Boka

The wings is a Must Have, I perfect the spicy one,
Got the watermelon soju, it was great but too much for 2. Sadly, can’t take it me LoL
The steak and egg was pretty out of expectation. The steak was too rough and tasteless.
Also got some appetizers, they are ok but not as good as the wings.

I love this restaurant. I went with two friends around 5 o’clock, so the restaurant wasn’t crowded and there was no wait. However, by 7 oclock many people were coming in, and I was glad we got there early.
The service was okay. The food was DELICIOUS. We ordered fried chicken, bibimbap, and the Korean steak and eggs dinner. The prices were moderate, except for the steak and eggs dinner, which was a little on the expensive side (18 $). For the taste though, I thought it was worth it. The kimchi fried rice that came in the dinner was flavorful and had a spicy kick to it, as did the bibimbap.
Portion judgment: since there were three of us, we ordered three items and were completely full at the end of dinner.

Come for the soju and the really good chicken wings and leave happy.
Forget everything else on the menu because it’s pretty mediocre. It also gets really crowded since it’s in St Marks Place, so try to make a reservation ahead of time and you should be set.
They also have a $ 25 minimum on any card so plan accordingly!

Awful service !
asked for water… never got it… had to get up to get my own napkins and chop sticks
ordered 3 orders of fried chicken only got two
then there credit card machine was down and took 3 people to tell us
overrate…ruined St marks

Offers average Korean food at best. All the usual menu items you would find in Ktown. We stopped by for late bites, not too crowded. I was excited about their extensive sake cocktails list until we actually tried our drinks. Where in the world is the alcohol? Sip after sip all I got was a diluted drink that could’ve easily passed for a mocktail. It was also way too stuffy and hot inside for night time. There’s one AC unit visible up front, but it’s like the rest of us seated in the back have to suffer through our meal.

Boka is my go-​to place when my friends and I either can’t decide on a place or don’t want to wait at another place. Boka usually doesn’t disappoint. Been here countless times and it has been solid whether it be for dinner or a late night meal. From their fried chicken to watermelon soju, all a must. I’ve tried seafood pancakes, bulgogi, japchae and many more here. Even tried their kimbobs. Their watermelon soju is good to share with a few friends if you want something to just sip on besides water. It can get really busy sometimes but usually get seated pretty quickly. It’s one of the few places that I don’t mind keep going back to eat.

Stopped in mid-​afternoon for a snack. Thanks other Unilocalers for the great suggestions — we ended up splitting some soy garlic wings and the sweet potato fries. And really, that’s ALL you need.
The wings have that amazing crispy outside you’d expect with the Korean-​style fried chicken and the inside was plump and juicy.
The sweet potato fries are perfection. I’d actually put these on my top five of all times. Thin, crispy, all the way down to the last one in the bowl. Mind you, this is a BIG bowl than what you might expect so make sure to split with others!
We tried their rain drop cake. Eh. It was ok — reminds me a lot of Asian gelatin consistency and fairly flavorless. Definitely get the lychee flavor one if you do (not the original). What’s interesting is that it’s served with like a sweet sauce and mochi powder on the side — make sure to get a little bit of everything in each bite.
Nice staff. Cool ambience.

This is my favorite Korean fried chicken place! I always get the large drumsticks ($ 20 for 10 drumsticks) in half soy garlic and half spicy. I like the soy garlic more though. The drumsticks are big and not too greasy. French fries were good for munching. Watermelon soju ($ 29) was also good. It looks like a small watermelon but there’s a lot in there!
I came here last night and had no problem using my credit card.

Whenever I’m in the St. Marks area or I don’t know where to eat, I gravitate towards this restaurant. The food is pretty good here and it is always satisfying. I always leave this place happy and full.
My recommendations would be the wings or the rice balls. The wings are GREAT and I typically order a large, even if it’s just me and one other person because you can always take it home and eat the bomb ass wings the next day. Honestly, I’ve never had korean fried chicken anywhere else but it’s pretty good here so I don’t know if I want to try it anywhere else, haha. The rice balls are really good and are made of sushi fish (which I’m in LOVE with). I am always happy while eating it and I typically order the spicy salmon (because I love salmon).
The only whack thing about this place is that it is randomly cash only at times, which I don’t really understand. I would rather the payment options be consistent so that if I were to go here and it ends up being cash only, I don’t have to rush to a bank to take out money.
BUT… this place is bomb and I still love it.

