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    Uncle Chicken

    4.2 (40 reviews)

    Uncle Chicken Photos

    UNCLE CHICKEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Uncle Chicken

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    10 Wings
    Ray S.

    It appears that I was the only customer. There was a banner on the outside that said "Soft Opening". I decided to give it a try. The shop was nice and appeared clean. I don't remember the previous incarnation. Please get more supplies so that coleslaw doesn't get over the wings. I drove less than 15 minutes away and it made my wings very soggy and inedible. I was underwhelmed by the few bites of the chicken that I had. The batter and seasoning were not good just the former Korean chicken place. More than $20 for ten wings is a bit pricey. I would rather take my business to Bonchon where the food is consistently good and to go orders are properly packaged.

    Front of the store
    Jason N.

    Soft opening. Ordered to go...Chicken and fries appear to be air fried which is nice. Chicken has a nice crisp, seasond well. Fries, a little saltier than I'd like but with the sauce and slaw, it pairs well. Over heard a customer asked if the chicken and fries are gluten free, the staff said yes. (Please verify yourself). Rice with Furikake is good, can taste the sesame and aroma tells you it's quality season, at least for me. Didn't like that they didn't put a lid on the slaw container, the soy garlic sauce container was sitting in it. The Soy garlic sauce has a sweetness to it, hint of soy and garlic. A little goes a long way Soda is a can, not fountain drink. Nothing wrong with it. It's more for people's info and expectations. I'd come again to try their sando and other things the have on the menu for sure. It's nice to have more options in the area.

    Soy garlic wings
    Corinna W.

    I was craving for some Korean fried chicken so i decided to order take out from this new place. It's been under new management several times and wanted to see if it's better than the last place. I just ordered some soy garlic wings and it was good. It was fried perfectly and was tasty. I felt it was sweeter than I had liked but it did satisfy my craving. This order also came with coleslaw which was fine but I would have preferred the pickled daikon or radish that other Korean fried chicken places give. I do want this place to succeed so I would like to return so I can try other items.

    Backside of Menu
    Trieu P.

    Uncle Chicken is a Korean fried chicken restaurant. They also have other dishes to order as well. I came during their soft opening on a Saturday at lunchtime and there was no customers. I was intrigued by the chicken sando window sign. The woman working offered samples of the different sauce offerings they had. Out of the favors I preferred the Savory Red. My Chicken Sando in Savory Red also came with seasoned fries was very good. I also liked the quirky vibe of the decor and music. I saw alcohol in a display fridge. I will come back for the wings since that's what the menu featured the most.

    Party Combo

    So good! Justin was so friendly in helping decide what was best. We got a party combo and extra wings for a party of 6 and were stuffed. All the flavors were great but garlicky soy and savory red are crowd favorites. Definitely coming back again and 100% recommend!

    Breaded Onion Rings (not gluten-free), and two types of wings with slaw - garlic soy and Parmesan.
    Natasha F.

    This is basically the exact same as Calvin's Chicken in La Jolla by the same owners and all - gluten free and absolutely delicious! They have a separate dedicated gluten-free fryer and are familiar with cross-contamination. I'm so glad to have a new location slightly closer to home! This is the third or fourth fried chicken place to take over this same location, so I really really hope that this is the one that sticks!

    Menu
    Sham K.

    I stopped by Uncle Chicken recently after hearing a few good things, and I'm glad I finally made the trip. It's a cozy, clean little spot with a friendly atmosphere and welcoming staff--right from the start, it felt like a place that takes pride in both their food and service. Now, onto the star of the show: the wings. I ordered 4, and to my surprise, they gave me 6--always a great way to win someone over. The wings were incredibly crispy on the outside, with a satisfying crunch that didn't feel greasy or heavy. Inside, they were juicy and tender, with every bite packed with that rich, deep umami flavour that's so signature to Korean fried chicken. It's clear they know what they're doing in the kitchen. That said, while the wings were definitely delicious, they didn't quite have that wow factor that would push the experience into 5-star territory for me. I expected the food to taste the way it did for the price I paid--solid, high-quality, but not particularly memorable or unique. There wasn't that one standout element that made me think, "I've never had anything like this before." Still, the food hit the spot, and it was cooked really well. The portion sizes are a little on the smaller side, especially compared to some other wing places, but they're still satisfying. For reference, the wings are about the same size as what you'd get at Wingstop. But where Uncle Chicken stands out is in the variety. They've got more than just wings and tenders, and I'm genuinely excited to come back and explore the rest of the menu. It feels like one of those spots that rewards repeat visits. Overall, I'm giving Uncle Chicken a strong 4 stars. I know a lot of people have rated it 5 stars--and I can definitely see why--but I don't hand out 5-star reviews easily. For me, a perfect score means something truly exceptional or unforgettable. Uncle Chicken came very close. The food was delicious, the service was great, and I'm genuinely looking forward to coming back and trying more of what they have to offer. With a bit more of a unique twist or standout flavour, it could absolutely get there. Still, this place is more than worth a visit--and one I'll happily return to.

    Séamus Ó.

    Formerly Padadak and Spicy Chicken & Tomato, this location is making a third attempt to serve tasty Korean fried chicken. I think the placement, along the west end of the Vons shopping center along Scripps Poway Parkway, may disadvantage this place, which serves up really tasty items that's well-prepared/packaged for takeout. Parking is easy and plentiful, and the service is very friendly. We hope this place has better foot traffic going forward, and local businesses like this deserve to succeed.

