Seattle's Child

Your guide to a kid-friendly city

Bok a Bok is Korean Ka-pow in White Center

Korean fried chicken is the fried chicken revolution sweeping the country, and former Skillet chef Brian O’Connor gives Seattle its very own taste with Bok a Bok.

 

Look out, Colonel: there’s another KFC in town. Korean fried chicken is the fried chicken revolution sweeping the country, and former Skillet chef Brian O’Connor gives Seattle its very own taste with Bok a Bok — a new, quick-serve Korean fried chicken restaurant in the heart of White Center. 

O’Connor saw a gap in Seattle’s culinary scene, and suspected that Korean fried chicken was the perfect casual, family-friendly fit. “After all,” he says, “everyone loves fried chicken.” He wasn’t wrong. Bok a Bok opened in June to lines around the block. 

PHOTO: JOSHUA HUSTON

 

The menu is diverse enough to attract the serious food crowd, but accessible enough to bring families in droves. Bok a Bok offers four different chicken sandwiches, ranging from spicy to tangy, but “for me it’s all about the fried chicken,” says O’Connor. “That’s the heart of the restaurant. That’s where we really excel.” The chicken is air-dried then double-fried, giving it a devastatingly crunchy, crisp coating that cradles the juicy, flavorful meat inside. It also travels well, staying crispy long after you get home, making it a perfect choice for takeout or a picnic. 

 

As a father of two, O’Connor knows the the way to a kid’s heart (or stomach), so he was sure to include his version of chicken strips on the menu. Kids also go wild for the kimchi mac n’ cheese, as well as the sweet potato tots. O’Connor prides his restaurant on being an affordable place for parents to bring their kids: “For a family of four to come out and have dinner, it’s not going to break the bank.” 

PHOTO: JOSHUA HUSTON

 

Be sure to order some of the housemade ranch dressing for the kids, and spice lovers shouldn’t miss the zingy four-chili dipping sauce. The rice bowl, with kimchi and poached egg, makes an excellent vegetarian choice; the housemade biscuits are a perfect accompaniment to dinner or a great way to end the meal. O’Connor says that working at Bok a Bok, surrounded by his wife and kids, is a dream come true: “For me, this restaurant is all about family.” 

 

1521 SW 98th St., White Center, 98146, bokabokchicken.com

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Jo Eike