UFC - Unidentified Flying Chickens

1/22/2015

This place was so cheap - came out to $11 + tip per person for 20 wings, 2 beers, 2 sodas, and 4 sides (2 sides come included with the 20 wings).  Yeah, so UFC is a little far out into Queens for me to travel to when I have KyoChon (yum!!) about a 5 minute walk from home - UFC was good, but not 5-star oh my goodness I have to back *good*.  I understand there's one in Manhattan as well - maybe I'll give that one a shot next!

A friend wanted to come to UFC and I was a bit aghast, since I saw Zabb Elee (!!) next door.  Oh well.  Maybe they have really good chicken!

Beers - they have a pretty ridiculous selection of craft beers for an Asian establishment.  We had a blueberry beer and one of my favorites, Wells Banana Bread Beer.  They were around $6 each - pretty reasonable.

Sodas are $2.50 and come with free refills, though it comes in a huuuuge glass, so I'd refrain from getting a refill unless you want diabetes.  They have a large selection of teas as well, but I was told that these are fountain (aka concentrate).

We got the 20 wing combo (comes with 2 sides) and got half hot and half sweet and spicy.  The hot has a nice kick to it without being uncomfortable to the tastebuds.  The sweet and spicy just didn't do it for me... it tasted like sweet and sour sauce-covered chicken wings.  The wings here are large in size and have a nice, thicker than usual, batter.

Sides, in order of tastiness:
1. Regular fries - hells yes.  These things were awesome.  You could just tell by the way they looked that they were awesome.  Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.
2. Macaroni salad - this was surprisingly light and very good.
3. Radish - simple side to go with your spicy chicken
4. Sweet potato fries - Too thin, too dry.

For under $15 a person including drinks, main, and sides, I think UFC is a pretty good deal.

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  20 wings

  20 wings
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  Regular fries and sweet potato fries

  Regular fries and sweet potato fries
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  Potato salad and radish

  Potato salad and radish

1/16/2015

Ah, Korean fried chicken in Jackson Heights. Sounds great, yeah?

Unfortunately, due to the terrible terrible slow service, I have to drop it down from four stars to three.

This place is cheap and the food tastes good...assuming you don't die of starvation before you get it.

I've come in during lunch time (their lunch specials are super cheap) when there have been almost no people around, yet had to wait at least 30 minutes before the food was ready. I understand that Korean fried chicken does take some time to come out, but it took almost ten minutes just to get our menus to begin the ordering process.

The fried chicken itself is delicious though. With different options of sauces, you can customize what you want. I am a fan of the Soy Garlic, as I cannot handle too many spicy things.

The place itself is clean and well decorated, with the many offerings of beers easily seen and accessible.

That said, food great, price great, service is pushing it. I still come here once in a while, but I make sure I have more than enough time to spend on it.

1/1/2015

The chicken wings are really good from here. It's not oily, yet deliciously crunchy. I crave their wings quite often. I usually get the soy garlic, and hot/spicy flavor. You get a side with a 10 piece meal and I usually get the pickled radish or salad. The sides are nothing special.

I've only ordered take-out from there. It's a 25-30 minute wait as the wings are made fresh. I would recommend ordering in advance. If you want to eat there,  they have two floors of tables, though I never checked out downstairs.

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  Mixed soy garlic and spicy chicken wings

  Mixed soy garlic and spicy chicken wings

2/11/2015

Only went for lunch. It was good. Can't comment on most of the menu but I got the sweet & spicy wings.
I do want to go back. It was worth my lunch hour.

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  A side of slaw....

  A side of slaw....

12/12/2014

Wow. Never have I received such terrible  service and attitude from anywhere in the city.

Maybe staff is nicer in person but over the phone they will talk shit about customers amongst themselves and not even bother to put you on mute (cute and oh, so dumb).

Again, don't bother with delivery as their delivery people will promise to return with all of the food to your apartment and then never come back.

And then when you call to figure out what happened, they'll blame you (???) and then tell you the kitchen is closed when you ask for re-delivery (the guy on the phone even said all the chicken is cold and dry now so it seems that perhaps chicken isn't made to order here).

