Its been over a year since my last review and despite other fried chicken places having opened in the area, this place still takes the #1 spot in my heart for best fried chicken in the Des Moines metro area. My parents visited this year during the Iowa State fair. We talked about the fried chicken place in San Francisco that they love. I told them about Chikin Lickin and that it would be WAY better than that SF place. They tried the 6 wing meal basket with sweet and spicy sauce mixed in. THEY LOVED IT! We came back the next day and ordered 30 chicken wings to split between the three of us. THAT IS HOW GOOD THE FRIED CHICKEN IS HERE. The juicy chicken meat, the crunchiness of the fried skin, and the delicious sweet and spicy sauce is a combination that cannot be beat. Thank you Chikin Lickin for being so delicious! read more

We were in town for a basketball tournament and had a team dinner at a nearby restaurant. My husband saw, Chickin Lickin, and was like I want to try that! So the next day, we did! And we were so glad that we did! We ordered a combo 2 which came with wings. Chicken tenders, and 3 sides. Chose the soy garlic sauce and for the sides got the bulgogi fried rice, egg fried rice, and corn. One of the kiddos also wanted a Korean dog, so got one of those too. Everything was sooooo good!! The chicken wings and tenders were huge!! The chicken had the perfect crunch and the sauce was delicious. Service was very friendly and patient as we decided what to order. They greeted each person that walked in quickly and friendly. I loved that the restaurant has a sink to wash your hands before and after the meal right in the dining area! As I went back there to wash my hands, I noticed that they have a pay it forward area! Customers pre-purchase items and others in need can redeem them. Love that thought! Overall, loved the food and experience at Chickin Lickin! Will definitely go back next time we are in the area. read more

Chikin Lickin - Pay it forward wall - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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Spacious well lit dining area. Friendly service. Wide variety of choices on the menu. We chose to eat in, the service was great. Food was exactly what we expected. Flavorful, crispy & delicious! We were both pleasantly surprised with what we ordered & said we would go back. The k-dog was probably the highlight! Seasoned waffle fries didn't have a lot of flavor but still crispy. Check this place out for something new & different! read more

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Stopped in a few times recently, service is very good, friendly staff, they are very upbeat. Layout is good in the restaurant, typical fast food layout, convenient to have to go boxes laying out. The chicken is pretty good, we typically order wings, the flavors are good, the wings are pretty large and usually cooked well. A decent place to grab a quick bite for sure. read more

Place was significantly unclean; debris on the floor, fingerprints on tables, windows, napkin holders, and the "self service area" was a mess. Wings were large and decent - garlic buffalo sauce was good. Staff not friendly. Place was not busy, staff should clean up rather than hide behind beer cooler and sit on phones. Very off-putting experience. Would not recommend or return. read more

Overall, great fast food place. Pretty typical atmosphere, super friendly service, food that is a notch up from most. Love the Korean flavors on well cooked chicken, and the bulgogi fries were great. Will definitely stop again. read more

Excellent Korean fried chicken! We've had legit Korean fried chicken from LA, Chicago, and Houston and this is the best one in Des Moines; very comparable to large city Korean. Excellent customer service as well. We've asked for extra Lemon Pepper sauce and they are always happy to pack a little extra in there. We're so thankful. The vegan sandwich is ok. It wasn't what I expected but it was still tasty. I expected a Chick-Fil-A type of patty= fried and extra crunchy in a bun. It wasn't. It was a few strips of tofu marinated in a soy like sauce. Other than the vegan sandwich, Chickin Likin is our go to for fried chicken. I'm glad try had an option for those who don't eat chicken. 6 large pieces of chicken for $10.00 and small side of kimchi. We'll be back and prefer this Korean than any other brand in the Des Moines area. read more

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Super delicious tenders! Had it with the Honey Gochujang on the recommendation of staff - sweet, with a little kick = perfection. Will definitely be returning! read more

Gf said buffalo wings are best in Des Moines I had the garlic soy and sweet and spicy. Bao buns were very tasty as well read more

