Review The Hot Chicken Project - Geelong

Interesting place, good service, food and drinks. They serve lots of different varieties of beers. The waffle only available on sunday. As a spicy lover, the evil level was not even that spicy. Overall a good experience.

I absolutely love this place. We come a few times a year and I’m a hot chicken fan. Delicious tenders, great sides, amazing service and it’s not pretentious despite having some of the best natural wines on offer. Sit out the front in the gorgeous summer sun and soak it all up.

Warning ⛔️ the chips are so good they may have laced them with crack. (Not really but you get the jist) Great takeaway for junk food night. Love the southern tenders and the Carolina BBQ or honey mustard are my go to dipping sauces. 10/10

The chicken were so juicy and succulent, and the weekend specials of chicken and waffles were sooooooo goooooooodddddd!!! But omg!!! So much food! But it’s all so yummmmmmm! Definitely recommend ordering the chicken wings and waffles

Have been eating here for years, every time I’m in Geelong. Great selection of wines and beers. The fried chicken is ok. The collard greens are amazing and something special. Give the chicken skins a miss. But most things on the menu are good. Shame they don’t provide ketchup - what’s a French fry without ketchup? But always a good feed and friendly company.

Great chicken with flavour and heat. Their fried chicken burger was good as well. Will come back!

Deep fried goodness! Hot tip - the Mac n cheese croquette is enormous! Great wine from Livewire too - Valley of the Moon...

Tried one of their chicken burgers and it was great. Also tried their orange wine and it was unique and tangy, like a cider - would recommend!

Good staff but very average food. Over salty cheap packet herb taste on very dry chicken. The pickle was the only decent part. Local chicken shop or even KFC much better. It seems lately as long as you have something a bit different the hipster crowd will move in and go nuts even if the food is crap as long as it has a good vibe. If you like talking about where yoy eat you will love this place!

Easily the best place to get fried chicken in Geelong. Delicious, Juicy with generous portion sizes at a still reasonable price. Reminds me of a place I used to go to in Melbourne but can't justify doing anymore, so thank you for bringing delicious fried chicken to Geelong. The one complaint I have is the lack of a loyalty card, I would have cashed that in long ago by now.

Our group had chicken tenders and a burger. The tenders were aptly named as they melted in your mouth. The burger was great also. Attentive service and a great vibe to the place. Highly recommend a visit to this restaurant.

Definitely the best chicken wings I have ever eaten. The spice was perfect! Will definitely be coming back again. Would recommend that you order the spice to suit, as some may not be able to handle the heat.

I love this place. Not only is the food to die for, but the staff are so friendly and knowledgeable when it comes to the booze! Highly recommend a visit here!

Drove all the way from Melbourne to Geelong just for fried chicken, was it worth it??! Yes!!!! Crunchy, juicy, spicy, mmm it was so fingerlickin gooooood!!! (The sides and sauces were yummy too 🤤🤤) Also the staffs were so friendly too💓, special thanks to Benjamin for looking after us and for the yummmy coffee cocktail! We will definitely be back xx! 😊😘

My fussy kids fought over the onion rings and gobbled everything on their plates. 😂 The staff were great and we felt welcomed from the minute we stepped through the door. My only criticism is that the stools at the counter are a bit cumbersome for children to sit on.

Best chicken in Geelong, no question. I feel like I’ve never eaten chicken until I had this. It’s a Geelong institution, don’t ever leave. I love you Hot Chicken Project!

Tasty options for vegetarians. Enjoyed the mushroom burger, and the deep fried pickles were fantastic. Staff were really friendly and my espresso martini was ace. I would have liked to try the hand pie, but unfortunately it wasn't suitable for vegetarians. Will definitely be back. 👌

Great atmosphere. Friendly service. A place to relax and enjoy delicious food (and a beer).

Amazing venue, amazing staff, amazing food � just be careful, it's so tasty and addictive you'll end up coming back weekly

Damn fine southern style goodness! The dry rub on the medium tenders was absolutely on point!

Always great food, fast service, well cooked meals. The Alabama burger is to die for. Very pleasant ambiance, even when you’re in rush.

Amazing place to eat. Great food and great staff

Foods good, but definitely on the pricier end. Presumably cause there's not that many FC shops around in Geelong. The one downside however, is that they do tend to run of of things on the menu (minus chicken and burgers), ie oysters on the board, mac and cheese croquettes etc. A popular Friday hang out nonetheless

We loved 😍<br/>The chicken was crispy and delicious! Generous serving size of fries. Great range of alcohol.<br/>We disliked 😖<br/>Although it is in the name - this chicken was super spicy !<br/>We ordered there “hot” which is the 3rd hottest on a scale of 6 - and for two people who really enjoy spice, we almost could not finish it! Would recommend you ordered on the lower end of the scale.

