Dave’s Hot Chicken opened in Cherry Hill is OPEN! I stopped in Thursday for a preview look and taste of Cherry Hill’s latest new eatery… but today they opened to the public.
Be warned though… a photo shared to a local Cherry Hill Facebook group shows a long line of customers tonight wrapped around the outside of the building!
If you’re unfamiliar with Nashville Hot style chicken… in particular the Dave’s Hot Chicken version… they take the highest quality chicken breast and prepare it in their own secret proprietary brine. After marinating to lock in flavors and juices, the chicken is then deep fried and then the signature spicy dry rub style seasoning is added to the fried chicken.
The spice is offered in 7 different heat levels, and it adds a deep red hue to the juicy and flavorful chicken. I’ve tried Dave’s Hot Chicken in two locations and in both experiences, the tenders I was served where huge!
Dave’s Hot Chicken started small in LA back in 2017 and today are a fast growing chain of restaurants with over 100 locations open and 100s more already planned!
The new Dave’s Hot Chicken Cherry Hill location is in the Ellisburg Shopping Center which is also where Whole Foods is located. Dave’s is a freestanding building closer to King’s Highway. The building was previously (for a short while) a Burger-Fi restaurant.
During my visit Thursday I met owner Jason Soares, who along with his partner Luis Garcia have signed a franchise agreement for seven locations in the South Jersey area. Jason tells me they are already close to signing a lease on their second South Jersey location. Of course 42Freeway will have that info first!
Dave’s Hot Chicken – Cherry Hill
One of the signature aspects of the Dave’s Hot Chicken experience is the restaurant decor which uses talented graffiti artists to bring a lively and fun, urban hip-hop style design to the dining room.
For the Cherry Hill location it seems Jason and Luis have gone “all out” as every aspect of the walls are covered in the artistic graffiti.
The team even took the time to research and add in some local touches such as cherry blossom trees (for Cherry Hill), and a mural section that pays homage to a globally known sports figure who once lived in Cherry Hill… although you’ll have to stop back again in a couple weeks to see that piece of artwork fully completed, to learn who that sports figure is!
Dave’s menu is simple, built around their Nashville hot style chicken tenders which can be also ordered as a slider.
Using only fresh ingredients and preparing the entire chicken tender within the restaurant… makes for a moist and juicy chicken bite, packed with flavor… and just the right amount of spice to meet your taste profile.
When I visited the Cherry Hill location yesterday I went with a medium heat tender meal which I felt was perfect to allow the amazing chicken taste and seasoning blend through, while also adding in some punch from the heat. I will say that my wife thought it was a little too spicy for her! The good thing is when she orders next time she can choose a milder seasoning.
My combo meal choice also included French fries and Dave’s signature sauce. In a recent visit to a location in Northeast Philadelphia I tried the tender slider sandwich.
Honestly I enjoyed both preparations, tenders and slider. The slider sandwich with the additional kale-slaw on the sandwich adds a nice contrast of cool versus hot in each bite.
The tender combos really allow you to focus on the flavor and seasonings of the chicken, but I’m a fan of Dave’s sauce also, and dipping the spicy tender into the sauce also provided a nice balance of flavors.
Dave’s Hot Chicken opens every day at 10:30am and is open until 11pm on Friday & Saturday, and closed at 10pm during the week.
Links and Location
Dave’s Hot Chicken Cherry Hill – Now Open!
Ellisburg Shopping Center
1584 Kings Highway North
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002