Haven Hot Chicken Opens October 17 Bringing Nashville Hot Chicken to Downtown New Haven

Stephanie Webster October 15, 2020

“Oh my god, this fried chicken sandwich is so freakin’ delicious I may openly weep,” came out of my mouth as I savored my first bite of Haven Hot Chicken’s Nashville style hot chicken sandwich. “Haven Hot Chicken” opened last week at 21 Whitney Avenue in downtown New Haven after months of sold out pop ups throughout the New Haven area. The lines are long, but the wait is worth it, as people queued up to sample the cult classic Nashville Hot Chicken (and vegetarian Not Chicken) in a variety of heat levels (5 to be exact).

When I asked the Haven Hot Chicken team how long it took them to arrive at this just about perfect combination of crispy, juicy and flavorful chicken, they laughed and said they have been recipe testing for over a year. Their tagline is “CRISPY CRUNCHY JUICY SPICY DELICIOUS,” and I’m gonna say “nailed it.” You can truly taste the time and commitment to research in every item on this takeout/delivery menu.

“Nashville Hot Chicken is a style of food that many people are familiar with, but there are very few options to enjoy an authentic version in the state…..so we had to bring it to the people!” added Sobocinski.

Now, let’s dig in. For my money, there are two stars in this show. The leading lady is definitely “THE Sandwich, buttermilk-marinated boneless fried chicken breast, creamy vinegar slaw, garlic pickle, Rob Sauce, on a toasted Martin’s potato roll. This uber crispy double fried chicken breast gives way to a soft juicy interior, bathed in punches of flavor from the slaw and garlic pickles and all wrapped up in the pillowy softness of that potato roll. Each bite has a little bit of everything you want, and it is a party in your mouth.

Surprisingly, the supporting actor is the meat-free NOT Chicken Sandwich, made with double fried buttermilk marinated, oven-roasted cauliflower steak. It’s got all the fixins of it’s partner, and for those meat-adverse, this vegetarian burger was created with just as much love as it’s cohort. It’s outstanding, and you won’t miss the meat at all.

Before we get into the weeds here, you should be prepared to “choose your heat” when you order. There are five levels from Country (no spice) to Haven (for the hot head) with Mild (hint of spice), Medium (proper spicy) and Hot (will burn) in between. We preferred the Mild to Medium so we could enjoy the flavors of the sandwich but the quantity mouth tingling and sweating is entirely up to you.

Not in the mood for a sandwich? Also available is the Tendie Trio, a medley of their jumbo tenders with your choice of sauce and heat. We opted for an assortment of all five heat levels so we could accurately sample and gauge the differences in heat profiles. The Country (no heat) version of this dish is perfect for children and comes as a Kid’s Meal for $5.99, a great deal.

We really enjoyed the NOT Chicken Nugs as well, a generously sized box of oven roasted fried cauliflower florets with choice of sauce (we recommend Rob’s). And you simply can’t leave this place without a side of their lightly salted skin-on double fried french fries that manage that #frygoals dance with a mandatory hard crispy exterior giving way to a soft smooth potato-y core. These reheated really nicely when we brought them home.

Haven Hot Chicken’s top notch product and branding right out of the gate makes more sense when you meet the players. The Haven Hot Chicken team is made up of LaTronica, formerly of Wheeler’s and The Beer Collective, Craig Sklar, owner of The Beer Collective, Jason Sobocinski, of Caseus, Ordinary and The Stack, to name a few of his ventures, and Etkin Tekin, former founder of The Little Salad Shop. Together they created the concept as a result of a shared passion for the fiery cuisine that originated in Nashville.

Haven also offers family combos and have several options for kids, with a soft serve program driving home the restaurant’s dessert offerings.

In addition to building a strong food concept, the team has also embraced their growing platform as a way to give back to the community. Their new initiative, One Percent for the People, will contribute one percent of all profits to focus on equality for all people.

“We believe in equality for all humans, and we’ll do everything we can to achieve that and grow our movement,” said Sklar. “Local, Connecticut-based organizations will be selected on a monthly basis to be the beneficiaries of these donations, with the company working with their team members to help suggest initiatives for donations after Haven Hot Chicken opens its doors.”

Haven Hot Chicken will be open Tuesday-Sunday from 11am-9pm for lunch and dinner, soon expanding to 7 days a week and convenient online ordering via SnackPass and UberEats.

The restaurant accepts orders at its to-go counter at 21 Whitney Ave., its website havenhotchicken.com, and will offer ordering options via SnackPass and UberEats. For questions, guests can reach the restaurant by calling 203-691-7617. For more information, follow @havenhotchicken on Instagram or visit havenhotchicken.com.