Midtown Lunch

Now that the newish Koreatown location of Bon Chon has had a couple months to settle in, it’s time to really give them the once over. The opening was much more low-key than Kyochon’s, there haven’t been any lines out the door or anything, which is a good sign. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some long waits and service confusion. See what we’ve found after the jump.

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The opening of the new Koreatown Bon Chon has been much more subdued than when neighboring Kyochon opened the door on its spaceship themed chicken shack. While the lines haven’t been particularly long, the wait is still classic Bon Chon. The new, faster frying process owner Simon Lee told us about last week doesn’t seem to have been implemented yet. As of 1:30pm, customers were being told that any order would take at least 20 minutes. My small, mixed order took half an hour to show up.

Also note that the entree options, which include tonkatsu and bulgogi tacos(!) are not available yet, but hopefully will be in the next day or two. With less than a week under their belt, clearly, this is all still a work in progress, so have patience and, if you’ve got the time, enjoy the leisurely pace by watching the Yankees game playing on one of the projectors.

Related:
Let the Fried Chicken Wars Begin: New Bon Chon Opens Today

Today’s the big day – the ‘new concept’ Bon Chon Chicken is opening on 5th btw. 32+33rd Street and we’ve got a few more details on exactly how different it’s all going to be. According to Simon Lee, the owner and manager of the new location (as well as an employee of Bon Chon the corporation), the idea was to move beyond the fast food model that most of the Korean fried chicken shops have followed. Instead, it’s going to juggle fast food and bar duties in a way that might lead to a few tipsy lunches.

Details on the new Bon Chon and photos of the space after the jump.

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The long awaited Korean Fried Chicken War of 5th Ave. is about to commence. We’ve gotten word that the  Koreatown branch of Bon Chon Chicken (on 5th Ave bet. 32nd & 33rd St.), just a few doors down from Kyochon’s US flagship location, is set to open some time next week and it’s not just another Kfc joint. According to the owner and manager Simon Lee, the new Bon Chon will be a completely different concept from the other more fast-foodish locations of the chain. “The classic east meets west. American sports bar meets classic Bon Chon.”  That could be interesting.

More details (plus my plywood peek from a couple weeks ago) after the jump.

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The problem with Korean Fried Chicken is that it’s actually so good that you’re willing to go through a lot to get it. I discovered this a couple years ago at Mad For Chicken (a branch of Bon Chon Chicken at the time.) Both patience and the lunch hour were tested as 10, then 20, then 30 minutes went by with neither food served nor drinks refilled. But a year ago, when Zach first posted about the place, it was our only lunchtime option. It cost more than you wanted to spend and often took a lot longer than you really had time for… but oh, that chicken! Crisp, sweet and sticky, it made all the worries of time and work melt away.

That’s why when Kyochon’s ‘coming soon’ sign went up last February, I rejoiced. Korean Fried Chicken without the interminable wait? Yes, please! Or so I thought. If the year-long delay didn’t set me straight, the lines out the door after it opened certainly did. Clearly, waiting for Korean Fried Chicken is just a requirement. It’s the way it is. So, the question becomes, with Kyochon finally here, Mad For Chicken across the street and a Bon Chon a few blocks away (and another opening up on the same block as Kyochon), how do they stack up?

With the alternating hype and dog-piling on Kyochon, a clear, unbiased fried chicken smackdown was in order. I gladly stepped up (arteries be damned.)

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So Kyochon finally opened their doors for dinner last night, and they will be open again tonight… but they still aren’t open for lunch and don’t expect to be until Friday (their supposedly official “Grand Opening Day”.)  Of course the way things have been going this week, they could surprise everybody by opening tomorrow for lunch or it might be 3 weeks from now!  Either way, they said you might want to call first on Friday just to be safe.  But the fact that they’re open for dinner is a good sign.  In related news, Eater just reported that Bon Chon will be opening another Midtown location on the very same block, in the old Caprese Cafe space.  (I guess they’re not content having a location just a few blocks away.) Could this get any crazier?!?

Now that the Super Bowl is out of the way, you’re probably sick and tired of fried chicken wings. Here at Midtown Lunch, we never get tired of fried chicken, especially when it’s covered in a sweet and spicy sauce. Many of you probably had traditional buffalo wings for the big game, but Korean fried chicken is not like Southern fried chicken or buffalo wings. The texture contrast and sauces make Korean fried chicken a different beast. A beast that I like eating. When I heard about Bon Chon opening up on 38th, I was really ecstatic until I heard about the 2 hour wait… After waiting for the dust to settle and giving Bon Chon time to figure out a better system, I decided to go check out their famous Korean fried chicken.

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The new Midtown location of Bon Chon chicken opened on Thursday after lunch, and all Friday reports made it sound like a complete shitshow. There were a number of lunchers twittering from the scene and Lunch’er Rebecca posted this in the comments: “The wait for food at Bon Chon has been an hour and a half since 1pm. Waited 2 hours for my food. They had many refunds today.” Maybe ordering an hour in advance is the way to go?  Not so fast says Lunch’er “beribboned”.

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