Pelicana Chicken — Restaurant in Seattle

Oh my gosh! What a shame on me, as a Yelp Elite, that I haven't checked out Pelicana until now.

I've known about Pelicana for a long time as it's a well-established brand in South Korea with a rich history. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Pelicana had opened in Seattle. Recently, I've heard rave reviews from my friends who have tried it, so I knew I had to visit as a dedicated Yelper.

First of all, the restaurant is located in the heart of Capitol Hill, where all the excitement happens, making it easy to find. Parking can be a bit tough in Capitol Hill, but there is a large parking garage right across from the restaurant. Street parking is also available and free after 10 PM.

When my friend and I walked in last night at 10 PM, we were greeted by the server and promptly seated. With Korean chicken trending globally, the place was already bustling with people in both the bar and regular seating areas. It seems many patrons enjoy the bar area for drinks, where all the tables have high chairs. Since we're not big fans of high chairs, we opted for a table in the regular dining area to enjoy our late-night dinner.

The menu was accessible through a QR code available on the table, making it easy to browse all the offerings. Pelicana offers not only chicken items but also many other Korean food items as sides.

We ordered Crispy Fried Chicken – half with Original sauce and the other half with Garlic sauce. For drinks, we chose Peach-flavored Soju. Pelicana offers many different options for Soju, ensuring a special experience for Soju lovers.

As soon as the Crispy Fried Chicken arrived, we were busy taking pictures and then immediately tried the chicken while it was still warm. We were amazed by the taste and flavor. The portion size was generous, easily enough to feed four people with one whole chicken at only $33. The chicken was fresh and tender, with the bones showing how well it was cooked. It was perfectly fried to a crisp. Pelicana offers two options for battering their chicken: Original, a single thin layered batter, and Crispy, a double crispy layered batter. For first-timers, I strongly recommend the Crispy batter.

Korean chicken is all about crispiness and sauce flavor. The original sauce is Pelicana’s signature sauce, perfectly balancing spiciness and sweetness. The Garlic sauce was also delicious, making it hard to stop eating.

Chicken pairs well with any alcohol, but Soju and Beer are the perfect combinations. Since we were so impressed with the chicken, we decided to try the side menu. Although the server recommended Kimchi Udon and Ddukbokki as top sellers, we opted for Chicken Gizzard Stir Fried and Cheese Balls. Unfortunately, they were out, so we ordered Cheese Buldak instead. OMG! The Cheese Buldak was hot and spicy but incredibly tasty. It made us cry but we couldn't stop eating because it was so addictive.

Pelicana is now my go-to place for Korean chicken. If you're in the mood for chicken and want the best crispy and flavorful chicken with great alcohol options, this is the place...

PLEASE BEWARE!!!

I am beyond disappointed and upset with the service and dishonesty of this restaurant. Not once, not twice, but on multiple occasions, I have received shorted takeout orders of wings. I cannot stress enough that these were not orders placed through delivery services, but rather orders that I personally picked up from the restaurant. And yet, time and time again, I have received fewer wings than I paid for. Initially, I brushed it off as an honest mistake. But now, after my most recent takeout order where I received (I KID YOU NOT!) 5 missing wings out of 18, I can no longer believe this to be a coincidence. This is a clear pattern of cheating and stealing from customers. And to add insult to injury, when I attempted to call the restaurant to address this issue, they did not even have the decency to resolve the matter, insinuating that I am lying and they are not at fault. I urge anyone considering doing business with this establishment to think twice. At $1.7 per wing and with the lack of accountability and disregard for customer satisfaction, it is clear that they do not value or respect their customers. And if they are willing to CHEAT and STEAL in such a blatant manner, who knows what OTHER UNETHICAL PRACTICES they may be engaging in, including potentially putting customers health at risk by not following food safety protocols. I will not be returning to this establishment and neither should you.

——— This is a reply to the owner who left a reply:

Why does knowing my full name matter at this point? I'm not asking for anything and I don't want to give my full name in public. It's a foolish move if you're trying to fact-check. I'm just a regular person who hates dishonesty, not a random troll wishing bad things for your business. I like your chicken, which is why I'm even more upset.

I wrote this review because this same situation happened to some of my friends, but they didn't want to make a fuss for fear of looking cheap. I hesitated at first too, but after seeing other similar reviews, I felt it was the right thing to do to warn others.

Before asking for my information to improve your business's reviews, you should have sincerely apologized and let people know that you are now aware of the situation and taking measures to deliver correct service. Checking if I'm a real person or customer is not the solution. Many others have gone through the same issue.

And, no I did not use delivery service! If you really cared about it you should have read my review thoroughly, which I stated above that I personally picked up. It is not appropriate to place blame on the drivers.

I hope this comes to light and one day your establishment can improve so customers don't have to worry about being cheated. Not only did you and your staff fail at being accurate and honest with your service, but you also failed at being decent human beings...

I usually don’t write negative reviews like this, but unfortunately here we are. My friends and I decided to get chicken today after a long day of work. Pelicana was definitely one of our top picks when it came to Korean Fried Chicken, especially because they offered a variety of popular flavors.

We ordered two half chickens: Honey Soy and Spicy Chicken. While the Honey Soy was acceptable, the Spicy Chicken had a noticeable old smell, suggesting it might have been expired. Even though I'm not particularly sensitive to these issues, my friends quickly agreed and had to spit it out. We informed a server, who handled the situation well and assured us she would notify the manager.

After about 15 minutes, we received a replacement tray of chicken. Unfortunately, this batch had an even stronger, unpleasant smell.

This is where the problem started. The manager approached us without any formal apology and rudely asked if we were Korean, implying our sensitivity was due to comparisons with Pelicana in Korea. We were bewildered by this response. He claimed there had been no complaints that evening and seemed to suggest we were the only ones with an issue. To our shock, he handled a piece of chicken with his bare hands, putting it near his mouth and nose, and put it back on our tray, dismissing our concerns. After telling us that he himself couldn’t smell anything, he proceeded to shove it in to one of the servers’ face. The server nodded his head multiple times to say that he indeed smells something funky, but the manager wouldn’t stop shoving that piece of chicken in his face. In discomfort, we pointed out his rudeness. He offered a forced apology, attributing his behavior to the busy environment, which just felt like an excuse to me.

He eventually removed the cost of one chicken and our drinks from the bill, but the entire experience left us confused and uncomfortable. His assumption about our sensitivity was unfounded; I've never been to Korea and have only tried Pelicana in Seattle. If any food tastes off, I’ll speak up, regardless of the brand. Ultimately, his behavior was even more unsettling than the food itself.

We went to Pelicana often and never had issues like this. This was an unforgettable and unpleasant experience, and we won’t...