A successful visit to Ttobongee in 2021. I read some comments about the food here being "overpriced" (we are in a tourist spot, isn't this the case for everything? Also 9.5% sales tax, and food even more expensive in Carmel) and that rice or other dishes are not offered with the main dishes. Yet the quality of the fried chicken is very high and side dishes (including carbs) are available for purchase. Like I mentioned in previous reviews, the fried chicken stays crisp even after a 20 min drive. Today I also got the chance to meet the owner. He is a friendly and hospitable. Definitely one of my favorite places in Monterey county and will be back. read more

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If you like Korean food, this is the best spot. They have great crispy chicken and spicy tteokbokki. Also the beers are absolutely refreshing and good. The staffs and the owner are very friendly and accommodating especially "Stan". Service is fast and good. read more

Ttobongee - Beers and Soju - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

I haven't had Korean fried chicken since I visited Korea last summer. LET ME JUST SAY, this place exceeded my expectation. The flavor and crunchiness Highly highly recommend if you're craving some chicken! We ordered the yang nyum and jalapeño fried chicken, with a side order of onion rings read more

Ttobongee - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

This place is incredible. If we order in I make a gojuchang based dipping sauce for the original, but the other flavors don't need anything. The chicken is never too dry or soggy, and the flavors feel authentically Korean. Thank you Ttobongee! read more

This place is the best!!!! Don't remember what I had but I did get the boneless chicken and of course soju and beer. freakin JMT!!!! You gotta try this place and enjoy it with the drinks. It's hella good. It won't disappoint you. Went back today and it was sooo delicious!!!! I got their rice cake soup which I ordered extra spicy! But it wasn't as spicy as I have had it in Korea but still delicious!!!! And I got the green onion chicken which of course is freaking amazing!!! read more

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Best KFC (Korean fried chicken) in California! This place is a MUST! All their sides are tasty and authentic and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about their menu! I'm really surprised to find this flavor in a very bland city like pacific grove! read more

Ordered the Sodduk Sodduk and the half and half chicken to go. It was all so delicious! The chicken had a nice spice without being too spicy for me. Such good flavor! Friendly staff as well. Plan on coming back for sure! read more

Ttobongee - Sodduk Sodduk - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

the food is good, but the prices aren't properly listed anywhere. i ordered half maip dak and half garlic soy sauce and i was charged $47.

I visited this place last time, and the chicken was overcooked. I also saw blood on the bones, I believe chickens are not fresh and these are pretty much outdated. I will not be visiting again. read more

What a gem!!! We were looking for Korean food so as always, Yelp is the best resource to find honest reviews, so thank you Yelp for helping us find this place. Seating is very limited so 99%of their business is to go orders. There are 4 seats outside over a counter top in front that has propane heaters. We were going to order to go not decided sit outside. We were greeted by the sole server (I'm so sorry, I forgot his name. I think it's Dan). He was very friendly and made us feel at home. Though he was very busy with all the to go orders, he kept checking on us. I ordered the Bulgogi (Pork) and it was absolutely amazing! It was seasoned well, had a little heat and cooked to perfection. The coleslaw was probably one of the best slaw I've tasted. By wife ordered the Bi-bim-bap, which was also very food. Lastly, we ordered some fried wings (traditional), which we devoured since it was so good! We highly recommend this place. If it's not too cold, stick around and eat outside otherwise order to go. Also, please note that parking is a bit limited, so you may have to go around a few times to find a slot since there are a few restaurants in the complex all of which has 4 or more star rating. Found a new favorite in Pacific Grove. We will be back! read more

Ttobongee is a breath of fresh air in the fried chicken department here in Monterey/ Pacific Grove area. The staff is so friendly and the chicken is SPECTACULAR- the flavors are tasty and different. The chicken as perfectly crunchy and juicy at the same time. The chicken is a little more on the pricey side. But it's worth it for sure read more

