Dave's Hot Chicken in Dallas: Locations, Menu & What to Order

Dallas has a fair claim to bragging rights here: it was the first city in Texas to get a Dave's Hot Chicken. When the California brand decided to cross into barbecue country in 2021, it planted the flag in Dallas before Houston, before Austin, before anywhere else in the state. That is a bold opening move in a city that already knows its way around fried things.

Where to find Dave's Hot Chicken in Dallas

Because Dallas got in early, the metro has had Dave's longer than most of Texas. You will find locations along the Preston Road corridor in North Dallas, up in Plano in the northern suburbs, and scattered across the wider metroplex, with the count still growing.

Dallas sprawls, and stores keep opening, so for the exact, current list the official locator is your friend. Below is how the neighborhoods break down and, importantly for Dallas, which kind of store actually has a drive-thru.

Neighborhoods with a Dave's

• Preston Road / Preston Hollow. An upscale North Dallas shopping-and-residential corridor. Car-oriented, easy parking, and home to a drive-thru location.
• Plano. The affluent northern suburb up the Preston Road line, convenient for the whole north metro.
• Uptown. Dallas's walkable, cocktail-and-restaurant district around McKinney Avenue — dense, young, and lively at night.
• Deep Ellum. The arts-and-music district east of downtown, all live venues, street art, and late-night energy.

The pattern is classic Dallas: the suburban corridors give you parking and a drive-thru, while Uptown and Deep Ellum give you the nightlife and the walk-in energy. Pick your store by which one you are in the mood for.

Which Dallas store has a drive-thru

This is where Dallas beats the coastal cities. Most Dave's locations nationally are walk-up only, because the brand grew out of a parking-lot pop-up with no drive-thru in sight. But Dallas is a car city through and through, and the Preston Road location has listed drive-thru and dining-room service — exactly what you want at the end of a long commute up the Tollway.

That said, not every Dallas store has a lane. A drive-thru is a feature of the specific building, not the brand, so the Uptown and Deep Ellum stores are dine-in and pickup. Before you rely on rolling through a window, confirm it on Google Maps, which flags a drive-through attribute when a store actually has one.

Where Dave's fits in Dallas food

Dallas is barbecue and Tex-Mex at its core, with a serious modern restaurant scene layered on top in Uptown and Deep Ellum. Nashville hot chicken arrived as a newer trend, and Dave's was the one that brought the buzz — a California concept landing in Texas drew real attention.

What Dave's offers is the quick-casual version: a simple seven-level spice ladder, consistent tenders and sliders, and a drive-thru in the suburbs. For a first order, get the two tenders with fries at Medium, or the mini sliders if you are feeding a group. Want to keep the damage in check? Run the numbers in the calorie calculator before you order.

Find your exact Dallas location and hours

• Google Maps — live open/closed status, today's hours, and the drive-through attribute for the specific store. Use this to confirm the drive-thru before you drive.
• The official locator at daveshotchicken.com/locations — current addresses from the source.
• The Dave's app — order ahead, skip the counter, and beat the Tollway traffic home.

My honest take

Dallas is one of the easier cities to do Dave's right. If you want the path of least resistance, hit the Preston Road drive-thru, order ahead on the app, and never leave your car. If you want the scene, go to Uptown or Deep Ellum and make a night of it.

Dallas got Dave's first in Texas, and it shows in how settled the footprint is. Get the order right, pick a heat you can actually finish, and enjoy the rare luxury of hot chicken without leaving the driver's seat.