Korean fried chicken.
It’s crunchy, savory, slightly sweet, and spicy all at the same time. The skin is paper thin, the fat having been mostly rendered out of it (not unlike Peking duck!). It’s almost always served with pickled radish, and most people like to enjoy it with beer or soju (Korean distilled alcoholic beverage, sort of like vodka).
Bon Chon Chicken is one of the most popular South Korean chains that serves this addictively delectable snack. Korean fried chicken differs from American fried chicken in that the skin is smooth, there is a slight glaze covering the chicken, and it’s much less greasy.
The stuff reheats amazingly well, and (of course), tastes even better straight out of the fryer.
Lucky for us Bostonians, Bon Chon Chicken finally opened up in Boston in 2009 (first inside another restaurant Privus and then on its own in 2010 when Privus closed).
I’m a bit of a latecomer on this one, but I finally had a chance to try Bon Chon Chicken more than a year after it opened. 
Of course you have to get the fried chicken – that’s what they’re known for! My friend and I got a small order of the chicken as an appetizer. You can either order the “soy garlic” (slightly sweet) or the “hot spicy” (self explanatory!) one. Although both are good, I can only take so much of the spicy one before I need to take a break! Therefore, for all practical purposes, I like the soy garlic one better. Plus, that slightly sweet glaze is irresistible!
If you’re not a fan of fried chicken, the restaurant has a lot of other standard Korean and Japanese options. On the Korean front, you can order classics such as bulgolgi, kalbi, bi bim bap, and seafood pancake. On the Japanese front, you can order a variety of sushi and sashimi as well as cooked dishes such as okonomiyaki, katsuu-don, and takoyaki (octopus balls).
Honestly, it’s an extensive menu, of which only a small portion I have tried!
Overall, we were quite happy with our food. The fried chicken, of course, is the true star. However, I thought the other dishes were quite enjoyable as well. The bi bim bap was tasty and the seafood salad was decent. In general, the prices were quite reasonable (most items were in the $10-$15 range), and the restaurant is (overall) a pretty good value for what it delivers.
Bon Chon
123 Brighton Ave
Allston, MA 02134
It’s still not too late to enter the Chinese Wok Kit Giveaway!
All Rights Reserved
Jealous that you all have a Bon Chon in your neck of the woods! Maybe someday they’ll end up in the midwest =)
Long have I been a fan of Korean food, especially their treatment of chicken dishes. I’ve even tried my hand at a few to enter into recipe contests. Having not made this style food in a while, I think I just solved my “what to have for dinner” dilemma.
Cheers!
Virginia
Bonchon you are my love and also my enemy! It’s such a guilty pleasure food, but when you realize it is TWICE FRIED my heart skips a beat (in a slightly less romantic, more health concerning way). Also to feedthebf, you can find a bootleg recipe to make it on seriouseats.com if you google serious eats korean fried chicken under the Dinner Tonight column is a better recipe. Sadly it doesn’t really replicate the spicy, not can I find a good copy of the soy garlic, but it’s still a good basic chicken recipe.
Plus, I’m glad Bonchon (nee Privus) still serves the overall menu they did before rather than just being a strictly Bonchon only joint like in NYC.
Haha… So funny to see this today. We just started eating Bon Chon a few weeks ago here in northern Virginia! We love it too.