Bonchon

Best fried chicken I’ve had yet. My friends and I ordered the half and half. The soy garlic was really good. The spicy was good as well, but I couldn’t handle it lol Next time I’ll try one of the dishes. Wait is a tad bit long, but the food is worth it. Great service too.

Love their chicken. Not their prices, but nice occasional treat. PF Chang comparable prices and taste.

In the immortal words of Leeloo (Fifth Element), «Chicken Good»! Sorry for the obscure reference but if the supermodel space boot fits you have to wear it! Now I love me some Korean chicken, double fried and sauced with something salty, sweet, spicy and sticky! This stuff hits all four with some umami thrown in for good measure. We ordered 6 drums and some takoyaki (octopus balls) and waited. The food took the appropriate time to come out and all items were freshly made. We got the soy/​garlic sauce because my daughter doesn’t like things to hot but I am definitely getting the half and half next time. Chicken was juicy and hot with the batter crunchy and light under the delicious soy/​garlic sauce balanced by a pile of pickled radish cubes. Takoyaki were fresh from the fryer with the bonito flakes curling from the heat. Not quite like a Tokyo street but pretty close. Service was friendly and the joint was pretty clean though floors were a little slippery. Overall we had a great meal and will return.

Thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Bonchon. I came here on a Saturday with some friends and mixed expectations. I’ve never had Korean style fried chicken before and in general Korean food isn’t my favorite compared to other Asian cuisines, but Bonchon delivered.
We started with a few appetizers for the table, including the glass noodles which I would definitely recommend, and also the bibimbap (usually an entrée) which was essentially a rice dish with vegetables and a near raw egg in the middle — also very good.
The party I was with ordered a large amount of fried chicken «strips», which are tasty and convenient since they can easily be consumed with a knife and fork. I was in the mood to get my hands dirty, so I ordered the 8 piece combo (4 wings, 4 drums) with half being sweet and the others spicy. When the chicken came I must say it was quite a pleasant surprise. The chicken was immensely crispy, even after having a light coating of the sweet or spicy sauces. I also appreciated the minimal amount of sauce of the chicken. The spicy chicken pieces were also a pleasant surprise heat wise, in fact maybe even a bit spicier than I was anticipating — but quite delicious though. The pickled radish that accompanies the chicken is also a nice touch and contrasting flavor to the meaty chicken.
Service was very good throughout the evening, including when certain items we ordered came late and they were comped. I’ll be back, this meal was not only delicious, but also fun and very affordable.

The wings are really good. The one thing I’ll warn everyone is that «cooked to order» means a long wait. The place was less than a third full when i ordered my wings. They came out 30 minutes later. 10 minutes after ordering my wings, I ordered a to go noodle dish. That took 45 minutes to come out. So come and enjoy your food, but bring A LOT of patience with you.

The pricy wings are good but the ones in Virginia are better. The quality just not on par with the other locations. Still a good place to go if you are nearby.

Imagine the joy that a deprived college student with zero cooking skills, who has been surviving off of dried lettuce and ramen for the past few weeks’ joy at seeing this place. The glazed, shining chicken wings always make me wanna exclaim, «homies, we are not in the dining hall anymore!» On a more serious note, Bonchon is life. Their chicken wings are sometimes salty, but always tasty. Whenever I go, I try to gather a big group of people so we can order the extra large half and half (soy garlic & spicy). There’s something so satisfying about seeing the chicken come out in a small mound and washing down the fried deliciousness with cold beer. Another staple at Bonchon is the salmon avocado ball. It tastes like sushi and avocados drizzled with spicy mayo, but without the unnecessary carbohydrates (aka rice). I’ve also tried their japchae stir fried with minced beef (amazing), dolsot bibimbap (pretty darn good) and fried calamari (ehh I would avoid). Overall, this is a chill place to hang out with friends and get your hands dirty together. Worth every calorie.

For wings and drums this place is my favorite! The other dishes were not so great. If you are expecting Korean cuisine — this isn’t the place to go. It is a bit pricey but worth the money — especially for their jumbo drumsticks (both flavored were great)! There is limited seating so depending on when you get there — it may be a bit of a wait for a table.

I love Bonchon wings. I love the fact I get pickled radish with each dish, and their salmon ball is da bomb. The place has a young waitstaff, but they are friendly, fast, efficient, and willing to go the extra mile. The first time I went, I had ordered to go, but then we all met at their bar, had a drink, and decided to eat it there, and they obliged us without problems. The chicken wings are SO GOOD — big, crispy, and the garlic/​soy is tasty. The wings are so good, have not ventured out yet to try their other main dishes on the menu.
The restaurant décor is casual, with tables and a few booths with wooden seats. A few large screen TVs have sports on. The bar is L-​shaped, drinks are good, beer selection is average.
Prices are reasonable, adequate parking, and a friendly staff await you. Go for the wings!

