BonChon Chicken

Fast service, my food was ready in 15 minutes. Crispy wings, wish there was more sauce to them and the seasoned fries were okay, won’t get them again. But the wings, definitely were tasty! 3 stars with potential to be more!

I ordered bulgogi with rice and vegetables… Rice and vegetables were good but the meat was super greasy and fatty… Small scraps of meat not worth $ 17… Really disappointed. Won’t be coming back.

Soy Garlic chicken combo is what I always order and there’s no doubt that it is really good.
Reason why I give this a 1 star is because of the long wait for orders. Just like today April 23, 2016, they opened at 11am. The cook is taking the order because the cashier and the owner are missing. I called around 11am and was told the my order is ready in 25 mins. Lo and behold, I walked in seeing the cook multi-​tasking. Ended up my order came out 45 mins after. They gave me 10% discount just because of the wait.
and I still keep coming back… call me crazy just for the soy garlic chicken LOL

My friend and I stopped by here looking for a quick meal before a show nearby. Despite my low expectations for chain restaurants, everything here was very good!
First thing to note was that i could smell the foods’ nice aroma even before entering the restaurant. Inside, everything was very clean and stylish. I don’t know how long this place has been open, but it had a newly opened feel to it.
The lady who took our order was extremely friendly and quick to help us in deciding what we should order. We went with the small Bonchon Chicken wings/​drum set with half spicy and half garlic sauce. We also ordered the bulgogi sliders.
We sat in the restaurant to eat and the lady brought the food to our table. This kind of surprised me because I thought we would have to pick up our food at the counter like how it is at most places. So the fact that she brought everything to us was nice service.
Anyways, the food was very good. The chicken had an extremely crunchy shell! As for the flavors, the garlic sauce was more to my taste, but the spicy sauce had a nice kick. The provided pickled radish was nice to have to cool down the hotness. On the other hand, the bulgogi sliders weren’t as great as the chicken. Don’t get me wrong, the sliders were still good, but i couldn’t help but think they were missing something. They consisted of a nicely toasted bun, a generous amount of bulgogi meat, cole shaw, and a little spicy sauce. Good, but just missing something…
Overall, this place was a great experience. Good food, friendly service, and a clean environment with popular music to listen to while eating. :)

I’ve gone here twice so far. First time, I had the seasoned fries which were really good. They took a while to come out though. The second time, I ordered ahead so the food was already waiting by the time we picked it up. Not too crazy about the bibimbap here, though it was pretty good. I think I’m just used to having it in a stone pot, so the rice stays super warm and has that nice crust at the bottom. The chicken was pretty good though, and I’ll definitely be coming back for the fries.
They also have coloring books and colored pencils to occupy your kids (or yourself!) while you wait for your food.

So happy Bön Chon opened up in our neck of the woods! We always call ahead and always get a call when our order is ready. Service in person or on the phone is always friendly. They give the kids crayons and coloring books as we wait for our order, which they really love!
We love the half soy garlic/​half spicy wings, seasoned fries, bulgogi wrap and kimchi slaw.

Super super addictive, but so good. I’m not a big wing fan, but these are incredible! Perfectly crisp skin, juicy meat, so good! Kimchee is an excellent addition, and even the fries are amazing. Always want to try the other dishes because they look pretty nice, BUT THE WINGS ARE TOO GOOD!

I’m happy to say that since its disastrous opening, BonChon Nutley significantly improved its service. I’ve tried it 3 times since my last review and the food has consistently been ready within 15 minutes, phone calls made all 3 times to tell me the food was ready to be picked up, and I was asked how many radish side dishes I needed. «Most Improved» Award definitely goes to BonChon here.
The only downside is that the wings are still on the smaller side, and dryer than I’m used to for Korean fried chicken. It doesn’t stop me from devouring them, though.

First time here and no complaints. I placed my order for pick up and 15 minutes later they called and told me it was ready. I got the half spicy n half sweet strips and fried shrimp shumai (dumplings). The dumplings were good but I expected them to be bigger. I would Deff try more from here soon.

I love Bonchon! I tried it for the first time just a few weeks ago and now I’m hooked. I had the ½ spicy and ½ soy garlic potstickers and they were delicious. Very crispy and not too oily. I like spicy food, and these spicy potstickers were extremely spicy. The next time I got the lunch special of soy garlic wings and fries. Very good as well. I only wish there was a way to have it a little-​med spicy, not melt your taste buds spicy. Overall, I like it alot. Everything is made to order which is a huge plus for me, but it also means it’s not going to be ready very quickly, so I recommend calling ahead of time. Also, the people are very friendly and it seems very clean.

