bb.q Chicken Northdale Tampa — Restaurant in Citrus Park

I really wanted to like this place. I love Korean fried chicken, and this place is right by my house. And to be fair, the food was tasty. BUT…

The service was a DISASTER. My family ordered 2 half chickens, a small boneless chicken, some kimchi and rice. The food took almost an hour and when some of it finally came, it was wrong. Instead of 2 half chickens, we got 2 whole chickens and our rice. When we pointed out to the servers what had happened, they just stood there unsure of what to do until I finally said to just leave it and we’d eat it. They said the boneless chicken would be out soon.

After another 10 minutes or so, they finally brought the boneless chicken. Except it was bone-in wings, not the boneless chicken we had ordered. We asked just to cancel those (and wound up taking our son through the McDonald’s drive through on the way home). As we were finishing up, the kimchi came. There was no check in from a manager, no apology (except about the boneless wings) and certainly no discount.

Like I said, the food was good. We probably would have become regulars if the place was managed better. But as is, we won’t be back.

EDIT 5/26/23:

Bumping up to three stars from one. So I’ve been back twice, both times because one of my kids has specifically requested to go there. Latest was today. The three stars are mostly just for the honey garlic chicken. It’s amazingly good. Like so SO good. Tried (and enjoyed) the kimchi fried rice today too, but that chicken…

But the reason it’s not higher is still the service. It’s always SUPER slow, and I expect that now and plan for it, but I’m still impressed every time at just how slow it is. I didn’t time it today, but I’m guessing a 45 minute wait for our chicken? Rice came out faster, maybe a half hour or less. But I can handle that.

The kicker is our order came out wrong again. I’m really not sure why. I don’t think there was a language barrier, and our order wasn’t complicated. We ordered a half a chicken with hot spicy sauce, some (AMAZING) honey garlic boneless wings, and a kimchi fried rice. Instead of our half chicken, we got a half and half whole chicken. We sent it back, and luckily all they had to do this time was replate the half of the chicken that was what we ordered and take off the other half, so it was only a 5 minute or so longer wait. I’m still not sure why it took 5 minutes to move the chicken to a new basket and bring it back out to us, but I guess that didn’t surprise me.

Anyway, my summary is: go here and order the honey garlic boneless wings. But not if you’re at all in a hurry. And maybe triple check that they got your order right before your server leaves the table, because 2/3 times I’ve been there...

Hi folks! Honest review time. Ok. I don't know to start my post and my experience. Ok, here goes. Omg. So, this is the best fried chicken I have ever had! Hands down it was freaking AMAZING! Started off with the hottest French fries known to man! Lol. Salty, seasoned and oh so good. Had an order of the BONELESS Cheeseling. Your like what? Yes, it's a powdered Cheese seasoned that will taste like nothing you have ever had, but it's mighty tasty! The chicken is made while you wait, fresh chicken, and not frozen prior to cooking. It's so hot when it comes out too. The 2nd order was the BONELESS Gangjeong. Wow. No really. WOW. Spicy, a bit sweet, savory, it's a flavor you have never had anywhere. Had some jalapenos sliced on top. My mouth is watering as I'm typing this. It was amazing. Now, this is my 6th visit to this location and I have not left my comfort zone, yet, to try the DDEOK-BOKKI or the Kimchi Fried Rice. I've seen other people having it and I will update my post with how those are once I do! I will try everything eventually. Its just that the chicken is so good I don't want to deviate yet! Oh, so the Golden Original, Honey and Soy Garlic and Secret Sauce are excellent as well! I have NOT tried the spicy spicy flavors yet. I have been with people who have tried the spicy flavors and they are hot! Look for the flames after the name of rhe sauce to make your decision(s). You'll be back to try the others! They do have a bunch of side offerings too! I'm telling you don't fill up on them - try the chicken first before you try anything! 😄 Oh, the service is very good too! They have a button on the table that you can press if you need something. In closing - Try this chicken!!! I promise you this, you will be back!

• Update* Tried the Rose’ Ddeok-Bokki - it was insanely good!!! On the slightly spicy side but the flavors were off the chart delicious! If you never tried it, don't be shy! It's a combo of all different textures and flavors that you have to try! I will post a few pictures. This will definitely be a go-to dish every time!

PS.. The fries were screaming...

Service: 5/5. Stopped by on a Saturday afternoon around lunch time. The wait staff was all very young but very attentive and respectful. We were seated right away and immediately took our drink orders. They explained that to order our food, we push the button on the table and they will come to take our order. When we did press the button, one of the wait staff members came by right away.

Food: 4/5. We opted to get the Small boneless gangjeong - this flavor had a hint of maple with s spicy aftertaste. I even got a hint of cinnamon toast. We also got a small wing Gangnam style - this flavor was a sweet and spicy, and according to one of the waiters, it is stir fried so it’s “healthier”. And we also shared a side of fries. The food came out burning hot which was good (rather that than cold). I’ve never had crispier wings in my life. The fries were also very delicious. I would definitely go back and try the other flavors.

Cleanliness: 0/5. This the main reason why my review went down to a 3. The ENTIRE floor looked like it had not been mopped since they opened, which was two weeks ago. It was so disgusting that I tried to look away so I wouldn’t get up and just walk away. We don’t typically speak with managers, but we were very close to doing so and advising them how the floor itself can definitely deter potential clientele. (You can see some of the marks in my call button picture. That is not the floor design..). I also went to the women’s bathroom and found neither stall had toilet paper. When I asked the wait staff they very kindly told me they stash it at the top of one of the toilets, grabbed one more me, and proceeded to tell me where they keep them if I needed it in the future….? Someone in the management team definitely needs to create a cleaning...