My family and I were in town to visit the Witch House and other Salem attractions a few weeks ago. This was our first time dining in a Bonchon franchise. Our server was kind and attentive. She answered any questions we had. My hubby and son tried the chicken wings which were the crispiest wings we've ever had. Best wings by far. I had the shrimp tacos which were delicious and we tried the teokbokki which was good. We were going to come back later in the evening for a takeout of wings because my other son wasn't hungry at lunchtime. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go back. Wish I could've tried other items on their menu. Hopefully, we'll be back someday. read more

Amazing server! Our first time eating here and it was very chill for a busy day in Salem. We tried the Sotteok skewer which was crispy and delicious. My sister had the Chicken Katsu and I had the K Chix Sandwich. Not bad for the pricing but it was very good and crispy. So was the katsu. I recommend the garlic sauce on the sandwich. Would come back! read more

Bonchon Salem - The menus and moi. - Chicken Wings Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

I was visiting the area with my family. My son and I was peckish and walked past the Bonchon store & thought we'd give it a try. I made the mistake of not reading the reviews, and gave it shot, My son and I love Korean chicken, so hoped for the best. We ordered the 10-piece with spicy sauce, and they said 10 to 15 minutes, so I thought perfect, and they are coming it fresh. We came back after 10 mins, and the food was brought out a few minutes after. First red flag, the guy bringing us the food was coughing his lungs out, so I immediately felt uncomfortable, as he wasn't really coughing into his elbow, so not a good sign. Then we thought, better to just eat there, and asked the question, which was denied, with the lady at the desk saying 'it's clearly written at the desk' so ok no issues there. We went outside, and found a bench ... we were with other family members who were not eating, so that's why we didn't initially get a table. Both my son and I both chomped into our first chicken wing and we looked at each other with raised eyebrows. The chicken was overly crispy, and hard to swallow, making each bite a task. The seasoning was acceptable, but I was thinking 'is this refried, a little stale or both'. We continued to chew through each one and I swear my jaw was starting to hurt, the feeling you get when you chew gum too long. After we finished, I went online to read the reviews, and low and behold, I read a few reviews complaining about the same thing. Refrying food for me is a no no, and it's not a good way to keep customers. I would make sure you ask them to cook fresh chicken only, not reheated or refried. read more

Saw the menu posted outside and HAD to stop in for lunch. I was surprised that my friends were willing to try it, so because of that, it was even better. The food was EXCELLENT (Mandu Soup!!!) and it was fun watching folks try things they'd never had before. I hadn't realized that this was a chain restaurant, but still glad we went. The service was good and even though the menu stated that there would be an automatic tip added, there wasn't. Ambiance was nice. Great variety of Asian meals on the menu. read more

Bonchon Salem - Chicken Wings Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

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I met a friend for dinner at Bonchon on a Saturday night. The restaurant wasn't busy and we immediately got a table. Bonchon is mostly known for the Korean style fried chicken but has a variety of other Korean dishes. We actually skipped out on the fried chicken but did get the chicken katsu, fried rice, and one of their specialty loaded fries. Overall the portion sizes were good to split between two people. The flavors were average though, nothing that jumped out and stayed with me. Our waiter was attentive and the atmosphere inside was pleasant. We appreciated them letting us sit and chat as the restaurant began to close up. I would try this Bonchon location again but I would probably stick to the Korean fried chicken. read more

Bonchon Salem - Specialty loaded fries - Chicken Wings Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Service was amazing, our server was very attentive to our needs and she spoke like she knew the menu very well, even listing the ingredients in the entrees. We're not new to the franchise, just the location. So we got takoyaki, street corn, bulgogi fried rice, and a large platter of soy garlic and spicy chicken wings. Every thing was great and had the distinct Bonchon flavor. The bathrooms are clean and the vibes of the restaurant was pretty casual. Great place! read more

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Great food and excellent customer service. We had the soy garlic and Korean chicken wings and bulgogi fries. Amazing!