Gross experience. Never again.

UFC, here's a Pro-tip someone in the restaurant business: don't just throw out food without calling the customer first. That's why you take a phone number!

8/20/2014

This is the closest Korean restaurant from my work place. They have one of the best bonchon chicken along Roosevelt Avenue.

This place used to be Podunk and I have not been here in ages. Upon reading the reviews from Yelp, I've decided to hail a cab and have lunch here with my colleagues.

The place is now completely renovated, I love the new hipster vibe with a Midwestern style interior.  They also showcased wide variety of draft and bottled beers.

I ordered the 5 pieces of spicy bonchon chicken (they come with 4 different flavors) served with green salad and white rice on the side. It was delicious and crispy, freshly cooked and was actually steaming when it was served.

We will definitely come back here to try the Bulgogi lunch special.

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  Spicy bonchon chicken

  Spicy bonchon chicken
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• 
• See all photos from Reggie M. for UFC - Unidentified Flying Chickens

12/16/2014

Dined here a couple of times both before and after they changed their interior decors of the place. I'd say that it was a pretty good change for UFC look more like a classy restaurant now than a shabby fastfood.

I always order my soy garlic chicken wings and they're absolutely tasty! I'm so happy there's a korean chicken place at our neighborhood! Other places I know is too far at manhattan and I can't go there every time I get the cravings. And their delivery service makes it more awesome too.

All the food in their menu are great..even the sandwiches are so yummy and crunchy.

They have unlimited drink that comes with the chicken wings as well.

And they have wifi

I highly recommend this place!

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  Soy garlic chicken and sweet potato fries on the side

  Soy garlic chicken and sweet potato fries on the side
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8/3/2014 Updated review

UPDATE: Actually went there to dine in on a Friday night for dinner. Crowded at first glance with table & counter seating that don't seem to support more than 4 people per party.

I'm hoping it was a bad night, but the chicken came out sort of bland. The soy garlic  & hot wings had the usual crunch we've all come to expect, but the flavor was lacking. Browsing over the most recent reviews, I see others seem to agree with that statement. Very disappointed.

The macaroni salad is a bit bland and boring. Once again it seem like the fries are the only sides worth getting. Sad to say that was the only thing that didn't let us down that night.

Service (besides the 1 friendly guy helping to serve us) was stone cold and awkward right from the start.

Large selection of beer though...yay? Otherwise UFC GET IT TOGETHER.

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  Fries

  Fries
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  20 soy garlic and hot wings!

  20 soy garlic and hot wings!

11/23/2014

Good chicken. Soy garlic is probably the best. Sometimes the chicken is a bit overcooked in my opinion but others may disagree. Wings are pretty meaty but wished they flavored it just a tad more. Still pretty damn good though.

We usually order in advance by 30 min for any pickup. A large is about $20 for a decent bucket of wings.

12/14/2014

This place used to be my favorite place for chicken wings. The chicken wings in here are better than bon chon or kyo chon and the price is very reasonable ( cuz i know it's in queens). Recently i notice that the service in here is terrible. Before the service here was good, the waitresses and waiters were so polite and nice. But now, every time i come to this place what i get from the waitress/waiter is rude attitude. Especially the tall guy and the chubby girl.
Yesterday me and my friends came over for lunch and the place was empty. We saw a waitress sitting there playing on her phone and we were like "table for 4" and she still sat there with her phone and gave us "the face" and we still stood there and were so confused. Then she stood up and gave us a rude attitude like we actually annoyed her.

I never write anything so negative about any restaurant but what me and my friends received from the waitress yesterday was so bad.
Personally i still love the food there and i'm probably still gonna order from UfC but i hope the owner of the place read this review and have some change about it.

11/19/2014

Unidentified Flying Chicken (UFC) has some of the best chicken I've ever tasted... ever.

I always order the Soy Garlic Chicken and order a large basket for the table.

It comes with 2 sides. I liked the Korean radish and the macaroni.

My aunt recommended we order the potato fries. And she was right.

In terms of design, the place is cool from the whole space down to the small details, like the cute glass mug with the cute curly straw just for tap water.

