Calvin's Korean Chicken

Best Korean Fried Chicken in San Diego, BY FAR. Calvin's chicken was previously Furaido Premium Chicken Company in Poway. Now in a much more convenient location! I've introduced several of my friends to this place in the past couple of weeks. One of whom is not a fan of fried chicken. That same friend ended up going to Calvin's two days in a row. Calvin's chicken is the only Korean Fried Chicken that compares to the ones I've had in Koreatown and OC, the foodie meccas. As a spicy lover, I am often disappointed when a restaurant calls something hot. The Pure Evil here will get you sweating a bit, with amazing flavor behind the heat. All of the flavors here are amazing. Breading so crispy. Meat incredibly juicy. There are some new items on the menu (jalapeno poppers, onion rings) but the chicken is so addicting that I don't dare stray from the path.

Gluten free, dairy free, nut free, hormone free, antibiotic free deliciousness. I always get the 2 piece box and visit as often as I can when I'm in the area.

+6

top tier post-exam comfort dinner for students (or just regular dinner!) — lots of gluten free options as well :)

The wings are excellent but the tenders are a bit dry and the prices are steeeeeeep. The sando slaps and the cheese fries are 🔥🔥🔥.

This place was delicious! Great for stopping by after a beach day. I got the tender box with the devils garlic, it wasn’t too spicy and was very flavorful.

I used to eat fried chicken frequently. This store sells the most delicious fried chicken in the world. If you want to try Korean fried chicken, visit this store and enjoy it. The staff were kind and nice. I will miss eating their chicken. Their rice is also delicious too!

Really good spicy chicken with a nice crisp. Fast service as well. Definitely hit this place. Glad to see they reopened after covid in a new location.

Discovered this place by accident a year and a half ago and meant to write a review ever since. Been probably 10 times since then. The chicken is excellent. The value for the sandwich and tender combos is very good. Today I had my leftover chicken from yesterday’s lunch and it was shockingly still crispy. Already can’t wait to go back.

This place is such a hidden gem. Dangerously delicious cause we live so close. The chicken is super flavorful and crispy. We got the garlic and the devils hot is spicy enough and flavorful but not mean. The sides are also great. Worth it to eat there and get as takeout.

The chicken wings were really crispy and not too fatty, one of the things that puts me off. The demon garlic sauce was medium on the spicy scale, but it was more of a slightly spicier mild to me. I think that’s fair as I rarely eat spicy food. The fries were also really crispy, well made, and well-seasoned. Furikake rice was a nice touch, too. I’m not the biggest fan of cole slaw in general so I won’t comment on it here.

Hole-in-the-wall but great chicken tenders with medium spice. Sweet potatoes were naturally great tasting. Pleasant service.

I ordered from here on seamless and paid about $60 (including fees and driver tip). I got: Onion rings $9 Sweet potato fries $9 Mix chicken $32 (2 flavors, 2 tenders and 4 wings each flavor) furikake - seaweed and sesame seed, red - medium heat. This chicken was so damn good! The chicken was cooked to perfection and breaded well. After reheating the chicken the next day, the breading did start to fall off but the flavor of the meat was great. The portion for the sweet potato fries was small and I don’t recommend ordering it. But there was an adequate amount of onion rings for the portion size. I’ll be heading to the restaurant next time for my next order!

Okay so it's a tiny spot, I wouldnt come with a grouper larger than 4 to sit in here and eat but the food was damn good! So so crunchy and the sauces we had were great, on the higher end of wing prices but honestly very worth it. Really great flavor, didn't taste oily or like old dirty grease and seriously ao crispy you might bite your lip. Order to go for a party

Diamond in the rough An absolute, dialed in celiac safe experience. The chicken is gluten free and provides a superior crunch to its counterpart. Sauce spice levels are very tame , you can handle Satan's kiss just fine as a nice medium heat. All flavors are sweet and savory with a slight acidic tang, the profiles are a solid catch all experience. I hope those who visit also enjoy, and leave an honest review.

