This spot brings delicious, stripped-back chicken tenders and sandwiches to Portland. Dave’s began as a small stand in an East Hollywood parking lot. After spreading across the internet, getting coverage from media and even selling a stake in the business to rapper Drake, Dave’s has recently expanded to Sandy and 29th.

With an eye-catching brick building decorated in graffiti-style street art, the restaurant immediately establishes itself as going against the grain, bringing something new to Portland cuisine. The interior is basic and functional without losing the shop’s stylistic charm. The menu is limited yet intriguing, cut down to a few perfected items, like an arrangement of gems extracted from stone.

At first glance, chicken tenders and sandwiches may seem like basic items haphazardly placed into the endless mix of options at many fast food chains, but Dave’s quickly dispels this notion. Caked in a delicious–albeit intimidatingly red–seasoning–their chicken is juicy and delectable, and the spice level is customizable to fit anyone’s preference. 

Spicy chicken is at the core of the Dave’s ethos. It’s clear that extensive thought has been put into balancing the spice so as not to completely overpower the quality of the chicken, but while still pushing it. Dave’s plentiful spiciness options, ranging from mild to “Reaper,” allow for customers to find that sweet spot where it’s spicy enough to make your nose run, but not overwhelming.

The menu revolves around variations of two main items: chicken tenders and sliders. Several options include fries and kale slaw. The sliders offer a more familiar chicken experience to customers, coming in essentially a chicken burger format. The soft and sweet bun assembled with a chicken tender, pickles, kale slaw and drizzled sauce is sure to please anyone: simple yet uniquely Dave’s.

On the other hand, those who are attracted to the appeal of Dave’s seasoning and meat may be more suited for the chicken tenders, which are served plain with fries, sauce and a slice of bread. While at first it may seem out of place or unusual, the slice of bread offers a sponge to soak up the flavor of the tenders and add something more to such a simple meal. The tenders are a great treat to be enjoyed on their own, especially with the sauce, which adds a sweet, almost honey-like flavor.

While both main items are impressively flavorful, Dave’s does lack in other areas. Their fries are prone to sogginess and are often limp and bland. The kale slaw seems to be a failed attempt at disguising Dave’s as “healthy,” done laughably and unnecessarily, as comfort food doesn’t need to be nutritious. On top of that, their mac and cheese–which is their only unique side not included in any meals–also falls short, tasting overcooked and like an afterthought, as evidenced by its minimal presence on the menu.

As far as drinks go, Dave’s is pretty standard. Soda is available, as well as milkshakes that come in three flavors: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. The shakes are solid and go well with the chicken, but can leave behind a somewhat unpleasant bitter taste.

Dave’s is fast-food chicken at its best, bringing a unique comfort food and some kick to Portland that’s been needed for a while now. However, being a fast-food restaurant, there is naturally a lack of quality plaguing the restaurant’s additional items. Stick to their chicken and get your kale slaw and mac and cheese elsewhere.