What Are the Heat Levels at Hattie B’s?

February 19, 2026

Hattie B’s runs six spice levels plus one non-spicy flavor option, covering more gradations than most Nashville hot chicken restaurants. This range is one of the reasons Hattie B’s became popular with first-timers. The difference between adjacent levels is meaningful and the descriptions are reasonably accurate.

Southern is zero heat. This is Hattie B’s label for plain southern fried chicken with no spice application. It is excellent fried chicken. It is not hot chicken. You are paying for the experience of eating at Hattie B’s and getting a very good piece of fried chicken. Worth ordering for someone in your group who cannot handle heat.

Mild is the entry point for actual heat. A gentle cayenne presence that most people who eat any spicy food at all will find manageable. If you are seriously sensitive to heat, Mild will be enough. If you eat moderately spicy food without difficulty, Mild will feel like an introduction.

Medium is where you start to perspire. The heat is present and sustained rather than background. Your lips will know you ate something. Most people visiting Nashville who want to say they had hot chicken without committing to a genuine challenge should order Medium. It is the level Hattie B’s says represents their “everyday” heat for regular customers.

Hot is what Hattie B’s calls the true Nashville Hot level. This is where the traditional experience begins. Your face will respond. Your mouth will burn. You will reach for the bread and the pickles instinctively. People who eat real spicy food regularly, such as Thai or Sichuan food with actual heat, will find this manageable but present. People who think they eat spicy food but mostly eat “spicy” fast food should stay at Medium.

Damn Hot is the first jump into enthusiast territory. Hattie B’s uses habanero as the primary driver at this level, and the heat is noticeably, qualitatively different from Hot. It builds faster, lasts longer, and sits in your throat. Ordering Damn Hot means committing to a meal where your attention is divided between the chicken and what the chicken is doing to you.

Shut the Cluck Up is ghost pepper based and registers over one million Scoville units, which Hattie B’s says is four times hotter than a habanero. They recommend having a glass of milk or a cup of ice cream ready before you start. The name is accurate. Most people who order it on a dare do not finish the plate. The people who do are either experienced heat-seekers who know what they are doing or deeply foolish. There is limited middle ground.

Sweet and Smoky is a newer addition, a dry rub with no heat that provides a different flavor profile from Southern. It is for people who want flavor complexity without any spice.

Practical Ordering Notes

Hattie B’s recommends starting where you are comfortable, which is correct advice. The most common mistake is ordering Hot when you have no reference point for Nashville hot chicken. Hot at Hattie B’s is the entry point for what hot chicken enthusiasts consider the actual experience. It is not a mild or intermediate level by local standards.

A useful calibration: Prince’s Hot Chicken’s Mild level is roughly equivalent to Hattie B’s Hot. If you have eaten Prince’s Mild comfortably, you are ready for Hattie B’s Hot. If you have not tried traditional hot chicken before, start at Hattie B’s Medium.

The Shut the Cluck Up level is available as a dare. It is ordered, consumed with suffering, and photographed. It is not the way most regular hot chicken eaters experience the dish. Order Damn Hot if you want to understand what serious heat in hot chicken actually feels like.

Sources

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