I've tried dozens of plant-based fast-food dishes. This new fried cauliflower sandwich was the best.

Nancy LunaJan 16, 2024, 08:58 IST

Insider food correspondent Nancy Luna reviews the new cauliflower sandwich at Dave's Hot Chicken.Business Insider/Dave's Hot Chicken

Dave's Hot Chicken, backed by celebrity Drake, is one of the fastest-growing chains in the US.
The chain added a fried cauliflower sandwich to its Nashville-style hot chicken menu this week.

It took Chick-fil-A four years to develop a plant-based sandwich made with deep-fried cauliflower. After a pilot test last year, the chain has yet to move on an expanded rollout.

But Dave's Hot Chicken, one of the fastest-growing fast-food chains in the US, took only a few months to go from an idea to a national launch with its cauliflower sliders and bites.

That's the difference between a scrappy brand and a juggernaut like Chick-fil-A. Dave's Hot Chicken, with 180 units in the US, can be nimble when it comes to product development.

Vegetarians and flexitarians should be grateful because this plant-based sandwich will blow them away.

Here's what you need to know.

Less than a year after Chick-fil-A tested a fried cauliflower sandwich, Dave's Hot Chicken introduced its own version this week.

Dave's Hot Chicken debuted a fried cauliflower sandwich on January 8.Nancy Luna/Business Insider

The chain is having some fun with the new item. A handful of restaurants across the US have changed their exterior marquee signs to read, "Dave's NOT Chicken."

The chain changed its marquee to "Dave's Not Chicken" at a Santa Ana, California restaurant.Nancy Luna/Business Insider

I tried the bites and three sliders with different heat levels.

I tried three fried cauliflower sliders and the fried cauliflower bites at Dave's Hot Chicken in Santa Ana, California.Nancy Luna/Business Insider

The cauliflower bites are perfect as a shared appetizer or main dish.

The cauliflower-fried bites come with pickles and a piece of white bread.Nancy Luna/Business Insider

But the pièce de résistance was the spicy cauliflower sandwich. It was the best plant-based item I've ever tried at a fast-food restaurant.

Dave's cauliflower-fried sandwich is served with slaw, Dave's dipping sauce, and crinkle-cut pickles on a potato bun.Nancy Luna/Business Insider

Dave's fried cauliflower sandwich looked like real food compared to the ultra-processed "fake" meats offered by other fast-food chains.

The fried cauliflower comes slathered in Dave's proprietary dipping sauce. The cauliflower steak is also quite large, and sticks out over the bun.Nancy Luna/Business Insider

You can make the cauliflower sandwich "vegetarian-friendly" by making this request.

Dave's Hot Chicken has fried cauliflower that can be ordered with different spice levels.Nancy Luna/Business Insider

Did Dave's culinary team try Chick-fil-A's cauliflower sandwich?

Fried cauliflower sandwiches by Chick-fil-A, right, and Dave's Hot Chicken. Which one looks tastier? Dave's Hot Chicken/Chick-fil-A

Dave's Hot Chicken has struck plant-based gold with this sandwich.

Business Insider's food and restaurants correspondent Nancy Luna calls the fried cauliflower sandwich at Dave's Hot Chicken "plant-based gold."Nancy Luna/Business Insider

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