I don't usually leave bad reviews, but this experience was terrible. We dined in and ordered a 20-piece chicken meal with rice and sodas. The biggest red flag was that our food came out in less than 2 minutes. There's no way freshly made fried chicken is ready that fast. As soon as we took a bite, we knew why. The chicken was only lukewarm, extremely dry, and had that unmistakable old oil aftertaste, like it had been sitting around for hours before being reheated. Even the soda was flat. When we brought it to the waitress's attention, she told us Bonchon "fries the chicken in batches" and then "re-fries it." I'm sorry, but that explanation didn't make me feel any better. If the chicken is sitting around for hours just to be re-fried later, that's not the quality customers should expect. To make matters worse, getting a refund was like pulling teeth. We asked for a full refund so we could leave and eat somewhere else. We hadn't even touched the rice because after tasting the chicken, we had completely lost our appetite. The waitress argued with us and insisted she could only refund the chicken. After going back and forth, we gave up and left. Ironically, later that same day we went to the Bonchon in Lowell, ordered takeout, and the food was night and day--hot, fresh, crispy, and exactly what Bonchon should taste like. So this clearly isn't a Bonchon problem--it's a Bonchon Salem problem. Please do better. Customers shouldn't be served food that tastes old and reheated, and staff should handle complaints professionally instead of making customers fight for a refund. read more

Quick service, good takeout containers. Very kind and considerate staff. Added extra utensils and box for me and my gf to share. Super neat! Very good bulgogi, yum yum. Probably just eat inside, not many places around town nearby to sit Heehee read more

So good! Super busy weekend but the service was still fast and friendly. Food was good. Restaurant was clean and nicely decorated

Came in crying: had a beer and some snacks. The staff was lovely, asked how I was but gave me space when I declined talking about my sadness. I was really grateful to receive great good service when the restaurant was in quiet hours while I was sad. Thank you! read more

Excellent service, all our food was delicious and super fresh, the soy garlic chicken is amazing, the fried rice was great, the little bao chicken sliders were awesome, I wish I had one closer to us. read more

I order Bonchon once a week from this location and realized I never reviewed. I have had the entire menu and what I can say for this place is they are absolutely consistent. The food is always cooked as expected and everything is always arranged to perfection. I love how they package their takeout and how everything arrives hot (even though I live far). I highly recommend the soy garlic sauce as it's their signature and it's fire. I also recommend the katsu as it's so crispy and so delicious with the dipping sauces. I cannot imagine life without my weekly Bonchon order, what are you waiting for? Time for me to place another one. I just finished my bulgogi rice leftovers! read more

Doing much better than it had been. Used to be a favorite go to before the pandemic but really went down hill. Happy to see it improving. Taste is great but sometimes orders for pick up are just wrong with things missing read more

I ordered BonChon on DoorDash so I can't speak to the ambiance of the restaurant. My food arrived hot, well packaged and all requested condiments included. I ordered the bone in wings with Korean bbq sauce and seasoned french fries. The food was amazing. Chicken was crispy and nicely coated with the bbq sauce. The fried were crispy and well seasoned. I absolutely enjoyed my meal and will definitely be ordering again read more

Bonchon Salem - Seasoned French Fries - Chicken Wings Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

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I've heard good things about this place and their take on Korean fried chicken, from the lovely Spensyr K., so when a recent opportunity presented itself, I decided to give it a shot. First thoughts on walking in was that it was dirty and loud. Only a couple of tables were empty and the lone waitress said right up front she was too busy to take a table so it would be 10 - 15 minutes or so. I would much rather be told ahead of time than sit and wait and wonder, so that alone brought this up a star. The bar had a couple empty seats but they were still full of dishes from the last person that sat there so we decided to leave, order take out, and then pick it up. So that's what we did. The process went pretty smoothly, ordered via the app, everything was assembled, and off we went. Smooth as buttah... My thoughts : * Sauces were super tasty. Yangnyeom is awesome. KBBQ was really good too. * Chicken was small pieces and overcooked. Very disappointed. * Pickled radish was the star of the show. read more

