A halal Nashville hot chicken chain is staking its claim in Alexandria, with signage already up at Cameron Square promising spice levels that top out at something called “burrrrn, baby, burn.” Crimson Coward lists its newest Virginia outpost as coming soon at 5557 Cardinal Place, but the company has not announced when the doors will actually open.
The company's own website confirms the Alexandria plans are real, declaring on its location page that it is “bringing its Nashville hot chicken to Alexandria, VA!” according to Crimson Coward. The same page simply reads “Coming Soon!” without offering a firm launch date, and as The Zebra reports, storefront window graphics at the location had earlier advertised a summer opening that came and went. The Alexandria shop will sit at Cameron Square alongside Tropical Smoothie Café, F45 Fitness and Metropolitan Nail Bar, per the same Zebra report.
No Word Yet on Hours, Prices or Menu
Crimson Coward has not listed Alexandria-specific operating hours, prices or a final opening menu, according to the Zebra account of the company's own disclosures. What is known comes from the chain's broader lineup and other locations already serving customers around Northern Virginia and beyond.
The chain is built around what it calls “signature heat levels” paired with “freshly prepared halal chicken,” the company's locations page states. Crimson Coward offers five spice tiers in total — country, mild, medium, hot, and the aptly named “burrrrn, baby, burn” — with country sitting at no heat at all for those who'd rather skip the fire altogether. The Alexandria-area Zebra report also notes that the chain cooks its meals to order rather than relying on pre-made batches.
What's On the Menu Elsewhere
At its existing locations, Crimson Coward's lineup includes the Crimson, a boneless chicken breast sandwich dressed with Crimson sauce, slaw and pickles on a brioche bun — a dish also described by Annandale Today at the chain's Annandale debut. Other menu staples include the Home Style sandwich, built on toasted bread with melted American cheese, and the Garlic Twister, which wraps chicken with pickles and garlic sauce in a pressed, grilled tortilla. There's also Joey Eat Fries, loaded with boneless chicken breast, Crimson sauce, slaw, pickles and cheese, and a Chicken & Waffles plate pairing two tenders with a fresh waffle and maple syrup. Sides round things out with mac and cheese, fried pickles, potato salad, slaw and Crimson fries.
Annandale Today's coverage of that location described the same heat-level system that spans from no spice at all up through the chain's hottest offering, and noted the menu's broader focus on spicy tenders, sandwiches and loaded fries — a description echoed by The Burn in its coverage of the chain's Leesburg opening, where the new shop landed directly across East Market Street from the similarly spice-focused Hangry Joe's.
A Los Angeles Native's Nashville Obsession
Crimson Coward was founded by Ali Hijazi, a Los Angeles native who traveled to Tennessee to study Nashville hot chicken firsthand, according to the Zebra account of the founder's background. The company's Woodbridge location page credits that research trip with shaping the concept, noting that meeting Nashville chefs and visiting hot chicken joints there was inspiring to the brand's development.
Exactly when the company got its start depends on which source you check. The Burn has described Crimson Coward as a California-based chain that started in 2018, while the company's own site states it opened in the spring of 2019. Either way, the brand has expanded well beyond its West Coast roots, with Crimson Coward's locations page listing restaurants in Annandale, Fredericksburg, Leesburg, National Harbor and Woodbridge, among others.
Northern Virginia's Hot Chicken Footprint Keeps Growing
The first Crimson Coward in the region opened in Woodbridge in early 2023, The Burn reported, and the chain has kept pushing into Northern Virginia since, with Annandale, Springfield and National Harbor locations in the works according to earlier Burn coverage. That same 2024 Burn report pointed to a planned National Harbor address at 150 National Plaza, though the company's current locations page instead lists the National Harbor shop at 140 National Plaza — a discrepancy that remains unresolved between the two sources.
Estimates of the chain's overall size also vary. The Burn has pegged Crimson Coward at roughly 20 locations nationwide, including a handful in Northern Virginia, while Annandale Today reported 12 locations across six states with four more on the way, including Springfield and National Harbor. The Burn has additionally reported that the company intends to have 25 stores open in Virginia by 2027. Elsewhere in the region, Northern Virginia Magazine recently highlighted a Crystal City hot chicken and smashburger spot at 2333 S. Eads St. in Arlington as part of a wave of new restaurant openings, underscoring just how crowded the area's hot chicken scene has become.
For now, Alexandria diners curious about the Cameron Square newcomer will have to wait for an official word on timing. The Zebra's report, authored by Mary Wadland — the publication's publisher and editor-in-chief, who has been part of Alexandria's media community since 1987 and founded The Zebra Press in 2010 — noted that neither an opening date nor hours had surfaced as of its reporting.