I really wanted to like BonChon… I mean, I used to love it. The wings are delectable, but they made me feel a bit queasy. Too greasy, but good in a sinful, «this isn’t good for me,» way. I also thought that 19.95 for 20 chicken wings was WAY to expensive… I won’t be back…

The soy garlic chicken is my absolute favorite! I order a medium box of soy garlic combo, it’s good for 2. The combo means you gets wings and drumsticks. So happy to see my hometown open one up as I used to go into NYC just for their chicken. I could see the negative reviews are all related to the wait time, yes it does take time, but it’s only because they cook to order so you should expect perfectly cooked fall off the bone, crispy, flavorful chicken! You just need to call ahead of time. We called in on a Saturday night and it was ready in 30min. For me it’s worth the wait, try it!

3 stars. They had my order ready in 15 minutes!
Ordered the pot stickers and wings. Both about average but not as good as the BonChon in NYC. Was a little disappointed, on the other hand, my 7 year old nephew absolutley loved the garlic wings.

I had my first taste of Bön Chon last night and boy am I a happy camper! We phoned in our order — large combo (15 wings & 8 drums), sauce choice of half & half. We were told it would be ready in 30 minutes and just as we were pulling up, they called to let us know our order was ready. The staff was helpful and cheery, the store was well lit and very clean, and the timing was spot on. The wings were excellent and the drums were too (mmmmm — crispy skin!). I love love love the Soy Garlic. Now don’t get me wrong, the Spicy pieces were also delicious, but I was completely won over by Soy Garlic. Maybe the kinks have been worked out or maybe it was a lucky Tuesday, but we didn’t experience any of the issues mentioned by other reviewers. I’m looking forward to trying other menu items and indulging in some more Soy Garlic wings on my next visit — which needs to be very soon!!!

I’ve been a longtime fan of Bonchon so when I heard it was opening in Nutley I couldn’t believe it. This town does not exactly fit Bonchon’s demographic. However, since KFC is becoming more mainstream I suppose people will travel from afar for their wings.
Unlike others, my wait time was exactly what was told to me, 30 minutes. The wings are made to order which is why there is such a wait. This was on a Sat night at 5:45pm. I called ahead for a 10 pack of half & half wings and they offered to call back when it was ready. 30 minutes later i received a call and it was ready when I got there. No issues. Perhaps they improved their process due to customer complaints. I’ll have to order again to find out for sure.
The wings themselves are what I remember, extra crispy with the yummy salty/​sweet soy garlic flavor. The spicy wings are delicious too. Their menu offers other Korean style apps and main dishes as well, which sets them apart from Boom Boom in Rutherford.
As long as the wait time is kept to 30m, they will be my regular spot for KFC.

Ok as all I am a big fan of Bön Chon but being this is my fifth attempt at ordering. First three times the time on the door and web states opens at 11. Each time even going to the store to order was told they open an hour later. Well change the times everywhere. Giving benefit of the doubt we tried again and ordered again. Order was ready and picked up 40 minutes. Takes 30 minutes to get order after ordering which was expected. Today called in order and told 30 minutes. After 45 minutes and waiting for phone call went to pick up and order still not ready and told to wait at least another 15 minutes. I know it’s a new store but service sucks.
This will be last time ordering from Bön chon. Totally nonsense and to bad as family loves Bön chon. Guess have to drive to Palisades to get it and although further still get food earlier. So disappointing and I can’t put no stars

We decided to try BonChon since we love Boom Boom Chicken in Rutherford and what a disappointment. What was supposed to be a 30min wait turned into an hour and a half wait! Boy was I upset!!! We ordered a large order of the soy garlic chicken and it was beyond salty. Totally not worth the wait. In my opinion Boom Boom chicken is the same concept but you get more for your money and the chicken is cooked just right. I will not be going back to BonChon when I can easily satisfy my craving a town over.

BonChon… a Korean Chicken/​Restaurant chain that is all over the world. I’m a big fan of chicken, and I could eat their wings for days. However, in terms of my experience today at the restaurant, I would have to give it an «A-​OK.»
The greeters are very nice and generous (shout out to them!), however, I feel that the kitchen staff need to be organized in giving times to the front in regards to how long the food will take. Korean chicken is an art, such it will take about 45 minutes to properly cook the chicken. However, when communication between the back and front are misaligned, this does create an environment for pretty frustrated customers who come up and complain about how long their wait is. However, they’re still new, kinks are to be expected, I’m sure their process will get much better as they learn!
With my experience, I decided to order the Bulgogi Fried Rice, and I added a little bibimbap sauce to the mix. That made it for a pretty decent dish. It was definitely not the best I have had though in my life, but still pretty damn good. I’m just glad that this BonChon has a more extensive menu than other BonChons in the North Jersey area.
Overall, I would come back for their wings, only if I am not in a rush, haha. Though, there are better BonChon locations in North Jersey, but, hey, they just opened. I’d say give it a few months to figure out a more efficient workflow and process to their ordering, and I’d say you got an awesome Korean chicken place in an Italian town! Makes for a nice mix right? I seriously wonder what Korean Italian babies would be like, maybe this is it?

