People were laughing and drinking at the small bar settled in the corner, friends talked while collectively eating from a plate of chicken wings and hosts juggled between taking calls and seating customers. I was expecting a simple meal to end a long day, but as soon as I stepped into BonChon and out of the cold Glenview air, I was thrown into the excitement of a new atmosphere. Instead of being transported to a Korean hometown, as the name BonChon translates to, I felt like I was immersed in a new world.

Because BonChon does not take reservations, I was forced into long waits on multiple occasions: 45 minutes for a party of two and an hour to seat seven. Once settled, I had to wait another 30 minutes for the chefs to make their specialty chicken to order. Although the wait was excessive, the freshly made food was eventually worth it.

The servers were kind, well trained and did not hesitate to recommend a dish. My waiter suggested the pork bun starter, which I would have happily eaten as an entrée if the serving size was doubled. BonChon’s pork buns are topped with their coleslaw and spicy mayo which are also added to many of their other menu items, such as the chicken sliders and Korean tacos. I appreciated the lightly tart flavor of the coleslaw and the mild spice of the mayonnaise, but those repetitive toppings became boring. 

BonChon offers other traditional dishes from Asia, but the focal points of the menu are the three chicken options: wings, strips and drumsticks. Each chicken dish can be made with BonChon’s soy garlic or spicy sauce. 

While some wing-eaters may prefer to have their dipping sauces on the side, BonChon opts to douse each piece of chicken in one of their two sauces. This allows for theflavors to soak into the meat, leaving a long-lasting impression on my taste buds. I hope to see other fried chicken chains take a cue from BonChon’s techniques and start using this method in the future.  

My favorite chicken dish was the drumsticks. The customizable aspect of choosing which sauce and type of chicken to eat left me excited to return and taste a new variety. I tried both the spicy and the soy garlic sauces. Both were memorable, but I would ultimately recommend the spicy sauce. The heat was flavorful but manageable for my palate, and it made what would have otherwise been a bland piece of chicken quite appetizing. 

A large order of chicken costs $34 and is enough to feed about three hungry high schoolers. The price is more than I am usually willing to pay for a meal, despite the high quality. The majority of the starters are overpriced as well. Prices go well into the double digits, and the portions don’t justify the cost. But if you’re looking for not only a meal, but a flavorful experience as well, there should be no trouble when looking at the check. 

The wait and prices were small factors of my experiences because I know that there truly isn’t a restaurant that has the same energy and liveliness of BonChon. With a fusion of fried chicken and traditional Korean dishes, BonChon brought me out of my comfort zone and into a world that puts all dimness aside and focuses on the exciting parts of life.