Eugene's Hot Chicken

Good God, where do I start??

Thank you lil baby Jesus for this establishment.

Thank you lil baby Jesus for the owners who created the recipes for this establishment.

Thank you lil baby Jesus for the kitchen staff that cook this incredible, unforgettable food.

Surf and turf: 3 full wings (not wing portions) and huge catfish filet fried and seasoned to perfection. Really, nothing else is needed, simply heavenly. Their mashed potatoes and gravy are mind blowing. Their collard greens are just the best anywhere hands down.

Their chicken and waffles - juicy, crispy, amazingly seasoned, plump chicken thighs paired with perfect airy waffles and warm crack syrup. How can you not love that?

Everyone should try this fried chicken and fish heaven at least once in their lifetime.

We came here hungry after shooting at the range and Eugene's did not disappoint!
The service was quick and the food was fresh and tasty. We got the chicken tender sandwich in mild and one in medium, and one in southern, and then the traditional chicken wings in mild. All the food was delicious!
I couldn't give them 5 stars because they messed up one of our chicken tender sandwiches and gave us a grilled chicken sandwich instead. We also had to park in the nearby lot which cost $25! I also wish they had an easier way to get the napkins versus a big roll which makes it very difficult to get after you've short-sightedly decided to chow down from hunger and excitement but now need an extra napkin besides the one on your lap!
Lol. So, tip, find better parking, get your napkins ripped off the roll and ready before you start eating, and make sure they have your order correct at the register.
Overall, we would go back with the above in mind and we highly recommend!!

Looked for some hot chicken spots and this was the number one spot that came up! Here was our experience

AMBIANCE:
Parking: Street parking and plaza parking. Some are free (limited hours), some you do pay.

Seating: Inside and outside seating. Room for maybe 40 people, best for small groups.

Vibes: You're in the heart of the Alabama City Walk so the location is great if you're looking for a sense of community and culture. The spot itself is pleasant. It feels very community based with flyers supporting other local events. They're huge Crimson Tide so enjoy a great place to enjoy the game and eat. Overall good for a food adventure and a well-round experience of Alabama.

FOOD:
Chicken Wings (Lemon Pepper & Hot) (Recommend)
The presentation of the wings was excellent. Every piece of the chicken was well battered and seasoned. The lemon pepper had a subtly tart and savory flavor that was just a little salty. The hot sauce (level 3) was perfect - not too weak and not too overwhelming though you will need to hydrate every now and then.

Deviled Eggs (Recommend)
Not many hot chicken places in California offer deviled eggs so I'm glad to have this Dirty South experience. The spread was subtle and had a nice pickled/mayo flavor to it. Great to mix it with your chicken sauces!

House Lemonade (Recommend)
If you're tired of the usual sweet tea. Enjoy this kick of a mix with Lemonade, pineapple, and mixed berries!

CUSTOMER SERVICE:
We met Zebbie, the Manager and he was great! Chill person, friendly and hardworking! Those rushes came and went but the team maintained composure.

TL; DR OVERALL:
5 Stars. Great selections, good prices, and deeeeeelicious food! Being new to Alabama, this was a wonderful impression of the food scene here. I definitely will be back the next time I visit. Congrats to Zebbie and the rest of his team. #SupportBlackOwnedBusinesses

TIPS:
* Unsure, ask to mix and match chicken flavors and spices. Beware of the spice levels!
* Be sure to try their other sauces!
* https://www.al.com/life/2023/07/birminghams-best-fried-chicken-our-top-5.html

Mom and I enjoyed the Catfish sandwich combination.
The cashier was very courteous and understanding of our first visit to Eugene's Hot Chicken located in Hoover, Alabama.

Love Eugene's stupid hot chicken and that yummy piece of white bread underneath that soaks u the spices and chicken crunch. I like that their chicken is tender , perfectly spiced and not those giant, overly- sized tenders that I am suspicious of that others cook. The spicy corn if in season is very very good as is their potato salad, which will cool you down a bit if you like the stupid hot chicken like I do.
Tried the catfish and it was good too, but I am just more of a chicken girl. Need to try the pork chops which are fairly new on the menu. Eugene's always delivers!! Wish I could track the food truck!!

