KoKo Chicken & BBQ

As we continued to search Orange County for the same “wow” Korean fried chicken experience we had at once-famous Bonchon and Kyochon locations here years ago, several newer names popped up as potential winners. A three-location mini-chain called KoKo Chicken and BBQ hit our radar for two reasons: their chicken was said to be extremely crispy, which isn’t necessarily true of other recent post-Bonchon options, and they had silkworm pupa on the menu, one of those items that lets adventurous foodies know that they’re in good company.

When we visited, however, the silkworm pupa were out of stock – strike one – and although the fried chicken was both Korean and fried, it had achieved its crispiness with extreme levels of batter: around 50% batter to 50% meat, in our experience. While that’s fine if you like that sort of breading ratio, and practically guarantees that the chicken inside will be tender by locking all of its moisture inside a wrapper of breading, it was closer to a sauced Popeye’s fried chicken than Korean fried chicken. Order it dry and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Since the menu also includes more typical pub foods, we also ordered tteokbokki rice cakes, which were fine but served floating in chili sauce, and french fries that arrived ultra crispy, likely because they were cooked with similar heat levels and oil types to the fried chicken.

We haven’t been back to KoKo: Even though we’ve remained intrigued by its promised silkworm pupa – still on the menu and apparently served as a soup, according to the latest (but very old) reviews mentioning it online – we’re not especially interested in re-experiencing the signature fried chicken. Between the nice service and reasonable pricing, we’d return if there was something new to try, or the chicken became less heavy-handed on the batter.

There are currently three KoKo locations in Orange County: Garden Grove, Buena Park, and La Palma. Each has the same menu.