NIGHT ONE
My husband and I didn’t make any reservations on this Saturday night, but were seated right away. However, if we were in a big group, getting seated may have taken a little while in this busy little establishment.
This place was recommended by several friends, and we can definitely see why. Worth every penny. Delicious.
My two musts. Soy garlic wings and the watermelon drink with soju (it’s an expensive drink, but a must try — $ 29+). Phenomenal.
Our check. $ 65+ (not including tip)
+ 10 soy garlic wings
+ watermelon drink
+ short rib entrée
Two notes.
1. You can’t order a side of white rice. They don’t offer it.
2. They don’t accept American Express (just in case you’re wondering).
— — — — — — — — — — -
NIGHT TWO
We loved our first experience here so much that we came back a second night.
This time, we ordered 20 wings half/​half (meaning half of the order soy garlic and half spicy) and the korean steak and eggs.
Korean steak and eggs still on point. However, the wings… they were not half and half. They were all soy garlic, which I wouldn’t mind, but the majority of the wings were quite bland (which was very disappointing, by the way). We tried to wave down our server to get this corrected, but she never came back to our table to refill our drinks or see if we needed anything. It wasn’t until they were taking the plates away that the mistake was addressed. They quickly fixed the problem by cooking a batch of spicy wings, but at this point we weren’t hungry anymore.
NOTE: I had to change my initial rating of five stars to three, due to the service of the second night.

Dannnngg, we ordered the galbi tang by mistake but it was such a delicious mistake. The meat was super tender, scoop a little rice and add the soup onto the spoon as well. Pure goodness.
The seafood pancake was also really good, we ate that one fairly quick, but it was small compared to all the other seafood pancakes I ever had which are normally a regular plate size. But the one here is the size of a small plate.
The chicken wings were really good, double fried to perfection, super crunchy on the outside and super juicy on the inside. I didn’t try the soy garlic one but the spicy one was really good, my friends thought it was too spicy, but I thought it was fine. I dipped it woth the leftover sauce we had from the seafood pancake cause it was just missing something in flavor. Although it was good wings, there was just something missing in taste. I do prefer Kyochon more at this point.
Enjoy!
Oh, and the waitress was attentive and nice.

Been coming here for who knows how long. The routine was simple: pitchers of beer and soju and karaōke at Sing Sing, then get some late-​night Korean fried chicken at Boka. A pretty unbeatable combination in your early 20s. Unfortunately, not the most sustainable from a health perspective, especially now that my body can’t quite keep up with that sort of lifestyle, ha.
However, I always have a good time at Boka, despite the crazily-​slow paced waitstaff. You might have to wait a long time to get your order in, get drink refills, or get your check at the end of the meal, but I’d say most patrons are a little too boozed up to care. Onto the food. The Korean fried chicken is consistently pretty well-​made here. The fried skin is crispy, always comes out hot, and the portions are decent. I always go for the soy garlic and not their spicy coating, even though I do typically like spicy food, mostly because I just like the soy garlic flavor better. I’m also a big fan of the kimchi pancakes and japchae (clear potato noodles), which I’ve always enjoyed every time I’ve been at Boka.
As I mentioned, service here is pretty spotty, especially depending on where you’re sitting. If you seat in the glass-​enclosed back area, it can be very hard to wave down the waitstaff. It’s as if the glass makes you invisible to them, ha. Also, it’s possible that the waitstaff doesn’t speak very fluent English, so you’ll just have to be a little more patient with your orders. Not really a pro or a con, just something to be aware of. The prices are very reasonable, especially if you split a Large order of fried chicken among 3 or 4 friends. The rice bowls are also a good, cheap way to fill up after you’ve been drinking.
I probably wouldn’t come out of my way to come here, but if I’m in the area looking for a decently-​priced, satisfying meal, Boka ain’t a bad choice.

