Bb.q Chicken opens in Levittown with must-try fried chicken

Korean fried chicken is continuing its sticky sweet takeover of Long Island. And this international chain from Seoul is putting out some truly exceptional K.F.C. With multiple locations in NYC and New Jersey, bb.q Chicken recently opened its first Long Island store in a Levittown shopping center. The fast-casual spot has the same signature look as its many chicken competitors: bright white subway tile walls and minimal decor, letting the focus remain on the chicken.

This brand is one of the top K.F.C. outfits in South Korea, where it also goes by the name BBQ Olive Chicken in reference to the olive oil used for frying. There's a telling factoid about the franchise operation on its to-go box: In 1995 bb.q Chicken opened its first store, by 1996 it was already at 200 stores. Today, the website boasts more than 3,500 locations in 57 countries. 

None of this guarantees good food, but after a recent meal, it's obvious how this brand became so popular. The chicken is frankly, incredible. The Levittown location offers three varieties: a whole chicken, boneless and bone-in wings. Most people will get the wings (eight pieces for $13.95), which can be tossed in 14 flavorings that range from sweet to savory cheese powder and spicy. 

Don't attempt this if you're in a hurry. It takes 10 to 15 minutes for the kitchen to fry each order. But the wait is definitely worth it. Honey garlic wings, recommended by a staffer, are still piping hot when they arrive in a heaping pile on a tray. The wings themselves are of average size, but the thick, crackly breading makes them about a third larger. The surface is coated in a sticky sweet ambrosia. Meanwhile, Gangnam-style wings have a deeper, darker soy sauce flavor as well as a bit of peppery spice. The meat inside is beautifully tender and juicy.

The portions are sizable, but if you're sharing, add on an order of ddeok-bokki, a popular Korean street food that consists of chewy noodle-shaped rice cakes in a spicy sweet sauce. (Skip the fries, they are too airy on the insides; a little lacking.) Of the three ddeok-bokki varieties, the Sichuan mala flavor is the most intriguing ($15.95 with cheese). The cakes arrive in a large paper tub, obscured by a layer of slightly melted shredded yellow cheese on top. The opaque sauce underneath tastes like a fiery version of regular Korean ddeok-bokki sauce, albeit with a hint of Sichuan zing. The rice cakes are glutinous and addicting, and there are fish cake strips inside there too. You wouldn't think it from the surroundings, but this is a destination meal.

bb.q Chicken, 3507 Hempstead Tpke., Levittown, 516-308-1168, bbqchicken.com. Open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.