Overall, the place has a cozy yet cool vibe of wooden furniture and chill chalk graphics on the walls.

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  Very unique mug and straw just for tap water

  Very unique mug and straw just for tap water
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  Cool chalkboard-like doodles fill the main wall. Overall, place is super cool yet still cozy.

  Cool chalkboard-like doodles fill the main wall. Overall, place is super cool yet still cozy.
• 

  Cool chalkboard-like doodles fill the main wall. Overall, place is super cool yet still cozy.

  Cool chalkboard-like doodles fill the main wall. Overall, place is super cool yet still cozy.
• See all photos from Kristian C. for UFC - Unidentified Flying Chickens

10/16/2014

I always come here for my chicken fix. There are so many flavors: soy garlic, hot, sweet & spicy, and bbq mustard. My favorite? SOY GARLIC.

I had the Medium Combo - wings and drumsticks (the more the merrier!), pickled korean radish for my side, and an extra order of the Asian sweet potato fries. And everything was DELICIOUS!

Here's a tip: get the pickled korean radish - it really cleanses your palette. But beware, it's a lot to handle. It's not spicy - you're just literally biting in a chunk of radish at one time.

I used to come here a while back - before they redid their whole restaurant - aka when they didn't serve beer and cider. And thank goodness they do now! This is the only place I know that serves 2 different types of cider - so my friend and I shared my first flight: 2 ciders, 2 beers - tada!

Overall, the meal was about $25 - so worth it!

Cailin's Recommendation:
- Fried Chicken Medium Combo $13 (SOY GARLIC - and mix it up with any other flavor)
- side: pickled korean radish
- EXTRA side: Asian sweet potato fries $6.50

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  Medium combo - soy garlic, and bbq mustard. side of pickled korean radish, and an extra side for asian sweet potato fries.

  Medium combo - soy garlic, and bbq mustard. side of pickled korean radish, and an extra side for asian sweet potato fries.
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  Pickled Korean radish & a flight!

  Pickled Korean radish & a flight!

12/22/2014

Love the chicken here. Friend of mine recommended it after I have probably rode by this place a million times. Ordered ten wings plus some tenders in the garlic soy and it was amazing. I probably ate more than I should have which got me sick..I was just enjoying the food so much I overstuffed myself by a good amount... stomach cramps were soon after... I must have inhaled the chicken strips whole! F#%*

2/4/2015

Love this Korean chicken place! Reminds me of Bonchon. I've never came inside to eat but I always order delivery from here. Ordering online is super easy and the food comes relatively fast, usually within the hour. The order is always right and the chicken wings are to die for! It is also reasonably priced and you pay for what you get. It's also in the middle of Jackson Heights so it gives great diversity to the area as well.

12/24/2014

When my BFF first mentioned that we should go to UFC, I was like, I hope this place has nothing to do with mixed martial arts and cage fighting! Then I googled it and saw it was non other than korean fried chicken! One of my favs :)

This location is on the small, cozy side. I had no problem getting a table on a Tuesday evening. Once my BFF got there, we ordered 20 wings (I know, that's a lot for two girls, but we packed the rest to go home and feed our significant others) and 2 sides (macaroni salad and sweet potato fries). The wings were a good size and decently sauced. We ordered the typical soy+garlic (the best) and tried the sweet & spicy according to a recommendation on Swarm. I didn't really think it was that great. Will try another sauce next time!

Add this to the list if you're in the area and need some korean fried chicken! Parking was easy to find at 7 on a weekday ;)

2/3/2014

What's the best Super Bowl food in my opinion? Chicken weeennggs baybeeehh...what more but Korean fried chicken weeeenggs!

Preordered wings an hour before our scheduled arrival at our friends place to watch the game. Unfortunately, a gazillion of other people, mainly Asians, thought of the same thing I thought of. An hour wait and with only a choice of two kinds. Soy Garlic and Sweet and Spicy. Yes! I am soooo excited for the Denver Broncos.