Ttobongee - Soy Sauce & Garlic Chicken (Spicy) Green Onion Chicken - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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I think 3.5 stars would be a better estimate. The chicken is really yummy & additive, truely a finger licking good experience! We ordered jap chae to go along with it & while tasty, not really the kind of jap chae I'm used to. The noodles were the very skinny vermicell-type noodles used in a Chinese dish, not the thicker yam noodles, and it had stir fried veggies & not so tasty beef in it. It was lacking any sesame oil flavor. So the jap chae was a bit of a let down. Would I go back? yeah, the chicken is worth a return, but maybe just get rice to go with it. And a full order of the chicken is $33, not cheap. read more

Ttobongee - Chicken #2 $$33 - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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My sister and I stopped by on 6/27 for take out and I will tell you our expectations did not disappoint, they were exceeded! If you've never had Korean fried chicken, go here! (Everything I ate reminded me of when I visited Korea) Customer service: Too keep it short, the customer service alone would make us go back. Just for ordering take out, we felt so welcomed like we made a new friend. Jay (the owner) greeted us and helped take our order. He made friendly conversation and was just helpful in general from beginning to end. He even wanted to make sure all our food stayed as fresh as it could be for our drive home. It was the kind of customer service you wish to have going anywhere. Food: We ordered a variety amount of chicken (ttobongee orginal, yang ngum, soy sauce & garlic, and green onion) all VERY GOOD! The bias favorite though was the green onion. We also had sodduk sodduk, dduk bok gi, and shrimp chips. All yummy! And of course had some soju along with our food. Our family who we brought the food home to were also impressed with how good everything was! We're excited to go back already, bring friends & fam, to have more chicken and try out everything else on the menu! read more

Ttobongee - ttobongee original chicken , yang ngum, soy sauce & garlic, green onion, sodduk sodduk, dduk bok gi, shrimp chips, soju - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

I was looking around for korean chicken and found the perfect place! This place is fairly new and they have great variety of menu to choose from. Very delicious korean chicken. We ordered half and half chicken and jab chae it was very delicious. Staff was very friendly and it didn't take long to get the food to go. Highly recommend! read more

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I recently finished Crash Landing on You on Netflix and it really made me crave Korean fried chicken and soju so I thought I'd swing by here because 1. Fried chicken, duh! And 2. I couldn't find soju anywhere in town, not even at a Korean grocery store! Luckily, Ttobongee had everything I needed! And! The man was sooo friendly and personable that he even gave me free shot glasses as a gift! Sooo sweet! Also, this chicken is bomb. I'm so happy right now. read more

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Ttobongee Chicken is their "plain" fried chicken flavor on the menu. Ordering a half combo of any of their chicken gives you 3 wings and 6 drums. Upon picking up my order and before eating, the smell of the chicken was very similar to the classic rotisserie chicken you find at costco. I was a bit surprised because I was expecting popeyes/kfc vibes but it could just be my inexperience with trying korean fried chicken. Overall the chicken was flavored well and despite being the original flavor, I could still barely detect a slight spice to it. The crispness of the chicken is more on the light side but each bite was still satisfying read more

Ttobongee - Ttobongee Chicken (orginal fried chicken) half combo, 3 wings and 6 drums. - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Ordered the Half & Half combo to-go two days ago (Original and Yang Nyum I believe) and was amazed! I never would've thought I'd find a Korean fried chicken spot in PG of all places--a delicious one at that! Even after sitting in a takeout container for some time, the chicken was still hot and crispy. I love that the chicken comes with pickled radishes that complement the meal so well, seasoning packets and cute three-finger gloves for mess-free eating. The original chicken was well-seasoned, crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. The yang nyum sauce was the perfect amount of sweet and spicy topped with scallions and sesame seeds. Order with a side of rice for the ultimate treat. The owners are also super friendly and are a pleasure to talk to. If you've never had Korean style fried chicken before, this is the perfect place to try it! read more

Ttobongee - Half & Half Combo - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Small place, good for drinks and small plates. The chicken is wonderfully crunchy and flavorful! And the service is fast and friendly. We usually get pick up but it's still hot hot and tasty when we get it home read more

Order take out and went to the beach with some Awesome half and half chicken . The food was still good after it got cold :) read more

Currently, this new Korean fried chicken spot is doing their soft opening. Ordered the original fried chicken (wings) and the chicken fried rice. Chicken wings were hot, fresh, crispy, and well seasoned. The chicken fried rice had a great balance of veggies and chicken. They used delicious sticky rice and topped it off with a fried egg. Due to Covid-19, they're offering takeout only. Place is super clean and they give you hand sanitizer throughout ordering and picking up. Great customer service; if you wait in your car they will bring it out to you. Although it is a little pricey, I will definitely be back for more! read more

