Yeon’s Chicken

My friend suggested we grab dinner at Yeon's Chicken after he visited the sister restaurant (also located on the east side, forgot what the name was). It was a fairly quiet Tuesday evening, so we did not have to wait at all to be seated. The staff were very prompt about providing any assistance we needed. We ordered the Seafood Korean Pancake, Japchae, and Creamy Onion Boneless Chicken to share between the two of us. It was A LOT of food to have two people eat, so we ended up having leftovers to bring home. There is street parking and a paid parking lot nearby.

I was pretty reluctant to try Korean Fried Chicken on the eastside - Kirkland of all places. But when I found out that Yeon's is the same as Third Place in Redmond and Underground Kitchen in Federal Way. I knew it was on!Way to represent as both other locations are my respective favorites for KFC. And the best part? They share virtually the same menu, so my go to is always the half and half chicken with yangyum sauce and cheesy corn, side rice and extra daikon. Albeit it's not the cheapest option to eat alone and you'll get enough food to split between 2 to 4 people and be satisfied after. I've been here during the lunch hour and have yet to see more than 2 other people here so service is super fast and friendly. There isn't much to the decor of the spot so it's simple and a good quiet place to enjoy some great chicken.

I was super hungry and needed something quick! I knew in the back of my head about this place in dt Kirkland and I had to try it.The person who took my order was very friendly and accommodating. I ordered the Beef Bul-Go-Gi Lunch box and the Steamed Dumplings. I've always been a big fan of two things when it comes to Korean food, Bulgogi and steamed dumplings (Gyoza). I was super happy and satisfied with my meal. I particularly liked the steamed dumplings. The outside was super soft, with a smooth texture and very tasty. For the Beef Bulgogi was also very delicious. I liked the fact it came with a variety of other small items to enjoy.The ambiance was very nice with K-Pop music videos playing on their TV's. Overall it was a great experience and I plan to come back again.

I was told this spot is owned by the owner of Underground Kitchen, which I'd argue has the best chicken in the state. Not sure Yeon's is quite there yet, but potentially soon. The menu is basically the same, but I think the consistency here can be improved to match Underground. We got our Honey Garlic Wings fast, probably within 10 minutes and then had to wait 40 minutes for the rest of our chicken, so that was an interesting downtime. Each order is pretty big, about 24 pieces so definitely bring a party and appetite.Corn Cheese - a very solid corn cheese with good portion. Great to wrap around chicken that needs a little more of a kick.Honey Garlic Chicken - the garlic was held back here, small sprinkles but it wasn't enough. Basically honey chicken. The chicken was fantastic in texture and flavor, but with the garlic out of the picture, honey chicken isn't too exciting.Original Fried Chicken - friend wanted the original and well, not sure what I expected. It's solid chicken, great texture and flavor, again, but there's nothing else to it. This was enhanced by wrapping some corn cheese around though!Creamy Onion Boneless Chicken - I loved this at Underground but it disappointed me here. Great chicken, juicy and tender, but bland on the outside because they piled a ton of onions without much of the cream. This meant it was a bit drier overall. This would've been fantastic with the corn cheese, but it took a crazy amount of time so we had finished the corn cheese by the time this arrived.

