Nashville Hot Chicken News

Hangry Joe's to cook up Nashville-style hot chicken in southwest Dallas

There is your chicken sandwich combo with waffle fries and a drink.

Photo courtesy of Hangry Joe's

There's a new player in the Nashville-style hot chicken world coming to Dallas, with tenders, sandwiches, and the best name of all: Called Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken, it's a concept from Richmond, Virginia and it's making its Texas debut in southern Dallas, at 4140 W Camp Wisdom Rd., a block or so west of the Southwest Center Mall (aka the old Red Bird Mall).

Jay Kang, who's part of a team of restaurant entrepreneurs bringing Hangry Joe's to Dallas, says they're planning to be open in January 2022.

Calling it a chain is premature since Hangry Joe's was only just founded in May 2021. It's from Derek Cha — famous for having founded the Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt chain 2009 — in collaboration with his partner, Mike Kim, who partnered up to create the very best Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich.

They brag that their sandwich is not only spicy-hot but also juicy and crisp.

There are currently two locations in Virginia, but with at least four more in the works.

Like most of these Nashville-style hot chicken places, Hangry Joe's has a fairly simple menu revolving around fried chicken tenders with a crunchy coating which you can get in varying levels of heat. Hangry's has five levels, the hottest being "Angry Hot."

There are:

chicken tenders, which they call chicken fingers
chicken sandwiches, served with cider slaw, pickle, and hangry sauce on a brioche bun
chicken & waffle, with 4 tenders and a funnel waffle

Their fries are waffle fries, which you can get plain as a side, or else loaded, topped with chicken, jalapeño, and cheese sauce. They also have fried okra, a nice treat.

Hangry has a couple of other noteworthy extras including a salad with chicken breast; and Korean chicken nuggets, served with rice and choice of soy garlic or spicy soy garlic.

The food is getting great reviews, says Kang, the Dallas franchisee; you need only skim their Facebook page to see the raves.

"It's unique and tasty," Kang says. "We know there's already a few Nashville-style chicken places in Dallas now, and we've tried them, but this tastes so different."

The other notable thing about this debut is that it's located south of I-30, in a city where much of the new opening buzz tends to be focused north. But this is only the beginning, Kang says.

"We're planning on opening a lot more locations in Dallas and in Texas," he says.

trends

Stoner's Pizza Joint brings buzzy new takeout to east Dallas

Stoner's

Stoner's Pizza Joint

A pizzeria with a serious buzz is rolling into East Dallas: Called Stoner’s Pizza Joint, it'll be located at 2335 N. Fitzhugh Ave. #10, where it's slated to open in May.

Stoner's is a delivery and takeout quick-serve concept with pizzas, calzones, strombolis, wings, salads, and desserts. The chain was founded in Georgia in 2013, which began franchising in 2018. In 2020, Fort Lauderdale franchisee John Stetson bought the company and became CEO.

The menu includes basics like pepperoni but also specialty options such as the steak pizza with onion, mushroom, and pepper on a white garlic sauce; and the taco pizza, with beef, jalapenos, and taco seasoning, served with a side of lettuce, tomato, sour cream and buffalo sauce.

Pizzas come in three sizes: 10-inch, 14-inch, and the Really Big 18-inch. Prices range from $10 to $27.

The name is a fun play on stoner culture and joints which manifests itself on the menu as well. Appetizers are called "munchies," and include pepperoni pizza rolls, cheese sticks, and garlic knots.

This will be the second location in the DFW area, following a location that opened in Rowlett in September 2024. Both locations are from franchisee Wakaas Abdrazak, who has spent the past 20 years in construction.

He's also opening a location on Fort Worth's West 7th Street in early April, as well as a location in McKinney in 2026.

"We were looking to bring something new to the market that was different than other pizzerias," Abdrazak says. "What impressed me about the group in charge of it is they have a background of doing this business for 30-40 years and know everything from scratch."

With his background in construction, he's designed the DFW locations himself, to appeal to DFW's sophisticated taste. That meant toning down the chain's vivid color scheme and modernizing the ambience.

"We keep some of the soul of the city in each location and keep elements of the area in the logo," Abdrazak says. "It's how we serve the community."

pizza openings