Crazy busy but I hot-footed it down as soon as the session was out and only had to wait a respectable amount of time. That being , you know a good place has line. After confusion with what I actually ordered and getting the jumbo wings I actually ordered I found a place to sit outside and enjoy all of it. I wished I'd actually been served hot spice level as they were also out of their comeback sauce, guess I'll have to come back!! It was comfy in or out and I did decide for outside and surprisingly, it was not that noisy out. The Jumbo Wings are definitely that! I ate one with yummy spicy collard greens and that's all I could eat! Great place to eat, I'll try to get back before the conference is over!

Constant service interruptions.

I placed an order over Uber eats but the store closed early due to inclement weather. A refund found not be issued nor could the order be cancelled.

The next day around the same time I called to make sure the people I spoke with on Thursday were there but I was out on hold for 13 mins.

So I called again as I walked back to the establishment. Spoke to a different gentleman who worked with me and made my meal fresh.

Fresh is an exaggeration they don't make oh until
You pay for it.

IM SO CLUCKY YOU ARE HERE!

Eugene's Hot Chicken has been on my list for I cannot tell you how long. Every time we are in the Uptown area of Birmingham we see the signage for it. But are always heading somewhere else.

Today started off as a lazy day. Slept in, breakfast at home, etc. But we knew we wanted to do some exploring of the down town. The original plan was to go to Lady E's Fried Chicken, but when we got there the door was locked and it was dark inside. I am not sure if they closed their doors or not, but we were disappointed. Instead of going home we decided fried chicken was still what we were craving.

The other fried chicken place we have had on our list for some time now was Eugene's so that was our go to for the afternoon. It was only a short walk from where we were.

When we got here there was a good amount of people sitting outside and a whole bunch inside too. The inside was very small, and it was very hot. The ordering process was easy. We both ordered the chicken tenders and waffles, the meal came with a drink from the soda fountain and I was so happy to see that they had Boyland sodas. It is not every day you see these sodas. They are made with real cane sugar and have some of the best flavors for soda on the market.

We sat outside the restaurant and waited what felt like 15-25 minutes to receive our food. What I had over heard the employees saying was there was a HUGE catering order on this specific day in the morning. After that went out they had to handle lunch and were a bit discombobulated.

After a long wait we were served. We actually were given someone else's meal before our chicken and waffles came out. The kitchen could not take it back so we were blessed with four meals for the price of two. I'm not complaining one bit about this, however I do feel badly for the peoples food we were given as they probably had to wait even longer amount of time.

First bite and I was in heaven. Fluffy, thick waffle with sticky, and sweet syrup along side thicc and juicy tenders. They were mild spice level, as I am a p*say when it comes to spicy foods. But these tenders were delicious.

One thing that Birmingham is not shy on having is hole in the wall, family owned fried chicken restaurants. I would like to say that Eugene's is tied with Gus' fried chicken for us. Both are superb black owned fried chicken restaurants.

Even though we were disappointed that Lady E's was closed, we still turned this into a good day. Coming to this gem was on our list and we are so happy we were finally able to try it. Delicious food, friendly staff and overall experience was top notch. Who would complain?

Good hot chicken in Birmingham. Not the best but definitely hits the spot. Get the beans

My girlfriend apologized after the first bite as she selected this restaurant to eat after a dance competition.
We were not impressed.... AT ALL. My husband and girlfriend got the catfish and I got the pork chop the sandwich (which was open faced on one slice of white bread) and we all got a couple of wings on the side. Seems the grease hadn't been changed as everything tasted as it had been cooked in the same old grease. Very heavy! Was definitely hoping for some good old fashion fried chicken and fish but that was not the case. We would not return. The customer service was good. On another note! The UFO White was a winner!