Bonchon Salem - cars parked on the side of the street - Chicken Wings Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

It is my second time ordering a pick up order from this location. I normally order in a timely manner to give enough time for them to prepare. This time I just got some chicken bibimbap, honestly I wasn't too impressed by it. There was no taste and the veggies aren't really prepared very good, I was telling myself I should have just ordered the fried chicken. It probably would have been better. It was also hard to find parking around the area, since its a busy area in the downtown. read more

This was honestly the worst chicken nuggests or boneless wings I have ever had. Even my wife, who loves all chicken, hated it. It was so dry, hard, and lacked flavor. Their bbq sauce was mediocre, and maybe that is where the flavor is suppose to come from. Would never ever think about eating at this place again. I think the inly reason they are in business still is from the tourist like me, who didnt know any better... Oh and its funny, I called the restaurant to see if I could put in a togo order right now, and the guy who answered said they cant do any take out orders. So I left the inn walking to find another restaurant to try and get food from, on the past this one, I noticed it was empty, well one table inside had customers, so I walked in, asked if I could place a togo order, and they said yes.... And while I was there, saw many mobile app people picking up food... i should have just skipped it when I knew the persons working there were lazy. read more

I have never become so ill so instantly after eating a few bites of food. I ordered the wings and bulgogi from this BonChon on Sunday, August 11. The wings were fantastic as always. But when I went to eat some of the bulgogi later in the day, I became violently ill immediately. Whatever happened with that is scary. read more

The chicken is so crispy and tasty, my favorite is the garlic soy I usually get the wings but I also enjoy the boneless chicken. I do have to mention it is a bit pricey. read more

Came here on our trip to Salem. It had been a while since my sister's had Bonchon, so we had to go here. Unfortunately, they didn't allow indoor seating, so we had to find a place to eat. Luckily, there's a park about a block away. We were able to wait inside for our orders, so that was cool. I have to say that the chicken was better prepped here than back home in the Bay Area. The soy garlic flavor was present throughout the chicken, not just the outside. The skin was really crispy too! So good! If you haven't had Korean fried chicken, this is a good place to try it. read more

Bonchon, little did we know you were a chain, but little did we know how your wings would leave a lasting impression on us for the rest of our lives. Korean hot wings, wait what? Does that work? Oh let me tell you, yes yes it does and they are amazing. Soy garlic or spicy. If you like heat, get the spicy, get the spicy and the pickled radish. Get extra wings too, because once you start, you cannot stop. You will be begging to keep the wings coming. They have this extremely crunchy coating, which then is coated in this amazing sauce (both the soy garlic and the spicy are amazing). They are brought to your table hot and crispy and a hot wing perfection. You can actually get with wings or chicken drumsticks. Yes whole drumsticks deep fried with sauce. Hands down best wings I have ever eaten. Best coating, the best sauce. Just yes. I actually ordered the japchae with a side of kimchi slaw. It's was so delicious. The perfect seasonings for the japchae and the kimchi slaw was different but amazing. However I can't lie, once I had wings I had to order wings for myself. The japchae was great, but the wings were better. The kimchi slaw was delicious but the pickled radish was so perfect to take the heat away from the spicy wings. Overall it was a great experience, the service was just a little slow, but the good was more than worth it. Anytime I travel now I'm looking to find a Bonchon to sit and devour wings at. I will definitely be back!! read more

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My husband and I had a small amount of time to grab some lunch before our next activity and Bonchon got us fed quickly! We have Bonchon in Queens, so this was familiar and hit the spot with it's fried chicken deliciousness - half soy garlic and half spicy. We kindly explained to the server that we had to run out fast and initially asked if the chicken would be cooked fairly quickly. They assured us it would be and they were right. The server was awesome in getting us fed and out the door in time for our next activity. It's also nice to have a bit of home =) read more

