Tuesday Tasties HOT! Chicken Edition: Hattie B's

Hey guys! In honor of the Music City Hot Chicken Festival on the 4th of July, I'm gonna start a Hot! Chicken Series. Since Nashville is known for its hot chicken, I'll be giving extensive reviews of all of the hot chicken places around Nashville. I tried three new places in June, and I came to Hattie B's three times if that lets you know how I feel about them. I've never seen
the line NOT be out the door so you know something special is going on in those fryers. I won't keep you waiting any longer. Here's my review on Hattie B's Hot Chicken.

Locations: 2

Hattie B's has one location on 19th Avenue and another location on Charlotte Avenue. The location on Charlotte was the first one I visited. They have 7 6-tops both in the main room and in the overflow room. They also have 4 4-tops and one 12-top in the main room. Outside on the patio you'll find 3 4-tops and 1 8-top. There is plenty of parking at this location. At the location on 19th, there are about 6 4-tops inside and 8 picnic style tables on the patio. Parking is very limited at this location, but there is a parking garage across the street.

Ambiance: Casual

The noise level is about a 6 on a 10 point scale. The kitchen is open at both locations so you can hear everyone in there and you also here the conversations of the other patrons. There was also some quiet music being played over the intercom system. 

Wait time: A While

If the above picture isn't any indication then I'll just say it: the line is LONG. I took this picture from my location when I first got there. As you can see, I couldn't even touch the door from where I was, and about 12 other people were INSIDE in line. My advice is to do what I did the last two times I went there: order online. My dad and I went on a whim the first time, but we had heard so much about them that we waited in the line. When I found out they had an online ordering option, I decided that I would only use that; however, the food is well worth the wait. Once we ordered, we waited 23 minutes for our food to arrive. This may sound like a long time, but with people in the line to talk to, it made it seem faster than that. Just know that if you don't call ahead, you'll be there a while so don't come on in starving.

The Chicken: AWESOME

I ordered a wing plate which includes 3 whole wings and two sides. You can also add a 3rd side for 50 cents, which I did the last two times I went. I chose the crinkle cut fries and the pimento mac and cheese because most of the online reviews raved about this mac and cheese. Not pictured is my Sprite, which was $2 and not included in the plate. Also, the customary white bread and pickles were included with the plate. They have 5 heat levels: Mild, Medium, Hot, Damn Hot, and Shut The Cluck Up. It took me 3 visits to get the courage to order Shut The Cluck Up. For the first visit, I played it safe and ordered Hot. I was slightly disappointed with this because it was very manageable, almost as if it was medium; however, it did allow me to truly taste the chicken and let me tell you, it was GOOD. It was the moistest chicken I have had from a restaurant. The fries were cooked and seasoned perfectly and the mac and cheese lived up to those reviews. The bread however was UNDER the chicken which is a big no no for me. It defeats the whole purpose of the bread(to soothe your mouth from the heat). Luckily, I didn't come for white bread, I came for chicken, and it was definitely worth the visit.

Pros:

The chicken was moist. Everything was hot. My order originally came with double mac instead of mac and fries and the server fixed it with no problem.

Cons:

Wait time is long if you don't order ahead. The high chairs at the Charlotte location are uncomfortable and too small if you're not a small person. And of course, the bread was under the chicken.

Overall rating:

I give Hattie B's 4.5 stars. While they do have a long wait time, the employees are very nice at both locations and the product is top quality and handled with love.

Thank you all for checking out my review and if you find yourself in the Nashville area, PLEASE be sure to stop by the Music City Hot Chicken Festival. There will be face painting, live music, ice cream, and of course Nashville Hot Chicken! Be sure to tune in next week for the next installment of my Hot! Chicken series. See you soon :-)