Solid place for a casual bite and hang out. It's been a while since I had Bonchon and we waited until Happy Hour on a Sunday during Boba Day to order. Thankfully it wasn't super busy and we ordered a variety of food thanks to the Happy Hour menu. Food came out quickly and was fresh and more than we anticipated. The staff checked in on us many times which was nice of them. The onion rings were really crispy and the bulgogi fries were indulgent. Personally I like the chicken wings more than the chicken strips which were huge but drier due to it being chicken breast. The Soy Garlic wings were a tad too salty for me. read more

First time back in many years. Got takeout for the big game. The K-Meal to Go for 4-6 was plenty of food for at least 4 adults. Both the soy garlic and classic crunch were solid with the former being sweeter. The MoPo corn dog didn't have any meat, which was a bit surprising, just a mozzarella center. If you think of it more as a mozzarella stick with cornbread, it's quite tasty. The japchae was okay. Overall, a solid place for Korean fried chicken! read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

I came with my husband and friends, and each couple got the Seoul Sampler which is a fantastic deal! $33 for a bunch of different food! The chicken had good crunch and flavor. We got the yangnyeom sauce which had a good kick (perfect spice level). The potstickers were mid. Bulgogi fries were crispy. Corn was great. We aren't fans of coleslaw (who the heck is??) so we got a side of the pickled radish which was great. This place isn't the cleanest but it's a sort of fast food chain haha so....service was also pretty absent. What do you expect haha. Overall, it was a solid and quick meal! read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Seoul Sampler - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

THIS IS ONE WORST CHICKEN SPOT HERE IN SAN MATEO!!! We waited for 1HOUR AND 15mins just for a fried chicken!!!! worst service and the servers are chitchating on the side!!! ver disappointed!!!!!!!!DONT GO HERE!!!!!! read more

Food is always good! I love the different flavors! We tried the Korean flavor last time and it was pretty good but a little messy! It's still kinda pricey but we always just take the leftovers to go and split it for lunch the next day! We love getting the garlic fries as an appetizer bc it's so crunchy and tastey! I love how it's very spacious and always clean! Other than that the service is quick and they are very attentive! read more

I haven't had Bonchon for a while. The last time I had it was in the Philippines and I really enjoyed this experience. I was surprised with the new sampler that they ordered. It was tasty and it had a good variety of dishes-- it was definitely enough for me and my boyfriend The place was definitely empty compared to all the other stores along San Mateo but it's a good fix if you're hungry and looking for quick bite. Not much going on, but they did play a Marvel movie in the background, which is pretty cool. read more

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Came here on a Tuesday for their 15 wings for $1 deal (offered Mondays and Tuesdays). We picked the Crunch flavor for the deal -- no sauce, just seasoning. Honestly, the flavor reminded me of an onion ranch chip. Not totally my thing, but the wings were massive, super crispy, and juicy. If you're into pure crunch and texture, you'll probably love them. We also ordered 16 more wings -- half in Korean Spicy and half in Soy Garlic. The Soy Garlic was easily my favorite -- sweet, salty, and perfectly coated. Korean Spicy was flavorful. The real standout of the night? The bulgogi fries. Absolutely phenomenal -- cheesy, savory, and loaded with tender bulgogi. Total comfort food. Overall, a great spot for crispy wings and shareable plates. Definitely worth checking out early in the week for that $1 deal -- just make sure you balance it with some saucy wings and those unforgettable fries. read more

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Food All the same standard quality you'd expect out of any BonChon chain restaurants Service Satisfactory Ambiance Plenty of seats, unclear if we had a trash can or to clean up, we left as is and was fine. read more

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We dropped by here for lunch. I wish I can say this was good but it was just ok. For some reason the Boneless chicken was not double fried. It tastes like what Panda Express does but panda's is crunchier. The sauce was also skimpy. Someone at our party had the chicken burger and he said it did not have any breading. The fries were the only crispy thing on the menu. I prefer the ssf location read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Spacious restaurant with lots of seating and no wait at all. If you are starving and need food right away, this is a good option. The server was very attentive as well and checked on us every 15-20 minutes. The chicken were very large pieces and is fried very well. It definitely has the satisfying crunch. However, the soy garlic flavor does taste different from what I remember when they first opened. Not sure if it is just this San Mateo location or if it's all local Bonchons. If I were to describe it, the chicken tasted like fancy Korean chicken from a restaurant before but tastes more like chicken from a chain now. The tacos also tasted different from before but overall flavors aren't bad. read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Bulgogi tacos - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I LOVE THIS CHICKEN!!! Not a whole lot going on scenery wise but the staff is always friendly. Pretty basic on the inside but any flavor of the crispy, juicy, chicken pairs nicely with the pickled turnips. They could use some work on the seating and atmosphere. Nevertheless, definitely a good go to! read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Simple seating. Not a whole lot. - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The place gets very packed have been coming to this location for about a year now. Parking is harsh and it is located in a busy area. The chicken is hands down so fuxxxn good and they make it perfect. The Korean street corn is okay not too bad,coleslaw I don't really like but I do substitute it with the sweet pickled radishes which is so much better, Bulgogi Fries are super delicious with some spicy mayo dipping, Pork Potstickers are always fire I order also a side of white rice to eat with my meal. I love coming here a lot but last time I came the cashier was a little rude wasn't the same server I normally get I didn't catch her name will keep recommending this spot and will continue to come back. read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