Arundel Donut owner told me this is the «Best» place to buy chicken for my wife ! They don’t offer Pellegrino water (bbbbbummeeeerrrr) only coke cola products, sticky floor (glad we’re not eating off it — lolol, just playing)! So far, interesting tastes and flavors, not to sweet nor salty ! Staff is easy to work with and understood my need for utensils !!! I had to package meals I didn’t eat to go ! Octopus is chewy (is it suppose to be, I haven’t had it in years) but I would come back !

Bonchon is my all time favorite chain restaurant. I come here often, but after multiple issues I need to update my review. They have run out of drum sticks on three occasions that I have gone. Today our bill was $ 100. We gave our waitress $ 50 in cash and asked her to split the rest between two cards. We were charged $ 34 each, and since we were talking, didn’t notice the mistake. It just clicked as I got home that all of our individual payments came to about $ 120 so we were overcharged by $ 20. The food is good, but just watch to make sure you aren’t overcharged. It is pretty annoying since I left a very generous tip. That’s the last time I do that.
Update: John Kim the business owner reached out to me shortly after this and offered to resolve the issue. Super nice guy, and was quick to fix things!

One of the top restaurants to get some great wings! Came here for lunch on a Saturday with a party of 5. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a table, which was fine. We ordered an extra large combo of soy garlic & hot sauce chicken wings, japchae (glass noodles), bibimpop, and fries. The food was great, especially the wings. I thought they were going to be small pieces but they were actually pretty decent size, especially the drum sticks. I was super satisfied by the end of the meal. I wouldn’t say the best wings I have ever eaten but it’s up there for sure. The only downside of the visit was the extra long wait for our food. We waited over an hour for our food, which I thought was a little too long of a wait. The place is like a sports bar setting, very chill atmosphere.

This was my first time eating at the Ellicott City Bonchon. I tried here a few months ago on a Friday or Saturday evening but the wait was supposed to be half an hour and I was too hungry that night, so I just decided to come back another time. We tried again this last weekend on Sunday night. It was packed again, and we were told the wait would be 15 – 20 minutes, but we were actually seated within 5, which was a nice surprise. It’s a sports bar type setting, with close table seating that is slightly cramped. It’s not dim, which is good, and there are always basketball games being broadcast with a projector and a few other TVs around the restaurant. I will say that it’s pretty loud, so there’s not too much potential for a lot of conversation without raising your voice.
We asked for an order of fries and shumai first, and we were asked if we wanted them brought out before the entrees (we said yes). However, they forgot about the fries, and they weren’t brought out until a waiter asked about them halfway through our meal. It would have been somewhat of a problem, but they made up for it by bringing us an extra order free of charge. As my friend said, it was very professional that «they made up for their incompetence». I tried a piece of the fried shumai, and it was good. I wasn’t too blown away, but it was just an appetizer.
I’ve been to other Bonchon locations before, so I was familiar with the menu and I knew what I wanted to order. I’m a huge fan of their bibimbap, and I ordered it again this time. It’s served in an earthenware pot, and it’s usually still sizzling when it arrives at the table, which I absolutely love. The sauce gives a great kick in my opinion, but my friend wasn’t as impressed. Maybe it’s just an acquired taste. There was enough that I was able to box up about half of it and save the leftovers for dinner another night.
The chicken wings here are amazing: crispy and flavorful, and they never disappoint. I love their soy garlic sauce, but I also love spicy food, so our table of three ordered 20 wings of half and half. I love that they give daikon as a side dish to help with the spiciness. They put a bucket on the table for us to put the chicken bones in, and I didn’t know what it was for until this time, which is slightly embarrassing, because it means that previously I’ve just been leaving my chicken bones on the plate. Overall, a great place for food!

The food is very good. But this review takes the entire experience into consideration.
For a Sunday early evening dinner (I got 2 kids under 5), the place wasn’t too packed at 5 pm. But the crowds started rolling in quick around 6. This is around the time the food service started to tank, but I’ll get to that. The tables could have used an additional wipe down and the floor left a little to be desired.
The wait staff is nice enough. Not a super friendly bunch, which is ok, but also not an aggressive group trying to move people along either. Our empty water/​tea glasses went unnoticed for longer than I would like to admit. And our food came out in a really strange order.
We ordered the salmon avocado ball for an app. It never made its way to the table during service. Apparently the cooks thought it was a to-​go order, so it just sat there waiting for someone to rescue it (this didn’t happen until after the meal was over). The bulging sliders were pretty darn tasty. The sauce on that beef was lip-​smacking. I could have done without the cheese. Same for the «Bull Dak», their spicy chicken dish. I asked for no cheese which I guess doesn’t happen often since they had to re-​fire it to skip the cheese the second time. It was very spicy and very flavorful! The spicy chicken bibimbap was delightful too.
We plan to make a return trip to try a couple more items on the menu. Hopefully that will bump them up to a 4.

