Choco Chicken

Wow, I took so long to write a review that they are already closed?! Oops. Sorry to say, I am not surprised that they are closed though. When I came here with my friend Gardenia H., it was pretty empty (only one other group). The same thing had happened when I came here with a friend when this place was Corkbar – we were one of the only people in the restaurant. Is there something wrong with this location??? I will say that street parking in this area can be quite challenging, especially when there is a popular event going on at Staples Center. I hate paying for parking so I drove around for a while before I was finally able to find a spot a couple blocks away.
Gardenia and I shared the following:
CHOCOCOMBO: chocolate fried breast and thigh, one side, sauce, and cornbread
– I expected the thigh to be dark meat, but sadly both pieces we got were white meat. Were we given the wrong items? Who knows. The chicken was just okay. Being «chocolate fried» didn’t do much for it. Sides will be reviewed below. For the sauce, we chose THE BEE STING, which is a combo of garlic, chili, and something else. It was pretty good! We both liked it. They were nice and also gave us MISO RANCH, but I found that sauce to be very meh. I always love cornbread, so no complaints with that one.
SIDE: WHITE CHOCOLATE MASH
– The name is very misleading. It definitely tastes different from mashed potatoes, but that weird flavour is not white chocolate. I know because I *love* white chocolate. Nevertheless, once you get used to the odd flavour, the mash is pretty good.
SIDE: MAC & CHEESE
– We both love mac and cheese and we both found this dish to be disappointing. MEH.
We came here because we found the concept of chocolate fried chicken to be very interesting, but we found the execution of it to be quite disappointing. Some of the food tasted a bit different, but in the end, nothing really stood out. And we left smelling of smoke! It was like we had eaten KBBQ… but we didn’t! Why the heck did we smell like that? So weird… and that made me like this place even less. So two stars! Not that it matters since this place has closed down…

I’m still getting used to this American culture of your waiters being your best friends whilst your dine. I’m very British in the sense that I want to always be left alone. So when the folks who work at Choco Chicken began asking how I was, about my plans for today, what book I was reading and just generally paying an interest I felt kind of backed up against a wall. Reading the customer is really important because not all two customers are the same, some are up for a chat and others aren’t.
It’s tricky to get your head around the idea of chicken and chocolate together but, trust me, it works. These guys only include chocolate on the skin of the chicken which is crispy and falls away beautifully from the meat. the fries are seasoned perfectly and are fried in duck fact. I ate it all and it was fantastic. I would definitely recommend checking this place out.

Rushed to try this place when I heard the craziness of chocolate being mixed into the batter of their fried chicken and was shocked to see that it made a good mixture.
Overly sweet is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of chocolate but that truly isn’t the case here. The sweet and savory is well balanced giving you a nice and juicy piece of chicken with just the right amount of chocolate to acknowledge it is there. I also like the fact that the thighs are boneless only leaving you to send your fork straight through the meat and eat away.
If you’re looking to be curious, give this a shot!
Lunch 7÷1÷2014 and 7÷5÷2014

I came here after hearing so much hype about this place, and the hype was not real, sorry. I hate leaving low star reviews, and I do love to support new businesses but $ 7 for a piece of chicken breast with some strange chocolate spicy powder that I could just not understand.
I came with a big group and everyone was underwhelmed by the food. One friend wanted to get her order as half regular fried chicken and half chocolate fried chicken, and our server said they couldn’t do that-​it would be nice if there was a little more flexibility.
To be fair, I came here late last year so I’m not sure if anything has improved. The positives are: it really is a creative concept, there’s ample street parking, the service was good, and the restaurant space is nice and modern-​the only thing missing was good food, and that’s critical! I don’t think I’ll be back, but I’m glad I checked it out.

Three strikes! You’re out!
On three separate occasions now, I tried to stop in to try Choco Chicken and on each of those visits, it’s been closed. This doesn’t include the few times I tried contacting someone via Facebook, or called to hear the announcement — with no opening date mentioned. On Facebook, no one responded to my message. Nothing posted on the doors as to the reasons for their closure.
This last attempt, on Wednesday, March 4^th — a friend and I went over to try only to find the place closed again. I do hope that business is booming to be closed all the time, including days and hours that conflict with what’s posted on their website because I’m done trying.
I’m fully aware that I’m posting a review when I haven’t even had a bite, but I’m posting it for those who hope to try it so that they don’t waste a trip, like I did. Three times. Fortunately, each time was to grab a bite before a game, so at least those attempts weren’t a waste of my time.

BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER.
Why restaurants don’t do this more often is beyond me.
But what about the chocochicken?
Normally I LOVE fried chicken and I LOVE skin (#twss). Here I was pretty certain I was eating fried breading and no skin, so that was the saddest fried chicken ever.
Why still 4 stars? Because of the BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER (caps lock warranted both times). The fries were also excellent.

One of the buzziest LA Foodie spots for 2014, definitely in the «So Interesting That I Need To Try» category.
Chocolate. Fried Chicken. How do they make it work? Does it work? I had to find out.
Juicy fried chicken, encrusted with a chocolate flavored batter. Many dipping sauces to choose from for your chicken and fries, including Choco Ketchup. I didn’t know what to expect, but the chicken tasted sort of how I imagined it might. I know, that doesn’t make any sense, but you know what I’m talking about, right? When you have a faint idea of how something might taste even if you’ve never had it?
This is the type of dish that may split your party down the middle. My friend thought it tasted funky, a little weird. I thought it tasted good, but not good enough or interesting enough for me to imagine myself having a craving for it in the future. The crust tasted like it had cocoa flavor, but it wasn’t creamy or milky in taste. It’s like if you mixed some powdered dark chocolate into your corn starch and flour and fried it for a few minutes. The bone-​in thigh was juicy and the chicken breast was battered and boneless.
For our side we got the herb fries which were really good.
Dipping sauces — I loved the Choco Ketchup, she didn’t. We both love the Honey Butter. The Miso Ranch and Bee Sting… the Miso Ranch was too quirky too me, it had a lot of herbs in it. The Bee Sting is a hot sweet and sour type sauce. If you are eating a biscuit or cornbread, you need the Honey Butter.
We came an hour before a Lakers game and there were people in the restaurant but it seemed pretty dead. Why? My guess is that though there are quite a few chocolate themed items and drinks on the menu, the chicken is good, but it’s not going to fit everyone’s palette. There aren’t enough other items on the menu to make those who aren’t into the chocolate chicken want to come here with their friends.
The restaurant space is nice and there are some big screen TVs and a full service bar. The food came out quickly and our server was efficient, friendly and didn’t mind getting us extra sauces.
My impression is that if this were a food truck, it would be a destination food truck, as it’s the type of food that everyone would be curious about and would want to order to try with their friends. As a restaurant, it doesn’t work as well because I don’t think the chicken itself has the pull to draw for such a large restaurant space.
Some will love it, some with think it’s interesting and others will think it’s plain funky. If you are curious about having chocolate fried chicken or are adventurous with food, then definitely worth a try. If the mere thought of it makes you queasy… then go with your gut instinct and order something else.

Company was great.
Food was better than I expected I guess.
But in the grand scheme of things…
Ida been better off going home and «chocoing» my chicken.
—
OK, OK, In all seriousness, the chicken was pretty good, just not great, a tad too oily, the cocoa wasn’t overpowering but it was just OK. Didn’t taste much cocoa in the mashed potatoes which is a good thing. Bacon biscuit was pretty good but a bit dense. I hear they overhauled the menu recently to kinda play down the whole chocolatey aspect of it all so I’ll be back to check it out.
And just ignore any future references to me choking my chicken… it only encourages me.

Choco Chicken is like something you would come up when you drunk. Fried chicken with chocolate?
I love a good Friend Chicken and Chocolate, but I hate to said to this isn’t good idea mate… The greasy oil overpower the chocolate, it look like a chicken been to a volcano. However, I like their cocktail and side dish much better than their chocolate friend chicken. Food here is quite pricey… Not sure I would come back, wait and see if they improve the menu and price…