One of my favorite for korean fried chicken from a chain restaurant. Super crispy skin and good flavor. Last time we shared the large mixed with sides of coleslaw between three people. We had three drumsticks to take home but the rest was gobbled up. We did half soy garlic and Korean bbq. Soy garlic is always a favorite. We also ordered potstickers. They're deep fried and delicious. We're not trying to be healthy. Just enjoy it. This time we sat down to eat and enjoyed a few beers. We were sold on the cool matte labels but the beer wasn't bad either. A perfect pairing with fried chicken. Good thing we don't have a bonchon closer to our house. We would order a lot more fried chicken. read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Large Mixed - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

We ordered the medium boneless chicken with half soy garlic and half korean bbq to-go and ate it at home. Why did we pay almost $40 for this? We have been to this Bonchon location before for takeout and we've ordered the boneless every time, it didn't always look like this. These pieces are so small, and I wish I took a picture of it but when you bite in and take a look at the meat, it doesn't even look like meat. You can physically see tiny fibers in the bites that look fuzzy. The meat texture itself is a bit tough and hard to chew. There was zero difference in the flavor profile of the two sauces we got, everything looked and tasted exactly the same. I don't know what happened but unfortunately I'm not interested in coming back to this Bonchon location until something is done about the quality of their boneless chicken pieces. These are unironically the worst chicken nuggets I have ever eaten and with the price I paid I could have gotten like 140 mcnuggets, AND the sauce would have tasted better. Just saying. read more

Bonchon San Mateo - boneless soy garlic & korean bbq - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

Bonchon chicken always hits the spot! When I came here, I asked for a custom order and the waitress made sure that the custom order was correct. I appreciate the kindness and effort of the waitress. She was very attentive. Usually when I come here, I would order the half and half chicken. read more

My friend and I ordered fried chicken from this place for the first time. We weren't sure which flavor to pick, so we chose half red sauce and half soy sauce with coleslaw. The outside of the chicken was flavorful, The inside was juicy soft, and still very warm. I was a little worried the chicken would be soggy because we're located far up the hill from the restaurant, and we used a delivery app to order our food. The chicken was delivered in 35 minutes and was properly packed. The box had several holes, which allowed for airflow, keeping the food fresh and warm. It was the perfect late-night weekend meal. Very delicious! read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Half & half wings and legs - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

Good carry out option to satisfy that chicken wing crave. The staff is responsive and welcoming. While the wings are good, they are over priced for what you get. Overall, a good. Wing option in San Mateo. read more

Gosh, I wish I saw the review from just 4 days ago commenting on the boneless chicken. That would have deterred me from ordering from here!! We got 12 pieces of the boneless chicken (were these previously called boneless chicken strips?? Bc now they are just called "boneless"). Menu price is $17.50. Can you believe the size of these?? They're so tiny that they look like chicken nuggets or chicken meatballs. And the chicken was dry too. All around, very disappointing and a complete rip off. We haven't been to Bonchon in years and were excited to get this tonight for dinner, but it was a complete failure tonight. read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Boneless chicken - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Edit: Back to one star, just got the the bottom of my box, giant curly hair chilling there, Jesus Christ. I'm bald and live alone, so...thanks for that. Back off the table for another year or two, or maybe I'll just go to a different store. Ok here we are, a year later, and actually. Good update, I had a craving looked for other places in the area and decided it was time to give this a try again. This most recent batch I got, was decent. Breading still there sauce still on point, I'm surprisingly the pieces were all pretty uniform. I didn't get any 1 mm wide, banana run over by a car pieces like I did the previous visits. Pricing is still absurd, I'll never go back to this again weekly as I used to but maybe a couple times a year is on the cards now. Very possible I just got a s***** batch last time, and or possible I got a really good batch this time who knows. Have to go back again in a month or two to see if the consistency is maintained. Still not a great deal, but with the jump in quality, I'd rate it a decent deal. I like the new boxes but for gods sake, stop stuffing a bunch of "crispy" chicken into a box with no ventilation. Yeah you got two little holes on the side but, steamed rises. Put a few holes in the top, if you ask anybody if they want warm crispy chicken or hot soggy chicken, it's not a competition. First thing I do when I pick up my order before I even walk out of the shop is pull open the top, but nothing 30 seconds in the air fryer when I get home won't fix. I'm due for a return to have it in restaurant I'm sure it's that much better. Cheers. read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