Chikin Lickin - Bao bun and 6 piece wing buffalo - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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Ok ok, this place seriously has the biggest wings I've seen and they are good! The wings are crispy, juicy, flavorful, and tender meat! I got the mix of hot and soy flavors so it was perfection! The corn was good, but I think I'd skip it next time. Maybe if they did sweet corn instead of yellow it may hit the spot instead. The chicken sandwich was perfect. They use their tenders for the sandwich. It was a nice sandwich that had tender juicy meat and a crispy coating! Perfect. Would definitely come again! read more

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Chikin Lickin in Waukee has some delicious Korean Fried Chicken. They are located next to Home Sweet Cone. The owners are awesome and even have a "Pay It Forward" wall for anyone who needs a meal but cannot afford one. We usually get the Chikin Combo meal that comes with 14 wings and 6 Tenders. You get three sides with it and our kids always choose two sides of their Waffle Fries baskets and I'll always try a different side. Love their pickled cucumbers. The fried rice options are decent but not my first choice. Fave Wing Sauces: Garlic Soy and Sweet and Spicy. Hubby also likes Honey Gochujang and Spicy Gochujang *they will let you sample any of their sauces at the ordering counter before you pick a sauce. Wings are big and fried perfectly. Their Moo-Lissa Bao is also one of our other faves. They also carry Korean Corn Dogs. You pay at the counter and they will bring the food to you. They said they aim to support local so they source their ingredients locally. This place is such a gem and we hope you guys can go out and support them. Love having a KFC option on this side of town. read more

I rarely write a review, but the food was delicious! Great sauces, tender chicken strips, and tasty waffle fries. I will be stopping whenever I am passing through this god-awful state. read more

Crispy, sticky, spicy perfection. The kind of tenders that hit you with that sweet‑heat gochujang glaze, cling to your fingers, and make you go back in for another bite before you even finish chewing. Juicy inside, fire outside -- a full‑blown flavor situation. read more

Chikin Lickin - Spicy goguchan 3 Pieces Tenders - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

Been here several times now. My spouse is in love with this place. I like the layout, it's order at the counter but they bring you the food at your table. At the counter they let you try their sauces. They also have bottled drinks and soju out for order. In the other corner of the restaurant they have a hand washing station, take out boxes, utensils, plenty of napkins and my favorite part disposable gloves for eating wings. They also offer drive through and online ordering. If you love soju this is a great place to buy different flavors. Food wise we always get the large size of wings and split the flavor. Wings have a nice crunchy breading on the outside. The inside has been juicy each time we've visited. Sauces we liked the most is honey gochujang and garlic soy. The wings are also not small they are decent sized, they're not those sad tiny ones like at buffalo wild wings. We also tried their bulgogi beef fries and that was pretty good too. For dessert I recommend the Puff boys it's just fried dough with condensed milk and whipped cream on top but I really enjoyed them. The owner has been enthusiastic and been around the shop working since opening and he's been very friendly and checking in with customers. Last I went he added a little timer game you can play at the counter to try and get a free side. George gives it a solid 2.8 out of 3 chomps! read more

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The restaurant is very clean. The employees were very good about cleaning the tables when the guest left a table. There was a line to order when we arrived. It moved very quickly. The gentleman that waited on us could tell we were first-timers. He took the time to grab a To go lid and had us try each flavor sauce. That is beyond great customer service in my eyes. He earned my 4 star rating. As we were leaving, he asked how it was. I said my only suggestion was handiwipes. He explained that the sink up by service items was for that. I just assumed it was for employees. I had already gone to the restroom to clean up. The wings have a heavy breading compared to other Korean chicken restaurants I have tried. We had the "sweat and spicy " sauce on our wings. They only allow one sauce on smaller orders, would have liked to do a half and half. We also two of the Bao Buns, one chicken (theBirdzilla Bao) and one beef (moo-lissa bao). The bun was my most favorite "bun" I have had. They could have used a little more filling, granted were under $4 each, so probably close to on point for food cost and size. We also shared the Bulgogi chicken waffle fries. They were ok. Lots of sauce, black sesame seeds, and some small chunks of chicken. I did like they gave us a carafe of water with two Styrofoam cups. They placed stickers with their logo on the cups. read more

