I for one would never have thought that Edmonton had a great food scene. I am so happy I was proved wrong. Edmonton has an excellent food scene – one that rivals Calgary. One such restaurant is Seoul Fried Chicken, named as Edmonton’s top take-out restaurant. This accolade is no lie. SFC deserves every bit of recognition for serving delicious and well-priced meals.
I specifically chose Seoul Fried Chicken because I wanted to see how it compared to WOW Chicken – a Korean fried chicken restaurant in Calgary. I hate to be the bearer of bad news (for Calgarians), but Seoul Fried Chicken beats WOW Chicken hands down! It’s a pity that SFC is located all the way in Edmonton – I have half a mind to drive up all the way there for the chicken. It’s that good.
soy garlic 5 piece chicken meal with potato slaw and fries
THE 411:
- Korean fried chicken
- Primarily takeout with a small seating place
- Owner Jake Lee brings a unique twist to the fried chicken scene in Edmonton with a menu that boasts traditional flavours and flavours inspired by Korean cuisine.
- Chicken used is locally sourced and each piece has a high bread to chicken ratio.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
At first glance, their Instagram page did not really inspire great confidence in me about the restaurant. I’m not going to lie, I sort of slightly judge a restaurant by its social media presence. When we walked in I was taken aback by how tiny the restaurant actually is (for some reason I thought it would be bigger). There are a few high top tables with enough seating for maybe 15 people but their main focus is on takeaway. Finally, the other thing that surprised me was that the food was served in little pizza boxes. Although it surprised me at first, I realized that it’s actually a genius idea! Despite this first impression, Seoul Fried Chicken proved to be even better than I imagined.
SFC offers around 6 different fried chicken flavours that you can complement with a series of different side salads, house fries, soft drinks and beer. But the best aspect of Seoul Fried Chicken is their combo meal. For $11.00 you get 5 pieces of fried chicken, a side salad of your choice, fries and a soft drink. For a dollar more you get fried chicken, a salad, and a beer!
Finally, the portion of the chicken and the sides are so reasonably priced. For $30 we got 15 pieces of fried chicken, a huge serving of fries, a side salad, and a soft drink. That worked out to $10.00 per person.
FOOD & DRINK
BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN ALBERTA. MAYBE EVEN CANADA (sorry WOW Chicken). I cannot rave enough about how delicious the fried chicken is. We ordered the soy garlic and the Korean BBQ flavour. And honestly, I still dream about the flavours. The soy garlic had the perfect hint of sweetness but the actual soy flavour remained bold. The Korean BBQ flavour had this pleasant burning sensation and this undertone of sweet that melded together beautifully. Don’t let the word BBQ fool you. There isn’t a traditional smokey flavour.
The side salad we ordered was the sweet potato slaw with a sesame dressing. It was incredible – and this is coming from someone who hates cole slaw. As for the fries – they were tasty. But I will give credit where credit is due. I think that WOW Chicken still has the best fries in all of Canada. Their bulgogi fries are incredible.
Opinion & Value for your Moolah:
What I love about SFC is that their chicken is nice and meaty – despite being bone pieces. They have the perfect ratio of breadcrumbs, to seasoning to meat. The meat is succulent and fresh. In fact, the entire meal is made fresh! What I loved about SFC is that their flavours are unique and they stand out. No one ingredient overpowers the other. In fact, the chicken is so fresh, the ingredients are of such high quality that you can eat 10 pieces of chicken to yourself and NOT feel sick. Their chicken isn’t greasy which tends to be a problem a lot of other fried chicken places face.
Finally, I think it is incredible that for $11.00 you can have an entire meal to yourself that includes two sides and a drink. Seoul Fried Chicken offers great value for money and honestly has the best fried chicken in the region.
THE CONSENSUS: 5/5
Hands down the best fried chicken I have had in my life. I would honestly go back there (drive the 3 hours), just to eat their fried chicken. The only downside I can even think of is that their fries (although fresh and tasty) are not nearly as delicious as WOW Chicken, and the limited seating space makes it difficult to choose this place as a sit-down destination for a meal. Nevertheless, it does not detract from just how amazing this place is. If you find yourself in Edmonton, this is the place to go!
