Pelicana Chicken - Irvine

Updating my review:Service significantly worse!We went to eat in to have fresh fried chicken. The place was fairly empty (one other group) but they were pretty slow. We had to ask for water a few times, ask for napkins a few times , ask for straws a few times. They also place the hot food right in front of our 1 year old instead of anywhere else on the table. Overall lack of awareness. Chicken still amazing! Probably why everyone just gets it to go.

It's only been a few years since I was introduced to K-fried Chicken, and it has been quite a yummy experience so far as I've tried most of the popular places in town. Pelicana is relatively new here, but I'm told that it's been around in Korea for many years now, so, I had very high expectations for its quality. Unfortuantely, I was somewhat let down by this first time visit.This is a small'ish fried chicken joint designed like a casual sports bar, wall mounted TVs, colorful bar, and lound music blasting overhead. I guess it's more than just a take out place, and can be a pretty fun place to hang out with friends for a drink and some comefort K-food.We ordered a half order of the Crispy Fried Boneless Chicken and an order of the whole Original Fried Chicken....with their Signature sauce on the side. We typically don't like our chicken tossed and drenched in sauce and prefer to order it naked and be able to dip our chicken in the sauce as and how we like.We actually thought the boneless chicken was actually very good.....big pieces, tender and juicy, and very yummy with some sauce......and not oily. As for the whole original fried chicken, I liked the crispiness of the coating, but every single piece was just drenched in oil with the whole paper lining of the serving pan like a swimming pool of oil! They could very well have let the oil drain a bit before serving it. Other than that, the chicken meat was pretty nice, tender, juicy, and was quite yummy with the signature sauce.I had really wanted to give a better rating to this place, but the music blasting overhead was way too loud! We had asked the manager to please turn it down a bit since the place was empty, but I was told she was a bit reluctant to do so, and had even given an annoyed look.Unfortunately, I guess it was still a bit early and regular staff had not started their shift yet, so the manager had to attend to us. However, all she ever did was take our order and brought out the food.....never once did she come check on us, asked if we needed anything, or how the food was, etc. Even when we were done eating and were ready to pay the check, we had to walk up to the back area to ask for our check. Bad, bad, bad service, with a bit of an attitude, by the manager. However, the young girl who took over from the manager as we were finishing was much nicer...very nice, friendly, and helpful.Verdict?.....There are many much better quality K-fried Chicken places with much better service in the area.....so we certainly won't be coming back here again.

Chicken: 5/5Service : 5/5Ambiance: 5/5Value: 5/5I eat fried, or roasted chicken at least once a week. This is the best chicken place in Irvine. I actually had some beef with this place because I misplaced my wallet here and they told me they didn't have it for like 3 days when they did. I got it back anyways, but even with that debacle, I'm gonna be fair and rate this joint 5/5.I always get half & half - half fried and half signature in original. Don't need extra crispy - just more batter. Get original which is crispy and juicy. Try original fried with salt and pepper. Signature is my next favorite but heard spicy sauce are good as well.

I actually loved this place, the prices were decent the food was actually delicious, and the quantity was very generous two of us ate from one of the lunch boxes. The service might not be the best but to our server was alone serving all the tables so I blame the company for not having enough staff, I just wouldn't return due to that.

This is my new go-to Korean Fried Chicken place. Their fried chicken is made fresh-to-order so it takes a bit of time but the juiciness & crispness is worth the wait. I also love that this spot has 4-5 TVs showing different live sports (football, baseball, basketball, soccer) just makes it a perfect spot for drinking/hanging out with friends while eating the best Korean fried chicken in the area. They have a diverse selection of beers & sojus. Also, make sure to try their side-foods. Chicken gizzard (stir fried), sea snail salad, and fish cake soup is one of my favorites. If you haven't tried this place, it's definitely worth giving it a try! I would recommend trying dine-in first for the best experience.

Ordered take-out - Crispy Fried Wings 9pcs/sauce on the side with french fries. Highly recommend eating ASAP because they got a little soft by the time I made it home. I ordered for sauces on the side so I can use it as dipping. Also comes with sides of radish. Wings were good but I did not get the freshness like some other places. Crispy outside and soft inside. Finish the first day or they do not taste good as left-over the next day. Sauce packages had generous amount for dipping on the side. French fries were ok. Staff was friendly when I arrived to pick up my order. Inside seemed organized and clean with menu posted on the outside. There are plenty of parking in the front since it is inside a large shopping area.

I had living in Seoul for 12 years and frequenting places like Kyochon, BHC, or local delivery spots for fried chicken but I had never tried Pelicana (페리카나) before. Known as 百利家 in Mandarin, this chain has expanded significantly overseas, with eight branches now open in Southern California (LA, City of Industry, Rancho Cucamonga, Downey, Artesia, Buena Park, Irvine, and San Diego).Pelicana is right next to the salon I went to so after a fresh haircut, my friend and I decided to give it a try. The space isn't huge, but it has a cozy bar area where you can enjoy drinks, watch sports on TV, and listen to K-pop music--a pretty chill vibe overall.They offer lunch specials until 3 PM, but we missed out that window so we just ordered the 반반 (Banban) Fried Chicken--half plain, half with sauce--for $30. We opted for the classic sauce, and the flavor was pretty authentic, served with two small dishes of pickled radish. The 오뎅탕 (fish cake soup) at $24 for just three skewers of fish cake, a few radish slices, and some small fish cake pieces, I personally felt a bit overpriced. They also served a plate of salad as a starter for free and provided the plastic gloves on the table, which is a nice touch to keep your hands clean while eating. Overall, a pleasant experience. Pelicana Chicken4970 Irvine Blvd Ste 110, Irvine, CA 92620

Amazing! The portion sizes and chicken size is huge. Had the three flavors now: the original, the house sauce, and the cheese flavor and they're all good. I have ordered just the chicken and they're all well cooked and well seasoned.

I always visit with my friends more than 2 times in a week. The food is always fresh and delicious, never disappointing. Above all, all servers are very kind, manager Janet is especially kind and attention to all customers. ^^

Food and ambiance was good. We ordered smoking mayo and blazing mayo flavours. Both were good. Service was slow though and the staff was rude and unattentive.