As a restaurant owner, I really don’t get why there are such long waits for these types of restaurants during busy times. Surely there can be a more efficient way. When there’s a lunch or dinner rush, instead of waiting for an order to come in, just drop a lot of chicken wings or drum sticks since you know they’ll be ordered. I know for sure that they double fry their wings, with a good 15+ minute time for the wings to cool down before the second round of frying. The wings will still be «fresh» with the second round of oil anyways. An hour and a half for wings is terrible, especially lying to customers that it’ll be ready in 30 minutes. Disappointment. I’ll give it one more shot in a few weeks

The wings are outstanding! Unfortunately,…so is the wait. I ordered a medium wings at 6:30 pm on 11/25/15…the day before thanksgiving, was told it would be 40 minutes so I padded in a little extra time and went there at 7:15 after standing in front of the cashier for 5 solid minutes she FINALLY acknowledged my presence. Gave her my name and she came back and said it was going to be another 15 minutes. One customer ahead of me cancelled his order and left, pretty pissed too! 20 mins later I got my order so 40 mins was like an hour +
Great chicken and if they don’t get their sh! t together they are going to fail epically ! Good luck bon chon, I’m sticking to Jim dandy’s for my wings

As a restaurant owner, I really don’t get why the long wait for these types of restaurants during busy times. Surely there can be a more efficient way. When there’s a lunch or dinner rush, instead of waiting for an order to come in, just drop a lot of chicken wings or drum sticks since you know they’ll be ordered. I know for sure that they double fry their wings, with a good 15+ minute time for the wings to cool down before the second round of frying. The wings will still be «fresh» with the second round of oil anyways. An hour and a half for wings is terrible, especially lying to customers that it’ll be ready in 30 minutes. Disappointment. I’ll give it one more shot in a few weeks

Thank you to everyone who warned about the long wait. Ordered food on the way home from the city and was told it would take 30−35mins. By the time we arrived we asked to check on our order and they didn’t even put our order in! How could it be this bad. I walked out. Love bonchon but was absolutely disappointed.

Finally stopped off to get a menu after my daughters dance lesson next door.
Place was packed so I just picked up the menu and decided to order for dinner. Place is small and reminds of a place you’d find in Downtown JC or Hoboken. Very excited that Nutley is attracting these types of business’s. My wife loves Korean BBQ and was super excited to try it everything.
I ordered chicken strips and fries for my daughters and I loved both of them. Thankfully they have small appetites. Fries remind me of Zinnburger and are tasty. I order the Bibimbap with spicy chicken and it was huge. Very tasty and spicier than anticipated so I was very happy. My wife ordered the Bulgogi and even though she said it wasn’t the best she was happy with her order.
I called and they said it would be ready in about 35 – 40 minutes but they called me in 30 and said it was ready for pick up. Really nice place with great food. Enjoy!

First of all, the reviewers rating this 1 star because they had to wait longer then what they were told on the soft opening night need to grow up. It was their first night and they got slammed as soon as they opened, I know because I was there a few minutes after 4pm on their soft opening (they opened at 4 that day) and there was already a line of people and phone orders coming in. So cut them some slack! Yes, I was told 20 – 30 minutes and ended up waiting over an hour. I understand, because I know what it is like to be working in a kitchen when a pile of tickets comes in, and because this chicken takes 25+ minutes to make anyway, it’s very understandable how they got backed up so quick.
The food: I have eaten at every BonChon in NJ, and this was just as good as Northvale, Leonia, and Fort Lee. The only thing I feel needs some adjusting is the amount of sauce they actually brush on the chicken, they went kind of light on the sauce. Other than that, the chicken was crispy and spicy and delicious. The pickled radish was very pleasant. They have a full menu so I am looking forward to trying the takoyaki and all the other dishes.
The inside is pretty small with a few tables and chairs, nothing special. Nice and clean though.