Delicious, crispy and leaves you wanting more. The tender box with devil garlic sauce was awesome, there's a reason there's only two tenders in there, they are huge. The coleslaw in the tender box is delicious, it's not full of mayonnaise it's nice and vinegary and delicious, and the french fries are super crispy without being greasy. The buldak noodles are super spicy and delicious, and again another tender in there making it an entire meal.

When I come to California, I cannot miss getting Korean fried chicken at least once. Usually the chicken will be gluten-free, but the sauces are loaded with soy sauce and so I can’t have anything but plain. Here, all of their sauces are gluten-free. The first time at a restaurant I like to order a little bit of everything to see what I would like the most. I like the wings here more for some reason but they’re all good. Same with the fries. I would say, unless you’re gonna finish it all in one sitting, order the sauce on the side. There was definitely a lot of sauce and I can’t see it remaining crunchy after you heat it up again. I also would order like a little bit lighter sauce because these were covered. Don’t forget to ask for dipping sauce if you want that. Overall, definitely the best Korean fried chicken I’ve had thus far and really appreciate that their sauce are gluten-free too. Seems like a place where you do takeout but you can eat inside.

Literally a hole is the wall. The chicken spot is a hidden gem in La Jolla. Tucked away in a strip mall is come of the juiciest and crunchiest fried chicken I have had. The staff were super helpful and quick with the food. The food was delicious, with very reasonable pricing. A must try if you are in the area!

The devil spice level is the way to go! This was not an average chicken strip basket! Great textures, and flavors

Honestly, picked this spot on a whim heading down to La Jolla to visit my cousin, he wanted pho and this was next door! The prices were reasonable and we didn’t expect much. It was a cold and rainy day in San Diego so yes, everyone was getting pho! Needed the order on the fly, like less than 7 mins and they were super accommodating, when the lady asked what kind of spice, I let her decided and she went with the garlic soy! This place was soooo damn good! The combo was enough for my partner and I, the waffle fries were just like the chicken tenders, hot and crispy. The coleslaw was a bit sour which I liked. (oooh I should of checked if they had pickled daikon or kimmmchiiii) I would highly recommend this spot!

Best fried chicken ever! I drive 20-30 minutes out of my way for Calvin's fried chicken a couple times a month. And, they have a dedicated gluten-free fryer so it's celiac safe. My whole family loves Calvin's Korean Fried Chicken. My husband likes the wings and gets the hot garlic soy and another hot flavor. My favorite is the garlic soy tenders. My daughter loves the original tenders with ranch.

Devil’s Garlic chicken strip box combo was great 🥰 !! No waffle fries but their regular ones are amazing too !

I've been looking for a Korean chicken place like this for ages. Wings are perfect, sauce is fantastic. I would go all wings vs. tenders but that's my preference. Person who I ordered from advised against the "pure evil" sauce and I would agree with her unless you really really love heat. Most people who don't eat spice competitively should not order a full order but if you want something truly challenging, lip swelling pain, this is for you. Very very spicy and I love it. Borderline torture. Wouldn't change a thing. Really great, new favorite Korean chicken joint.

Quaint Korean chicken place with delicious chicken, and an almost all gluten free menu! Loved the tender boxes with the slaw, furikake rice and cajun waffle fries. Both the garlicky soy and savory red sauces were delicious. 10/10 would eat here again, and definitely recommend if you’re in the area!!

Fried chicken isn’t pretty, but here it’s done right. The place is tucked under the Musashi sign as seen in my picture. The price seems high until you see the large pieces of chicken in the box. There are three outdoor tables and no indoor seating. Flavor, texture, moisture, and portions were all excellent. Recommended if you like fried chicken.

This low key place makes the juiciest, sauciest and crunchiest tender and wings. The flavors were amazing and have enough heat to it. The slaw is acidic to balance out the strong flavors of the sauces. We can’t get enough!