Great thing we had these wings. If you didn't see SuperBowl 48, it was not the Broncos night. Game was doomed from 1st quarter and they just didn't stand a chance to recover. Ahhhhhhh, there's always next year. UFC wings saved the night. If I didn't have these to munch on while complaining under my breath how the game sucked, it would have been torture lol.

5 stars still even for the long wait and the confusion at the counter when we picked up our order.

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  Soy Chicken

  Soy Chicken

9/16/2014

I wanted to love their chicken but it just didn't do it for me. It was good but not something that I would crave and come back for. I can't help but compare it to Bon Chon, Bon Chon is better IMHO.

I give it props for their decor and ambiance. I love that they have endless variety of craft beers.

Had the soy garlic and the sweet & spicy chicken. I wish the flavor would actually seep into the meat of the chicken. I feel like the flavors only came from the skin (which was cripsy and tasty, btw). Chicken was perfectly cooked though.

Service was mediocre. Kind of slow..

It's a good value for it's price.

Overall, okay experience. Would I come back? Probably not.

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  Soy garlic and sweet & spicy

  Soy garlic and sweet & spicy

1/1/2014

They are one of the best at korean fried chicken and perhaps have been at it practically the longest and it is in my opinion that they've still got it.  Decided to drive here as it is somewhat less accessible from Brooklyn... parking around the area is easy to find, if you know where to look.

A Yelp event in the weeks prior reminded me about going and that's how this trip came about.  On the day that we went, they also ran lunch special combos on the board which had a salad, and rice, to go along with several pieces of tasty chicken.  The chicken is of course the main attraction and they didn't disappoint.  It came out perfectly moist and tender inside, crispy on the outside, just as I had imagined it. (Soy garlic) Love it!!!  I'm going to have to come again if I'm in the neighborhood.

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  Chicken plate special, awesome!

  Chicken plate special, awesome!

12/11/2014

I've tried a couple Korean fried chicken place, such as Bon chon and kyochon. However,  I still think UFC is the best.  

I usually get the soy garlic chicken and sweet and spicy.  It takes about 15 mins before your order comes out.  Everything is freshly made.  When the chicken comes out,  It's hot and extremely crispy!

3/19/2014 Updated review

I haven't been here for ages since I moved to brooklyn, it was suprise renovation upgrade, the first floor dining area is less like a fast food place now, they added many selections of beers and ciders! I very much like the new decors, very cute! after we ordered, we were served, the disposable plates and utensils are eco-friendly :)

Let's talk about chicken now, I've always tried to stick w soy garlic cos it's just so damn good, it's still good, cruchy outside and juicy inside, chicken is tender and fresh!  I like variety sides we can choose and the pickle squash came w the order. Also tried their chicken strips, I must say I love chicken wings more than anything on the menu.

8/4/2014

Out of all the KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) spots I have tried - Bon Chon, Kyo Chon, Boc Boc, and UFC, I would put this last on my list. The soy garlic chicken lacked flavor. Service was also not very attentive. I had to wave my hands a few times before getting the server's attention. Mind you, it is a tiny place so the lack of awareness/consideration was unacceptable to me.

I give this place stars for its decor and restroom. Probably would not go back for the food/service.

7/29/2014

Pretty good chicken for a semi-cheap price :) We got everything but the spicy chicken. For $36 you get 40 wings, we decided to get 20 of the soy garlic (sokay, I dont like the dryness but they were nice and crisp), 10 of the honey mustard (deliciousness!!!) and 10 of the sweet and spicy (not too spicy, but just enough! delicious as well). All of them were very crispy and noms. There was no wait since there weren't a whole lot of people here. It's pretty close to the jackson heights exit on the subway (convenient~).

For the sides, Korean radish was meh (it was just pickled daikon), fries were GOOD (you pay and extra dollar for these),  macaroni salad was meh (our friend was hyping it up though)

For beer, I got the crispin (really light), my friend got the pear cider (yummy!). They also had this fruit/vegetable beer (something Shandy?) that was bomb, try that.

Overall a good experience :) try it if you like dat korean fried chicken!

