Hot Chicken Takeover
| Address: | 59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215, USA |
| Phone: | +1 614-800-4538 |
| Site: | hotchickentakeover.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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David Mackie
On my third visit to HCT, first to the Clintonville store, everything was great except the macaroni and cheese was so unbelievably salty that my daughter (who loves mac and cheese) and had to spit it out into a napkin. The staff was great, store nice and clean and all of the other items were excellent except there was something clearly wrong with the mac and cheese, it was not like the other two times i had it. These things happen but to the consumer, this is an incomplete meal as both dinners had double mac and cheese as sides. After spending $29 for two people I then need to go home and make additional food for my daughters dinner makes for an expensive and time consuming chicken dinner. I emailed HTC to let them know without beating them over the head about it and below is the response i received. Having worked in higher end dining for a number of years, i find this response rather odd. Hi David, Thanks for reaching out. We appreciate your feedback and I will certainly pass this info along to our Clintonville Team. We hope to see you again soon, Im happy to pass along a free pudding pass for your next visit. If youre interested, I will just need an address to mail it to. Thanks Best, Shannon On Mon, Jun 19, 2017 at 6:41 PM, David wrote: Your Name David Your Message Hello, im at your Clintonville location right now and had a wonderful dinner. But, the mac and cheese is so salty its inedible. Having worked in restaurants for many years i know these things happen. The staff was great, the chicken, slaw and pickles are also great. Regards, David
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Kate Bigam
When we stepped out of the car in Columbus after a rainy drive down from Cleveland, we stepped right into the waiting arms of Hot Chicken Takeover... & discovered that they were sold out for the day. Bummer! The next morning, hungover & hungry, I convinced my friends to accompany me to North Market to try again as soon as HCT opened. Score! Ever the chicken & waffles aficionado, I ordered the boneless chicken breast (love that this is an option!), hot (their second-hottest heat option), with the waffle instead of bread & a double side of mac & cheese instead of one each of mac & coleslaw (never been a fan of the latter). The line was long but moved quickly, & we were able to find seating for eight with some ease, despite how crowded the place was. Our food arrived pretty quickly, overwhelmingly massive & mouthwatering, & we all dug in. The mac & cheese is possibly the best Ive ever had in my life, cheesy & gooey & perfect, sitting like a break in your stomach the way good mac ought to. The namesake hot chicken didnt disappoint, either, though it wasnt as hot as I expected or couldve handled. The waffle was a little overcooked, but altogether, it was a delicious, decadent meal that both cured our hangover & compelled us to go home & nap for two hours.
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Bradley Shriver
I decided to stop by HCT, it was okay food but not quite what I was expecting. I do have to say the staff there is great! Everyone was really nice and helpful, they came by a few times to make sure everything was good as well. For the food, I got the hot chicken breast. I really enjoyed the spice, it is pretty hot but tolerable as I like hot food. I might even give the Holy a shot next time. The chicken is moist throughout but all of the flavor seemed to only be in the skin and not throughout. I got double mac and cheese as I dont like cole slaw. It was decent but nothing going to write home about. If the rating were just one the food I would give 4 stars but I have to drop off early because of the seating. I knew it was outside, but the bugs were crazy. There were a ton of little things flying around which made it quite annoying. A number of people were constantly swatting around at them. To wrap up, the food is good enough that I would try it again but I would definitely get it to go and eat away from the building.
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Karen Waugh
Its more than just your finger lickin good chicken joint! The food is great; uniquely flavorful. But, the best part about HCT is their mission: "The mission of this unconventional hometown eatery is not only to create and serve the greatest hot chicken north of the Mason Dixon, but also to innovatively bring together a community in a family style atmosphere. And after spending a morning with Joe, the staff and (most importantly) the chicken, I entirely and resolutely understand why exactly this restaurant is taking over. One underlying unique peg of Hot Chicken Takeovers mission is to provide employment support for those in need. Joe resolved to provide jobs to those re-entering the workforce from the corrections system, a poor work history, or a general inabilty to obtain employment. We provide a work environment that is really focused around accountability and support, said Joe. It allows our employees to empower one and other." Another reason to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE HCT! Eat there; theyre awesome!
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Lisa
Try it for yourself. For me its a No Thanks. Heard about this place on NPR and read many good reviews. So -- I went to North Market to try it. It was just OK -- I found it hot, just like they promised, but not really tasty; heat with no real other discernible flavors. I just had the chicken by itself; came with white bread -- not a fan of white bread. Overall the place has an interesting no-frills atmosphere that fits right in with North Market. I love their story and I got a kick out of their sign that tells you how much chicken is left. The chicken was really just not that good to me and mine had a couple of feathers stuck to it which kind of grossed me out. I like hot food but I guess I like other seasoning with my heat.. Grocery store fried chicken with a little hot sauce tastes better to me. But hey I tried it -- gave it a shot -- not really planning to go back. You should just taste it yourself and see if it works for you. Based on the reviews, lots of people like this stuff.
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Mike Gabriel
I just read a review below that had a brilliant idea (yet obvious--even though I never thought of it) to call ahead in order to avoid the line. I second that recommendation. And I can say that its obvious why theres such a long line because Hot Chicken Takeover has mastered the art of hot/fried chicken. I found out a couple years after having HCT that Nashville Hot Chicken is a thing, and I have to admit that I have not had it from Nashville. As far as fried chicken goes, however, this is the best Ive ever had. Ive had some great fried chicken in Jacksonville, but I was really expecting to find the best while in the Atlanta area (its the south, yall!). And while I did find some pretty tasty fried chicken out there, there is nothing that compares to Columbus own Hot Chicken Takeover. They have 4 flavors: Cold, Warm, Hot, and Holy. My favorite is Holy because the seasoning is spectacular, but be prepared because the name is fitting. Youll be saying HOLY when you take a bite.