This was my second time going here (first was at the Allston location). I had tried the salmon avocado ball and HAD to go again because I loved it so much. My boyfriend had also gotten the chicken wings. I'm not a poultry person at all but he told me to have just a bite, and I admit they were pretty good. I think I'm just used to not eating much meat so it didn't like, WOW me or anything. The second time, I got the ball again and loved it obviously LOL. It's sooo flavorful and I always want to order like 3 more!! However I can tell that the Salem location is definitely not as popular as the one in Allston. Not sure why read more

Bonchon Salem - Salmon Avocado Ball - Chicken Wings Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

This isn't Bonchon. It's an approximation, but it's not Bonchon. If you are used to Bonchon in the D.C. area, you'd be very disappointed in this version. The menu is the same, sure, but the quality is nowhere as good. I'm used to these huge, incredibly crispy pieces of chicken that are perfectly coated with your flavor choice. Here, you get some tiny chicken that's barely crispy, and the restaurant couldn't even denote the spicy ones from the soy garlic ones. Something was lacking in both sauces--that addictive quality is just not there. At least the spicy version is actually spicy. I also ordered the pork buns, and here the slaw has mayo on it, instead of the fresh, crunchy vegetables I prefer. The pork belly was still delicious, but that's not why you order Bonchon. I'm sure this will do if this is the only version you know. But if you are used to Bonchon outside of Massachusetts, skip this location. read more

The wings are so tasty and the pickled radish side is excellent. I can't say anything about the restaurant itself because I only order pickup/delivery. read more

Service was terrible. I have eaten at Bonchons before and this location by far was not a good experience. Came in around 3pm and only 3 other tables with 1 servers. We figured it was between shifts, but what could go wrong. Took 15 min just to get our drinks and place and order for food. By 4pm we still didn't have our food and when it did arrive it was ALL COLD. Not just cooled down, but cold. When we wrote a complaint the manager Peter gave an excuse that the back of house (kitchen staff) was on break which shouldn't be an excuse. Being short staff I would assume they are backed up cooking food and would further assume food would come out fresh and hot, especially if we waited 45 min for it. We sent back the food and paid for our drinks and appetizer. For the inconvenience we should have been comped for the drinks and a manger should never blame their lack of scheduling on lathe sub par service and extremely long wait. I will go to Bonchon again, but never again at the Salem location. read more

Bonchon Salem - Response back with managements excuse. - Chicken Wings Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

As an out of towner on Halloween, we randomly ended up here for a late lunch before we took the train back into Boston and wow, I'm glad that we did!!! We ordered some boneless chicken wings and some pork dumpling and they had the best flavor! The wait staff we attentive and it was a good atmosphere. Upon returning back to my home town(Durham NC) I was very excited to learn that we have this same restaurant just 20 minutes down the road in Chapel Hill. Looking forward to exploring their menu sometime soon! read more

Bonchon Salem - Chicken Wings Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

The bulgogi we ordered was overpriced for the portion and poorly cooked. For almost twenty dollars, the dish was waterlogged and bland. It was mostly undercooked onions with a small amount of beef. We didn't receive the rice that came with the order either. Pretty simple dish to get right and yet. The seasoned fries were twice the price of the normal ones with barely anything on them. Not worth the price at all. read more

I guess it all relative, i've seen some good and some bad reviews about this place but we were hungry and saw tofu on the menu so we went in. The Bonchon chicken was not really bonchon, i've had it before same as the bibimbap and the katsu, i've had better. The tofu fried rice was good. All in all an ok spot but don't expect spectacular. read more

Love Bonchon wings w/soy garlic. Went lst week to the Bonchon @ the Salem lunch spot near the courts. I have also tried Bonchon in Lowell and for some reason even though the wings are both spectacular at both places some of the Lowell fare is way above the quality at the Salem location. The fried rice is outstanding as well as the Bulgogi and Japchae. If your looking for good quality food and whether you have a time constraint or not, this is fast food with quick results and you can walk there; order, eat and walk back to the courts, in less than an hour. read more

