BonChon - Seven Hills, OH

In a little Cleveland suburb, there exists a Korean chicken wings joint that was my father-in-law’s suggestion a few years back. Now, we go almost every time we are in the area. It’s got great food, great cocktails, and an environment that we are okay bringing little sibling-in-laws to.

They sport a menu of choices other than the wings with an appetizer menu full of different Asian small plates such as potstickers and takoyaki. We often use these to help supplement the table of wings and strips we order.

​We went for takoyaki and potstickers as our appetizers. Unlike most potstickers I’ve had before, the shell on these was firm and crunchy all the way around. They glazed them with the garlic soy dipping sauce, providing just the right salinity to compliment the filling. As for the takoyaki, the texture of the inside is an unusual experience for most western palettes. On the outside, it had a gentle crunch. On the inside, the dough was soft and almost melted before chewing into the octopus piece at its center.

Rather than wings, we went for their prepared, thin chicken strips in case the youngest members of the party might be interested. They were not, but that just meant that there was more for the rest of us. We had both sauces on the side: garlic soy and spicy. And my god, that spicy sauce. I had a pretty gnarly cold at the time, and the deep red, oily sauce helped to clear my sinuses. It wasn’t just hot. It was full of flavor that made the burn well worth it.

BonChon has locations all over the country, some of which are not full fledged restaurants like the one in Seven Hills. We saw one in Philadelphia while we were there for PAX Unplugged, but we didn’t pop in for a visit. If you’re looking for a casual place to try Korean Style fried chicken, this is a good spot to keep in mind during your travels.