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Red Chicken
Category: Restaurants Korean Korean [Edit]
833 Bute StVancouver, BC V6E 6Y4
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 633-0667
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Red Chicken
12 reviews in English
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Review from Wendy Y.
10/3/2011
This Korean joint is a hidden jem.
Instead of eating at the same Korean restaurant whenever my boss and I eat out, we've decided to try Red Chicken suggested by my dear friend who is a Yelp Elite.
My boss and I ordered a spicy pork bone soup (with a bowl of white rice) and a seafood Korean pancake.
I am not a pork fan as I find pork smell/taste appalling. I am surprised to find this bowl of pork soup "odourless" especially when the soup is not masked by heavy spices. This place does not cheap out on pork bones. We get some chunky meaty pork bones with melt-in-your-mouth meat that've been cooked in broth for hours. Despite the softness of the meat, it is still flavourful. The meats have a good balance of lean and fatty parts. The soup is hot - not spicy hot but temperature hot. I think that's how soups should be served unless they are cold soups (but that's another different story).
The soup is flavourful yet not salty. Most of the Korean soups I have had ordered in the past are too salty. Instead of tasting the goodness of the soup, I often taste sodium.
Moving on to the pancake. I am surprised once again.
This seafood Korean pancake is full of seafood: baby shrimp, lots and lots of squid, and shredded imitated crab meat. The ratio of seafood to green onions is 2:1. The batter is light and thus gives the crust a crunchy texture. In addition, the pancake is not oily which is very different than the ones I have had. The ones I have in the past (for example Jang Mo Jib in Richmond) are drenched in oil. The batter is doughy and heavy. The ratio of seafood to green onions is 1:2.
My boss' wife is Korean so he knows his Korean food. I've eaten Korean food with him for almost 2 years and never once have I seen him use both his hands to dismantle pork bones and suck every bone marrow clean.It sure was quite a sight. Needless to say he polished off the pork bone soup.
I would definitely go back whenever I need my fix of Korean food in Downtown.Listed in: Korean Food
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Review from K T.
Vancouver, BC
2/8/2012 2 photos
Walked by Red Chicken the other day and it appears as though it has, sadly, shut down. All the windows have been papered over. (Please ignore the star rating. I wasn't able to post this without putting in a rating) On a lighter note though, thought I'd share these pics I took of the restaurant last Winter after a rare snowy day downtown. Someone at the restaurant had some fun that day!
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Review from Johnson C.
Vancouver, BC
12/3/2010
Review Two-Eleven, sorry Reverend.
Probably an unfair review, but my group and I wanted to hit another spot which was closed. So after wandering around aimlessly in search of food, we stumbled upon Red Chicken. So it was a consolation prize to start.
Like Emily T., I should have gotten the eponymous 'red chicken' but we were tight on time so I just had bibimbap (~$8). It was decent, but unimpressive. We got 4 dishes of banchan - I liked the extra spicy kimchi, but I'm used to getting more variety. They have pitchers of GI Lager for $12 from Sunday to Thursday, which is legit.
However, this upset me greatly: I watched the waiter scoop out beer foam from the pitcher. Culprit? The keg tap is probably filthy and needs a good cleaning. I knew it was coming but I felt less than tip-top afterwards. I rather have an upset stomach than waste beer.
The place is modern and clean. Service was friendly and prompt. It's full of Korean students and I really felt like I was invading their space. I know there's some cultural differences but it was the all too familiar feeling: I was gawked at like Robocop came through their house and snatched up their refrigerator... which I imagine to happen frequently in Korea: http://www.youtube.com...
Probably shouldn't have yelled, 'Yo! I'm about to eat!". Oh well, will be interested in trying their buldak if I'm back here again - but I'm not sure if I can literally stomach inferno-level spicy chicken with dirty beer.Listed in: Shots Fired
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Review from Joyce P.
Vancouver, BC
12/25/2010
I am no connoisseur when it comes to Korean food. My knowledge of it extends to BBQ, kimchi and the usual noodle/dumpling dishes.
