Fuku

“'Less is more' is the name of the game here, folks, but don't forget to cover it in Ssam Sauce and thank me later.”

“David Chang got it right–it's worth the hype, and his months of experimentation to reach this deliciousness level.”

“Those in the know however order the super-secret off menu "Koreano" which adds – get this – pickled cabbage!”

Fuku

Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes

Price range.

$$ Price range $11-30

8 reviews

  1. HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY FUKU! I was here earlier today (6/10/16) for Fuku's "163 specials" for its birthday celebrations: $1 strawberry lemonade slushies, $6 spicy fried chicken sandwiches, and $3 163 iced tea slushies.

    This was my first time trying Fuku (finally). I was expecting a long wait given the specials, but we got here around 12pm and there was no line. We even got seats by the bar to see the chefs in action!

    After we ordered and got our food (around 12:30pm) the line was getting a bit longer. My guess is that it will be very crowded by dinner time today. Tons of people ordered group lunches to-go….so smart.

    Now on to the food…….. we got 2 spicy fried chicken sandwiches, fries, coleslaw, iced tea, and slushie. The drinks were MEH – the iced tea was way too strong. But the sandwich……. OH MY GOSH. I CAN'T EVEN. Consider yourselves warned, this sandwich is SPICY. I can't eat spicy food well, but I still enjoyed my chicken sammie very very much. The chicken is breaded to perfection, and the coleslaw and fries were such a great addition to the meal. The portions are perfect, and $6 for the sandwich is a steal. GO TODAY!!!

    Year 1 seems to have been an amazing success. Hats off to you, Chef David Chang! Can't wait to see what year 2 brings for Fuku.

  2. Seen a lot of debating over whether it's fair to compare Fuku's chicken sandwich with Chik-Fil-A's.

    The only true answer is yes.
    The only follow-up is yes, Fuku's is better. Don't @ me.

    However, is it $4 better? I think ultimately no. I tried mine without adding slaw or extra ssam sauce or anything that would make the key comparison improper. Just the bun, chicken, and pickles. Aaand, well yeah, I would hope David Chang would put his brand on a better chicken sandwich than ye old fast food chain. I'm solidly not on the Momofuku hype train, but I do respect the fact that a) there's dark meat in here, b) the batter's thickness is a great demarcation between Fuku and Chik-Fil-A, and c) the girl working the place right before it closed for the 4pm break was accommodating of this straggler at 3:50 (also she's pretty cute).

    That being said, I was hoping for a true, middle-finger-to-the-wimps spiciness that I've read about in pieces on Fuku before it opened. Wasn't there. Also, what does it say about the sandwich when most of reviewers' positive notes come via add-ons? I don't want to have to use radishes, slaw, and sauces as crutches. The sandwich should shine on its own, and while Fuku's is a step up from Chik-Fil-A and its ilk, there's not enough separation here to justify the $9 (post-tax) price tag.

  3. Please stop the Fuku hype train. There are 3 degrees of fried chicken. 1) Ghetto 2) Great 3) Gucci-Licious. Fuku, like most other joints, sits at #2, but the prices are Gucci wallet prices. Ya feel? It's a small over glorified chicken sandwich that's a slight upgrade to chick fila for double the price.

  4. Why the hype?

    My trip to Fuku was nothing more than unsatisfactory.

    At $8.00 a pop for a chicken sandwich, I was expecting a fluffy bun, a fresh, warm product, and flavor. Instead, the Koreano chicken sandwich featured a soggy, squished bun and a luke-warm, stringy chicken patty.

    Although the crunch was there, this was no Chik-Fil-A quality chicken. If dark meat is more your thing, maybe you'll dig it more than I did.

    The Koreano is topped with pickled daikon, which is usually the perfect lighter compliment to this type of sandwich. Nope, the daikon was sliced so thinly and piled on so high there was zero crunch, and it also made the bun completely soggy.

    The only relative saviors here were the breading of the chicken and Ssam sauce (not as spicy as you'd think).

    Mediocre, overhyped product. Stick with higher quality, more reasonable options at Chik-Fil-A.

  5. Saturday,early evening. Walked past it the first time, then saw the noodle bar and got directions to walk back down the street and there it was "the peach". Ordered a Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich,Fries, and Smokey Slaw, Love places that keep it simple and do something really well (there's a reason why "fast-casual burger joints" have spread like wildfire, well this is chicken's answer. Tender,moist,spicy chicken with a great crispy texture to the batter. Just what I was hoping for and what I got.

  6. It's a decent chicken sandwich… but I wouldn't pay $15 for a meal with fries and a drink here again. I much prefer to spend that money at Momofuku at least. I think my favorite part of the sandwich was slathering it with the ssam sauce. I bought a bottle and will definitely put it on my chick-fil-a sandwiches from now on.

    It's a small spot with not much seating so it's best to take to go if you can't find a spot to eat at. Plus there are no restrooms here but they will let you go over to Momofuku to use them.

  7. I think people who are comparing the Fuku chicken sandwich to Chick-fil-a are bonkers.  Sure, they both serve chicken sandwiches, but the quality of the sandwiches are completely different.  And don't get me wrong, I love Chick-fil-a.

    Be sure to stop by this join, we went on a random Friday afternoon and there was no line they're so fast.  If you don't get the radish on top you will regret it.  Just do it… if it'll make you feel slightly better, they put a lot of radish on top.

  8. Quality piece of moist chicken, battered and fried on a soft, smashed bun.  Don't underestimate the size of the sandwich either.  The pictures make it look small but the thing is huge.

    It's good but has no wow factor.  I don't see myself coming back to order this again.

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1st Avenue 163
New York 10003 NY US
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Monday, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tuesday, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wednesday, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Saturday, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm