New Nashville hot chicken joint opens in Paso Robles, and it’s looking to expand
A new fast casual restaurant has come to Paso Robles — and its five-tier spice level is a siren song for diners who love heat.
Nate’s Nashville Hot Chicken is a fast-casual restaurant where spice is the main attraction.
“What we wanted to do is just to create some hot chicken that was just phenomenal,” owner Roger Sharp said.
The menu includes breakfast sandwiches, chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, chicken wings, chicken and waffles and three types of hot dogs. Side dishes include mac and cheese, fries and coleslaw.
The restaurant also serves Stubborn sodas and four milkshake flavors: strawberry, vanilla, chocolate and caramel.
.JPEG "IMG_4525 (1).JPEG")
Nate’s Nashville Hot Chicken ranges from ‘naked’ to ‘scary hot’
The main attraction at Nate’s is the chicken tenders, which are made-to-order and be can be served at five spice levels, Sharp said.
The chicken can be “naked,” which means prepared with low spice, and is a favorite on the kid’s menu.
For palates that crave a kick, the spice level on a hot chicken item ratchets up from “medium” to “hot” to “very hot” and finally “scary hot.”
The most popular spice level among Nate’s patrons is “medium” — “it’s not a crazy burn, it’s a nice burn,” Sharp said.
About 30% of customers order a “hot” or “very hot” chicken, while only about 5% go for the “scary hot,” he said.
The so-called “scary hot” chicken lives up to its name. The chicken is prepared with a spice-laden breading and is finished with a chili oil made from the Carolina Reaper, the hottest pepper in the world, Sharp said.
The chicken is finished with the restaurant’s signature Kick-it-UP sauce.
“You can almost put it on your shoe and and it tastes good,” Sharp said of sauce.
Although Sharp loves spicy foods, he says he doesn’t go past “hot” anymore because “it’s just too troubling,” he said.
He recommends diners pair their hot chicken entree with a milkshake to help cool things down.
Paso Robles restaurant was four years in the making
Sharp, who also owns Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ and Tortilla Town in Paso Robles, said about four years ago he was looking for a new concept for his space on 24th Street across from the California Mid-State Fair fairgrounds.
The space where Nate’s Nashville Hot Chicken is now used to be occupied by Good Ol’ Burgers, which Sharp started when he was 26, according to past Tribune coverage.
Good Ol’ Burgers closed in 2019 and Sharp opened Crazy Asian Express, which offered an American spin on Asian fast-food favorites, such as Chinese-style Peking duck and barbecue pork.
But that spot didn’t really take off as he hoped, so he was searching for something new.
In the past few years, Nashville-style hot chicken restaurants have started opening all over. In May 2019, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times wrote a story headlined “Nashville hot chicken is taking over Los Angeles.”
“I’m always eating spicy foods, and I travel all over around the country,” Sharp said. “And this is something that really caught my eye.”
What followed was a seemingly endless tour of hot chicken restaurants, he said.
“I think I’ve tried every hot chicken place on the planet,” Sharp said. “Just trying to get those flavors right and create something special.”
He spent the next few years grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, trying recipes and working on the space, which opened its doors in April 2022.
“I’m super happy with the end result of the quality and taste,” Sharp said.
Sharp said he hopes to open more Nate’s locations in San Luis Obispo County in the near future. Nate’s will also have a booth at the Mid-State Fair.
Nate’s Nashville Hot Chicken is at 1145 24th St. in Paso Robles, across from the fairgrounds, and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