I have been watching this place being built and based on the Unilocal reviews on other locations I was really looking forward to trying their food. I stopped by this afternoon since their website said they were open at 11:30. A young lady opened the door toATE tell me they were closed but would be doing a soft opening later and would be open for business at 5:00. She gave me a menu which specified they needed up to 30 minutes for pick up since the food was made to order. I called starting at 7:45 to place my order and every 5 minutes after (I was never told they were closing at 8) only to get an answering machine each time. We decided to take a chance and drive by and sure enough they were open with people eating inside. My husband went inside and the young lady behind the register told him they closed at 8 o’clock (it was about 8:15 by now) my husband explained that I tried calling before 8 o’clock and she very curtly told him they were too busy to answer the phone. This is not a good start for a new business and certainly not a good indication of future customer service. Hubby said they won’t ever see him again but I really like their kind of food and might give them a try. But an apology or some sort of better customer service (free appetizer?) sure would have gone a long way. For now one star only for the way we were treated and will have to see how the food measures up.
****UPDATE****
We just couldn’t resist not giving this place another try and we are glad we did. First they are definitely suffering from Beginners Blues. I am hoping all the confusion and disorganization is because they didn’t anticipate the crush they are experiencing and still working the kinks out. I stopped by around 2 o’clock to avoid the problems we faced last night. Two very sweet young ladies informed me they were still doing a soft opening and the hours were from 5 to 8, but I could place my order now. I did and told them I would back between 6:15 –6:30. When I returned at 6:20 the place was busy, not completely full but those there were waiting for take out, no one was dining in although there were enough cute white tables and chairs to accommodate about 20 – 25 people. The place is clean and bright but spartan and small. Anyway, despite placing my order hours before it still was not ready and I overhead them tell the walk-​ins the wait was an hour to an hour and a half. Wow. This time however the kids behind the register apologized profusely for the wait. My order was finally ready at 7, and they threw in 2 free drinks, steamed white rice, kimchi coleslaw, regular coleslaw and pickled Daikon radish which is included with the wings. Hubby got the combo, 10 wings and 5 drum sticks ($ 20.95) that come pre-​marinated, they do not offer sauce on the side. You have a choice of spicy (made with fiery and spicy red chili peppers) or soy garlic or a half and half combo. Hubby got his wings and drums with soy garlic, which he said was delicious. The wings were crispy on the outside and nice and juicy on the inside, nice portions and the soy garlic flavor was great. I got the pot stickers with the soy garlic flavor. Even though they forgot the dipping sauce they were very good and full of flavor. Now the sides: The pickled Daikon radish was great, crunchy and cool and a little sweet that they recommend as a cool down for the spicy wings. It was great even with the soy garlic. The Kimchi coleslaw was way too hot even for my hubby and he loves anything spicy. The regular coleslaw was delicious and the white rice was good. It was fun to sample the sides along with the chicken and the pot stickers. All in all the food was very good, presented well for take out, generous portions but although not cheap it has good value. They seem to have a loyal following as some of the people waiting for take-​out mentioned they frequented their other locations. I don’t know if the «newness» will wear off and the lines and the waits will subside when the hours increase. But I can see the attraction. Bön Chon is a welcome respite from the usual Pizza, Italian, Sushi and Chinese found throughout Nutley. I hope they succeed and I wish them luck and upgrade them to four stars.

First off, bonchon chicken is good. We’ve had it several times but this is the first time we had it from Nutley, NJ. Our experience with this location is nothing but less than fair. We ordered ahead and were told it would take 50 minutes. I got to Bön chon 50 min after and was told 10 more min. There was a long line of people waiting for their orders and each one was told 10 more min. Well, 1.5 hrs later I finally got my order. In a nutshell a lot of the folks waiting were not pleased with the long wait.
Granted this location has just opened but given that Bonchon is a well established ‘restaurant’ there’s no excuse for long wait. I really wish the owner assess this issue and stop telling people it takes 45 min for each order where in fact it takes well over an hour especially during busy hours. This is not a ‘do over’ for us.

3.5 round up to a 4-​star experience if you follow my tip and ORDER AHEAD!
I have to say that I am very happy that a BonChon opened up in my town! I went over to BonChon for their initial soft opening, so I knew things would not be perfect, but they managed to do the best they can with the massive amount of orders they had.
As I ALWAYS say with places like BonChon that have Korean Fried Chicken, ORDER AHEAD! Check out their menu online and do this please. The chicken takes at minimum 20 to 30 minutes to prepare, so if you do decide to just walk-​in and order, be prepared for a long wait. The place itself has only a few tables (around 4 to 5) that you can sit at, along with some seats against the wall so I would expect to order for take-​out and once you pick it up, you can decide if you want to eat there.
The chicken here is prepared just how I expected it, with the soy garlic and spicy flavors being very satisfying. I was able to try a few of their other offerings as well which included the Japchae, Fried Rice with Bulgogi, and Bibimbap. My favorite out of the three was the Fried Rice with Bulgogi as the overall flavor was on point. I had no complaints about the other dishes but at the same time they were not anything that tasted way over the top.
With how local this place is, I will be definitely coming back, trying other food, and updating my experience. The wait-​time for me here ended up being over an hour. However, since I lived so close, I did come here to place my order and then went back home, as they took my phone number down to call me once my order was finished. I would definitely recommended this for now until they are able to handle the initial peaked interest of people around the area ordering from here as the wait time can vary depending on how many orders they have pending.
I still would like to say, good luck BonChon of Nutley!