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First, I love that they have a yuzu pepper flavor (very delicious). Other than this, their breading was a bit thick and dry. They didn't allow for mixing (half/half flavor options) which limits your choices in trying their flavors. I wish they had one that came topped with spring onions. Overall, just okay korean fried chicken spot. Looking forward to trying their other flavors (just bummed that they won't let us do the half/half so we can find a flavor we like sooner...) read more

Food was not prepared properly. My wife told the owner who promised to fix it. Other than the under cooked bloody chicken everything was fine. read more

Honestly disappointing. No longer a local, have been too many Korean fried chicken joints. It's just flavorless. From the soy garlic sauce to the bulgolgi fried rice and the kimchi is inedible. It looks delicious, is actually A+ crispy but lacks flavor all around. Customer service could be better, just interaction wise. read more

Chikin Lickin - Bulgogi fried rice, Kim chi soy garlic wings - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

Owner was great. He corrected an employee who poured my beer very poorly and poured a fresh one. Chicken was very good.

Sunday Lunch did not disappoint! The food was so fresh and delicious. Chicken wings and strips were delicious. Fries cooked perfectly. And fried rice was good too! The staff were helpful and friendly and the ambiance was nice as well. We will be back! read more

Must try if you're in West Des Moines, or anywhere surrounding. The customer service was 10/10. The owner greeted us kindly, explained the entire menu, and allowed us to sample each sauce before ordering. We ordered 3, 3 piece chicken tenders. One in Sweet & Spicy, one in Garlic Buffalo, and the last in Gochujang sauce. All 3 sauces were so good, and the chicken was tender. Fries perfectly cooked. Kimchi and pickled cucumbers were super fresh. The establishment was very clean. Overall 10/10 experience. Highly recommend! read more

Chikin Lickin - 3 piece tender (sauces from top to bottom): Gochujang, Garlic Buffalo, Sweet and Spicy - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

Fantastic! Cool decor and reasonable prices. We ordered two sandwiches and because they made a slight error in the order, they gave us the second sandwich free! Food was hot, fresh, and delicious. read more

Chikin Lickin - Chicken sandwich combo with fries - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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A place in West Des Moines Iowa, walked in and it was a nice clean look with a lot of places to sit. The service was very helpful with describing the different flavors and spice levels. I ended up getting the regular hot and then the spicy garlic with pickled cucumber and a root beer. The price was no more than $20 and I will be back. read more

Chikin Lickin - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

The Food is amazing , My 6th time eating here , The Service is always great , Twan always greets me when I come in the Door , Every one of there employees is always smiling , I took my friends there one of the Last Times and we decided too eat outside and it started Raining and they saw us eating in the rain and went outside too check in on us. when we came back inside they gave us complimentary puff boys too try which were amazing. Also the place is spotless every time I come in. read more

Chikin Lickin - Sweet and Spicy Wings and Kdogs - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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Service was prompt and food was hot. We ordered 6 tenders in Thai Basil sauce side of kimchi and pickled cucumbers. Also kids tender meal and 6 wings. Total was around $38. The Thai Basil was the favorite of the sauces we tasted. Place was clean and organized. Didn't see any ketchup for the waffle fries. Kids meal was one tender which didn't seem like much. Also $17.99 for 6 tenders in Thai Basil while good size and tasty the sides were super small and are basically nothing to this Meal. When I come to a Korean restaurant I want some of those sides which was disappointing. Over all not bad but probably not going back. read more

Have had 2 visits and 2 bad experiences. The first the food was ok but the portion size of meat was very small. A takeout order, there was confusion cause 2 identical items were ordered and they only made 1. As they made the second they didn't even put the toppings on, gave them on the side, and laughed the whole time. It amused them I guess. 2nd visit tried the drive though and there literally is no menu with a paper sign that says "pull up to the window" The window was blocked by a truck that was either the employees or a customer out of the vehicle, possibly inside trying to get an order? It was an epic fail. read more

First time to this place and it was amazing. The chicken is fresh and hot with very flavorful sauces. They have spice levels for everyone's taste. The kimchi was fantastic, and makes for a great side dish. The soju selection was pretty impressive as well. The staff were helpful and offered samples of the sauces before I ordered. Can't wait to go back and try more menu items and new flavors. read more

