Dave's Hot Chicken

I had been wanting to try, Dave's Hot Chicken, since they opened up a while ago. I finally had a chance to take the family and give them a go. Dave's, is located at the Target parking lot off of Alicia Parkway. There is a lot of parking available. This little corner has multiple places to dine and from what I can recall, there are only two out of four restaurants here that had outdoor seating. Walking into Dave's, you'll immediately notice the colorful artistic décor, and the huge mural above your head to the right that somewhat resembles Napolean Dynamite. There are two kiosks where you can order your food & pay without having to go to the cashier should you opt not to do that. Above the counter, the city of Mission Viejo, is represented in big letters. It's a fun space to look at. The seating is a little limited inside but you can find additional tables at the outdoor patio decorated with a string of lights. The chairs in the restaurant are sturdy but they're not comfortable. What we ordered:Two orders of Dave's Bites - no spice for the kids. One had fries and the other we upgraded to mac n cheese.Two additional orders of mac n cheese.Dave's # 2 - comes with 2 sliders & fries. Spice level medium. Dave's # 3 - comes with 1 slider and 1 tender with fries. Spice level - hot which was mild for me. I can probably go hotter next time. Fountain drink - I'm not a soda drinker but I do love Dr. Pepper & Cherry Coke which they carry. Everyone loved their food. The sliders were stuffed with pickles, kale slaw and Dave's sauce. The chicken was juicy & tender. The kids all wanted mac n cheese after only having one side & tasting it. The staff was great, friendly, patient and polite. We will definitely return to, Dave's. We have gone to many chicken places, but not a lot have been added to our must return list. Dave's is now going to be a part of our rotation of chicken joints with Popeye's & Raising Cane's.

This spot is okay for a franchise. I don't really like chicken tenders to begin with but the sauce makes it bearable. This is no Howling Rays but the fried tenders and fries are good with the sweet mayo dip. I got the 2 sliders and fries--this is big enough for 2 meals. I wish the tender sat more fittingly between the buns so it was kind of weird biting one piece of the chicken and another for the bun/slaw side.

Got a Daves Hot Chicken combo. Mild. Unfortunately didnt really care for it. Fries were too salty. I felt Chicken was over-battered and oily, and even with all the color managed to be bland. Buns were falling apart. Would have preferred a Chicken patty instead of a long strip that oddly fits in burger bun. On the plus side the service was friendly and got a free strawberry shake thanks to yelp check in which I felt tasted better than In-n-Outs. Overall Daves IMO is not as good as Canes.

YUM! I absolutely love hot chicken, it's on my top 5 favorites list and Dave's didn't disappoint. I was super glad when they opened a location near me and was ecstatic to try it out! The inside is super cool (design wise) and nods to mission Viejo which i like and the ordering process is easy as a fast casual restaurant! I didn't have to wait too long for my order - the chicken was really good however - i hoped it would be slightly more crispy and would have loved the pickles on it instead of to the side but the fries had the crispy factor i love and the sauce was delicious! If you're looking for a really good hot chicken sandwich I'd highly recommend!

I keep seeing Dave's Hot Chicken everywhere in the OC so it got me so curious. I finally decided to try it with my husband when my brother said he was going to DoorDash Dave's. I got the combo with 1 slider and 1 chicken tender. First bite of the slider was delicious! Loved the bread (I normally don't like bread), the chicken was surprisingly juicy (I 'm very picky with chicken because they tend to be dry). The cheese sauce was just OK, I prefer Fudruckers cheese dip (if they're still around) haha!The chicken tender by itself was just okay. It's better as a slider. Fries were seasoned, so I didn't like that. I'd go back to Dave's and actually eat at the restaurant to experience it fresh and maybe there's an option to do plain fries. Overall, great chicken sandwich!

Being a newbie to the Dave's chicken movement we just ordered a combo meal each and assumed that was the way to go. For a "quick bite" we spent $32 and we only got 1 soda the other was water. Ok so food is expensive these days.. whatever...The mild level of heat is the way to go as things get real hot real quick as you move up the Dave scale. Baboon ass is a real thing folks...Sandwiches were good, French fries are really good...

I understand the hype. I support the hype. WOW. It's seems like such a simple meal but it was sooooo good. Their menu offers a variety of chicken tenders, breaded in different heat levels. We tried the #1 2 Tenders w/ Fries $11.99 & the #4 1 Slider w/ Fries add Cheese $10.48.The slider was delicious, served on a burger bun with slaw, Dave's sauce, and pickles. I tried the "hot," spice level and it was definitely hot, but still enjoyable. The sandwich wasn't as greasy as I had assumed it would be, the texture was perfect, the chicken was all tender white meat - the quality of it was great. Their fries were also a perfect pair. There is seating both inside and outside. The staff were patient and friendly and our order was ready within 5 minutes. We enjoyed our first stop into Dave's Hot Chicken!Dave's Hot Chicken offers a rewards program app where you can scan during each visit to earn points towards rewards. Also note, this location offers a Yelp check-in offer for a free solar drink or milkshake so be sure to check in!

+5/5 food and serviceSpice level consistent Review is done here you go review is done here

The Mac and cheese was sold out and they said it would be ready in 5-10 minutes and so we waited. They gave us burnt Mac and cheese that was really soupy and the shakes were also very soupy/watery. We were very disappointed. Sandwich was pretty good though with the honey.

Nice staff and amazing food. The only thing I would change is the freshness of the food, could be better. But otherwise a great and very clean location