Luxury and fried chicken are two things that seem completely unrelated. However, since its opening in January of 2024, the luxury Korean fried chicken restaurant Coqodaq has gone viral, known for long lines and difficult reservations. This is the typical story of most viral eats in New York City. Many reviews called out the restaurant for being overpriced, but as a Korean fried chicken enthusiast, I had to try the spot. Harrisites can get there by taking the 7 train from the Main Street station, then transferring to the 6 at Grand Central Station. Coqodaq opens at 5PM for dinner, and I waited outside with my mom starting from 4:30 on a Monday. There was no one waiting with us, and we were the first to get a seat inside when it opened. However, the restaurant quickly filled up, with a line forming five minutes after opening.
Though Coqodaq is famous for its $28, 24-karat gold chicken nuggets topped with caviar, I was here for the $42-per-person set menu called “The Bucket List,” which comes with chicken consommé, five pieces of assorted fried chicken with banchan, cold noodles, and a frozen yogurt.
Item: Chicken Consommé
Rating: 7/10
After you wash your hands at the handwashing station with luxury soap, you start off with a warm chicken consommé served in a cool stone cup. It’s a good start to the meal, which the waiter described as a “soother” to prepare the stomach. The broth is similar to the Korean chicken soup broth samgye-tang, a savory soup with hints of ginger. You can think of it like a rich, savory chicken noodle soup broth. The consommé isn’t jaw-dropping, but that’s not the point. It perfectly fits the purpose of calming the stomach for the meal ahead.
Item: Coqodaq Original Fried Chicken
Rating: 8.5/10
Next, you’re presented with Coqodaq’s Original Fried Chicken. It’s a leveled-up version of plain fried chicken, with all of the fried chicken gluten-free and fried multiple times. The chicken is golden and impossibly crispy. It truly lives up to the luxury fried chicken theme, with tender, juicy meat encased in a thick batter. In most cases, I dislike bone-in chicken for its fattiness, but I loved the chicken here, which was not fatty at all. As a flavor-enthusiast, I especially enjoyed it with a bit of the gochujang (sweet chili) and honey mustard sauces, which are two of the four sauces that came with the chicken. My only complaints are that the thickness of the batter made the chicken a bit difficult to bite into in some cases, and that bone-in meat in general is difficult to eat for me. Though this is me being hypercritical of the expensive food.
Item: Soy Garlic Glaze Fried Chicken
Rating: 10/10
The Bucket List set comes with the original flavored fried chicken and a choice of soy garlic or gochujang for the second round, but our server gave us a mix of both. I first tried the soy garlic. As aforementioned, I love flavor, so this umami-packed, crispy, golden goodness was truly a bite to behold. It was sweet and salty, with these contrasting flavors being perfectly balanced. I especially liked the one boneless piece that comes with each round of assorted chicken. The common complaint for boneless chicken is that the meat isn’t juicy enough, but this bite was perfectly hot, tender, and juicy — even more flavorful than bone-in chicken.
Item: Gochujang Glaze Fried Chicken
Rating: 7.5/10
Coqodaq caters to taste buds that are not deeply into the flavors of Korean food, toning down traditional flavors. The Gochujang Glaze Fried Chicken has the flavor of the classic Korean yangnyeom sauce, which is sweet, spicy, and tangy. It is a classic Korean fried chicken flavor. However, though it was certainly there, the flavor on Coqodaq’s chicken was subtle. It tasted good, but it was not quite for me.
Item: Assorted Banchan
Rating: 9/10
The banchan, which are Korean side dishes, included a scallion salad, water kimchi, and pickled seasonal vegetables, served alongside the first round of chicken. Again, the flavors were more toned down compared to the traditional sides, but I liked it in this case. The kimchi was not too fermented but still packed enough spice, typical of water kimchi (watered down kimchi). The pickled radish was not too fermented either, so both of these sides were not sour but still full of flavor. The scallion salad was subtle, which suited my tastes since I love scallion as a topping, not as big chunks. The banchan is good for those who want an easy introduction to Korean food. We loved the water kimchi so much that our server gave us a refill!
Item: Cold Perilla Seed Noodle
Rating: 8.5/10
Korean cold noodles are meant to be refreshing and a burst of light flavor. Our server introduced it as a palate cleanser to get rid of the grease in your stomach and make room for dessert, though rest assured that the chicken was not greasy at all. These noodles were sweet and refreshing, with strong notes of sesame and soy sauce. I gave it a 8.5/10 because I found them delicious, but I do wish they were a bit more traditional with the flavoring as the dish was really sweet and there was a bit too much sesame oil.
Item: Pineapple Frozen Yogurt with Passionfruit Sauce
Rating: 9.5/10
For dessert, we were presented with a bright pineapple frozen yogurt with a zestful passionfruit sauce. There was no artificial taste and it was the perfect way to end the meal. Coqodaq must get credit for the thought that went into creating the menu, designed to not make a dinner feel overly full walking out. The dessert truly epitomized this theme, being light and perfectly sour-sweet. I have no complaints.
Overall, Coqodaq was a nice dining experience. It was fun and unique, and the exact funky dinner I was looking for. As a Korean-American, I found this take on Korean fried chicken trendy and distinct. However, I wouldn’t rush to return, especially for the price. Even though the price wasn’t terrible and the food was great, there are tastier eats in NYC that are both cheaper and more accessible. I’ll give Coqodaq an 8.5/10. I’d definitely recommend it to someone who wants an upscale yet fun meal, and it’s worth trying once in your life if you get the chance.