After a long day at work in the rolling Hills of Audubon a few friends of mine and I needed some food before calling it day. We were overworked and exhausted from the effort at work and needed to get some food to nourish our bodies yet little did we know it would nourish our souls. I ordered some sweet and spicy wings and waffle fries. I was flabbergasted when I saw what was brought to my table. Beautiful wings slathered in a sweet and spicy sauce and thicker than 1984 Prom Queens thighs in 2024'.. I was hungry, so I knew my fingers were gonna get stick so I was ready to put in work.. Uuufff My Gawd .. So crunchy so soft so tasty... It was an immaculate moment for my taste buds as the flavors danced in my mouth. Who needs napkins when I left this place sucking my fingers like I had no shame... 5 stars!  I will be back! read more

Ordered the beef bulgogi waffle fries, chicken bulgogi, beef bulgogi, pork belly, and fish bao, the 6 piece mixed Thai basil wings with pickled daikon, the chicken and beef bulgogi bibim bowls and from their sides menu the fried rice with kimchi, beef bulgogi and chicken bulgogi. This will be meals for the weekend. We had the waffle fries and the chicken bao for lunch, the pickled daikon, kimchi slaw, wings and beef bao for dinner - all were good. The bulgogi flavor is great and husband was a huge fan of waffle fries. The quick pickle of the daikon and the kimchi is tasty! read more

My first time ordering from this place and the Pork Belly Bao buns were very tasty. However, the size portion of the Beef Bulgogi Rice that I paid $6.95 for was RIDICULOUSLY SMALL..... I shared a photo with my computer mouse nearby for size reference. Sorry, won't be ordering again read more

Chikin Lickin - Paid $6.95 for this very small portion of Bulgogi Beef Fried Rice! Computer mouse for size reference...... - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

First time here and we will be back! Tender chicken strips and huge chicken wings. Waffle fries were a little lukewarm but still tasty. Super easy to pick the sauce of our choosing when they give you plenty of sample options. We also got the puff boys for dessert and they were yummy. The service was excellent from the counter to the manager. Recommend. read more

It was alright, the fries were stale though. Kind of like when you leave out fries for a while and then it gets hard. The soy garlic chicken was 7/10, but not anything crazy. I also got the bulgogi fries, I would not recommend. I prefer What Dak down the street, but they're a bit more expensive. Overall, not bad the chicken is good, avoid the fries, personally wouldn't make another 30 min drive here again though. read more

We were in from out of town will check this place out. They couldn't have been happier with our first visit. Service was excellent. Very informal and helpful. Going over the menu and explaining all the different options and letting us sample the sauces that were all amazing! Will definitely be back. read more

Chikin Lickin - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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The food and service were great! We ordered to go and they initially forgot one of our items so they called us back and gave us 2 extra Korean corn dogs. So nice! However, they still forgot one of our items so I STRONGLY recommend checking your to go order before leaving. read more

Food was great good service nice people the fries had really good seasoning so did the chicken.

The food, service, and ambiance of Chikin Lickin was absolutely outstanding and my meal was scrumptious! I really liked how clean the location was and the food was super well seasoned! Very happy, would recommend! read more

Chikin Lickin - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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The bibimbap was an absolute melt-in-your mouth yum fest! This sweet, tart, and crispy dish hits you just right. Full of flavor but not too spicy. Next time, I'll be adding the egg on top! read more

Absolutely loved the chicken strips and fried rice. Will be returning to try other menu items. read more

Chikin Lickin - Garlic soy chicken tenders and kimchi fried rice - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

Went during opening week and the staff was still fairly new to their POS system. But really great food. Staff was also really attentive. I was only allowed to order one sauce for the combo meal and it definitely was not enough for this portion of 8 wings and 4 tenders. But a staff member was able to provide 2 other sauces for me which were real tasty. Definitely worth a try. read more

Chikin Lickin - Combo #1 - wings and tenders with two sides. - Korean Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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Yummy chicken and friendly staff, reasonable prices. They have some Korean food but also a lot of standard American fare; chicken wings, chicken tenders, waffle fries. The chicken was very fresh and juicy. They have a nice set of sauces to choose from with different spice levels. I hope they can succeed at this location. The staff is much friendlier than the (now closed) R Taco crew LOL. read more