First time ever trying Bonchon. Amazing! First, the staff was very friendly and helpful explaining the menu and kept us from over ordering. We had soy garlic potstickers, epic. I only ever want these from now on, anywhere I go. We also had the wings and drumsticks, Korean BBQ and Yangneom flavors. Both flavors were great and not overpowering and the chicken was cooked to perfection. We also had fries which were crispy without asking, nice touch. We had to try the Korean donuts for dessert, not too sweet, just right to finish off the meal. The restaurant was clean and smelled clean. We are from out of town, so this was a nice find. We know that we will be back, next time we come through this way. read more

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Soy garlic is my favorite for life!! Prompt service, go for the Monday/Tuesday special pricing.

If you'd like to see both inflation and "enshittifcation" at its finest, look no further. Bonchon chicken strips have become so small that they are just not worth it anymore. See photos. In 2021, I paid $36.45 for a rounded over container of giant, delicious chicken strips that were made fresh at the restaurant and could feed a large party. In 2024, I paid $46.99 for a half-filled box of some tiny, previously-frozen bites. At first, I thought they accidentally gave me fries. They are that small. I used to love Bonchon but I probably need to find a better place to get fried chicken. It's just so disappointing now. --- Responding to the canned response below: I do not appreciate that Bonchon is trying to protect their corporate reputation by implying this is the fault of the individual franchise location. This is a corporate change that is affecting all locations and needs to be addressed at the corporate level. read more

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Our go to place for fried chicken. I get the garlic flavor, tried the spicy and it was too spicy. The garlic drumsticks with gochujang is worth the trip to San Mateo. We've had some of the other dishes, I like the bibinbap, but fried chicken and beer is what calls everything we are near 4Th and B. Lots of space indoors because San Mateo can be cold, and the service is quick. read more

Bonchon has always been my favorite spot for Korean fried chicken. Last night, we ordered a large order of wings, which used to be 30 pieces but has now been reduced to 24. That's understandable. As usual, we got half spicy and half soy garlic. However, I was disappointed to find that the wings didn't taste the same. I enjoy spicy food, but the wings last night were unbearably hot. After just one, I couldn't eat more because the heat was overwhelming in an unpleasant way. My kids also mentioned that the soy garlic tasted different. I hope it was just an off night for Bonchon because the quality shouldn't drop while the prices go up. I hope they improve the quality and introduce some exciting new flavors or promotions to entice customers to give them another try. read more

Do not eat here. We ordered a spicy $50 tender box and the driest, soggy weirdly flavored crap showed up at our door. Will not be ordering ever again. I paid $70 for this meal. Doordash refunded me $5. read more

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Bulgogi Udon was great. Wings r great and crispy. Chicken sandwhich had way too much chicken and didn't taste the coleslaw. Messed up our order and let us order the happy hour menu on a holiday and then when we got our order, it was missing the happy hour things so we asked where they were and THEN they told us they couldn't do happy hour menu during holidays. So we had to wait even longer to order something else. The fried zucchini was way too fried and I did not enjoy the flavor of the seasoning. read more

Wow, so I used to eat fairly regularly at Bonchon for a while. It's been about a year since I ate it, and I had Bonchon from the Sunnyvale location, which I think is the best location. The portions used to be big, I understand inflation and shrinking sizes, but I don't understand popcorn chicken size chicken for $36... this was 20 pieces. We just ordered from this location, and it was disappointing. I ate at Bonchon just about a year ago, and the sizes were more than twice this size for the same price. Von's has literally chicken that's twice this size and is slightly cheaper. I just moved from South Bay back to the Peninsula, and it sucks that I'll have to drive down to South Bay just to get decent Korean fried chicken. I'm sad I did not read the recent reviews for this particular location. Hopefully, management can fix this location because it's sad to see decent food drop so low... read more

Bonchon San Mateo - $36, 20-piece popcorn chicken (boneless chicken). - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

DO NOT EAT HERE. The food is disgusting. This place is so dirty and service is horrible, plus a mandatory tip even when the owner and employees are so rude. Can you at least clean the bathroom, clean the floor and make sure the plates are clean and stop giving an attitude to customers. If so, then you can get a tip. The chicken was very greasy, had lots of MSG, and they really skimped on the sauce. The sides were even worse, disgusting. Try any other chicken place in san mateo such as fire wings next door where they also have korean fried chicken. Employees are much nicer than and the restaurant is much cleaner plus better food and no tipping needed. read more