12/23/2013

This was my first experience having Korean fried chicken and I'm a fan. A friend of mine kept telling me about how good the chicken wings here were so I finally came for lunch.
The place its very cute with all the wood tables and the different beer bottles on the wall. The place was empty for lunch but they seem to have tons of deliveries.
I ordered the chicken wings in soy garlic which were delicious. They were so crispy and full of flavor I really wish I had some with me now.
I also tried the beef bulgogi over rice which was good but I think it could have used a little more flavor.
Since my lunch came with a drink I got the passion ice tea which was really good.

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  Beef bulgogi with rice

  Beef bulgogi with rice
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  Soy garlic chicken

  Soy garlic chicken
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  Passion Ice Tea

  Passion Ice Tea

12/1/2014

Hidden gem if you're into fried chicken. Especially with a side of peach passion iced tea.

12/7/2014

My husband introduced this place to me when we were dating. I love their flavor wings. Our two favorite flavor wings are soy garlic and sweet & spicy. Love the change of the restaurant. Their soy garlic wings has a consistent taste and texture. It's great! We  love their Beef Bulgogi. It comes with salad and rice. Good price for their portion. Their service is quick and efficient.

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  Ginger ale with no iced

  Ginger ale with no iced
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  20 pieces soy garlic wings with two sides- rice and salad

  20 pieces soy garlic wings with two sides- rice and salad
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  Beef Bulgogi

  Beef Bulgogi

7/22/2014

3 stars for the food, 5 for the selection of craft beer and atmosphere.

The soy garlic wings was just average for me. I've had much better Korean fried chicken elsewhere. It was just kinda dry and salty. Wish it was more juicy and... chicken-y? I think it lost a ton of flavor from what I suspect was being over-fried. I shared the UFC burger with someone else and it was pretty decent (I mean for being just $5 and all. The good news is that it tasted like a glorified Big Mac. The bad news is that the bun was as low quality as a Big Mac's.)

But what I love about this place are the "artisan" interiors and branding personality. They're really attentive to detail down to the wooden utensils and mason jars with colorful straws for your water. It's definitely a cool spot to chill with friends for a late night drink if you're into sampling beers from all around. Had a delicious ginger-brew from Japan.

The designated driver that night had a chocolate soda (it was like a fizzy chocolate milkshake.. If you have a huge sweet tooth and chocolate craving this'll take care of it. Endless free refills for all non-alcoholic drinks... So there's your reward if you happen upon being the designated driver here)

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  Wish it was as good as it smelled!

  Wish it was as good as it smelled!
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  Craft beers from all over! Great selection.

  Craft beers from all over! Great selection.

11/21/2013 Updated review

Change isn't always a good thang...

I suspect a change of ownership here. I also suspect a change of chefs. The rustic renovations give the joint a cliche southern chic vibe. I like the mason jar cups and the mini fry basket. However, the large fries seems to have shrank because of these new receptacles.

Aside from the decor, the beer selection is expansive. They offer a variety of ales and even have their own ufc lager. The chicken was moist and juicy. The macaroni salad seemed fresh as well at the Korean radish. The sauce on the chicken for the hot and the sweet and spicy flavor has changed drastically. The hot flavored bird tastes more like an American version of salty musky BBQ than the authentic Korean umami that originally had me hooked. The sweet n spicy flavor tasted overly sugary. The tweaking of the sauces really lowered the flavor profile to  that of a chain restaurant. In my opinion, the taste of the chicken has plummeted down south, as their country motif suggests.

11/13/2014

Voted the BEST Korean Fried Chicken joint in NYC by New Yorker Magazine.  High quality chicken.  Has a quirky, fun space for parties in the lower level.  Definitely a jewel in Jackson Heights.  All of the décor was masterfully crafted by the proprietor.  Most importantly, if you are a true aficionado of fried chicken you will appreciate the artistry of the purveyors simply from the fact that the chicken will maintain it's crispy skin even after an extended amount of time in the refrigerator.  Think on that, let it marinate, it just blew your mind.  All the flavors are delectable, however I am partial to the soy garlic.  Worth the train ride on the 7.

