Review: Nashville Waffles from Pecan Street Brewery in Johnson City, TX

Bottom Line: The Nashville Waffles from Pecan Street Brewing offer a nice twist on hot chicken and certainly bring some heat.

About forty-five minutes north of San Antonio is a little town known as Johnson City (the birthplace of Lyndon B. Johnson), and it sits right at the start of the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail. There are a few wineries and tasting rooms in town, as well as several breweries in the area. A particular favorite of mine is Pecan Street Brewing, and I happened to be passing through recently and decided to make a stop.

I was there a while back and tried their Nashville Fire sandwich (you can read about that here), and I wanted to give it another spin because I heard they have amped up the heat. I went with a slightly different version this time, though, and ordered the Nashville Waffles from the brunch menu. That includes a fried chicken breast tossed in their Nashville Fire sauce and sandwiched between two thick Belgian waffles, with maple syrup on the side. And while that may not sound like a lot, it is certainly one hefty sandwich!

As I mentioned in my previous review, this is not your typical Nashville Hot sauce. It’s very saucy, bringing sweetness and richness, and it’s almost like an intense, spicy barbecue sauce. The piece of chicken I got was a little heavy on the crust, but that may have just been the luck of the cut, and it was still big enough that there was plenty of meat to be found. The waffles are tender and fluffy with a bit of sweetness, and they serve as a nice counter to the heat. I’m not certain the maple syrup added much, though, as I put some on the sandwich, and it stood out as its own separate flavor instead of blending with the rest. But I ended up separating a section of the waffle with syrup and ate bites of that between the chicken, which offered a good counter to the heat.

And as for that heat, this sandwich (if you want to call it that) really delivers! Overall, it comes in above Hot on my scale and is on its way to Fiery, hotter than what I remember from my last visit. That may be due to fewer ingredients to counter the heat since this only has the chicken and waffles, or maybe they’ve just kicked up their sauce. The average mortal should be wary before digging in, but those who can handle the burn will enjoy it. And this place is definitely getting added to my Spicy San Antonio List for their Nashville Fire selections.

I have no idea how many calories are in the whole dish, but it certainly does not count as light eating. I ended up taking close to half the sandwich to go, though that was partly because we filled up on the portabella fries, which make for an excellent appetizer. If you do polish off the entire sandwich, plan on some extra time on the treadmill afterwards.

And since I was at a brewery, I had to get one of their craft beers to wash the meal down. The Hoptimist 2025 (a Hazy New Zealand Pale Ale) did the job nicely, with a refreshing taste, a hint of citrus, and plenty of hops. They have several other beers to try as well, but I was continuing on a trip and didn’t want to fall asleep at the wheel!

The prices at Pecan Street are very reasonable for the quality of food you get, and you definitely won’t leave hungry. It’s a little out of the way, but you can make a day of it by visiting some of the other breweries and wineries in the area or doing some shopping in Johnson City. They also have quite a number of bed-and-breakfast spots if you want to spend the night. But if you’re in the area, you’ll definitely want to make a stop at Pecan Street for some good food and beer!

Pecan Street Brewing
Avenue, 106 E Pecan Dr
Johnson City, TX 78636

Phone: 830-868-2500
Website: pecanstreetbrewing.com

Hours:
Mon – Thu: 11 AM to 8 PM
Fri – Sun: 11 AM to 9 PM