I mean, sometimes you just go here when you want Korean Fried Chicken and it’s open late, which is nice.
Honestly though, it’s a tad on the pricey side and the servers could care more…
We had a group of 3 people and gratuity was already included on the bill (of 16%). That’s a little ridiculous.
The chicken was korean fried chicken so it was overall, pretty good.
TLDR: there are other options where the chicken is better, but this spot is good in a pinch and it’s on St. Marks

Boka would hands down be the best Korean fried chicken in Chicago if it opened up a location back home, but unfortunately for them the KFC game in NYC is just so next level that I’d still give the edge to Turntable Chicken Jazz (which I’ll forever refer to as Mad for Chicken) as the Korean fried chicken king of New York. Don’t get me wrong, the wings here are damn good and easily blow away anything we have back in Chicago, but when you’re comparing to the best of the best, I’m forced to nitpick a little bit.
I was in NYC for a weekend trip and as usual we were total fatties and maximized our time here by eating at least 5 times a day haha. Given it’s so close to Ippudo NY in East Village, it’s almost tradition to hit up Boka as a post ramen snack.
Food: We went around 3PM on a Sunday, so it was pretty dead inside. The menu was pretty similar to Mad for chicken, with the wings coming in sets of 10 or 20.
Kimchi Fried Rice — It was a little pricey, given how small the bowl was. Also, they didn’t top it off with a beautiful fried egg, but rather they chopped it up and mixed it in ahead of time. Besides that, I thought it was pretty tasty. Plenty of flavor and it had a nice little kick to it too.
Wings — We ordered the half and half combo of hot n spicy and soy garlic. To sum it up, I liked the flavors of the wings better at Boka, but I thought the texture was way better at Mad for chicken. At Boka, the hot n spicy had a bigger kick and just the right level of savory spice to keep you coming back for more (although the heat did linger the more I ate and got the sweats going). Even the soy garlic had a stronger garlic flavor, which I’m always a fan of.
On the other hand, Mad for chicken had a very clean texture, with a super thin layer of skin and a light crunch to each bite. Boka’s wings almost seemed too crunchy, with a pretty heavy layer of breading that overshadowed the juicy meat. I also think this heavy breading soaked up a little too much oil and gave it a slightly greezy flavor. Other than these little things though, Boka’s wings were on point. They nailed everything that I love about Korean wings. The meat was super juicy, the wings weren’t overly saucy but still had amazing flavor, and that skin just can’t be matched outside of NYC.
Overall, I’d rank Boka as my 2^nd favorite Korean wings in the city, just slightly behind Turntable, which is definitely something to be proud of. New Yorkers take it for granted how many awesome wings places they have all over town. I’m still waiting for a place in Chicago to even be half as good as these were. I’m sure the next time in NYC I’ll once again complete the double header of pigging out Ippudo and Boka.

Once upon a time, during the Madison square eats, I finished a watermelon soju… #proud. One day I decided to grab lunch somewhere in St Marks, there was a sign with a drawing of watermelon soju… yup, that’s right. That drew me in, I got suckered into going to this restaurant! Knowing that I had once had finished that drink before, I thought «hey, why not?!» So I decided to order a glass of watermelon soju, Regrets. So much regrets. I admit, I got cocky… in the end. I learned my lesson. NEVER order any alcoholic beverage if I do not have alcoholic friend with me. YOU ARE CORRECT! I did not finish the drink, better yet, I barely drank half. harhar… –tears-​.
BUT ANYWAYS! In regrading to the service, upon arrival, the place was pretty packed during lunch time on a weekday, think there was only one or two waiters, so the food and bill took a while. I felt so bad for my waiter, I asked him where was the bathroom, this poor guy gave me a pen instead.
In regarding to the octopus bibimbop, it was SPICY. So, no, I did not finish that also. Sighhhhhhhhhh. I should’ve order ‘em darn fried chicken instead. Darn me for tryna keep it classy and clean.