10/16/2014

This was my first experience with Korean fried chicken as I craved it for so long looking at them in Korean dramas but never got a chance to go get some. Decided to come here because all the Flushing Korean chicken places were inconvenient for me. Ordered the 6 wings 3 drumstick combo for $10. The prices are really good! Was going for a larger combo for $18 for two people but I'm glad I got the smaller one since the wings/drumsticks were bigger than I thought. I had the sweet & spicy flavor. Extra delicious. It wasn't really spicy so that's good. Had fries and pickled radish as side dishes, ($3, $2). Their fries are excellent!! Everything about this place is great. It's small, and nicely decorated. They have bunch of beer options but I settled for coke. Will definitely come back again for other flavors of wings !

7/20/2014

They left such a bad taste in my mouth, that I'm not even coming back to this location, ever.

Yes, I'm sure the chicken is amazing, but they seemed to be more concerned with getting out on time on a Saturday night than they were to actually serve their customers. We walked in at 10:20 and they said the kitchen was close. But don't you close at 11? Yes, they replied...well it's 10:20....

I get it, closing the kitchen early, makes sense, but 40 minutes before you actually close? Something fishy is going on. It also didn't helped that one guy said I could order food to go, while the other quickly shot him a look and said no the kitchen is closed.

Something isn't right here and I want no part in this. There are a ton of other koren fried chicken places around that I don't need to give this place a second of my time, if they don't even want to serve me.

Note to fellow visitors: just make sure you arrive at least an hour before closing, just to make sure you'll be served.

1/20/2015

Wings:
Chicken is always well done and crispy. Their BBQ Mustard wings are my favorite.The Soy Garlic wings are a little overrated but still great.

Fries:
Their French fries are always crispy and well done. The Sweet Potatoes are OK.

Wish they delivered in Sunnyside.

1/13/2015

If you're looking for the perfect Korean fried chicken taste, look no further as this is it! They offer a wide variety of beer on tap too. We had a large group and dined in their basement. Service was prompt. Restaurant with modern interiors and well maintained. Will dine here again soon!

12/8/2014

Food is great, overpriced though. Sodas are horrible. But their customer service is the WORST even by NYC standards.

Reply to Young J, Owner at UFC: If this is how the owner behaves it is not surprising those running the restaurant are similar in terms of courtesy. Ever heard of customer service training? Clearly not. As for making chicken like that - it's fried chicken, not rocket science. Never again making the mistake of eating at UFC. Also, Owner, you might want to scroll down and you'll see most comments are critical of your restaurant's service.

9/13/2014

Don't go when you are hungry cos the food & service here are pretty slow.
Enter the place. Sit, see the menu, wait 5 minutes for someone to come, ordered:
20 wings : 10 soy garlic and 10 sweet and spicy
6 drumsticks : Hot
All of that come with 3 sides, we choose the fries, the macaroni salad and the white rice. You have to pay an additional $1 for the fries.
Wait 10 minutes for the sides and water (came in drinking jar with a straw)
The fries were good, crispy on the outside and soft inside. But the portion was small considering there was extra $. Macaroni salad and the white rice were just okay.
We have to wait quite a while for the wings to come, probably about 20-25 minutes after we received our sides. The sides is more like an appetizer now because we killed off the sides before the wings came. We guess the owner know their food are slow so they put some magazine, but only if you are car fanatics or an entrepreneurs because they only have business & car magazines.
Finally the wings arrived. After waiting for a while, we were expecting the chicken to be pretty hot, not just warm. The flavor was also somewhat a disappointment. It wasn't bad but just somewhat bland. It was not spicy hot , perhaps after all those wait make our tongue went numb.
The place was small but clean and there is a call button. You will definitely need that because the staff tends to disappear or busy.
We spent around $32 before tip.

The food were mediocre & the service was slow so meh I don't think we'll come again. 2.5 stars.

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• 
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  Macaroni Salad

  Macaroni Salad
• See all photos from Mr F G And Ms M S. for UFC - Unidentified Flying Chickens

7/13/2014 Updated review

I placed my order over the phone for pickup and went to get it about 40 minutes later.
Sadly it didn't quite taste like the first and second time I ordered from them.