Ttobongee - Original Fried Chicken - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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Food is good. We ordered k honey chicken with sauce on the side for my son but they gave us spicy chicken. When we told them, the guy was like 'ohh' and looked at kitchen won't change anything or said anything after and didn't come back to check on us. Not even said sorry for wrong order. read more

Excellent food! We called in our order for takeout, and it was quick, hot, and delicious. The crispy fried chicken is among the best I've ever had. The original is still spicy, but it's definitely tolerable for someone like me who is a real wuss when it comes to spicy food. And we really loved the jab chae, fried mandoo, and sodduk sodduk. Don't expect it to be a cheap meal. Their food is pricey, but it's worth it. Items are sized for family style eating, and for the three of us, we got 2 meals each out of it (we ordered 2 half orders of chicken). read more

As there are not a lot of KFC options in the Monterey area, it's easy to crown Ttobongee as the best. We tried the classic, garlic soy, and yang nyum. All were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. My personal favorite was the garlic soy. Overall, everything that we ordered was good and it hits the spot when you're craving KFC and there is not a Ktown in site. We made our order for pickup and, unfortunately, they forgot to include the japchae which we didn't realize until we got back. The manager was nice and able to rush an order through and we picked it up 5 minutes later. An honest oversight and a great response to accommodate. read more

Great local spot for Korean fried chicken! I ordered the Yang Nyum chicken wings, and Bibimbap from their speciality menu. The wings are to die for here, they're savory, juicy, and marinated thoroughly in the sauce of your choice. The Bibimbap was very delicious, it was full of flavor and it was clear in the taste that the ingredients were freshly prepared. My only wish is that it was Dolsot Bibimbap instead. read more

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Delicious fried chicken. We're finding a lot of good eats in Monterey and are quite happy about that! We ordered the whole fried chicken and half soy garlic. We actually enjoy it when the chicken/wings are the smaller ones because they taste better in our opinion. The whole fried chicken was fried really nicely, and I like how they know to let it air out so it doesn't get soggy. The soy garlic, at first seemed like it wouldn't be saucy enough, but was perfect. It was a combo of wings and drum. The kimchee was perfectly fermented to our liking, who knows if they actually make their own, and the pickled radishes tasted good too. We thought a whole chicken and half was more than enough, it was JUST enough, but we could have probably gotten another half. FATTIES. Definitely check them out if you're in the area! Super nice and I like how some reviews mention CLOY. HEHE. read more

We were visiting in the area and Yelp led us to Ttobongee. The restaurant itself is not very big with a few inside tables and a few tables outside. The vibe is busy, but the man (who I assumed to be manager/owner) was friendly and welcoming and I observed those around me seemingly enjoying themselves between food, drinks, and conversations. We decided to take our order to go due to a fussy baby who's bedtime was nearing. We ordered #3 (Half original and half yang nyum) and jap chae. The chicken had a very delicious crisp to it (even after the 15 minute drive). I really liked the yang nyum sauce which is a sweet chili sauce. The yang nyum had all the flavors and textures that I crave in KFC (Korean Fried Chicken, not the other KFC). Definitely recommend it for anyone as the go to dish. I wished I had ordered the galbi or spicy chicken instead of the original because the original felt a little boring. The jap chae was very good as well and a really filling portion. It made a great side dish to our chicken. Always a pleasure to find a small business to support while in town! read more

I was really happy with my experience at this place. The services was amazing and the staff was very accommodating. The food was really great too! I would definitely come back if I was ever back in town. read more

Ttobongee - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Everything is so good. Friendly Staff and the place is clean. The owner is really nice. I love the galbi chicken soy and garlic chicken, kimchi fried rice and the dokboki (don't know how to spell lol). would definitely recommend and come back! read more

Ttobongee - korean chicken! so good! - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