I was introduced to two awesome dishes at this restaurant. The Red Chicken that is their namesake and a pork belly dish that is wrapped with napa cabbage with various condiments. I loved both these dishes.
The Red Chicken is served with gloves to eat with because god forbid you wipe your spicy little fingers in your eye! Yowch!! The wings are DAMN GOOD. The BBQ flavor is intense and the more you eat, the more you sweat til you mouth is completely numb and your stomach cramps.
The pork dish was OK but then everywhere else I've had that dish has been good too. I don't think it's possible to go wrong with pork belly. Wrapping it with cabbage just makes me feel a little less guilty about the fatty bits and makes the whole experience healthier =)
The rest of the dishes were OK. The jap chae was good. The bulgogi was so-so. Coincidentally my coworker offered her own bulgogi the next day and it WAY better than the one at Red Chicken.
Anyways, I am craving the chicken as we speak and once I've worked off all this Christmas weight, I'll be sure to get myself some again! -
Review from Emily T.
7/25/2010
I'm going to keep my review short because I commited the ultimate sin of eating out. I went to a place known for one thing and ordered other things expecting it to be equally as good. *slaps head* duh, of course it's not going to be that great. It's like going into a Ramen place and asking for sushi.
One thing I don't like about some Korean restaurants is having a limited amount of banchan. What is that about? Sometimes I'll go to a specific korean restaurant JUST for good banchan! That's what makes the price worth it to me. With that said, the banchan they did have was good.
We had:
-dol sot bibimbap no beef: maybe I've been spoiled with great dol sot veggie bibimbap in NYC. There was barely anything in my bibimbap. It was like eating mostly rice with a smattering of veggies. C'mon. Am I paying $15 for hot rice? Other than that it was decent.
-bibimbap - same deal as dol sot. Was decent.
-I can't remember what he had but it wasn't spicy and it had meat in it: he said it was okay but nowhere near as good as Jang Mo Jib.
If I start eating chicken again, maybe I'll go back. All in all we were very underwhelmed by this place. But that's to expected when you go to a place called "Red Chicken" and don't eat the damn red chicken. For that I added a star to my actual 2 star rating because it's just not fair to poorly rate a place if you don't taste its specialty.Listed in: Vancouver Trip July 2010
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Review from Isaac R.
Vancouver, BC
11/16/2009
Excellent Korean joint. Especially if you like your Korean food blazingly spicy.
Not to be missed of course is the "buldak" red chicken, which the restaurant is named for. Trust me - if you order it, just wear the glove.
Friendly service, and very pleasant staff. Be sure you call out for assistance. Just keep in mind you aren't going to be helped unless you speak up - but just relax, it's customary in Korean dining culture.
Their stews and soups are pretty decent as well, and this is a great place to go with a large group. One of my regular spots. Can't give it 5 stars as it's not quite the best Korean food in Vancouver. :) -
Review from Joe L.
Vancouver, BC
9/12/2010 1 Check-in Here
I did not have the best Korean dishes I've had at Red Chicken. I had beef rib soup and shared a small size of seafood pancake for dinner with my partner.
Although the soup was supposed to have cooked for a long time with bones and innards, it was surprisingly blend and I practically dumped spoonfuls of salt in it to bring the flavour out. I think there were literally just a couple (i.e. 2) of thin slices of beef in the soup.
As for the seafood cake, I'm glad we ordered a small version of it. All the seafood we could find were penny-size shrimps and strips of squids. Where were the tentacles? All I could taste in the squid was meat tenderizer.
The restaurant will not be winning my patronage form Apgujung down the street on Robson or House of Tofu Soup on North Road in Burnaby anytime soon. -
Review from Barry P.
Vancouver, BC
12/27/2009
"Spicy can not be controlled" - underneath the description for the buldak "red chicken" for which the restaurant is named. Like the other reviewers, I would suggest you come prepared to do battle. I'm pretty sure their chicken was a dragon in a former life.