Good food, good atmosphere. The chicken is amazing no matter which way you have it. It’s never greasy and the bar staff know their drinks back to front! Went here recently and it didn’t let me down like the many times before.

Very disappointed to say the least. Poor quality all round. Unprofessional staff, bad service, dry chicken, dirty tables, and very loud music, which made for an overall 1 star experience. If you’re considering giving it a go, I’d honestly just recommend KFC or Nandos to fulfil your chicken needs.

Do not recommend this extremely unprofessional restaurant. Horrible customer service, and extremely rude wait staff and management who are unable to address complaints in a reasonable way.

We were greated by a really friendly staff who showed us how to order and introduce us some of there dishes. I ordered one of their chicken burger with "so d hot" spicy level. I thoroughly loved my burger and the spicy level was enjoyable. One thing that amazed me the most about the burger is the chicken thigh. It was sooooooo juciy and well seasoned. The ambience was good as well, with funcky loud music and some cool graffiti on the wall. The pricing is a little high but still in the reasonable range.

Best Chicken Sandwich in Geelong!! Though you will struggle to finish the thing. Simple and cool venue in the Geelong laneways. Will be back

Love it. Definitely would go there next time hanging around nearby. You could hardly find a restaurant serving with really hot fried chicken for those heat lovers, and hot chicken project is exactly the place you’re looking for. Don’t freak out even if you don’t want really hot, coz they provide different heat up to you.

Funky little burger joint in the heart of the Geelong . Awesome burgers and beers to choose from great service, reasonably priced, awesome atmosphere, l just loved it !!! Will definitely come back.....

Really interesting atmosphere great food great service and great drinks good place for a lunch date or dinner with friends or just anyone who loves spicy chicken <br/>

Went inside not expecting anything spectacular about the place. First thing that comes to mind is that the place is really small. (Went in the bar side btw) The server was really good at helping us decide which burger to get and the overall vibe of the bar was fun. My burger tasted like a gourmet chicken Big Mac. Only regret was choosing the turnip for the side, get the chips next time. Tip: Don’t get spicy if you can’t handle sriracha

Chicken burger and chicken skin and friend halloumi is out of this worrrrld! Service, atmosphere and food fantastic.. and if you’re brown skinned you won’t get any weird looks like some other joints in G-Town 👀😆👌🏼

After overcaffeinating myself at Cartel Coffee, I usually come here for a glass of natural wine. They have some delicious chicken too, which my friends usually go bananas over. I love the vibe, its very laid back and perfect for a Saturday afternoon.

Really good! Same style as belles hot chicken, but in my opinion done better. I like a bit of spice so medium was the perfect option for me. Collard greens were great, coleslaw has just enough tang. <br/>Service was great, staff are super helpful & knowledgeable. Happy to chat to you about the food and educate about their natural wines.

Been here around 3 times now and love it every time! They have many options and the chicken and sides are always delish. Staff are also very lovely.

Came here all the way from Melbourne and I was blown away! Had the fried halloumi which was crazy delicious, hot cheese who would say no to that and I was challenged to try the evil chicken tenders. The first bite was spicy, but it kept me wanting more. Overall, I had a great time and it was pumping on a Friday night, would def come back.

How far would you travel for fried chicken? <br/><br/>We came down from Melbourne and called in for a bite to eat on our way to Portarlington. Kelisi has been here before but was craving the fried stuff as part of her hangover recovery. The interior of this restaurant was sleek and there was a long well stocked bar. There were really only tables for two or three inside but some far more comfortable tables outside which we ended up using as a share table.<br/><br/>We opted for the simple $17 menu where you choose your chicken style, your side and sauce level. <br/><br/>I opted for tenders with coleslaw and hot sauce while Kelisi medium sauced wings with fries and ranch sauce plus and extra pickle. Both dishes came out served burning hot so needed a while for handling. Hot being middle of the road in the heat Stakes was suitable spiced I think I would brave the next hotter sauce still if I call in again.<br/><br/>They had those syrupy Mexican soft drinks that I always loved as a kid so got one heck of a sugar rush from my pineapple flavour.<br/><br/>Overall impressed by meal size, presentation and taste. Better than most Melbourne fried chicken spots for sure. <br/><br/>I hear they are expanding to the building next door so hopefully they will shortly have seating for larger groups inside in the near future

Had some chicken delivered last night- was really delicious. Slaw was good too and the chicken (tried both southern and medium) wasn’t too spicy or salty. Flavor was great.

