Nashbird

[Anonymous.]

That looks delicious. I didn't get any invites to soft openings, but I am tempted to be 'that guy' and just show up, because I can't wait any longer!

[sooner88]

Sounds like they plan to open next week sometime. Excited to try it out.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Really interesting report this morning on NPR about Nashville hot chicken and its rapid trend of expanding.

https://www.marketplace.org/2017/08/...ay-across-pond

[Pete]

Nashbird opens tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:30AM.

[Pete]

They closed out at 3PM because they ran out of food.

Will reopen Tuesday for lunch.

[DickTracy]

They closed out at 3PM because they ran out of food.

Will reopen Tuesday for lunch.

Sounds like they need a new ��*��, that knows how to properly order food. Unless that's the model, open at 11 until sold out... like Maples

[sooner88]

Sounds like they underestimated the demand today.... I'm sure they'll be well prepared Tuesday and is a great sign for their first day.

[Pete]

Scottie's Deli closed early today as well for the same reason.

Both places overwhelmed by demand, which is a good sign for their business.

[jonny d]

Scottie's Deli closed early today as well for the same reason.

Both places overwhelmed by demand, which is a good sign for their business.

Only if they are eventually able to meet that demand with their supply. I hope they both adapt to the demand to be able to fully meet it! If so, OKC has 2 really good gems here!

[Pete]

I went last night and ordered the 3 jumbo tenders basket and chose the watermelon cucumber salad and onion rings as my sides.

I specified the "XXX" heat, which is next to the very hottest. It was somewhat spicy but not overly so. I'll try the hottest variety next time just out of curiosity.

The chicken was very moist and tender and the two sides were excellent. Way too much food for one person... For $10 you could easily split the meal.

Completely different than the Nashville Hot Chicken at the Jones... Not only is the latter pounded flat like a cutlet, the batter/coating is completely different. Where Nashbird's batter is relatively light and flaky, Jones was more dense and also more flavorful.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Looks good! Thanks for trying it out Pete. I think a trip there with my wife is in order. We are going to split it.

I'm just glad it isn't overly hot. The other posters had me worried about my intestines rejecting it!

[Roger S]

Completely different than the Nashville Hot Chicken at the Jones... Not only is the latter pounded flat like a cutlet, the batter/coating is completely different. Where Nashbird's batter is relatively light and flaky, Jones was more dense and also more flavorful.

Which is exactly why I called what is being served at Jones "Spicy Chicken Fried Chicken".

[Martin]

i was really looking forward to trying nashbird and went yesterday at lunchtime. i tried a bone-in white meat basket (at 'kickin' heat) with potato salad and mac & cheese.

the service was good aside from the usual jitters but i'm not sure about counter service for this place... the concept seems more suited to traditional table service. they do have a portable pos in addition to their two counter units to take orders and payment, which is nice... though i think i would've just shifted that process to the table instead of crowding up the already tight entrance. no big deal there, though... just an observation.

as for the food, i've got to admit that the chicken i ate yesterday didn't do much for me. the white meat basket comes with a full breast (two split pieces) and a chicken wing. i liked the breading which had a moderate amount of heat and a bit of sweetness and was perfectly browned and crunchy. however, the chicken itself was a bit on the dry side and the breast didn't have much meat on it... given the size of the breast, i thought that they might've accidentally given me thigh meat at first. the meat didn't taste as if it had been brined or anything, so the taste and texture wasn't much better than your average chicken chain. also, i kind of expected the chicken to be served piping hot as if it just came out of the fryer like many of the other chicken places at this level... my order wasn't cold or anything, it just didn't taste as hot and fresh as many other places. i think i'll try their boneless breast or tenders next time.

the sides were decent but nothing spectcular. the potato salad was the typical mustard/mayo variety with chunks of cooked potato... it paired well with the spicy chicken. the mac and cheese was decent and served with breadcrumbs on top. while not bad, i felt that the cheese could've been just a bit more tangy.

[Anonymous.]

I went Friday night. Staff was awesome, place was packed of course. The counter ordering does seem clunky, but it moved decently.

When we got there, they were out of all breasts and only had dark meat and tenders. And by the time we finished eating, they were telling people in line they were out of all white meat. They were also out of mac n cheese.

I got the jumbo tender basket. For $10 that amount of food was incredible. Unfortunately since they were out of mac n cheese, I went with fries and the watermelon salad and both were fantastic. I went with 'Hot Dang!' per the comments here, and definitely will try the hottest option next. It was hot, but not anything crazy. However, I love spicy foods. Others in my group said the 'Kickin' was too hot for them. So just order in the middle and adjust from there.

Not sure if it is just promotional early-on or what, but beer came with a coozie - which I thought was really cool.

Marc was friendly as always and meeting with all the customers and helping run orders out. We spoke on the way out and he is very excited for how well this has taken off.

[Anonymous.]

I have already gone again (this is going to be a problem).

