Flock to Haven Hot Chicken

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A couple of years ago, Laura and I went to a digital conference in Nashville. While we learned a few new tricks, mainly we ate chicken. Spicy fried chicken and buckets of it. When we heard about Haven Hot Chicken, a new Nashville-inspired joint in New Haven, we raced down. 

Two years in development, the take-out only spot created by local restaurateurs Craig Sklar, Rob LaTronica, Jason Sobocinski, and Etkin Tekin was originally slated to be a dine-in restaurant. When the pandemic hit, they pivoted to a take-out concept, and folks have been flocking for hot chicken since day one. At 11:30 on a Tuesday morning, the socially-distanced line stretched half-way down the block. The guys have got it down, though, and the queue moves swiftly.

Five heat levels are available, from Country (no heat) to Haven (scary). Options include a boneless breast sandwich with remoulade sauce and vinegar slaw on a Martin’s potato roll or “Tendies,” hefty tenders, crisply fried, and available in the same categories of heat. Vegetarians will be sated with the buttermilk-battered, double-fried cauliflower. 

We took our steaming bags around the corner to a clutch of tables at Audubon Square and dug in. Laura was thrilled with her crunchy sandwich, the spicy meat cooled by vinegar slaw and the sweet toasted roll. I chose the “Tendy Trio,” easily enough for two, accompanied by a delectable pile of skin-on fries. We both ordered “medium,” and it was plenty hot for us, with a pleasing burn but not incendiary. 

I brought a family-friendly bucket (12 tenders, four different levels of heat, fries, sauce, and a creamy quart of corn esquites) for my neighbors, which they claimed was equally good on day two. My husband tested the hottest Haven, and it was a scorcher, even for a guy who lives for heat.  

New Haven’s dining scene gets better by the moment, and Haven is an imaginative and welcome addition. 

21 Whitney Ave.

Sunday: 11:30 – 7, Tuesday – Thursday: 11:30am – 8pm, Friday & Saturday: 11:30 am – 9pm, Closed Monday

www.havenhotchicken.com

haven hot chicken

haven hot chicken