Chi-Kin — Restaurant in Orlando

Today was a great day for us, also we were in the vicinity of this highly reviewed spot and made it all the better. Chi-Kin is located on Mills Ave., in the old Rice and Noodles location, across from Dong-A Supermarket. It is on the same strip as The British Shoppe(I must check that out soon).

We have seen the reviews and just had to stop in. We were lucky enough to arrive one minute before the 2nd opening. They are open for lunch, 11am-3p, and reopen for dinner, 5p-9p, Sun-Thurs and Fri-Sat, 5p-10p.

There is outside seating, some tables and a little sitting bar facing the street. Inside, for social distancing, there are markings on the floor heading towards the order pick up area, if you ordered online and towards the ordering/cashier station. The menu is right above with offerings from wings, tenders, tacos, fries and desserts. They have combos!! We ordered a combo: 8 wings, 3 tenders and two sides for $17.95+tax. For the wings we ordered the spicy honey sauce, for the tenders, Thai chili. Sides we got waffle fries and poutine fries. The dining area is large, social distancing is enforced with spacing and this made us comfortable enough to dine in. Any other type of food we would have taken home but we definitely did not want to lose the fabled crispiness of the wings. We chose a table far from others, by the window. We set our # plaque visible for server to see when our order was up. LET me tell you about these wings!! OMG they are awesome. I do not know how they do it. I have long disliked places where once the sauce are added to the wings, they get soggy BUT not these precious wings. Wow, when we bit the crunch added to the whole sensory experience. The wings are delicious and that spicy honey sauce, goodness gracious it is good. The tenders are the tenderest tenders I have every tasted. Also very flavorful, that Thai chili is the truth. The plain waffle fries were anything but plain. They were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and NOT drenched in oil, perfectly cooked. The poutine waffle fries, I cannot compare, since I have not yet tasted any other, but the gravy was light and tasty and the topping yummy. My husband and I just kept looking up at each other and nodding. Not speaking until he just said, 'damn these are good." That, my yelpies is a statement that rarely, comes out of his mouth. The whole place was clean, the bathroom spotless and I love the large, basin sink in the dining room for washing hands. We loved Chi-Kin and will return. We need to try the gochujang sauce and the...

Wings, Fries, and Gains... Well, Almost…

As someone who’s spent a bit of time in South Korea and proudly carries the badge of “chicken wing connoisseur,” I had high hopes walking into Chi-Kin. I placed a to-go order for their 10-piece wings with Hot Gochujang and Soy Garlic sauces, plus some beef bulgogi fries with "extra meat"—because, let’s be honest, those gains aren’t going to happen on their own, right? 💪

Now, let me start by saying, when the food was ready in just 10 minutes, my internal red flag went up faster than you can say "double fry." If you know Korean fried chicken, you know it usually takes 30 minutes of crispy, golden perfection to get that signature crunch. But, hey, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and chalked it up to kitchen efficiency... or maybe I was just really hungry.

Fast forward to my 10-minute drive home, and I finally cracked open the containers. Visually? Pretty impressive. But a true wing critic knows that looks can be deceiving. I could immediately tell the wings weren’t double fried, and the batter was a bit… shy. But whatever—onward!

I dove straight into the hot gochujang wings, expecting a heatwave. And while they were a tad soggy (curse you, 10-minute drive!), the flavor? Oh, it was THERE. Not too spicy—more like a warm, friendly hug from an old friend than a spicy punch in the face—but still delicious. I definitely wouldn’t have minded a bit more heat though. Maybe just a sprinkle of fire, ya know?

Next up: the soy garlic wings. Now we’re talking! These were a lot crispier, and the flavor was chef's kiss. Honestly, if these wings could talk, they’d say, “We came to play.” But again, I wish they had just a bit more batter and a satisfying, crunchy finish.

Then came the grand finale: the bulgogi fries. Fries? Crispy. Bulgogi? Tender and flavorful. The only downside? Where was my “extra meat”? It’s like they took my request for extra meat as a polite suggestion, not the serious mission it was. Gains, people! I need my gains! And hey, a pinch more salt on the fries wouldn’t hurt either. All that said, the fries were still a solid, tasty sidekick to the wings.

All in all, Chi-Kin? A solid 8.5/10. The flavors were awesome, customer service was spot-on, and the restaurant itself was clean and well-run. But, if you're coming here for Korean fried chicken, manage your expectations. This place is no Bon Chon—but it’s definitely worth a visit for some good wings and loaded fries! I’ll be back... just maybe not with visions of...

So I've been slowly but surely trying to explore all the best places in Orlando. Word on the street was that Chi-Kin had some of the best Korean food in the city. The street being the fine readers of Orlando Weekly. So I decided to come by and pick up some takeout to see what the fuss was all about.

I shared three things. First of all, of course, the Chi-Kin Wings, a small wings basket (10pcs), split into two flavors. Looking back, I can't exactly remember what two flavors they were. But I remember that these wings were banging. That crispy crispy exterior you expect from Korean wings. Something about that exterior makes the sauce adhere so well. These wings were definite five star wings and are a must-have.

The second thing was the Chi-Kin Sammy, Dipped in a sauce. There are few things better than a saucy, crispy chicken sandwich. Very thick and juicy, with some pickles for a pop of acid. The bun was a little uninspired, very buttery and soft, but I want a bun with a little more heft to it.

I got it in a combo, and upgraded my waffle fries to Bulgogi Beef Waffle Fries. Waffle fries topped with bulgogi and melty cheese. Sounded great to me. Disappointing in reality, though. Definitely not the ratio of toppings I was promised in the menu picture.

And for dessert, I could not say no to the Fried D'OhBoys (topped with sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream). These were very good! Fried to a perfect crisp and chewy in the middle. The balls themselves weren't inherently sweet, thank goodness, so the sweetness than the milk and the cream brough were very nice.

Overall, this was really nice. The wings were truly top notch, so if I'm ever in the Mills 50 area and need wings right now, I'm gonna swing...