Bonchon Tinley Park — Restaurant in Tinley Park

I love Bonchon and I'm so excited that I don't have to truck all the way to Chinatown to get my fix anymore. This location is a little strange (we'll get to that later) but the food is worth the trip.

FOOD: If you're not familiar, Bonchon specializes in Korean Fried Chicken—ultra-crispy fried chicken coated in sauce—and other Korean dishes. Though Soy Garlic is a great standby and family option, I always go for the Spicy. They're not kidding about the spice, so have a fair warning that it'll burn. But it burns so good.

There are lots of options of chicken pieces to get. I always go for the mixed (drumsticks and wings) which offers a good selection. Fries are my usual side; these are thicker fries (not shoestrings) with great breading. Daikon radish is the better free side with the chicken as it helps "cool down" from the spice and breaks up all the richness.

Everything I got at this location was just as good as the other locations I've been to.

LOCATION: This is the kicker. Though it's great having this Bonchon in the burbs (and right near an expressway) I worry it won't get as much mileage as it deserves because you might as well have to solve three riddles from a troll to find it.

The place would be impossible to find without Google Maps or GPS. It takes two turns and a Hail Mary to spot it. There are no visible signs on LaGrange, the surrounding area is under construction, and the parking lot it's in is completely hidden by trees. Then once you get into the parking lot, the Bonchon is in a corner behind a seafood restaurant. You can barely spot it from the hotel in the same parking lot. It needs a neon sign STAT.

Note that this location is takeout only with no tables. It's just a counter with a few seats to wait.

SERVICE: The cashier was no-nonsense but friendly and if you had questions, they'd have been able to help you.

PRICE: Bonchon is definitely on the higher end for fried chicken; I paid about $20 for six pieces with fries, but I ate that for two days. It costs more because it's better. That's just the truth. This location does have a $12 meal deal with three drumsticks, fries, and a sweet donut that I'll definitely...

I've had Bonchon many times before from completely different locations such as Bolingbrook, Aurora, and Chicago Chinatown. When I found out the Tinley location was opening, my interest was piqued since that is the closest Bonchon to me now.

After many delays, they've finally opened and of course I was down to try it. I have some things to say about it, the food especially.

The flavor was definitely there and had that "Bonchon" taste as one could call it, but the size of the wings were abysmal. Normally the wings would be pretty large for what you pay for, but they were so tiny that they couldn't fill up half the box, and I got a 20 count. The breading weren't as crispy as they usually are; the best way to describe it is it would crumble as you take a bite. In this case, the breading stayed fully intact. For $30 I would call that unacceptable.

The cashiers and owner there were definitely great and gave me a good presentation. I even had a chat with them for a little and they were great. No complaints with the service whatsoever.

The atmosphere could be a little better. For a to-go place it is completely understandable to be tiny but a little more would be nice. I'm not complaining though.

Overall, a bit of a rough start on the food side. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that I came there day one, and I believe in improvements. But for now I can't justify paying $30 for 20 wings that are smaller...

This was our first time here. We are from Northwest Indiana and were in the area and decided to stop here as I've seen this place advertised on Facebook. We were hoping to eat in, but there was no place to sit and eat. This is just a carry out joint. By the time we got home, the crispness of the chicken coating wasn't as expected. Assuming it's because the chicken had time to steam in the box on our drive home. I ordered the wings and drumstick combo with the Korean BBQ sauce. They were not sufficiently coated with sauce, and the chicken had no flavor, as if it had not been seasoned prior to dipping into the coating. When I bit into the wing, the coating was not stuck to the skin, and the skin was soft and felt like I was having boiled wings. I pulled the skin off. I guess the constant Facebook commercials set me up for higher expectations. The menu shows the Korean BBQ as a spicey sauce, but it really wasn't spicy at all. Overall, had the chicken been seasoned and had it been covered with more sauce, it would have been better. I'm sure the crispiness would have been better had we been able to eat...