![]() And they have the capital to stay in business while simultaneously selling entrees for less than $25 and paying their employees good wages. Many of these newer chains actually offer some pretty good food. Ippudo, another New York import, will open one of these days, and I’d be willing to bet that all of the restaurants that open in Acheson Commons will be of a similar form. We’ve now got a Tender Greens and a Sweetgreen and a Blue Bottle to compete with Starbucks, Peet’s and 85 Degrees. Downtown Berkeley is on the cusp of a dining boom, but much of it is being driven by chains. But I’d so much have rather seen a locally-owned business move in, whether it served KFC or not. I’m guessing Bonchon will be very popular with the student population. (Oh, and calorie counts for each dish.)Ģ050 Berkeley Way (at Shattuck), Berkeley The main thing Bonchon brings to the table is the financial backing of a giant food company. ![]() We’ll get more KFC, but it likely won’t be better or different than what we already have, in abundance. It looks much like a louder, less weird Oriental BBQ Chicken Town or a millennial-focused version of Bowl’d. In other words, Bonchon doesn’t offer a particularly unique menu. Or, you know, you can also order french fries and onion rings. Those wanting a more substantial meal can choose from several familiar Korean entrees like bibimbap, japchae and bulgogi with rice. Other drinking-friendly Korean and pan-Asian dishes like takoyaki, kimchi pancakes, potstickers and soy-garlic calamari, round out the appetizer offerings. The Berkeley location will, like its other restaurants, have a menu based around fried wings, drumsticks and boneless “strips,” tossed in either soy-garlic or spicy sauce. The company’s website says it is planning to open 49 additional restaurants, across several countries, in the near future. There are 212 Bonchon locations worldwide, 52 of them in the United States, and three in the Bay Area. It’s a great drinking snack, and when done well hits just about every greasy, indulgent food craving I have. It’s probably my favorite way to eat fried poultry when I’m outside of the South. I love ultra crispy, sweet and sticky KFC as the next person. This is all to say that maybe, just maybe, we don’t need a New York City-based Korean fried chicken chain.īut we’re getting one anyway - Bonchon is headed to the long-vacant storefront at 2050 Berkeley Way.ĭon’t get me wrong. Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant Belly will put Korean fried chicken on a rice bowl and in a tortilla. The newly-opened new-American pub Seawolf has a KFC sandwich on its eclectic menu. ![]() Wingman, a new KFC-focused restaurant from (again) the Bowl’d folks, will be opening soon on College Avenue. Besides the abundance of offerings up and down Telegraph Avenue - if you like KFC, do yourself a favor and spend more time in this neighborhood - one can find versions of the dish in neighborhoods as far apart as Rockridge ( The Golden Squirrel, which also makes KFC buffalo wings) and deep West Oakland ( FuseBox, which serves my favorite fancy-ish version). Venture to Oakland and, of course, options expand. ![]()
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