Dave’s Hot Chicken (East Lansing)
194 Albert StreetI know. Another blog post from the Lansing area. I really have spent a lot of time over there the last few weeks. I promise this will be the last for one….for a couple of weeks anyway.
I got sent to East Lansing last week to do some work on my own. I was around the Michigan State University campus for a couple of hours then had to head back to Battle Creek to meet a co-worker.
I was hungry and had a little bit of time so I drove through downtown East Lansing to see if there was anything I could grab quickly. I was shocked to find another chicken place that I have been wanting to go to for a while had recently opened.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is a chain of Nashville-style hot chicken restaurants that have grown from one store in California to over a hundred stores in 30+states. The East Lansing shop is on Albert Street near Grove Street in downtown East Lansing across from the MSU campus. The store is on the street level of a newer mixed use building right next to Beggar’s Banquets.
I first heard of Dave’s Hot Chicken a few years ago when we were in Dearborn for a couple of days. I saw the shop on Michigan Avenue there when we went to get ice cream from Milkster Nitrogen Creamery. I didn’t have time that night because there was a line out the door and wrapped around the building. We had both kids after a long day at the Detroit Zoo so I knew I couldn’t make them wait with me. I haven’t been back in the area since. I was bummed, so imagine my excitement when I came across this one in East Lansing.
The store is a typical counter service fast casual restaurant. The restaurant took inspiration from In-N-Out Burger and just does a few things. The only options are tenders or sliders. That’s it. You can pick your heat level and add on a couple of sides but even then, there’s not much else to pick from.
I put in an order for Dave’s #2 which is two sliders and fries. I added cheese to both and added on a side of mac & cheese and a drink. The cost was around $22 before tip.
I decided to eat in the restaurant since I had time and I was worried about the mess the sliders would make if I ate in the car.
The dining room is pretty spacious but has those uncomfortable metal chairs. There’s some really cool street art mural on the big wall depicting the Sparty head. Street art has been a theme at the Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurants since they opened the first store in Los Angeles.
It took five minutes or so for my number to be called. I grabbed my tray of food and sat down to eat just as the restaurant was starting to get busy.
I hit the fries first to give the sandwiches a few minutes to cool down. The fries are frozen crinkle cuts that are dusted with the hot seasoning used on the chicken. There’s some sauce to dip them in but they’re fine on their own.
The two sliders are constructed with crispy fried hot chicken, pickles, slaw, and sauce. I added cheese to both for an extra $.50 and picked “Hot” as my heat level. The other options are no spice, lite mild, mild, medium, extra hot, and reaper. I’d probably go with extra hot next time. There was some heat and great flavor but hot wasn’t super spicy. I’m sure the sauce (a chipotle mayo) tones down the heat a little bit so I’d go higher next time. The sandwiches were delicious though. The chicken was super crispy and still moist. The bite size sliders make it much easier to eat than trying to bite off a whole piece of chicken. I’m actually really glad I added the cheese. It just adds another layer of flavor and texture that holds the sandwich together.
By this point, I realized I had ordered to much food. I still had the mac & cheese but I was feeling pretty stuffed.
I popped open the mac & cheese lid and steam came pouring out. It was still really hot. The macaroni noodles are covered in a thick, peppery cheese sauce. I only ate a few bites because it was really, really hot and I was past the point of eating too much food. I took it home though and thoroughly enjoyed it for a later meal.
I really hope Dave’s Hot Chicken keeps expanding and ends up in Kalamazoo eventually. Other than the Dearborn shop and this one in East Lansing, there are four others in Michigan (Howell, Southfield, Troy, and Warren).
Nashville Hot Chicken isn’t for everyone and that’s fine. I love the stuff. I’m glad I accidently found this spot in East Lansing. I had no idea what I was going to do for lunch that day…if I was going to eat lunch at all…but as soon as I saw the sign, I had a plan. A tasty plan.
SW Michigan Dining 