I got the hottest level this time, still delicious. The mac and cheese was solid, but seemed to be lacking something, maybe a dash of bbq or something needed in it. But it was nice to eat a bite of it to take refuge from the spiciness of the chicken. Also tried the potato salad, it was odd seeing it with the potato chunks still very separated, and it wasn't very mashed like what we normally see with potato salad here. I would say it was probably my least favorite of all the sides so far. Wanted to try a dessert, but was way too full. Next time...

[BridgeBurner]

Checked this place out last week, I got the white meat basket (XXX Hot Dang) with fries and mac and cheese. I definitely agree with others on here who said they will be trying the hottest one they make next time, Hot Dang honestly was not all that spicy to me. Not 100% sure how they are utilizing the basement space there but it did not appear to be for public use which was kind of a bummer but makes sense. I will also note that the chicken tenders appeared to be the best deal out of everyone sitting at my table, one chicken tender was about as much meat as my entire white meat basket and his basket came with three.

[Pete]

Marc Dunham told me they plan to renovate the basement space for extra seating and general use.

Agree about the chicken tenders. I ordered 3 and 2 was more than enough. Each is about the size of half a boneless chicken breast and were very tender and juicy.

[soonermike81]

Wife and checked this place out over the weekend and here's my take. First, I've only had Nashville hot chicken once and I was actually in Chicago. Lol, I know. I'm prob not the person to be giving criticism. First off, the staff was nice and helpful. However, Im not sure her position, think she was the main bartender. Whoever it was, she was very average on service. She was nice, just not organized and seemed very forgetful. I was busy when we first got there, but slow down quite a bit by the time we left. And her service was the same lackluster service in the beginning and in the end. They were out of a few things, including several beers on tap and mac & cheese. My wife and I each got the mixed basket. She got watermelon/cucumber salad and onion rings and I got the coleslaw and french fries. All the sides are fine with exception of the coleslaw. Seemed a little sour to me, to the point where it felt somewhat spoiled. I'm pretty certain that wasn't the case and I just don't know much about slaw and/or im accustomed to a different style. Now onto the chicken which is obviously most important. I got the crazy hot, because I love very spicy foods. The place in Chicago, the Budlong, had some of the spiciest sauce on the chicken that I've ever had. It was crazy hot and that's what I expected. It was not that spicy at all. My wife got the least spicy version and she said there was no spice to it. To me, this was very disappointing as I was expecting to be blown away in terms of heat. The chicken itself was cooked perfectly and very juicy. Not dry at all. Also, the portions were massive and the price was extremely reasonable for what you get. Overall, food was good but didn't meet my expectations. We'll prob go back at some point. Hopefully they hear enough feedback and up the heat.

[Roger S]

Went and tried it today.... May give it one more chance but was severely underwhelmed.

Counter help got my order wrong despite asking me multiple times what I just said. I can excuse that this time since they are new.

I love the skin and crust of fried chicken but when you see me peeling the crust off and pushing it aside it's never a good thing. The crust is way to thick and gummy on the bone-in.

I ordered the Hot Dang and it's possible I didn't get that since the first order that hit my table was wrong but to me this chicken tasted exactly like a Lay's BBQ potato chip.... both in flavor and heat level.

The pieces were odd too. My breast had very little meat on it but the wing looked more like a turkey wing. It was freaking huge and difficult to pull apart and eat. I found the actual meat to be a little mushy too. Moist but mushy. It reminded me of the texture of a chicken breast that has been sous vide to about 145.

Mac & Cheese and Potato Salad were house made but a little on the bland side to me. Pasta in mac & cheese was cooked well but the cheese sauce didn't bring much to the party.

I'll go back and try the tenders in the Hot Dang version next time and see if they gave me the wrong heat level and see if the breading ratio is any better but my first impression wasn't very good.

[Pete]

^

How did the style compare to traditional Nashville hot chicken?

[Roger S]

^

How did the style compare to traditional Nashville hot chicken?

Style wise it is similar... Falls way short on the execution in my opinion....... Other than Prince's XXX being painfully hot. I would eat their other levels of spicy chicken on a regular basis. Prince's was a really good, and well, fried chicken.... Nothing about the chicken I ate today really made me want to go back. I will because I know they are new and working out the kinks but the breading to chicken ratio was WAY off and if what I was served today was indeed the Hot Dang version.... Whoever did their taste testing really has a weak constitution for spicy food because it really did taste like a Lays BBQ potato chip to me.

[John Knight]

Marc Dunham told me they plan to renovate the basement space for extra seating and general use.

Agree about the chicken tenders. I ordered 3 and 2 was more than enough. Each is about the size of half a boneless chicken breast and were very tender and juicy.

Is Marc heading up Nashbird as well Pete?

[Pete]

Is Marc heading up Nashbird as well Pete?

Yes.

For those that don't know, Dunham is behind Iguana as well.

[jccouger]

For all the complaints on the lack of heat

You squawked. We listened.
We bumped the heat up on our spice blends, and it is ������. For those we didn't get a chance to warn first, sorry 'bout cha.
if you're up for the challenge, get your #hotdang at our new and improved Hot Dang and Crazy Hot levels! We're open regular hours today from 10:30-10!

[BridgeBurner]

Good to hear! Thanks for the update, I'll have to go back and give the upped heat a shot.