    Uncle Chicken has the best fried chicken in the area. Their wings are crispy and the flavors are perfect. If you get a meal, they give you a ton of fries. I forgot to take a picture, but it was plenty. We got a meal and wings only which was plenty. It was also a Friday so it was buy one get one beer free! They have 2 sizes. A normal pint and a double that were both buy one get one. The server was so nice he delivered the food and beer to us and kept checking up on us. When we ran low on beer he asked if we wanted another Bogo, but we were so full we couldn't. I am craving wings as I type this. Go support a local SD business.

    Plain tenders and Sweet Potato Fries
    Eloisa M.

    Best chicken tenders I've ever had, and I'm a picky eater. The sweet potato fries were really good. Nice and friendly staff. Highly recommended!

    Tender Box
    Andy N.

    The kind cashier, presumably the owner, recommended me the devil garlic sauce after I asked about their spiciest one first. The tender box came out in just a few minutes and I also got my own ketchup bottle which was pretty convenient! The tenders were juicy, fries were crispy, rice was just enough, and I really like their version of coleslaw! The sauce wasn't spicy at all though, so I'm definitely coming back to try their spiciest one. Only small gripe was that there wasn't any music playing though, just whatever was on the TV at the time or dead silence.

    Front of store. Currently in soft opening phase.

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    1 year ago

    Good Fried Chicken Wings! Pricey and small portions need more cheap or good deal for me to come back!

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    2 years ago

    Really really good! I liked the furikake and soy garlic wings. The fries and onion rings were really good too!

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    1 year ago

    Very good service and the food was great. Good selection of drinks and flavor options as well as sides.

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    1 year ago

    Yummy flavors and good value for money. Order more than you want, and take the leftovers to reheat later.

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    Ask the Community - Uncle Chicken

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    Choi's - Birria vampiro

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    I'm not too sure what happened to this place, but unfortunately it went down hill. Maybe a new chef…read moreand new management? We came back and ordered the crispy chicken again since we enjoyed it last time and also the birria sandwich which was new. The chicken tasted nothing like before and the flavors were all wrong. The birria sandwich was completely inedible- not sure who decided to slap a little bit of meat into this stale burger bun with old smelling cheese and call it a sandwich, but we could not eat it. We had to send back our food and leave unfortunately. Our server was nice about it and let us leave but really sad about this place. Seems like they might've gotten their alcohol license removed as well, so no more alcoholic drinks here either. Overall would definitely not recommend this place. There was a reason there was no one there on a Friday evening for dinner.

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    Dalbam Moon Night - bulgolgi

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    We came here for a table of three on a Saturday evening at exactly 5 PM. It was Labor Day weekend…read more Great center easy to park. Was seated quickly our waitress was very nice and was perfectly tentative. Immediately we enjoyed the vibe. Had all of my favorite K-pop mix. I could've sworn they were playing my Spotify daily mix videos. Menu wasn't huge, but everything that we got was amazing.. Son, husband and I enjoyed all of our dishes. Bossam is a must come again for! Perfectly boiled sliced pork belly that you layer yourself with shredded fresh green onion, sliced raw garlic, strips of kimchi radish, some sort of pickled radish, and a ssamjang sauce. The pork alone was amazing and the portion was huge! We barely made a dent in the platter. The kimchi jjigae stew was sooo good too! The broth was savory, just enough spicy, it has a pork riblet stewed in it that was cooked perfectly. Came out to our table still bubbling.. Takoyaki was pretty standard, but what made it a little extra was that you could tell it actually had two pieces of octopus and each ball most places only have one. It was moist on the inside, but firm on the outside perfect amount of sauce on top. Bulgogi was a good size. Portion flavor was spot on beef with sliced nicely and very tender however, there was nothing outstanding besides the portion. Cheese corn was pretty standard as well, but oddly the corn kernels were very sweet and tender so that was very nice. I couldn't tell if it was fresh corn or frozen corn. I was leaning towards it being fresh corn because the kernels popped very nicely and were so sweet. I'm pretty sure they fooled me and it was frozen corn. The staff was so nice. They gave us an order of fried dumplings on the house. And that was very delicious. We will most likely order this next time. It was a perfect mixture of meat and vegetables. The skin wasn't too thick so it wasn't overly chewy or hard but perfectly crispy. The restaurant is on the smaller side. I can see it getting very packed very quickly. By the time that we left a little after six all the tables were full, and there was a party or two waiting. It was very lively, and although there was only one waitress, she was on point.

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    One of my favorite spots in San Diego so far!…read more Since moving from NYC, I've had pretty high food standards, so I don't say this lightly--SOT BBQ is tied for my favorite restaurant I've tried in San Diego so far! The banchan was really good, and the meat quality was seriously impressive. Everything tasted fresh and high quality. The service was also incredible, especially considering how busy they were. We waited about 45 minutes during peak dinner time, which honestly wasn't bad at all given how packed the restaurant was. And you HAVE to get the cheese fried rice at the end. They use a special type of cookware that makes it look like this giant lid, and the fried rice gets perfectly crispy and cheesy. Such a fun way to finish the meal. I'd highly recommend getting the Prime package and sharing it between four people. Great amount of food, especially if you're getting all the sides and fried rice. Definitely a must-try if you're in San Diego!

    A great Korean bbq spot, have been here three times. The…read moregrill that the food cooks on is exactly what makes it special. Along with fresh kimchi & the bean sprouts that cook on the grill and the meats fat. The cuts of all the meats so far have been pretty good. I always gravitate towards pork belly and they have thick cuts here so it's perfect.

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    Uncle Chicken - korean - Updated September 2026

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