The Chicken Lab — Restaurant in Baltimore

The Chicken Lab had great components in the two rice bowls we ordered; however, the proportions missed their mark for us. We got the fried chicken bowl and the vegetable dumpling bowl to share.

We loved how easy it seemed to order using the kiosks at the side of the counter. The tablets take your order, accept payment, and give your order number + option to use a phone number to be texted when your order is finished. This was very convenient, as the hallway in Cross Street Market can get congested if everyone is standing in the middle. We walked away to find nearby seats and were able to quickly pick up.

Overall, there were plenty of dumplings in one dish, but a very, very small scoop of chopped fried chicken in the other. Both were flooded in mayonnaise and lacked the sauces we selected. Neither had enough of the sweet & spicy or the soy glaze. The japchae added as a topping was interesting, but the noodles were slightly overcooked and lost texture while also having a little too much sesame oil, overpowering the dish. Finally, the vegetables on both dishes were only a loose handful of mixed "bag o'salad" which was just some soft iceberg lettuce and shredded carrots/purple cabbage.

Overall, we were not completely dissatisfied with the food, but it definitely has some room for improvement. We're willing to try it again to see if it's...

I had high hopes for the Chicken Lab and it absolutely did NOT disappoint.

We ordered boneless wings with fried tteok since the wait on bone-in was longer than our stomachs could handle. The boneless chicken hit our craving perfectly. The exterior was perfectly crispy. The chili sauce was tangy and sweet. I'm excited to try their gochujang sauce next time. I've only had tteok cooked in sauce before, so I really enjoyed the fried texture on the ones Chicken Lab made also.

Based on how fire this meal was, I am crazy excited to come back. 🔥🔥🔥

Edit: Bumping down because the seasonings have been lacking unfortunately. Gochujang sauce isn't available for any of the chicken orders. Neither the dry nor wet seasoning options are tossed on them, so you are left with half (or most) of your chicken naked. 🤷‍♀️ Also, I wouldn't recommend getting the chicken sandwich with a combo. For $4 extra, you get very little. BRD's 2-piece chicken box is the go-to for chicken cravings these days. It's...

Food is great but the service is BAD. I ordered a pick up but when I got there saw my wings and gangjeong were laying on the counter, uncovered and unattended. I got there late anyway (no updates on the progress of my order) so won't complain about food getting cold but with staffs and customers standing/talking over the counter it didn't seem very hygiene. Customer-service wise, I was not greeted and the lady staff looked properly confused the entire time. When I said I came for a pick up, instead of confirming my name/order, she turned to other staff then talked to other customer over me. She was holding a ticket with my name printed on it and my food still laying there lol, but did nothing until the owner came and packed my food. Overall, food: 5 stars, service: 1 - for the sake...