I went to Bonchon with my wife for just a quick bite to eat. we got a couple of appetizers. I have been wanting to try Bonchon for a while now. I have to say The place was underwhelming to me. Bonchon Salem, was nice, just a bit to nice. The decor was kinda out of place, to upscale fore the type of food they served. fancy bar, a hostess at the door. it seemed a bit weird for me eating in hear in a t-shirt and jeans. The atmosphere was empty. There was only one other table with people and they looked like they were dressed for the beach. We were there at lunch time, on a nice day, the place was dead. as for the food it was good, we had the Garlic soy chicken strips small order 10 pcs. for $13 I thought it was to salty. We also had the Seasoned Fries. $7 not impressed, just OK. Now as a surprise bonus. The waitress brought us some Pickled Daikon Radish. It was so good. So all in all Bonchon Salem was just average for me. I would and probably eat here again. they do take credit cards and is wheelchair accessible. read more

Bonchon Salem - Pickled Daikon Radish, Good Lord is this stuff Yummy..! - Chicken Wings Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

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First time here and it was amazing! Food was great and wait staff excellent! Definitely worth the trip.

Still no alcohol here. The place is always empty when I go. It's such a cute place though. My dad almost didn't want to go in because of how dead it was, we were the only ones there. Chicken wings still tiny as ever, but this time it's all covered in sauce, nice ~ served with radish. Salmon ball still tasted really really mushy. Like mash potatoes, I think they are mashing the avocados a bit too much or something. Onion ring was good, they were bigger then the wings! served with ketchup and super crunchy. My dad loved it. I ordered coleslaw on the side, and it tasted good. Enjoy! Ps. The door is still hard to push out, I giggled for a second as I watched my dad try before I helped him. read more

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We've ended up ordering from Bonchon Salem about 2 or more times a months for the past few months. We order so often because the food is always good but the service is top notch as well. Even though we're ordering for takeout, we're always lucky enough to talk with the same person that takes our order. She's always through in repeating our order, is always friendly, and is a true delight. My only feedback is it would be amazing if Bonchon had a rewards program. Other than that, love this location (much better than the other one in Boston)!! read more

I went to this location when it first opened a few years ago and I think I was mistaken about what they offered or they have changed up the menu as I remember them as being primarily a chicken wing eatery but now they have a really vast menu full of Asian goodies. I've been to the Lowell location and enjoyed it so decided to give the closer Salem location another try as they were offering take-out. I love the menu. Everything has such a good description that there really are no surprises despite some of the items being very unique. I ordered online and it was quick and easy. I arrived right around the time the food was due but had an additional wait which was fine. The woman behind the plexiglass (what a thing to write but so common during this pandemic) was friendly and nice enough to check on my order. I was the only one waiting for food so it was very quiet. For food I went with the house fried rice with chicken (huge portion and super tasty), the Udon noodle soup with an egg (this was just okay, the egg was way over done and there wasn't much of a flavor to the Udon broth) and popcorn shrimp with a spicy mayo dipping sauce (definitely my favorite - the shrimp was done perfectly and they were not kidding about the sauce being spicy - had a wonderful kick to it). All three items came to around $40 which isn't cheap but the portions were all huge and very filling. My dining take-out partner and I chowed down on the rice and shrimp first and saved the Udon noodles for a few hours later. I was so impressed with the shrimp that we might make this a weekly take out on Sundays. read more

