Nashville is arguably most famous for two things: music and hot chicken. All Nashvillians, whether born and bred or recent transplants, are united in their passion for hot chicken, with the only argument being where to eat it.
Most hot chicken restaurants offer a scale of heat for their customers, with the spiciest options only allowed to the experienced and the brave. How brave? Prince’s Hot Chicken recommends putting a roll of toilet paper in the freezer before visiting, as they’re serious about the chicken burning twice. For novitiates to the hot chicken worship, Nashvillians recommend ordering chicken with only a medium amount of heat.
Here’s our list of five of the most popular hot chicken joints in Music City — endorsed by the agents of Corcoran Reverie.
Prince’s Hot Chicken
This is the place that started it all. Legend has it that Thornton Prince III, great-uncle of current owner André Prince Jeffries, came home late one night, angering his suspicious lover. The next day, when he asked for his favorite meal — fried chicken, of course — she furiously doused it in cayenne pepper and other spices before frying. But her plan backfired, because Prince loved the hot chicken so much that he started selling it to others, and by the 1930s he’d opened the restaurant now named in his honor.
“Each hot chicken restaurant in Nashville has a unique atmosphere that can resonate with all different individuals, ” says Reverie agent Charlotte Flowers, a Nashville native. “Personally, I’m drawn to Prince’s for its rich history, rooted in the tale of a scorned woman in Nashville. Moreover, their diverse menu offerings are all equally exceptional.”
Bolton’s Spicy Chicken and Fish
Family-owned Bolton’s is considered one of the pillars of the Nashville hot chicken scene. Their hot chicken legacy started with Barton Polk, a former cook at Prince’s, who developed his own recipe and opened a rival joint, Columbo’s Hot Chicken Shack, in the late 1970s. Columbo’s closed after Polk fell ill and its land was taken for the new Tennessee Titans stadium. But before Polk died, he passed on his recipe to his namesake and nephew, Bolton Matthews. Matthews and his wife, Dollye Ingram-Matthews (who was armed with a spicy fish recipe of her own), opened Bolton’s Spicy Chicken and Fish in 1997. Today, Bolton’s is one of the oldest Black-owned businesses on Main Street and considered a mainstay for hot chicken lovers.
400 Degrees
Aqui Hines, the shop’s proprietor, is a native Nashvillian who like many grew up eating at Prince’s. More than a decade ago, Hines opened 400 Degrees as a tribute to her favorite food and the restaurant quickly shot up to the top of the best-of lists for hot chicken. Unlike other hot chicken eateries, the chicken here is deep-fried rather than skillet-fried, and with a slightly thicker and crunchier crust. With a second location in Terminal C at Nashville International Airport, it’s also a solid option if you desperately need one more hot chicken fix before leaving Nashville.
Hattie B’s
Opened in 2012, Hattie B’s is probably the best-known of the newer hot chicken joints, drawing locals, celebrities, and tourists alike to its four Nashville locations and spreading the fire beyond its borders through a half-dozen satellite locations. The kitchen is run by John Lasater, who trained at New York City’s French Culinary Institute (now ICC), and who helped raise the profile of Nashville hot chicken from a primarily local phenomenon to a national trend.
Reverie’s Cody Robinson is a fan. “Above all the others, Hattie B’s remains my favorite Nashville hot chicken spot — maybe because I was first exposed to hot chicken when Hattie B’s expanded to Birmingham, Alabama, where I used to live,” he explained. “Then when I moved to Nashville several years later, it was like I found the Mecca of hot chicken. The flavor, quality, and consistency of Hattie B’s is the key to why I like it the best.”
Party Fowl
True to its name, Party Fowl is all about having a good time. In addition to the trademark hot chicken, Party Fowl’s six locations serve beer, boozy slushies, and brunch in fun, cavernous spaces with wall-to-wall big-screen TVs. It’s a popular pick for diners in search of drinks and a relaxed, upscale atmosphere in which to eat their hot chicken. Though it has gussied-up surroundings and a more expansive menu than other hot chicken joints, fear not for the food — Party Fowl’s chicken remains a solid contender as one of the best in the city. Party Fowl also offers alternative menus to accommodate dietary restrictions, with gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan options available.