Dave’s Hot Chicken Mozzarella Sticks: What People Are Saying

Dave’s Hot Chicken may be known for their burn-your-esophagus-to-the-ground hot chicken, but it’s their new mozzarella sticks, excuse me, mozzarella planks that are getting all the attention right now.

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These new, flat, fried planks of mozzarella come dusted with a spicy seasoning that comes in seven heat levels—from Not Hot to Reaper. You can get them as part of a meal, you can get them as a side with Dave’s Sauce, a spicy aioli-style dipping sauce, and you can even get them as a slider, which is pretty darn cool, if you ask me.

Our own Ariana Losch reported on the new addition to Dave’s menu earlier today and we’re already seeing reviews rolling in. We’ll be adding our own official review to the pile ASAP. But while we wait to get our hot hands on those hot planks, here’s what people are saying about these new fried cheese sticks so far.

THE GOOD

Steven Morea at Delish praised the cheese pull writing, “The moment you break the crust, the mozzarella stretches dramatically…If you are chasing that iconic stretchy mozzarella moment, this delivers.” Morea wrote that the planks are seriously filling and that he was “ready to tap out after just eating one of them.” His conclusion: They deliver on the mozzarella stick promise.

TikToker @makeupbynudar got the mild sticks and was wowed. “Whoever said this was mid, lied,” she said in the review. “This is really good.”

THE MEH

Some Redditors who have tried the new mozz sticks are reporting that these cheese planks are a bit of a shrug. “Pretty tasty but I don’t think I’ll get it again. Just one was enough,” one user wrote. Another Redditor wrote that the mozzarella sticks had “good flavor” though the medium wasn’t spicy at all. They gave it a 7.5.

After tasting a range of spice levels, TikToker @pattalina declared that Chili’s still has Dave’s beat when it comes to mozz sticks. But conceded that Dave’s were less oily and she did appreciate that you can pick your heat level.

THE BAD

In a Facebook review, user Sara Darrat wrote that “disappointed is an understatement.” She continued, “do yourself a favor and grab a bag of frozen sticks from the store or look up a recipe because $30 for this was the biggest flop to date.” Ouch.

About the Author

Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients. Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now). Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test! Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.