The chicken was okay but some were fried were wayyy too long and I could definitely taste it when I ate it and also it was really lacking the soy garlic sauce I had ordered with it. There was barely any sauce covering pieces of fried chicken.

I wouldn't have normally minded this but it was just that this time I ordered this for my family to try out korean fried chicken for the first time and I chose UFC because I have gotten delicious korean fried chicken from them before...too bad this time's chicken wasn't so great. My family didn't really get to taste what I tasted the first time I ordered from here.

Well, time to go try other place's korean fried chicken I guess...

7/23/2014 Updated review

WOOHOO! My last trip was great! The horrible music was gone! The chicken and sides are still amazing!

If you're in the Jackson Heights area and are craving korean fried chicken, this is the place. You know what? For korean fried chicken, this place outshines Kyochon and Bonchon!

A tip for spicy food lovers? Don't bother with the sweet and spicy. It doesn't have any real heat. Go for the spicy.

2/27/2014

UFC was the first Korean fried chicken joint I'd ever heard of, in the mild hype surrounding their 2007 opening - but because of its location far outside NYC's Koreatowns, it was one of the last I tried.

Now, after having eaten wayyyy more than my share of Kyedong (yelp.com/biz/kyedong-fri…) and BonChon (yelp.com/biz/bonchon-chi…) at their best, UFC's consistently "good" KFC isn't so exciting - neither exceptionally juicy, nor crunchy, nor tender. It's still suitable enough to lose your KFC virginity to though. Wings and drums are averagely sized. Choose from 4 coatings - original soy garlic, spicy, BBQ mustard, and sweet & spicy. The sweet & spicy is too sweet, and the BBQ mustard was only interesting in that first bite. The classic half soy garlic, half spicy is still the way to go. (Note: "spicy" is only moderately spicy and involves a thicker than usual glaze that's often too heavy on the gochujang.)

What sets UFC apart is their great craft beer list. It's like 70% hipster-cred level, the likes of which I haven't seen east of Long Island City. Heck, this is the only place you can get growlers for miles around. The tap list rotates but they more or less always have the same bottles. It makes UFC a downright enjoyable place to have a drink and a snack in the best traditions of beer + wings. ...That is, if you can tolerate the long wait for the snack. As with any other KFC joint, your chicken can take up to a half hour to prepare.

When I saw whole chicken on the menu, I had visions of an entire bird battered and fried into a shining, crackling centerpiece. But ordering a whole or half chicken just gets you equally sized chopped pieces, so you can't tell what part you're eating until you bite in. Curiously, the "whole chicken" is roughly the size of but never pieces together into a whole chicken... unless chickens nowadays have 5 wings and a quarter of a thigh (and who knows at this rate?).

In reality, whether UFC's KFC is better than average doesn't matter, since this is the only place in the area that prepares the beloved comestible. And that is why they have my business. Skip the sweet potato fries, which are not the orange, caramelized things we love, but instead pale overcooked matchsticks that no amount of honey mustard could save. The regular fries are as good as at any KFC place, but they come in a stupidly tiny basket: Not worth it.

The decor is very nicely done, especially for the area, but too bright on the main floor at night. No matter, since this is a perfect restaurant for flexing that Seamless app while you're on the subway - delivery takes up to an hour, and KFC pairs fantastically with Netflix while you're slouching on the floor of your living room.

9/20/2014

I like this place! It's a hole in the wall when I first started buying chicken here but they remodeled it and the place is so trendy. Now they have a huge selection of beer ( some I've never even heard of) . I particularly come here for their garlic soy wings and fries. It's close to my home so when I have a chicken wing craving i drop by. A nice find in woodside :)

11/4/2014

Listen....you'll love bon chon type chicken in 95% of places that sell it. The chicken is just so damn good.

UFC get's it right and some. Soy garlic and sweet & spicy are my jam. I like that it's in Queens. I like the beer sampler. I like the physical store layout itself. I like a lot about the place.

I took off a star based on taste because there are better korean style-esque bbq chicken spots imho but if your in the area and are hungry then this is the spot.

1/3/2015 Updated review

Continues with great beer selections and really wonderful and friendly staff. The owner is quite personable and easy to chat up. Great food!