacon we changed our mind. The turkey bacon arrived with the check. I was furious. It was at least 40 minutes after the original food was dropped off. The waitress was always close by but always empty handed. Sad... 2. Mac was very tangy. Tasted like they used ground mustard. Keep that in mind if that's not your thing. 3. Greens were very vinegar heavy. Also keep in mind if that's not your thing. 4. My sister had the breakfast plate and didn't care for the eggs or turkey sausage patties. 5. We both tried the sweet potato waffle and weren't impressed and the Smear spread we feel would be better on biscuits. It was underwhelming on the waffle. Overall we didn't enjoy the food. The wait was lengthy and the service was really lackluster. They made no attempt to give us a good experience. And that turkey bacon we had to negotiate for to only receive after we'd already finished what we tried to eat of our food was left on the table. We were in town for a wedding. Told everyone our experience & they all shared their gripes with us. Wish they told us BEFORE we came because we would certainly have chose another place to eat.

I was passing through Durham, NC and was told that this place was an absolute must.My fiancé and I decided to swing by. We went closer to store closing but was seated within a few minutes. The menu is very repetitive. It is mostly chicken and waffles as a base with different combinations of flavored schmear (spread).I ordered The Buff Brahamas and was very pleased. The waffles was good, but the chicken cutlet was spectacular. It was well seasoned and crispy but not overly salty. The apricot schmear was very subtle and spready very easily on the waffle. It all works really well with each other.We also ordered the mac and cheese and southern grits with cheese. Both sides were just okay. I don't think I'd get both again. Flavor fell very flat.

Stopped here for lunch on a Saturday and even at 2 pm, there was a wait. Comfortable open dining area, ladies room very clean. We ordered a tequila sunrise, a big breakfast and a hold the waffle with two sides. The cutlet was very good, juicy. The mac and cheese was pretty disappointing, lacked flavor. Fruit cup was pineapple and orange with one strawberry. The butters are pricey, $1.50 each. Kind of surprised. The strawberry lemonade was delicious. Our server Isaac was funny, friendly and attentive. Parking was a bit of a hassle, we found a pay parking lot and grabbed a $5 spot. Overall, a pretty average meal. Lunch for two was $58! Not sure I'd visit again.

On a roadtrip from DC to Charlotte I made a stop in Durham and Dame's Chicken and Waffles made it worth the trip! I had the chicken and waffles (sweet potato). The chicken was crispy, well-seasoned and juicy. The waffle was sweet - crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. I added the walnut honey butter and it added a perfect level of sweetness. The service was fast and professional. The inside was lively and welcoming. This will be regular stop on my way Charlotte trips.

Dame's used to be my gold standard for chicken and waffles years ago. I moved to the PNW in 2017 and never had chicken and waffles as good again. I happen to be in town for the holidays and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get the chicken and waffle scratch itched, but was left pretty disappointed and underwhelmed.I got "the frizzled fowl" and it was so mid. The waffle was straight up rubbery and dense. Not like the fluffy, airy waffles with the nice crunchy edges that I remember. The waffle was also not hot enough, making the shmear just collect in the pockets--not a pleasant eating experience. The panko crusted cutlet was fried too long and the chicken borderline dry. They also didn't have any maple syrup left in the whole restaurant so you're left to use high fructose corn syrup sauce or the drizzle as your waffle dressing...Speaking of drizzle, the kpop drizzle sounded like it would pair so well with the cutlet but it was such a generic sweet and sour sauce flavor; really unimpressed. Sadly this place seems like it either has in fact gone down hill or maybe a very off day. My friend that was trying it for the first time left saying that they wouldn't come back.

Overall this place was good! The service was great and food delivered quickly. We had a reservation for right before noon but it looked like there was a wait for walk ins. It is a nice casual spot. Food wise it was alright, a 3.5/5 for me. The chicken was a bit dark/well done for my taste but it was really juicy! I got the gingerbread waffle with strawberry shmear and it was good. Nothing was stellar though, I wanted more from their trademark menu items. Mac n cheese was OK, not very cheesy. Visually the food also only looked OK.

Our family dined here today, and we all had the chicken and waffles. The boneless, fried chicken is so tender and perfectly seasoned. The waffles are solid, and I enjoyed the maple pecan shmear. Prices are fine. I think portions have gotten smaller. Apart from that, we enjoyed the food and service was attentive.

Fun chicken and waffle spot - I really enjoyed being able to choose different sauces and infused butter to pair with your main dish. I ordered the "Light Brown Leghorns" and was surprised by how tender and juicy the chicken was!