Party Fowl introduces Nashville hot chicken to Destin

Nashville hot chicken joint Party Fowl last Friday opened its first out-of-state location. 

After eight years of serving customers in Cool Springs, Chattanooga, Donelson, Murfreesboro and Nashville — and expanding to outposts in Nashville International Airport and Nissan Stadium — Party Fowl’s full-service, full-bar concept has reached Destin, Fla., which will host its sixth restaurant location. 

“Destin has been a dream of mine for over 20 years,” Party Fowl co-owner Austin Smith said. “I almost moved there 11 years ago, but life had different plans. I met my wife and started a career as a wine/spirits distributor here in Nashville instead.

“When we decided to look outside the state lines for Party Fowl, I knew Destin was at the top of the list."

The latest Party Fowl setting, positioned inside the open-air shopping mall Destin Commons, has an indoor space of 5,000 square feet. Outdoor seating is also available with two patios that can hold a maximum of 80 diners. 

Destin’s Party Fowl menu is dedicated to offering the authentic Nashville hot chicken varieties that are available at its Tennessee spots. 

The “Nashville Hot” Half Bird, Hot Chicken Fried Chicken or Hot Chicken & Beignets can be ordered at different heat levels. The most tolerable is Southern Fried, followed by Mild, Medium, Nashville Hot then its most intense choice: “Poultrygeist."

Smith stated that new dishes have been introduced, perhaps to accommodate the average Destin dweller’s taste palate and provide variety for visitors.

“When my family and I go to Destin for a week, by the third or fourth day we are looking for something other than seafood,” said. “Also, a lot of the same folks who visit Nashville vacation in Destin. To us it was a no brainer.”

So Smith and co-owner Nick Jacobson led an effort to create an “Off the Hook” menu for the restaurant featuring fresh seafood, along with “Nashville Hot” seafood options. “Much like the rest of our menu," Smith added, “it is all fresh and completely made from scratch.”

Party Fowl’s brunch hours at the Destin restaurant are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with early bird specials 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Happy hour is 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. until closing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner options are presented daily. Party Fowl at Destin is open seven days a week — 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.