Full Disclosure first: I like eating their food better when I eat it at home, because I modify them. I know, weird.Yeon's Chicken has the same owners as The Third Place in Redmond. If you like that one, you'll probably like this one, too. Located in downtown Kirkland on Central, there are limited street parking but plenty at the Kirkland downtown library. To this day, they still don't have their own website. For menu and prices, see one of the delivery sites - Doordash or UberEats. Photo images (including my photos) have obsolete pricing. Prices have dramatically increased due to inflation. Both times, we phoned in our order and picked it up in person. Realistically, this is more of a 3.5 Stars. I don't dislike them enough to round down, so I'm rounding up instead. The Food: La Kalbi Lunch Box, $20.99 - 4 StarsThe category of "Yeon's Plates", which is essentially a bento box, is amongst their most popular dishes. You get a little bit of everything. The main course of kalbi, 1 fried dumpling, 1 piece of friend chicken, some veggies, and some banchan sides. This is one of hubby's favorite options on the menu. Seafood Korean Pancake, $19.99 - 4 StarsCrispy fried on both sides, it is well packed with scallions and seafood. It is very, very greasy. Here's the trick I learned. Bake it again on a rack, watch the grease drip out of it. It's extra-crispy without being cracker-like with much less grease. Its thickness and batter keep it from being overly dry during this re-heat. Half and Half Chicken Wings, $27.99 - 3 Stars, maybe 2.5 StarsTheir name says chicken on it, it's their most popular dish, but it really is not the best chicken out there. The normal chicken isn't crispy enough. The Yangnyum isn't Yangnyum enough. I feel sorry for the restaurant, though. I saw another review complaining the Yangnyum is too spicy. LOL. Kimchi Fried Rice, $13.99 - 3 Stars, maybe 2.5 StarsIt has the reddish color, but it's not very kimchi-ish. I looked it this. Got a pot out, dumped the entire container in, put in heaps of additional kimchi (thank you Costco), stirred, and warmed everything. Suddenly, I have the most incredible kimchi fried rice! Well, when I'm too lazy to do the whole thing myself, this method works, too. Creamy Udon with Seafood and Cod Rod - 5 StarsTHIS IS my favorite dish. The dish is a good size, plenty of noodles, seafood, and most importantly, sauce! After I saw the dish at home, I immediately washed some spinach, cut a bit of red bell pepper into small dice pieces, and stirred them directly into the takeout container. OMG, so good!!! I had enough sauce and noodles left that I repeated with added veggies and some seafood and had a second meal the next day. Again, so good!!!

Worst Korean chicken we've tried. The "12 chicken bites" look like mushy gizzards or something. Gross. The breading for everything we got was just chewy and mushy. The half and half were wings only (which was a cheaper option so that's great we paid more) and so just meh. I didn't eat anything and my friends picked through what they could. We threw the rest away. The good reviews must be from people who have never had good or even decent Korean fried chicken. Oh! Also the portion is small for what it is. We will stick to BBQ in Lynnwood. So worth the drive.

As someone who has ventured far and wide in search of the perfect piece of Korean fried chicken, I can tell you that Yeon's chicken is that perfect piece! Nestled in a quaint little corner of Kirkland, Yeon's Chicken offers not just food, but an experience that tantalizes the taste buds and warms the soul.The aroma of perfectly fried chicken lures you when you step into Yeon's Chicken, and the experience only gets better. Their chicken has a perfect balance of salty, sweet, spicy, and umami making each bite an unforgettable delight.The staff was courteous and attentive. They seemed to take genuine pride in serving dishes that were clearly crafted with love and precision.Yeon's Chicken is a must-visit for anyone passionate about authentic Korean fried chicken. This unique eatery offers fantastic food and an ambiance that makes every meal special. It's no wonder that people keep coming back for more!

This place has a humble appearance and a family-run restaurant vibe, and the food tasted great. There isn't too much seating inside but I liked that the tables had plenty of space in between and it wasn't too busy on a Monday evening either, so the food came out reasonably fast. Server was helpful and checked in on us from time to time. They mostly played k-pop inside and had one TV monitor playing k-pop videos (not synced with music) and another playing The Office.We ordered a honey garlic chicken, yangnyum chicken, and a rice cakes dish for three people and it was just about enough food, with some leftovers as well. The chicken was great! If you really like crispy chicken then you'll like these because the outside is super crispy. I think they do put a bit more breading/batter than other korean chicken places that I've been to, which is how they get it so crispy. The yangnyum flavor comes in spice levels 1-5, but even a 2 is decently spicy that some of us had our noses running it wasn't that painful though, especially once the chicken cooled down a bit. We also got a creamy rice cake dish out of curiosity, and the sauce kind of tastes like a slightly cheesy alfredo sauce. My friend liked it, but personally I still like the original flavor more.

Checked this place out, and it was a nice surprise! Friendly service and food came out hot. Fries and chicken had a good crispy crunch and chicken was also juicy. Udon was creamy and delicious with a decent amount of seafood. Highly recommend and will be back.

Finally got to come back here when I was back in the Kirkland area car-shopping. Yeon's was a much needed lunch break.This time, there were three of us. We all ordered bento boxes. I got the Bulgolgi Beef, my hubs got the Kalbi, and our teen got the Bulgolgi Chicken. There is so much food in these bento boxes, depending on how much you eat, this could provide for two meals or be shared between two people. We all took leftovers home. I love all the sides that come in the bento box. Everything is so flavorful and go great together. Highly recommend this menu item.One thing to be aware of during the winter is that the restaurant only has two space heaters right now (not sure if heat is broken and get fixed) so it is cold inside. Be sure to bring a coat if you can't get a table right by one of the space heaters.