100% the best gluten free fried chicken place in all of SD. I always like to order the cheese fries, and 10pc tenders... We also tried the wings (wonderful!), And this time tried the Devil's kiss spice level... Great level of heat! The kitchen is always working, online orders keep rolling in, and people keep coming up to the door to pick up their foods. Located in a corner of la Jolla close to UCSD, it's a great place for a relaxing weekend meal with friends. 10/10 would recommend to anyone

This place is really unassuming, but the food is so good. Their wings are crispy, juicy and saucy all great things combined together. And their service was really quick and everything was very nice. Some of us got the sandwiches. Some of us got the wings and got different flavors and everybody went away happy.

Twolimesplease

Okay so it's a tiny spot, I wouldnt come with a grouper larger than 4 to sit in here and eat but the food was damn good! So so crunchy and the sauces we had were great, on the higher end of wing prices but honestly very worth it. Really great flavor, didn't taste oily or like old dirty grease and seriously ao crispy you might bite your lip. Order to go for a party

Robert Stearns

Delicious, crispy and leaves you wanting more. The tender box with devil garlic sauce was awesome, there's a reason there's only two tenders in there, they are huge. The coleslaw in the tender box is delicious, it's not full of mayonnaise it's nice and vinegary and delicious, and the french fries are super crispy without being greasy. The buldak noodles are super spicy and delicious, and again another tender in there making it an entire meal.

Connor theta

Diamond in the rough An absolute, dialed in celiac safe experience. The chicken is gluten free and provides a superior crunch to its counterpart. Sauce spice levels are very tame , you can handle Satan's kiss just fine as a nice medium heat. All flavors are sweet and savory with a slight acidic tang, the profiles are a solid catch all experience. I hope those who visit also enjoy, and leave an honest review.

Tyler H

Literally a hole is the wall. The chicken spot is a hidden gem in La Jolla. Tucked away in a strip mall is come of the juiciest and crunchiest fried chicken I have had. The staff were super helpful and quick with the food. The food was delicious, with very reasonable pricing. A must try if you are in the area!

David Jackson

The devil spice level is the way to go! This was not an average chicken strip basket! Great textures, and flavors

Jamie C

When I come to California, I cannot miss getting Korean fried chicken at least once. Usually the chicken will be gluten-free, but the sauces are loaded with soy sauce and so I can’t have anything but plain. Here, all of their sauces are gluten-free. The first time at a restaurant I like to order a little bit of everything to see what I would like the most. I like the wings here more for some reason but they’re all good. Same with the fries. I would say, unless you’re gonna finish it all in one sitting, order the sauce on the side. There was definitely a lot of sauce and I can’t see it remaining crunchy after you heat it up again. I also would order like a little bit lighter sauce because these were covered. Don’t forget to ask for dipping sauce if you want that. Overall, definitely the best Korean fried chicken I’ve had thus far and really appreciate that their sauce are gluten-free too. Seems like a place where you do takeout but you can eat inside.

Jada C.

Devil’s Garlic chicken strip box combo was great 🥰 !! No waffle fries but their regular ones are amazing too !

Jonathan Barrett

I've been looking for a Korean chicken place like this for ages. Wings are perfect, sauce is fantastic. I would go all wings vs. tenders but that's my preference. Person who I ordered from advised against the "pure evil" sauce and I would agree with her unless you really really love heat. Most people who don't eat spice competitively should not order a full order but if you want something truly challenging, lip swelling pain, this is for you. Very very spicy and I love it. Borderline torture. Wouldn't change a thing. Really great, new favorite Korean chicken joint.

Tawny V

Honestly, picked this spot on a whim heading down to La Jolla to visit my cousin, he wanted pho and this was next door! The prices were reasonable and we didn’t expect much. It was a cold and rainy day in San Diego so yes, everyone was getting pho! Needed the order on the fly, like less than 7 mins and they were super accommodating, when the lady asked what kind of spice, I let her decided and she went with the garlic soy! This place was soooo damn good! The combo was enough for my partner and I, the waffle fries were just like the chicken tenders, hot and crispy. The coleslaw was a bit sour which I liked. (oooh I should of checked if they had pickled daikon or kimmmchiiii) I would highly recommend this spot!