Went there for lunch, was a bit expensive however was groovy and modern. Has a fairly simple menu - might be nice to have some more information about the menu items. Ordered the burger, wings, fries and coleslaw - Was overall a nice lunch

Great vibe in this place and excellent service, despite being busy at the time. Great place to enjoy a beer and a ripper meal with mates and even the family! Definitely would recommend the Macdaddy Burger! 🍔

Go there all the time, great service.<br/>Alabama burger us the way to go with the burger choices.<br/>Consistent taste, always great. Well worth your time.

Cool venue in the CBD of Geelong, they serve some delicious chicken. The coating is super tasty and licks the juiciness of the chicken in perfectly. Simple menu makes it easy to pick something, and the sides and sauces we tried were tasty. The burger I tried was delicious (even thought they had to use white bread instead of a bun due to running out - which was checked with me first), and the combo of American cheese, spicy tenders, pickles and crispy bacon was simple but oh so tasty. Didn't sample the extensive drinks list, but would be a cool place to sit for a drink if I had more time.

My favourite place in town. <br/>Excellent food, the seasoning on my tenders is always absolutely spot on and the staff and the atmosphere makes it an awesome place to visit over and over again.

Great little place, awesome food, friendly staff, rock solid beer range and a cool fit out. Went in when they were packed for lunch and the food came out quickly, can't ask for much more really!

The meals took a bit long to come out but the food was awesome. The chicken meals were cooked well, in particular the wings and the dark meat meals. Overall a pretty good experience.

Chicken lovers rejoice! Beer and wine lovers, there is room for you too! Quick easy and most important delicious tasty chicken is available to order at the bar. Will have to come back and try some more .

This place is unbelievable!!! I wish there was one in Melbourne. I had their chicken pieces with chips. The chicken was juicy and crisp and their chips were Devine. Will definitely be back next time I'm in Geelong.

Stopped in for tea, staff friendly and helpful, ordered the tenders with coleslaw and my son had chicken wings and fries.<br/>Meal was just ok, chicken needed some flavor as I didn't order it spicy, usual deep fried food. <br/>Coleslaw was terrible, onion dominated the taste and hardly any mayonnaise, it didn't look fresh.

Come in today (Sunday) not feeling the best after having a slightly larger night then expected, but asked the chef there what he recommends for a hang over, boy did fix that! I think he somehow managed to find tastebuds I never knew existed best chicken burger I've ever had!!

After recently moving from Melbourne, this has become one of my staples. The chicken can be as spicy as you want it, with a good selection of sides. They also have some really delicious one off wines, that can sound like strange variety mixes, but taste so good. Haven't had a bad meal yet!

The premise is the same - chicken in a tray with a side. There are a few little differences such as the fries are not Old Bay (ie. there is no spice mix) and some of the cuts and specials are different too. Maybe it's catered toward a Geelong taste that I'm not familiar with. A special entree of chicken skins was essentially crisp flattened battered skin with a sweet sauce on top. It was ok but nothing special, and after one skin it was probably enough.

A Geelong take on American hot chicken type of food. It was actually much better than I thought. Nice chicken that was crispy. Lots of fries on the side. The table set up is a bit strange as they're really close to each other.

The chicken glistened in the signature Nashville golden-red and was super crunchy, tender, juicy and flavourful. I just wanted to keep eating more. Highly recommended!

The Hot Chicken Project Geelong offers up Nashville style fried chicken, and will be instantly familiar to anyone who has visited Melbourne’s Belle's Hot Chicken. This isn’t surprising as one the owners of The Hot Chicken Project is chef Aaron Turner, who helped set up Belle’s Hot Chicken.

Great idea, I just think that the tables on the side are really too small, almost like they're trying to cram in too many people. A bigger choice of beers would be better, too. Their wine selection is extensive but I'm not sure it goes too well with greasy, fried chicken. Decent food but probably will try something else next time I'm in the area.