If you look down St. Marks, you’ll always see lines out the door on a Friday or Saturday night and Boka is no exception.
The wait for a 2 person table at 830pm on a Friday night was originally like a 10 minute wait but we stuck around and sat about 25 minutes later. I saw a lot of people come by and had wait times 40 minutes at the very least.
The ambiance inside the room is dark yet comfortable. The hostess and waiters/​waitresses were all nice and made sure they were looking out for us.
My girlfriend and I split a large combo order of soy garlic chicken and a kimchi tofu dish — both of which I’d recommend. The chicken was crisp and flavorful — sweet, salty, and at the same time not drenched and overwhelmed in sauce. I actually really enjoyed the kimchi tofu because I personally don’t like huge quantities of kimchi by itself; I like having something on the side to eat together with kimchi. It’s served with large pieces of tofu but my favorite part was that the kimchi had bits of rice cake and pork belly mixed into it. The kimchi flavor was all the better biting into a piece of rice cake or with the balanced with the savory squish of pork belly slices.
I’d certainly come back and try more on the menu. In hindsight, it might be a better idea to not dine in St. Marks on the busy weekends.

I don’t understand why they decided to become cash-​only. Such a turn off. Probably explains why you don’t have to wait as long anymore for a table.
But I must say, I’m a fan of their wings. Crispy and good flavor. Their cocktails are not good and pricey, so i’d skip it and just have a beer or go elsewhere for a cocktail. Come on, $ 30 for a tiny watermelon soju? That watermelon is like the size of a baby’s head. Their kimchi pancake is mediocre; a bit too soggy and small… The ambiance is pretty noisy because a lot of large groups usually dine here.

I have to admit, their soy garlic chicken wings are pretty damn good. Their jap chae was decent, but the vegetable pancake lacked flavor. To be fair, they all do. The watermelon soju wasn’t as sweet as I would have liked.
We were seated immediately, which is a huge plus and other than the jap chae, everything else came fairly quickly.

Why does Boka not have any problem with no reservation? a) Because they have an enormous space. Or b) because their food is not so good.
*****For anyone who is not familiar with Korean food: KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN is crunchier and less greasy than American fried chicken. It is one of Asia’s greatest culinary creations.*****
Unlike the skin of American chicken, Korean chicken’s skin is thinner, but its thinness lets more seasons contact with the meat, so the key to a lot of Korean dishes is their variety of SAUCES. In that sense, Boka does not do its justice here: There are only 2 flavors — spicy and soy sauce. If you want more fried chicken, go to BONCHON. BonChon’s rating is not high due to their services, but I am positive Bonchon will make Boka ashamed.
Both flavors at Boka bore me, so does WATERMELON SOJU. One $ 30 watermelon holds up to 4 glasses, but if the drink is not good, your disappointment is 4 times worsened. Soju is best mixed with something sweet, like Coke, or Korean beer, or even lemon iced tea, but not the tasteless New York watermelon juice! (science: more sun means more energy to produce carbon compounds such as sugar, so fruits grown in tropical climates are generally sweeter.)
For anyone who says Boka’s fried chicken is the best on earth: Nope! Death wrong! In my entire career as a serious eater, Boka has failed to arrive in my will-​be-​back list.

Had a reservation for a group of 8 people, and we were seated before our whole party arrived. We were seated by the door which was open during our whole time there and the only thing saving us from the winter wind was a thick black curtain. We held it down with a stool nearby, and some wore our jackets to eat…
We ordered the combo that came with 15 pieces. They were beautifully crispy. We had the spicy and soy garlic. The spicy was mild to spicy, but not hot enough to keep us warm from that draft that kept hitting us by the door & the soy garlic was decent. I’ve had better soy garlic wings at kyochon. We also ordered the emperor’s dukbokki that was 15 dollars and is probably a good filler for 3 people if you don’t want to be eating only wings for the night. Also had the watermelon soju that wasn’t too strong and had a good mixture of watermelon.
Decent place for korean fried chicken, but wouldn’t be my top place to go to.