UFC KFC

Location: 71-22 Roosevelt Ave., Jackson Heights
Transportation: 7 train to 69th or 74 Street; E, F, V, R to 74th Street
Cuisine: Korean, American
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-11pm; Sun 12pm-10pm
Phone: 718-205-6662
Website: www.ufchicken.com
Prices: About $6-10 per person

Food: 8
Service: 8
Value: 6
Environment: 6

Visits: 5 (for takeout)

It's UFC, but not Ultimate Fighting Championships. This is Unidentified Flying Chickens or as I like to call it... KFC for Korean Fried Chicken! True to their tagline, the taste really IS out of this world. Owner, Young Jin has come up with a unique recipe for fried chicken unlike what you would normally get at an American restaurant. It's not overly breaded like KFC and has a truly original taste to it. There are 4 flavors... hot, soy-garlic, spicy mustard and sweet & spicy. The soy-garlic is "plain" option. It's the one I've had the most experience with because we usually get this for family dinners and no one else in my family can take spicy food. The soy-garlic has a nice, light flavor too it and isn't overly greasy. The skin is thin and crispy. The hot flavor tastes like spicy Chinese food (that orange stuff), but on a crispy fried chicken. I have yet to try the other 2 flavors. This place is also one of few in Queens that serves sweet potato fries.

Please keep in mind that this restaurant is NOT a fast food place. That's a little strange because we're so accustomed to seeing fried chicken places as fast food restaurants. This tends to work against them during busy hours. Unidentified Flying Chickens cooks everything fresh, so you can expect a 15-minute wait for the chicken orders.

I gave the environment a 6 because of the external appearance. There's a lot of construction at the area right now, but it's no fault of the restaurant. Once you walk inside, the interior design is clean, futuristic & sci-fi! This place is losing some business because of the construction, so please check it out and give it a try. It's very much worth the trip, the wait and the price. Let's keep this place up and running!

Related Links: Amusing Bouche's Blog, Avenue Food, The Food Section, New York Times, Unidentified Flying Chickens