The restaurant itself is very clean and modern, which is an ambient step up from some other similar eateries in the West End. The food also stands on its own - a choice spread of Korean hot pot, BBQ and side dishes are on the menu. While I haven't yet tried them all, the braised short ribs and Buldak don't disappoint.
The staff are attentive and very friendly. Even in a city full of good Korean food, this is a place worth visiting regularly and a great place to visit for a good meal before a night on the town! -
Review from Sarah O.
Updated - 12/27/2010
Woof. I don't think I want to go back here for regular Korean food anymore. My recent visit was truly a disappointing experience. The bu-de jjigae, which is a spicy hot pot with vegetables and spam is actually suppose to be good. The one at Red Chicken was pretty horrible.. it gave me a stomach ache for 2 days. The service was poor and they dispense out their napkins like ration cards in WW2. I don't remember their side dishes being so plain.. bottom line: no longer worth going to unless going for the spicy chicken.
Listed in: Delicious Korean Food
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/29/2009 ROTD 4/29/2010 First to Review
Personally, one of my favorite Korean restaurants in the city. The food doesn't disappoint, the… Read more »
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Review from Alick L.
Vancouver, BC
8/3/2010
This is a short review cause i didn't get to eat in(but I'm going to next time)
For someone who doesn't really go eat Korean food that often, I found myself wondering up Robson street before work in search of something Korean that I can get to take to work. after about 6 blocks I come across Red Chicken. I though to myself what a odd name for a place might as well try it out.
So i went in to order after looking at the menu on the wall outside. Bulgogi was the dish I order and as sat in their waiting for the food to be made which took about 15min(i like it when it takes time to make) I couldn't help to notice the smell of all the meals they were serving and how it gave the restaurant a good aroma, I though I must come back here and eat in one day. I got my order went to work and when i open up the contains I notice the food was hot , fresh and it was wrap in foil(Bulgogi) After having the first bite I almost couldn't stop eating it, I wanted to save some for dinner. The kimchi was not spicy it had just the right amount of kick to it.
Over all I am very happy with what was served and I will go back and try this famous (buldak)Red chicken dish that everyone on here been talking about. I give this restaurant two chopsticks up -
Review from Antonia W.
Toronto, ON
4/16/2010
Ever since coming back from teaching in Korea, I've missed eating dak galbi, which is this awesome chicken dish with spicy red sauce mixed with usually cabbage, sweet potato and other stuff you can choose to add like noodles, ddeok (rice sticks), cheese.... I asked my Korean friend to take me somewhere to eat it when I visited and he took me here.
We ordered the dak galbi, albap (rice with fish eggs) and the budae chigae, which is this soup made with all sorts of random things: tofu, sausage, macaroni, cabbage, carrots...
The dak galbi didn't disappoint.. it was pretty tasty. Not as awesome as the ones in Korea, but closest I've had so far in Canada. I only wish they served it with big baskets of greens like they typically do in Korea. The flavour was alright and it was blazing spicy hot, which resulted in the guys sweating buckets. Ordering this dish with the cheese will make this dish taste that much better.
If you decide to order the albap, it's kind of funny because they'll give you a plastic disposable glove that you're supposed to use to mix up the rice/eggs and then mush into balls to serve it up :D Other than the fun factor though, it was just meh and I think they could have done a lot better with it.
The budae chigae was just what it sounds like. To many, it may seem like a stew of super random things.. and that's what it's supposed to be. I'm not a huge fan of it, but it was tasty.
The dak galbi and budae chigae are huge enough to serve at least 2 people each so keep that in mind :D happy eating. -
Review from Karen C.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 11/20/2010
made a take out order a few days ago with one meat dish and a soup. As delicious as usual. I was in a hurry so I phoned in to order and made a quick stop to grab the food. When i got home, I found that there's no side dishes or rice... a big no no for Korean food!! at least they should've mentioned it to me so I can order them as extra. Kind of horrible to get take out food and end up cooking some rice myself.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/14/2010
This place surprises me with the amount of ingredients they use in the dishes we ordered. I couldn't… Read more »
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