Bonchon soft opens in Mountain View

Uploaded: Jul 14, 2017

Bonchon's popular double-fried chicken wings are now available in downtown Mountain View. A franchise of the Korean-born chain has soft opened at 260 Castro St., owner Albert Tseng confirmed.

Tseng, who lives in Mountain View, said the restaurant will be in soft-opening mode while new staff are trained.

Bonchon uses Mary's Organic Chicken, which is non-GMO and hormone-free. The chicken is double fried; in the middle of the frying process, it's taken out to get some air, which "harden(s) the shell of the chicken," Tseng said in a previous interview. Instead of drenching the chicken in sauce afterwards, employees uses brushes to individually hand-glaze each piece, according to Tseng.

Chicken drumsticks at Bonchon. Photo courtesy Bonchon.

During the restaurant's soft opening, there will be a limited menu available in Mountain View, including Bonchon's signature fried chicken, which customers can order with soy-garlic sauce, spicy or half and half; and as wings, strips, drumsticks or a combination. The chicken comes with one side, including pickled radish, kimchi coleslaw and steamed rice. There are also starters, mains, salads and soups. Check out the menu here.

Bonchon Mountain View's soft-opening hours are: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.

The restaurant will hold a grand opening in several weeks.

Comments

+ 9 people like this

Posted by R. Winslow, a resident of Crescent Park,
on Jul 14, 2017 at 12:50 pm

"Mary's Organic Chicken, which is non-GMO and hormone-free. The chicken is double fried"

That's called how to make an otherwise healthy piece of chicken somewhat unhealthy.

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+ 272 people like this

Posted by Reader, a resident of another community,
on Jul 14, 2017 at 2:50 pm

Hey, R. Winslow,

How about showing a little bit more of a neighborly and welcoming attitude to this small business owner who has chosen downtown Mountain View for his new venture?

Stop complaining about new restaurants or start your own. No one can please everyone all the time, including this restaurateur. That is not your mother in that kitchen cooking you your favorite breakfast.

Also, no one is pointing a gun at your head, telling you must eat this or any other restaurant for that matter. If you feel that it is unhealthy, feel free to eat your boneless, skinless steam chicken breast at home silently, no one will criticize you for doing that.

Sure, most would agree that fried chicken should probably be consumed in moderation, just like almost anything else. However, one order of this isn't going to kill you.

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+ 6 people like this

Posted by R. Winslow, a resident of Crescent Park,
on Jul 14, 2017 at 6:20 pm

@reader

I comprende your point BUT why advertise the chicken's pedigree if it's only going to be breaded and dumped into a deep fryer not once but twice?

That would like 'the Colonel' (at an upscale KFC) saying we only use Petaluma organic chickens for our Extra Cripsy fried chicken. What's the point other than to charge more? *LOL*

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+ 18 people like this

Posted by Skip it wnslow, a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis,
on Jul 14, 2017 at 6:48 pm

Just had dinner there tonight. The chicken was great ( and I do not think it is breaded). The staff was friendly . I think once it officially opens it will be more crowded. And as long as you partake of any dish in moderation , the health issue is not a big deal.
I think this place will do just fine without r. Winslow. But I do notice that no matter what kind of restaurant is discussd here, some people will feel the need to,post negative comments ( unhealthy, pretentious, too expensive etc etc etc).
But that has become the mantra of the PA weakly--encourage sour grapes and dissent to draw an increase in online views.

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+ 10 people like this

Posted by Make science great again, a resident of Old Mountain View,
on Jul 14, 2017 at 10:41 pm

R. Winslow,

There are no nutritional differences between organic, GMO-free, hormone-free chicken and conventional chicken. If there is any reason why one should choose the former, it's on the grounds that the chicken is more humanely raised, not that it is healthier. Read more about it here: Web Link

P.S. Bonchon is hella tasty and I'd gladly eat it until my stomach pops and my intestines are fully coated with oil.

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+ 5 people like this

Posted by Just meh, not worth the fat, a resident of Adobe-Meadow,
on Jul 15, 2017 at 5:58 am

The wings are OK,and I know everyone want to love them and be angry at anyone who doesn't, but I found the wings to be just OK, and not worth the fried dietary bomb. It's like eating a marginally good doughnut. Lots of bad for your heart with no good tradoff for the taste buds.

[A portion of this post has been removed.]

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+ 25 people like this

Posted by R. Winslow, a resident of Crescent Park,
on Jul 15, 2017 at 6:14 pm

>P.S. Bonchon is hella tasty and I'd gladly eat it until my stomach pops and my intestines are fully coated with oil.

[A portion of this post has been removed.]

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+ 1 person likes this

Posted by CT resident, a resident of College Terrace,
on Jul 17, 2017 at 11:54 am

Has anyone tried both Bonchon, and Kumino's fried chicken, and can do a comparison?

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+ 8 people like this

Posted by !Yay!, a resident of Rengstorff Park,
on Jul 17, 2017 at 2:12 pm

Now I can stop driving to their Sunnyvale location for my fix.

Look friends, this is not an everyday food if you want to stay under 400 lbs. No one said this is health food. But if you're going to give yourself a treat, your chicken may as well be fried twice as once, K?

The wings are delicious, do not taste greasy, and though I usually hate myself afterwards, I enjoy eating there once in a while and am glad they will be in downtown MV.

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+ 1 person likes this

Posted by RSC, a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood,
on Jul 20, 2017 at 5:17 pm

Bonchon kicks KFC's rear-end time and time again. I've been a frequent visitor at their Sunnyvale sight and it's a joy to have them here in our hometown. These wings are delectably addicting and you'll be going back for more. Having a boba tea establishment usually compliments this (Thank you Tea Era/Teaspoon, Verde).

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+ 3 people like this

Posted by Palo Alto native, a resident of Charleston Meadows,
on Jul 20, 2017 at 7:01 pm

Yay! Love Bonchon Chicken! The Sunnyvale location is always crowded with a wait. Thanks for bringing Bonchon to downtown Mtn View.

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