Ahh wanted to love this cool place as it was amazing inside and staff were really lovely hence the 2 points - but asides from being Insta worthy pics the food was terrible :( <br/><br/>My chicken had pink spots and bruises all over it. Really strange, rubbery and has now put me off chicken all together. Pics attached. When the highlight is the pickles on the plate it said it all. Partner literally eats whatever is in front of him and he had the same sick feeling about it. Looks great in photos, chips were good but damn that chicken was EEK!!!! :(

Came here on a quiet Sunday with some girlfriends. There was no sign, to tell us that we were at the right place. Luckily, we have seen some photos online and as such, could safely assume we were at the correct spot. <br/><br/>First impression, this restaurant is not baby friendly. It was high bar stools all around. Thus making it difficult for new mothers. Also, the seats weren't very comfortable, so it's the kind of place you'd eat and leave quickly, just cos your ass hurts too much. Either that, or the heat of the chilli is too much for you and you need the nearest loo.<br/><br/>Service was friendly and nice. The menu was simple and straight to the point. After all, why would you need more options, if fried chicken is the star ? <br/><br/>The bread was there to soak up the oil and grease from the chicken. We had the so damn hot, dark meat selection with a side of fries, coleslaw and a sauce. <br/><br/>Our tongues were tingling and yearning for water after the first piece of chicken. But it was a good kind of tingling. The bordering on sadistic type, whereby your tongue is burning but yet, you'd want to just keep freaking going.<br/><br/>Because the damn chicken is that awesome. The pickle provided some sort of relief, but ultimately, it was a mind game to finish this dish. And I loved every moment of it.

If you're looking for an authentic American buffalo wing experience this is as close as you'll get.<br/>With the ability to tailor the temperature to your taste, the food always hits the spot. Simplicity done at its finest.<br/>My favourite eating spot in Geelong<br/>Try the Tenders (medium heat) with seasoned fries and blue cheese sauce!

Good chicken, nice wine list and friendly staff. The food is nothing unique or different, but tasty all the same. Value seems about right for a central spot in Geelong these days.

This place absolutely pumping not sure why pretty much fried chicken with booze<br/><br/>We ordered the fried tenderloins came out quick they weren't tenderloins just slithers of chook breast very rubbery and chewy <br/><br/>The chicken and fries were well over salted which made the meal unenjoyable <br/><br/>2 glasses of house wine were very average <br/><br/>

Chilled out spot! Has good RnB music playing. They serve good chicken wings, full of flavour. You can get it spicy as much as you want.. With a side dish to cut the richness, could be shoe string fries, coleslaw or a potato salad. Good to go out with a bunch of people, have a bite and a few beers.. Staff is very friendly!<br/><br/>I tried the Chicken Royale burger with hot sauce! Oh my gosh! It was so good. Enjoyed the spice.

Hot fried chicken and delicious sides. Keep it simple, do it well and the people will come. This addition to Geelong is fabulous with great service and super tasty chicken.

I love this place! The staff are always warm, welcoming and helpful. The burger is my favourite - absolutely delicious. Highly recommend this place for a couple or small group!

What a great little find! This is a cool new place that have some delicious chicken meals, they have an amazing wine list and some fantastic beers! The decor is awesome and they have a cool copper bench top! Love this place, definitely going to be a must see on the Geelong checklist.

Brilliant food was fantastic service was great wines were spot on can't wait to get back here hopefully will be able to get a seat as its getting quite busy

Overpriced and the worst customer service I have expierenced in a long time. I you actually want a good night out without steer clear of this place. Meals are small and they over charge

I'm going to have to find excuses to visit Geelong more often. Fast, friendly service, delicious potato salad, coleslaw and fries...and the chook....the chook is crazy good! Crunchy deep fried goodness and juicy succulent centre.

A few weeks ago I spent a weekend in Torquay with a good friend who wanted to show me some of Geelong’s upcoming ‘foodie’ scene. She kept raving about this new chicken place called ‘The Hot Chicken Project’ so we headed there for lunch to see what all the fuss is about.

With one of the regions best waiters running front of house and one of the countries best up and coming chefs in the kitchen, this is bound to be a recipe for success! Yes the venue is small, so don't attempt going as a large group. The wine is all natural, so it's different. The service is great, the quality of chicken is amazing!

It's kinda like cocaine but inside my mouth......... Evil chicken was top notch, service was great. Mouth will be burning for an hour. Top job lads, well done

Chicken was tasty, I didn't think the 'Evil Chicken' was all that evil, but it was nice. Manageable for anyone who likes a bit of spice. Staff were very friendly and the atmosphere was good, although as a larger group there wasn't anywhere to really sit and chat without getting in the way of everyone. My only other criticism is that I thought the meals were a little over priced for what they were. It's just fried chicken after all.

Exactly what you would expect. Lots of deep fried chicken. It's pretty good. Some more unusual wines available by the glass and bottle.<br/>They were also playing David Bowie the night we were in. Points for that.