Annie Rigor

Best fried chicken ever! I drive 20-30 minutes out of my way for Calvin's fried chicken a couple times a month. And, they have a dedicated gluten-free fryer so it's celiac safe. My whole family loves Calvin's Korean Fried Chicken. My husband likes the wings and gets the hot garlic soy and another hot flavor. My favorite is the garlic soy tenders. My daughter loves the original tenders with ranch.

Brittany McCallum

Quaint Korean chicken place with delicious chicken, and an almost all gluten free menu! Loved the tender boxes with the slaw, furikake rice and cajun waffle fries. Both the garlicky soy and savory red sauces were delicious. 10/10 would eat here again, and definitely recommend if you’re in the area!!

Yo Av

Fried chicken isn’t pretty, but here it’s done right. The place is tucked under the Musashi sign as seen in my picture. The price seems high until you see the large pieces of chicken in the box. There are three outdoor tables and no indoor seating. Flavor, texture, moisture, and portions were all excellent. Recommended if you like fried chicken.

Vy Le

This low key place makes the juiciest, sauciest and crunchiest tender and wings. The flavors were amazing and have enough heat to it. The slaw is acidic to balance out the strong flavors of the sauces. We can’t get enough!

Ankit Sood

100% the best gluten free fried chicken place in all of SD. I always like to order the cheese fries, and 10pc tenders... We also tried the wings (wonderful!), And this time tried the Devil's kiss spice level... Great level of heat! The kitchen is always working, online orders keep rolling in, and people keep coming up to the door to pick up their foods. Located in a corner of la Jolla close to UCSD, it's a great place for a relaxing weekend meal with friends. 10/10 would recommend to anyone

I got the wings box with extra 2 pcs of wings and it was a great deal. It came with crosscut fries, rice and coleslaw and it was delish. I will definitely came back here. The staff are really nice and effecient.

+6

.The place is a small mom and pop looking restaurant but the food was surprisingly good. Served hot and fast I felt like I made a good choice.only thing that could be improved would be the decor of the interior.

Food/Taste/Flavor: 4/5 - larger than typical Korean chicken wings, very bready and heavier than you would expect. But will definitely satisfy your craving. The furikage was a bit sweet and the flavoring was only on the top where it was sprinkled. Devil garlic had a nice kick, very impressed at how crunchy it stayed with all the sauce. Ambience: N/A - ordered at the door and there were two tables outside. Whole strip mall had tables outside for their customer to eat at Service: 4/5 - inconsistent service? We waited at the table for a bit but no server then noticed that it said order online through the QR code. While we were waiting for our pick-up, a group of ladies walked up waiting to order and we mentioned the sign. Server ran up and says that he could take their order Value for price: 4/5 - more expensive than other places

I mean it's not bad, but it's not phenomenal as other reviews say. Note that tteokbokki is not spicy at all if you choose the mild one

A must try. Got a tender box, huge pieces of chicken, breading was fantastic. Middle spice level does not have much heat. The fries were absolutely perfect. Sides of cole slaw and rice were good. Will come back.

Start with slaw was very good vinegar based As a gluten free person was very nice to order from this establishment not everything is gluten feee but it is clearly marked couldn't tell fried chicken was gluten free fries were good had the red sauce mild heat on wings good but got tired of taste that's just me tho ranch was good if you are making me pay for sauce I appreciate it is a good size

The wings were crispy. The tenders were more soft with less crisp factor. Waffle fries were crispy outside and soft inside. We got savory red, garlicky soy, and devil garlic. Savory red was supposed to be mild heat but I really couldn’t taste any spice. The devil garlic is supposed to be medium heat but was more mild. Of note, they mentioned they don’t have the furikake flavor anymore. Slaw was pretty good.

Great food! I had the spicy umami ramen my first time and felt like I did a disservice since the name says chicken and all. I gotta say it was bomb! The spice level was even and the bun was yummy. I recommend ordering it and eating it in shop since it gets soggy as take out.

