Pelicana Chicken SD — Restaurant in San Diego

Another Korean Fried Chicken joint has come to San Diego, and they're definitely making a name for themselves with their variety of sauces, chicken selections, and quality ingredients. I'm a huge Korean Fried Chicken fiend, so I welcome more businesses, especially if they deliver delicious food like Pelicana!

PARKING - The lot is quite small, and seems always to be filled with 1 or 2 spots open for the times I've been here. There is an adjacent side street that I believe you can street park on.

SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - Huge open indoor seating area, with your typical 4-6 person tables, some high tables, and a few bar seats. There's also an outdoor patio area, but it wasn't open the last time we came in. They have several big TV screens - perfect for current events with the World Cup going on! A waiter will greet you when you walk in, and show you to your table. Our waitress was absolutely amazing - super attentive and kept checking in on us multiple times. The food service has improved tremendously since their soft opening, with all of our items coming out at a very fast rate!

FOOD - Original Fried Chicken (Half 9pcs - $15.00): The OG, plain fried chicken! Nice crispy batter - for the texture, think battered smooth onion rings. The chicken was very moist and juicy inside, even though the outside is crisp! We also got a few sauces on the side - I love my spice, and the Hot Spicy was my personal favorite, but the Signature and Smoky Hot were delicious as well.

Crispy Fried Chicken (Half 9pcs - $16.00): I personally like the Crispy Fried Chicken more than the Original - there's something about the extra crunch that is AMAZING. The big thing is that the chicken isn't overly oily either! Once again, the chicken inside is kept juicy.

Crispy Fried Chicken Wings, Garlic (9pcs - $17.00): I also wanted to try their Chicken Wings, as well as a sauce that is mixed in. Garlic and Soy are not available to be sauces on the side, so I definitely wanted to try one of those. If you like Garlic, you'll LOVE this. Perfect amount of sauce that doesn't take away from the crispy skin, but still a delicious coating on top!

Ddukbokki ($15.00): A classic, fan-favorite for all Korean food lovers. Usually I get this only when I'm craving it, and I was craving it this time around! I don't usually have high expectations, but they cooked their rice cakes perfectly! Just the right amount of chewiness! This was definitely spicier than other Ddukbokki I've had at other places, but again, I love my spice! Just beware if you're not used to some heat!

Cheese Buldak ($25.00): Spicy/Fire Chicken with cheese on top. There's Chicken, Bell Peppers, Onions, all mixed in a firey sauce with delicious melty cheese covering it all. Perfect for those cheese pulls around your chicken wings! This is quite pricey, but I'm glad I tried it at least once! I may not get it too often unless I'm with a group to share with.

They have a fairly good selection of Draft Beer! They also have Soju available here... so you know you want to have Somaek (Soju + Beer) with your Chicken!

OVERALL - Definitely the crispiest/crunchiest Korean Fried Chicken I've had in San Diego. Although their prices are a bit higher, the quality and taste does make up for the extra few dollars. I would 100% recommend you get the Crispy Fried Chicken for the extra crunch, but maybe try the Original side-by-side if it's...

• parking is really bad here only maybe 15 spots in front of the shop. Parking is around back, but it’s a paid lot not much street parking. Could possibly snag a spot in front of Hmart and walk over*

Came here on a Friday around dinner time, and we were immediately able to sit down you can choose which table.

They brought over water and copper iceberg salad with some sort of dressing .

You order everything off of the screen menu there’s not a lot of detail on each item like flavor description so you’re better off reading some reviews to understand the flavors of each sauce that aren’t self-explanatory. For example the signature sauce is a sweeter little savory sauce. It was nice to eat after a bite of the hot spicy.

Honestly, not a long wait after ordering to receive our food and it all looked delicious. We ordered two boneless wings of hot spicy and signature with an order of fries. It was hard to tell if the garlic fries had cheese on them so we passed.

The hot spicy is very hot. It’s a slow burn and keeps getting more intense the longer you let it marinate in your mouth. We easily drink through the whole bottle of water they provided. My level tolerance is the medium level at Dave’s, hot chicken or main chick. This was above it and made it hard to enjoy the flavor since it was so hot.

The signature sauce was nice to come back to you after a few bites of the hot. The chicken is well cooked good crispy chicken skin, and well saturated in sauce.

Fries were good but a little bland, but also a good neutral item to use against the heat levels .

There are free gloves on the table to use so you don’t have to get your hands dirty, which I appreciate in a little trashcan .

The only issue I had here was our screen died so there’s no way to call over for the final bill . I went up to speak to someone, and they were so slammed. Neither of the waiters were looking at the small crowd of people standing. After about 15 minutes, someone finally asked if we were all here for pick up, which I then said no I was here for the final bill.

That was the only issue I really had especially with one guy who kept looking at us, but went to prepare more complementary salads, wiped down tables and prepared the water bottles instead of just asking us if we needed help . I did try to grab his attention, but he...

I've been driving by this spot with a soft opening sign for quite some time and decided to stop by and see if take-out was an option. I am happy to report that they offer dine-in, take-out and delivery through a variety of apps.

The restaurant is a small spot (urban size) with indoor seating. It also has a small bar that has many draft options. Sorry I forgot to take pictures of the place and my food.

It was my 1st time ever eating at a Pelicana Chicken so I took my server's advice and got 1/2 Crispy Fried Chicken, Dukbokki (rice cakes) and Peli Shaken Fries.

Even after my drive home the chicken was still light, crispy and delicious. In fact there was so much food that we had leftovers and the chicken was still crispy the next day 😋.

The Dukbokki was so flavorsome. It is slightly spicy and I love it. It was so hard to stop eating it even though I was full. It will definitely be my go to side on all future orders. It is a hefty portion. I'd say enough for 3-4 people. You must try it.

The Peli Shaken Friea are unique. I haven't had French fries like this at any other restaurant. The fries are sweet and savory at the same time as they are topped with cheese. Definitely different and a must try for anyone that likes foods that are simultaneously sweet and savory.

All of of the food was so incredibly delicious. Not what I expected from a fried chicken spot. I will definitely be returning again and again. If you like fried chicken you must try this spot as I believe it will be packed once word gets around.

I would also like to add that in addition to what I ordered Pelicana also offers a variety of sauces for your chicken as well as other traditonal and unique side dishes. Also, if you aren't into draft beers, there are many canned and bottled beverages available in...