I don't think this is a legit Ttobongee anymore. The quality was so bad that I honestly won't go back ever again. Our half and half was all wings, drumettes, and a couple of regular legs. It is supposed to be cut up pieces of the whole chicken. The change in French fries is also obvious and were served cold. Unbelievable. Never going back and that's a shame because I really love yang nyum chicken that I used to eat in Korea. **Edited to remove reference to food source speculation, but i stand by what I said above that the fries and regular fried chicken taste different from when you first opened. read more

Before I go into the review NOTE: This place is small and very popular, so expect a wait! Be nice to the employees because they are slammed and working very hard to make delicious wings. I was visiting from out of town and this place did not disappoint. I got the jalapeño sauce and the yang nyum sauce they were amazing. I like spicy so the jalapeño was perfect, the yang nyum was on the sweeter side so it balanced out the meal. The wait staff was very nice and accommodating. They give out finger gloves so you don't get dirty when eating, which is so thoughtful! Loved this place and it was worth the minor wait. read more

Their selection of fried chicken wings is fantastic across the board. The saucier flavors are by far the best bet - Yang Nyum, Galbi, Garlic, etc. The chicken might be a little pricey, but you won't find anything as unique and good as this within an hour's drive. Worth it. The dduk bok gi is light on gochujang (paste) and heavy on the peppers - very spicy! This place is a hidden gem on the peninsula. read more

Was excited to try since i love the places in SJ that do Korean sttle fried chicken. I ordered the lunch combo which the owner recomended. The Bulgogi was terrible not even bulgogi really grey meat slivers with onions and a tiny portion. Then three verrrry small wings all drummettes and NOT AUTHENTIC Korean tasting at all. This was a huge let down and i wasnt even full by the end. Came with scoop of rice and coleslaw wtf. Why why why. Could have had a little kimchi at least but coleslaw!? I paid $16 and the portion was sad. Litterally like 4 total oz of meat thank god for the rice... Who is rating it so high? They must have a huge family. Worst experience in a while. read more

We got the 6 piece yang Nyum sauce fried chicken with a side of rice because we were craving some chicken, came to pick to pick it up during dinner time was really fast and smooth. It was really delicious and the sauce was flavorful, it went really well with soju and soda on the side! Definitely a must try read more

Ttobongee - Yang Nyum Chicken (Medium Spicy) - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

I went to this place with a coworker who also happens to be a chef and had a great time. We both loved the food here. We had two different types of fried chicken and the kimchi. Best food we have had in a long time. Chef is always on the look out for how clean the place is and we could see right into the kitchen from where we were eating. He couldn't find one bad thing to say about the place.We couldn't stop talking about it. We plan on making this a regular place to eat at. If you want great food; you found the place. read more

The fried chicken is good and the honey mustard flavor is my favorite. The fried rice is good. They have a good menu. read more

Ttobongee - Menu - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Love this place! There is no place in Monterey county that makes chicken as great as Ttobongee! Flavors are perfect and the Spicy flavors are amazing. read more

I have ordered takeout from this restaurant over 10x since moving to Monterey last year. The customer service is incredible! The owner and server Stan, both have personally helped me carry my order into my car. The food is delicious. If I could give more than 5 stars I would! I highly recommend trying the original ttobongee chicken if it's your first time! The sodduk sodduk is a great side/appetizer - sweet&spicy! (I added a picture of their new menu as they added vegan and specials options) read more

Ttobongee - menus - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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Excellent good, had the jalapeño chicken wings, go bol hi Korean beef and Kim chi rice all the dishes were delicious. Great, griendly service, reasonable prices too. read more

Really incredible fried chicken! Worth coming to Pacific Grove for! I love the boneless, all the flavors are excellent. One might be inclined to get cheaper chicken somewhere else like Wingstop or Buffalo Wild Wings, but they'd be making a mistake! The breading is very light and well done here! Not like cheaper chains where it's overly-breaded and poorly-fried! Randomly ordered French fries here and they were some of the best I've had too. Also loved the kimchi and other pickled vegetable. read more

Coming from the Bay Area, I didn't expect to find such amazing Korean fried chicken. The outside was perfectly crispy and saucy, and the inside was perfectly juicy and tender. Definitely one of the best Korean fried chicken places I've ever had! read more

Ttobongee - Soy Sauce & Garlic Chicken (Spicy) - Korean Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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