Got the soy garlic, and the skin was nice and crunchy. Fries were also really crispy. I'd come back when the craving hits again read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Chicken drumsticks - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

Doesn't miss! Love downtown San Mateo and all the places to eat at, and definitely enjoyed visiting Bonchon, too. This is a chain, and they are all pretty much more or less the same from my experience. I really like their korean fried chicken. The other stuff, like the rice dishes and appetizers, are good, but not out of this world. There is parking in a nearby parking garage. read more

The food here is pretty good but two star rating for their online ordering. First, please don't put curbside option on your website if you don't offer it. Bonchon is on the part of the street that is closed off for pedestrians so you can't pull up for pickup. You have to find parking and walk over. Second, our order never went through because one of the items we selected was not available... donuts. Again, if you don't have this item please mark it as sold out so we can't order it. What was frustrating is that if the order can't be fulfilled, it would be nice if the restaurant can call you to tell you or to ask you if you'd like to remove it. Rather than drive over 20 minutes later only to find out they couldn't start your order and wait another 20 minutes for them to make your food. It negates the convenience of ordering ahead. I appreciate that they tried to offer a replacement item but you're better off calling in an order if you are on a time crunch like we were. I totally get that app ordering and technology can make things quicker but it's really starting to affect service at food establishments across the board I find. read more

Service by Yenifer was great! She was very attentive while multitasking , always with a smile on her face. I would come back here just get that type of service. My husband loved the wings, I enjoyed the street corn and my son devoured the strips, while complaining about the spiciness read more

Uh...no way are the prices justifiable by the amount of food you get. I'm annoyed with myself that I didn't take a picture of the Bulgogi bibimbop. There literally was a sprinkle of meat on top and nowhere near what the picture depicted and worth the $20 price point. We basically ate a small bowl of rice and some veggies. The pork belly buns had a piece of pork belly that was no bigger than half of your pinky, if even that. The noodles were bland - I can make something better at home. And the chicken sandwich was blah. Nothing to write home about. Nothing special and unfortunately a wasted Friday night meal. Not worth ever coming back. read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Like "Where's Waldo?" but instead, "Where's the pork?" - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I use to like bon chon but I haven't gotten it in a while and now I remember why! The flavor is very lacking and it's pretty expensive for barely any meat on the chicken, so many better places for Korean fried chicken like BBQ Chicken is way better in taste and value. The chicken was very dry and overcooked and it had no flavor! Super small pieces of chicken and the smallest bowl of rice ever for $3. read more

The chicken were ok. The female working the register around the 1 o'clock hour today was not friendly or a good listener. Our 1st time there and I had questions on the menu. She was so stuck in her robotic ways, asked for my name several times to enter into the POS system. I thought that was ridiculous. Why can't they answer 2 simple (general and not price or recipe-related) questions prior to entering an order? And it wasn't for like "nice to meet you ____ welcome to Bonchon" Anyway, my food order was ready within the 15 minute window she told me. read more

Bought a KFC dinner for a buddy (and my sister's BF) who had never tried Bonchon. He's a spicy food lover and I figured it would be a good way to repay his kindness (he gave me a 50" 4K TV he was no longer using). Homerun for this guy. My buddy loved it. He will definitely add Bonchon to his spicy food lineup. Not sure my sister will go for it, as she is less spicy-tolerant than me. Good thing they have a many, many other options for those with more sensitive palettes. I, on other hand, opted for all spicy wings. Big mistake. My mouth was walloped with 10 wings of Hot Anger. Check out the pics. read more

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One of the better chicken spots in San Mateo. Anything I've ordered from Bonchon, I have enjoyed. The fried rice always is good as well as the dumplings and bulgogi. The star is obviously the chicken. I've had it as a regular wing, chicken tender or boneless wings and each time it's amazing. The soy garlic sauce is so addicting. I enjoy the lunch bowl you can order, it's a good size with some chicken, rice and vegetables. read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

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This place is some of the best Korean food around. It's really expensive but really tasty. It's unfortunate the people working in there are nearly incompetent and have no idea what they are doing. Made my life so hard ordering food, it was ridiculous. Love the food. Please fix management. read more

The food was delicious and was paired with excellent service from our server Joy. She was very nice and pleasant to talk to! The chicken was cooked to perfection with a crispy shell and juicy inside. The flavors were a good mix of sweet and spicy which is well known with great Korean food. read more

Bonchon San Mateo - Soy Garlic 5 pc Drumsticks - Chicken Wings Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I have had the drums a few years ago and they were delicious. I ordered the boneless chicken with Korean bbq & soy garlic. The breading was not double fried. It tasted like a frozen chicken nugget from Safeway. They put a splash of sauce but didn't coat them in it. Really disappointed-considering how expensive it is I could've just bought a bag of frozen chicken nuggets.. read more