Hands down, this is the best fried chicken I can ever remember…
Korean fried chicken is the way to go! So crispy, juicy and the sauces are great! Soy garlic sauce if you like it tangy and not spicy. Spicy sauce if… well, you get it. I always get the half & half… the best of both worlds! I also like the Potstickers (half & half, of course!). They are always served hot and crispy.
I really like that Bonchon chicken is made fresh to order. You know it hasn’t been sitting like at some other fried chicken joints. The only downside to this is the wait… sometimes it can be a 30+ minute wait. Also, Bonchon chicken does not taste good after it sits awhile… no leftovers for you!

A young, hip-​hop vibe with large drawings of various well-​known rappers. There’s also a huge projection screen that plays music videos, shows, etc. This place can get packed, but we’ve never waited terribly long.
Sometimes service is hit or miss. We’ve had good service and poor service where we’ve basically had to get up and get our own straws, utensils, and napkins.
The must-​order item is the salmon-​avocado ball. It’s a great appetizer to share. It’s so delicious! Last time we were a bit sad because it was served at room-​temp instead of warm/​hot.
Now the main dish… the chicken! We always do the combo of wings and drumsticks. It also seems that the «hot sauce» option has gotten especially more hot than it used to be. We like spicy food, but this sauce makes your nose run and you’re practically in pain from the heat. That is a bit much. From now on, we will stick to the «soy garlic» sauce, which is delicious.
And just so you know, with your chicken comes a side dish of diced korean radish. I love korean radish. And you can ask for «refills» just like you do at korean restaurants when you run out of the bon chon.

I think I prefer the Rockville location (been to each 3+ times), though the chicken is pretty consistent at either place it seems like the other offerings like the Bulgogi are tastier in Montgomery County. Maybe it’s my imagination. What I will say is that the Rockville location, in the Town Center, is generally a more attractive location than this tucked away strip mall.
The fries have a good consistency, but they tend to be bland.
Best to go with the soy flavor rather than the spicy wings, which are very spicy indeed — and I’m generally a fan of heat.
Non-​chicken dishes haven’t impressed me. After getting over the crispiness of the chicken, it stopped really impressing me. The ginger ale is good, but the service is sometimes iffy in terms of refills.
The Ellicott City location tends to have sports on all the time; I like sports but it’s not a net positive for the atmosphere. In comparison, the Rockville location tends to play a lot of Korean Pop music videos, which are fun and weird.
The lunch special is a good value if you can make it here during the middle of a weekday.

This place always hits the spot. Good sized portion of korean style double battered wings, great beer-​battered fries, cooling/​refreshing radish pieces to munch on between and cold beer. It’s just a matter of roulette if you will get seated as the place is constantly busy… and also what is UP with the floor being constantly greased or slick, I swear I almost busted my a** many a time walking either to get utensils or use the restroom!
Stick to the wings and fries and beer. The entrée portion of bulldak took forever to come out even when the waiter guraranteed it would arrive first. 10minutes past, 20minutes past, our wings ¾th done, and finally the bullduk came. That period of waiting for a simple staple Korean spicy dish is unacceptable. But the waiter took it upon himself to rectify the situation and gave me free beers on tap to compensate for the egregious error so I cannot complain too much.
Bears. Beets… nonono wait… Wings. Beer. Bonchon Galatica.

Yum.
Kinda expensive BUT this place came highly recommended by a friend of mine.
The salmon salad was REALLY great. I didn’t think it was going to be as tasty as it was. Def must try that.
The wings were good. Were they the best wings I’ve had… no but they were yummy. I’d go back if I were in the area.

The food was great.
We ordered the bonchon wings and drums ½ hot and ½ with the ginger soy sauce. The hot was super spicy but if you like heat, you’ll love it. I prefer the ginger soy. Nice and sweet tasting.
We also got the bulgogi burrito which was good and omg filling. They give you 2 burritos which my fiancé and I both tried one and only ate half, so we could eat the wings too. We sat at the bar bc it can get pretty busy in there but it was awesome. The bartender was great and so friendly.
We liked the food, staff was friendly and you’re in ellicott city. What more could you ask for? Definitely try it out of you like chicken wings. The strips are also good, I actually prefer the chicken strips. It’s a lot of food.