Marc P

The wings were crispy. The tenders were more soft with less crisp factor. Waffle fries were crispy outside and soft inside. We got savory red, garlicky soy, and devil garlic. Savory red was supposed to be mild heat but I really couldn’t taste any spice. The devil garlic is supposed to be medium heat but was more mild. Of note, they mentioned they don’t have the furikake flavor anymore. Slaw was pretty good.

Oscar Sanchez (OZ)

Great food! I had the spicy umami ramen my first time and felt like I did a disservice since the name says chicken and all. I gotta say it was bomb! The spice level was even and the bun was yummy. I recommend ordering it and eating it in shop since it gets soggy as take out.

Chris bigsby

.The place is a small mom and pop looking restaurant but the food was surprisingly good. Served hot and fast I felt like I made a good choice.only thing that could be improved would be the decor of the interior.

It's all about the food. A hole in the wall with no atmosphere to speak of. We've had great experience with their gluten free options for our celiac kids. The tenders are large and amazing. Love their seasoned rice a well.

Mike McMahon

It's all about the food. A hole in the wall with no atmosphere to speak of. We've had great experience with their gluten free options for our celiac kids. The tenders are large and amazing. Love their seasoned rice a well.

Tim Nicholas

A must try. Got a tender box, huge pieces of chicken, breading was fantastic. Middle spice level does not have much heat. The fries were absolutely perfect. Sides of cole slaw and rice were good. Will come back.

The place was good, but way too expensive for what it is. Pros– food was good, we got a two tender meal and a sando combo. Reminded me of the boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, but bigger tenders. The flavor also kind of tastes like one of the buffalo wild wing flavors or the wing stop flavors (honey bbq for the second level of heat and mango habanero level for the fourth level). The portions were decent too, even though it was only two tenders. My husband got an extra tender, but the two were probably enough. The fries were also pretty good, they had nice breading–very tasty. Service was good and the lady at the front was nice. Cons- food was good, not great and tasted pretty basic with flavors and textures you could get for less elsewhere. For the two combos above, plus one extra tender, and one drink (with no refills) we paid $44. This may have been okay if the food was amazing or the atmosphere was nice, but that was not the case. The atmosphere was very whole in the wall, which is fine, if there’s going to be whole in the wall prices. Additionally idk if there was no central air, but the doors were wide open and it was freezing. For these prices at least warm up the place. Additionally the refills were not free and each sauce (ranch) was .75. They also just generally didn’t have too many flavors of sauces for their wings or dipping sauces. Sum- not bad food, but too expensive and I rather go to a chain and pay less, a fancy restaurant and pay a little more for better food/atmosphere, or another whole in the with reasonable prices that isn’t greedy with their air, refills, and sauce prices like Tapioca Express or Chicago Fire Grill where we can get 2 whole meals including drinks for under $25– and both of them look less sketch than this place.

Chicken is good, sauce is good, fries are lame, service is a joke. I ordered something with hot sauce in it. They gave it to me plain. I asked for the thing that I ordered, and they gave me a small puddle of sauce to dip my chicken in. They don’t offer refills on drinks, as if this is Pyongyang and there’s a shortage of fizzy water. The blank stare of the woman behind the counter when I asked for her to fix my chicken order said it all. They don’t really care about typical customer service things like “the correct order” or “drinks”.

Daniel Ianniello

Chicken is good, sauce is good, fries are lame, service is a joke. I ordered something with hot sauce in it. They gave it to me plain. I asked for the thing that I ordered, and they gave me a small puddle of sauce to dip my chicken in. They don’t offer refills on drinks, as if this is Pyongyang and there’s a shortage of fizzy water. The blank stare of the woman behind the counter when I asked for her to fix my chicken order said it all. They don’t really care about typical customer service things like “the correct order” or “drinks”.

You can get this at 7-11 for a $1. The worst ramen. DON'T ORDER THIS

I’ve had Calvin’s twice now and previously have been satisfied however my last experience just kind of ruined this place for me. Found a piece of metal in my chicken tender. I’m lucky I wasn’t eating more vigorously because I could have been seriously hurt. Sadly now I’m definitely not returning, not worth the risk.