By Agustin Gonzalez III, Photos By Agustin Gonzalez III

From the owners of the highly successful and one Michelin-starred COTE Korean Steakhouse comes a new restaurant: COQODAQ, a restaurant on a mission to bring a luxury experience to Korean fried chicken. COQODAQ opened at the beginning of the year in the Flatiron district, and I believe COQODAQ truly soars to the top of the Korean fried chicken game, being one of the best meals I’ve eaten recently.

Getting a reservation may be tricky for most, as there are certain requirements for different party numbers, and reservations open two weeks in advance at 10 a.m. EST. I reserved for a party of two, and for parties of two, you can only choose the first or last reservation slots of the day. I selected the last reservation slot at 11 p.m. When you first walk into the restaurant, you are met with a handwashing station. Though this might seem unusual, it makes clear sense when your hands will ultimately be the main tool you will be using to eat. They provide a great selection of soaps to use, ranging from Savon de Marseille to Loewe and Hermes. After washing my hands, I was surprised to see the restaurant so lively and full, despite being there so late at night. The tables for two were quite compact and close together, which made it hard to get into if you were sitting on the booth side. Once seated, I really took in the environment. Simon Kim, the owner of COQODAQ, was 100% correct in that this was truly a “cathedral of fried chicken.” The interior was just stunning and breathtaking, with everything being carefully chosen to fit the aesthetic. However, to go back to the liveliness of the environment, it was almost too lively, for it was super loud and quite hard to communicate with my guest.

To start, we got The Golden Nugget, which was topped with Golden Daurenki caviar and priced at $28 per nugget. This nugget was arguably the best nugget I have ever eaten. The crunchiness of the exterior was unmatched, and the moist chicken was super flavorful. The caviar added a nice saltiness to the nugget, but for $28, it did not add much to the taste as I was expecting it to. We then got The Bucket List, a multiple course option priced at $38 per person. They began with a roasted chicken consommé, a hearty and rich soup that sets the tone for the rest of the dishes. Next, they brought out the main course, which was a bucket of their fried chicken, consisting of nuggets, boneless thighs, and drumsticks. You also get a choice for another set of chicken to be coated with a soy garlic or gochujang glaze. Like the nuggets, the thighs and drumsticks were exquisite and overwhelmingly delicious. I could not stop eating the chicken and had to remind myself to save some for the person I was dining with. Don’t even get me started on the soy garlic glaze because the umami bomb on that first bite took me straight to flavor town. 

To accompany the chicken, they provide four different sauces: Jun Verde, Honey Mustard, Pepper Parm, and Gochujang BBQ. My favorite was the Jun Verde, a creamy citrus sauce that reminded me of salsa verde commonly found in Mexican cuisines. They also brought out some ban-chan, a range of pickled vegetables and scallion salad. None of it stood out to me. It was good, but compared to what we ate so far, nothing spectacular. To cleanse our palettes, we were given chilled capellini noodles with a perilla soy sauce. The first bite caught me off guard, for I had not ever tried perilla before. My guest enjoyed it, but I am still on the fence about it. It wasn’t bad necessarily, but I am still adjusting to the new flavor. To end the night and the course, our stomachs happily welcomed plain frozen yogurt with a berry sauce. It was a great way to end the meal, having the tartness of the yogurt and the freshness of the berry sauce cutting through all the fatty, dense food eaten previously. Having to leave COQODAQ was sad, as I never wanted the experience to end. 

Overall, COQODAQ is a restaurant that offers high-quality food, atmosphere, and service. The chicken is just unbelievable, and I can not recommend this place enough. I am eagerly waiting for my chance to go back, for it is a restaurant that will surely be a staple in NYC dining for years to come.