As you might have inferred, I’m not the biggest fan of the Americanisation of British culture. The idolisation of all things U-S-A is grim, isn’t it? Of all the culturally-rich countries in the world we could be borrowing from… I wouldn’t have picked that one.
Where this is super-pertinent is with the importation of their fast food chains. Although, achieving 2000kcal in the least amount of grams is probably the one thing that they’re good at. But the way the latest chain imports are fawned over, and more importantly — the way our local equivalents are dropped and forgotten, is depressing.
So on the very day that Dave’s Hot Chicken opened in Eldon Square, it was quite funny to see neighbouring Wingstop, yesterday’s golden child, absolutely desolate. I guess when there’s a new and shiny thing all the time, everything is transient and nothing is permanent.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is a US fried chicken chain, expanding recently to almost 400 units worldwide. Chasing the latest trend of what looks new and…sigh… ‘viral’ on social, well it’s for kids, really, isn’t it? As with Wingstop, it’s just all the same brand-led, cultural meta-moments. Yawn.
With all that in mind, yeah I wanted to dislike it. The branding makes my eyes roll. The whole thing is a jumped up McDonalds. I feel like the oldest person in there by some margin. Hordes of Gen Alpha queue at the self-service machines. Of course, they don’t want to speak to someone in person. I rock up to the till, bemused.
Dave’s menu is easier to digest than the food. You choose chicken in ‘on bread’ or ‘in bread’ formats, a side, and that’s about it. About £11. Dave’s other gimmick is choosing a spice level which ranges from none to ‘sign a waiver’.
It takes a long time for the food to come out. Fast food is no longer fast. Here, that’s not the worst thing in the world.
The tenders are huge. It helps keep them juicy, and annoyingly these are bloody great. Not too much breading. They literally ooze when squeezed, no dry meat here. Freshly fried, and though I gravitate towards a crunchy karaage style crust, it’s everything you want from fried chicken.
Notably, the founder of Dave’s is ex-3* The French Laundry. That’s some USP.
And as I was munching down, I can imagine the Michelin star fundamentals in there somewhere. It’s probably consistency, consistency, consistency, and the three times I’ve been, Dave’s has hit that brief. I’ll assume the chicken is fried to the second, probed for a very specific temp., and not left on a hot lamp for a second more than it needs. It shows.
As much as I love some of the local picks — they just don’t match this level of control. ‘Is it gonna be a great FEDs day’, sort of thing. In frying a lean meat, reliability is critical.
Just as surprising, the spicing is really enjoyable. I’ve landed on either medium/hot being enough. That’s 4/5 out of the 7-wide scale. There’s a real heat, and it’s not that artificial, ‘no flavour’ heat that blights some things like this. I personally wouldn’t go hotter, these are quite hot, but the spice lovers will be actually satiated for once.
The fries, another thing the basic chains are failing to nail, are also great. I don’t think bad fries are acceptable anywhere any more, but they are as good as you’ll get at this level.
As usual, there are losers here too. The top-loaded fries – see below, is just less food and more mayo. Everything goes to mush. The dense nuggs aren’t a patch on the tenders. It’s a scam, a profit driver. Don’t get this, get the ‘#3’ meal with both a tender and a slider. Outside of that, the other sides: slaw and mac and cheese are barely worthy of mention. It’s chicken and chips all the way. Don’t stray too far from what made them popular in the first place.
And that’s about it for me, really. It’s a curiosity. I came, I ate, it was better than I expected. I don’t really want to go back again.
As Dave’s, really, is just Wingstop 2.0. The latest in a long line of chain imports that get people excited for two minutes, then just became part of the furniture of a bland city centre. The chicken is undeniably decent — miles better than KFC and similar chains. And that’s the most important thing of all, isn’t it?
But in a year’s time, when Shake Shack or whatever comes along, it’ll be just another Five Guys. The hype dies down, there’s nothing left, nothing new or interesting to offer, other than diverting attention away from the great independents of the city. So give it a go, by all means. You might be pleasantly surprised. But make sure FEDs, Stixs, and the other Newcastle restaurants that need your money are the ones that linger at the top of your memory.
Contact: daveshotchickenuk.com/locations
Address: Grey’s Quarter, Eldon Square, NE1 7AP
Opening times: Mon–Sun 11:00–00:00
Dishes: Chicken and chips £10.99–£13.49
Other info: Also on delivery apps, etc.
