Dame's Chicken & Waffles

Located at 301 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Downtown Greensboro, Dame’s Chicken & Waffles specializes in chicken and waffles for lunch and dinner Tuesdays through Sundays. Beer and wine are available, as is limited outdoor seating.

For many, chicken and waffles is comfort food. Here, it’s an art form. True, there are a few other offerings (shrimp and grits and salads among them), but your best bet is to go with what is on the sign. Chicken comes in cutlet, wing, and drumstick form while waffle choices include classic, sweet potato, gingerbread, blueberry, and there are plenty of shmears (flavored butters) to go with them. While you can order a la carte, the pre-made combinations present plenty of tasty options. For our first visit, my wife and I opted for the Frizzled Fowl (panko-crusted chicken cutlet, classic waffle, blueberry shmear, and plum sauce with almonds) and the Buff Brahmas (two cutlets with a whiskey cream sauce, a classic waffle, and a peach & apricot shmear).

The food was generously portioned and phenomenally tasty. Both cutlets had a thin, crispy coating and juicy, well-seasoned meat while the plate-sized waffles underneath were fluffy without being limp. The flavors also played well off of one another as the saltiness of the chicken and the plum sauce balanced the sweetness provided by shmears and syrups/drizzles. Among the sides, the mac and cheese was very cheesy and nicely laced with black pepper while the grits were creamy albeit quite thin.

The service and atmosphere here are definite plusses as well. The lunch counter and dark brown trim call to mind a classic Southern eatery. Our food arrived relatively quickly, and our server, Dianah, proved to be quite helpful. When we couldn’t decide on a side, she gave us bite-sized samples of all of them.

Of course, it would be too much to ask for all of this to be really affordable as well, and Dame’s is not. Most of the chicken and waffle combinations run in the $10-$15 range, which is not bad considering the quality and quantity (you will have leftovers) of the food, but higher than some who have had the dish (in its simpler form) elsewhere may be willing to go.

With great food and service in a comfortable environment, Dame’s is a no-brainer for anyone in the area who is at least curious to try (let alone craving) chicken and waffles. Now if only they were open for breakfast.

8.5/10