Food was fine, this review is for service. Placed an order online for 30 piece. There was no option to split the flavors (soy garlic, spicy, and sweet crunch) equally, for 10 of each, so I left a note hoping to modify it. There were options to split 50/50, but not 3-ways. I quickly received a call saying they couldn't do a 3-way split. I understand it's likely a company policy, not employee enforced. Why make a needless hurdle to try all 3 flavors? They're sold as 10-pieces in the small size, so they're already portioned for a 3-way split- it shouldn't be difficult to accommodate. Dumb policy. After the woman on the phone told me they couldn't do it, I asked my family if they wanted to cut a flavor for 50/50 or adjust order? She let out the longest, most over the top sigh, "UGHHHH" at my audacity to ask my family for input. She was incredibly, over-the-top rude. For flavor, don't bother with the sweet crunch. There is barely any flavor to them. read more

The Salem location is very rarely open it seems, there have been 2-3 instances where we've tried to get Bonchon from the one on Essex st. and it wasn't open. Food is great when it is open, though. Bulgogi is primo read more

i have eaten at bonchon at multiple locations in two states, and this one was by far the best. my partner and i arrived shortly after they open (around 11:30 am) on an october weekday. in terms of crowds we weren't sure what to expect, as downtown salem is super busy in october, but we were sat immediately. our server was very polite and attentive! our drinks and food all came out pretty quickly, but not rushed. my boneless chicken was super crispy, hot, and fresh and the soy garlic sauce is delicious. while i do eat meat and poultry, i can be super picky about it, and i appreciate that i can always rely on bonchon to have good white meat with no "weird pieces" (if you get it you get it.) i typically don't go to korean restaurants to order french fries, but i was really in the mood for them on this particular day so decided to get them as my side, and i was so surprised how PERFECT they were! i think bonchon just really knows how to make things the right level of crisp. i think about those fries all the time. the restaurant itself is small but not cramped. it's also extremely clean! i used their restroom and it was super bright, clean and tidy. note that it was the beginning of the day, so i cannot attest to how clean the restaurant and restrooms are after a long day of many customers, but i was impressed. i saw another review talking about a "garbage or sewage" smell in the restaurant, which almost deterred me from going. upon being at the restaurant for a few minutes, i realized this reviewer was definitely smelling the pickled radish. unfortunately it is what it is-- that's what the pickled radish is *supposed* to smell like due to fermentation. pickled radish it's a very typical, traditional side at korean restaurants, especially with fried chicken, it would be odd if they didn't have it. i think it's impossible for the smell to not be a little noticeable, but its certainly not garbage or sewage, and i think that's a very important distinction to make. read more

The Good: Once again, the food was great. The menu is a mix of Korean cuisine and chicken. Because of that, the menu is quite different than other restaurants around the area, and that is a big plus! We ordered some combo chicken (wings and drumsticks) and we also our first experience with bibimbap! We elected for the seafood variation of bibimbap (shrimp, scallops, octopus), and it was amazing! Great flavor, textures, and colors in it. The chicken was crispy, cooked almost perfect, and had just the right amount of sauce with it. They had a solid selection of local brews, and it is such a great location in downtown Salem. The Bad: Two major points here. First is the service is fucking terrible. We were there during a slow time and for the entirety of our visit, there were no more than two other parties seated. In spite of this, the servers, there was one server and a bartender, were more interested in their phones and watching the World Cup than doing their jobs. After they took our order, not once did they come over to check on us. They did come over when we called upon them, but this should not be happening. ( I have seen this happen many times in my career, but never so blatantly in front of customers.). The second thing is they have NO dessert. They tried to recommend some nearby shops, but after a good meal, it was a big disappointment to not have the option for something sweet. The Ugly: So the big thing here stems from them being a corporate chain. There is no wiggle room for any special orders or customization (hopefully outside of any allergies.). No sauce on side allowed for the chicken, and no upgrade on the standard sides for any of the dishes. You need to purchase a totally separate side, which is annoying. Did not ruin of experience by any means, just something to be aware of. Final Word: Overall, it is worth giving a try. The food is fantastic, and with the location it's in, you could easily walk it off if you wanted to (or walk to one of the many nearby bakeries/ sweet shops nearby for dessert. ). Just hope your not someone who loves to customize! 3.5 stars read more

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