New Lakewood Restaurant Pays Homage to Nashville’s Hot Chicken Prince

Update: Palmer’s Hot Chicken will open on October 19.

New restaurant openings keep rolling in, bringing some much needed hope to this food writer. The latest concept to hit Dallas: Palmer’s Hot Chicken.

The new fast-casual concept comes from Texas-native Palmer Fortune, whose recipes pay homage to Nashville hot chicken creator Thornton Prince. “I didn’t want to create my tweak of Nashville hot chicken,” Fortune says in a release. “This is actually the real deal. All the credit goes to Nashville.”

Palmer’s Hot Chicken will serve their chicken with varying heat levels, ranging from “Naked” to “Napalm,” the latter of which is likely on the level of “Shut the Cluck Up” — the spiciest level at another popular Nashville hot chicken spot, Hattie B’s. And though the menu is all Nashville, the restaurant’s beachy aesthetic pulls from Fortune’s decades spent in Georgia’s St. Simon’s Island, where he also owns the popular Porch restaurant with chef and business partner Mills Garwood.

The authentic Nashville-style restaurant will open in Lakewood’s Hillside Village later this summer. Per the release:

When asked what fueled his desire to make a return to Dallas, Fortune explains, “I had a dream last April that changed everything for me.” He recalls, “I was sitting outside having coffee with my wife. We had the normal ‘How’d you sleep?’ conversation. I told her I had a dream that I was bussing tables at a restaurant in Dallas. We spent about 30 years in Nashville before moving to Georgia and we were planning a trip to Nashville. My wife then said, ‘Well why don’t you fly to Dallas after our trip and see what that dream was all about?’

That was over a year ago and now Palmer Fortune’s dream is coming true.

Projected to open later this summer, Palmer’s Hot Chicken offers a comfortable setting with a rustic, beach-house inspired design of warm tones with reclaimed wood and exposed bricks. The interior dining room boasts seating for 100+ with booths, tables and a large full bar inside offering craft beer, their “famous” frosé and a full-bar lineup (yes, there will be cocktails).

Guests will be able to enjoy a 1,400 square-foot covered patio, with jumbo sized Jenga, Connect 4 games and more, offering a great space for kids to play while their parents catch a break. With big fans during the summer and gas heaters during the winter, the outdoor patio will be ideal year-round.

Palmer’s Hot Chicken is optimized for the restaurant industry’s new normal. They will offer curbside pick-up and delivery on most major food delivery services.