Midtown Happy Hour: Baden Baden is All About the Chicken
After mamacita’s out of bounds bender last week at Whiskey Rebel, she’s had a hard time making her way back into midtown proper, so I’m filling in with this week’s happy hour: Koreatown’s Baden Baden.
Baden Baden is one of those hidden Ktown bars that you could pass by a million times without knowing it was there. It’s the way Mad For Chicken/Mono + Mono used to be before they put up that big honking signage.
Despite the sketchy looking entrance, when you get in, the bar is warm and inviting. The mahogany bar and walls make for a comfortable watering hole that stands out from all the other clubby bars and karaoke spots up and down the strip.
The drink list is great for folks who like soju, sweet cocktails or beer that ranges from so-so (Stella) to godawful (Hite). They used to stock Sierra Nevada – it’s still on the list, mocking me – but they haven’t had it in stock in ages. Really, the drinks aren’t my thing here.
Now before you start jumping down my throat about why I’m wasting my time at a Happy Hour where booze isn’t the thing, hear me out. I’ll drink a Stella… if I know it’s going to be washing down their delicious chicken.
The real reason I keep going back is the Baden Baden chicken. It’s a rotisserie chicken, served small (half chicken, $16) or large (whole, $21), that is deep fried before serving, adding a crispness to the skin. It also comes with sides of onion rings or battered fries, both of which are well worth the damage done to your arteries. Fried garlic cloves are tossed in for good measure and are awesome smeared on the chicken.
There are other options on the menu, including saucy hot wings that can be a little soggy and various Korean options that I always swear I’m going to try, but never choose over more chicken. I regularly lament that Baden Baden isn’t open for lunch, but it’s probably for the best that I don’t have the option in the middle of the day.
Baden Baden, 28 West 32nd Street, 2nd floor
Posted by ultraclay at 2:30 pm, January 21st, 2011 under Midtown Happy Hour.
27 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
27 Comments
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Thanks Clay.
Is that really how you enter this place, because it’s sketchy as hell.
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Yep. Totally sketchy. You might walk out with a belly full of booze or short a kidney.
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Tough choice…
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thats how a lot of the good places in k-town are. 2nd floor and up.
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That’s not even half a block away—-I need to hit this up!
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Away from what? I thought you were in the 20’s.
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Why the hell is it named “Baden Baden” ?
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They really like the Rhine region in Germany? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden
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true. they wanted it to be like a German beer hall with Korean food.
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I think they were trying to make it a German beer hall theme – http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/dining/reviews/20unde.html (since there’s a town in Germany called Baden-Baden http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden-Baden)
It’s pretty common for the bars in Korea to take on locational themes. I’ve seen everything from a Country Western themed bar in Seoul to an Australian themed bar on Jeju-do.
That being said, I agree, the rotisserie chicken here is pretty good. I also like the jokbal here, but that might just be because i’ve never eaten it while sober. Hmm
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My understanding is that the chef trained in Germany (possibly at an US Military base – the old staff outfits looked like US Army uniform)
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Score. I was right.
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it would be so much cooler if they had Prussian Infantry uniforms with those spikey helmets.
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Achtung!
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Not 100% sure, I don’t think this chef training thing is true. They used to have a functioning website that explained the name. I think it’s just meant to elicit Germany as this is a “Hof,” a type of Korean beer hall with snacks, inspired by the German example. As for the “Forte” part of the name on the sign, it (no joke) comes from “Fort Lee” (where the original is).
I’ve been going here a few years, and generally like the rest of the menu. They have a pretty tasty pig foot dish, and I like their fries too. But then I think the Hite is fine.
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Are those butter pats in those little white bowls on the far left and far right of the chicken pic?
You didn’t happen to have Paula Dean along with you for this visit, did you?
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Sorry Fred. Just some pickled radish which is pretty much always served as a side with Korean.
Fred Butter Much?
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This place has the beginnings of Korean Fried Chicken, then someone else decided to add spice and double fry
to produce even yummier chicken. :)They also have a NJ location. My friends went there once and they had run out of chicken. Sad day.
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Clay – You’ve managed to make the shady entrance look really cool and attractive to hipsters. :)
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don’t you mean :(
Attn: Hipsters, the chicken is not worth going north of Houston St.
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Project Pies n Thighs and The Commodore have contained all hipsters in Brooklyn. The Motherland is safe… for now.
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@cheeeese—My office is 32nd—my apartment is 28th.
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Ahh gotcha. Thought you were even closer than that. :P
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Stella is fine.
That chicken, pickled radishes and fries – even better!! -
I love this place. But i must be the only person who think their chicken is dry (despite being flash fried thrice!)
The fries are amazing – but whats really amazing is the ojingo bokum (spicy squid) and the spicy pork with tofu – goes perfectly with blue moon.
now this a review. nice pics too.
Hite is no worse than Budweiser. The perfect accompaniment to fried treats.