As both a lover of chocolate and fried chicken, I was thrilled about a restaurant that embraced the concept of marrying the two.
When I first heard about Choco Chicken I thought to myself, self: THIS IS A GREAT IDEA AND SHAME ON YOU AND THE REST OF THE HUMAN RACE FOR NOT THINKING OF IT SOONER!
However, after trying out this new concept at Choco Chicken I have to say I left underwhelmed. I think the location and space is really cool … amd the staff was all super nice, but there was nothing special about the food. I think it was partly because I was expecting something a bit more novel. I mean, when I hear chocolate fried chicken, I want to rally taste the chocolate.
Anyhow, I had the fried chicken sandwich with a sode of mac n cheese … it was decent, but hardly had any hint of chocolate … it was like eating a fried chicken sandwich anywhere else.
We also tried the choco combo … thigh and breast with a side of fries. Fries are good, but again the chicken left me wanting more … more flavor, more crispy texture … more of what makes us ignore all inhibitions and eat something we know is horrible for us.
They did tell us that this was their new menu, so im going based off of that.
Anyway, if you’re looking for a halfway decent fried chicken spot this place is worth a try, bit if you’re looking for a chocolaty punch, I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
Stay Cheerful ;)

If there’s two food items that I can say I genuinely love and could eat on a regular basis, it’s fried chicken and chocolate. Up until visiting Choco Chicken, I’ve never had the two together… or even thought about it. Although it’s possible that my obsession for strange and unique food clouded my vision, this was a successful eat for me.
Located in downtown LA just off 12^th and Grand, Choco Chicken is mostly a bar that just happens to serve some interesting food. There’s plenty of seating in this modernish styled spot, and I really like the adjustable bar stools. Maybe a little too much haha. And while I wasn’t here for a drink, their bar is very nice looking, appears to be well stocked and they have a decent selection of cocktails and beers.
When we first sat down, we didn’t really end up ordering anything as we were waiting for a few people to join us. Because of this, our server seemed to be a little put off. Even though the place was virtually dead, she just appeared annoyed that we were just going to sit and hang out while waiting for our friends. And throughout the entire meal, she just had a weird vibe that I can’t describe. She was constantly bugging us before we were ready to order, but then when our table was full and we needed something, she was nowhere to be found. The bartender and other servers who helped us were nice, but I’d say the service was not a strong point here. Whatever, I was here for the chicken anyway!
So, what exactly does chocolate fried chicken taste like? Well, despite the fact that they use boneless chicken, it’s actually pretty friggin good! The chocolate flavor is there, but it’s subtle. They aren’t just frying chicken and covering it in chocolate sauce, thankfully. They use a batter, that to me, actually taste a little bit like cocoa puffs cereal. You might expect it to be too sweet, but overall, they do a very good job of blending together sweet and savory flavors. There’s even a slight hint of heat thrown in there too. I absolutely hate the fact that they use boneless chicken, and honestly, bone-​in chicken would probably make this chicken amazing, but I’m a fan and can say it’s definitively worth a try.
For those who share my loves for sides, Choco Chicken has quite a few too choose from. I really like their sauces, especially the Bee Sting. However, the biscuit was beyond dry and I couldn’t taste any bacon in it. The Duck Fat Fries were decent though and I was really impressed with their Buffalo Cauliflower. It was my first experience with it and I really have no clue how to describe it. I mean, it’s a vegetable… covered in buffalo sauce. Just try it and judge for yourself!
Overall, this was a fun experience for me. Not everything was perfect and my biggest problem, again, is the use of boneless chicken. But the food was interestingly tasty and it’s priced well. They seem to be getting really mixed reviews, but I do hope they do well and stick around, because I’ll certainly be back if they do!

Review is in Haiku form:
Great food and drinks here
But truth is it’s overpriced
Service makes up worth =)

For me, Choco Chicken is all about the three C’s…Chocolate, Chicken, and Curiosity.
Really? Chicken dipped in chocolate? I could only think of two things that taste better and that’s Steak & Peanut Butter. However, that combination would be nasty. So, chocolate tasting chicken will just have to do.
Choco Chicken is basically a bar that serves fried chicken flavored with chocolate. We shared the Crack Combo, Duck Fat Fries, White Chocolate Mashed Potato, Bacon Biscuit, and Chocolate Drumettes. Besides our water, nothing ordered was typical. And besides my water, nothing here really wowed me. It’s great that Choco is a bar and they’re specialty is chocolate coated fried chicken. But in my opinion, they should have more on their menu that isn’t coated in chocolate like burgers, fries, buffalo wings, etc. Overall, just glad I tried them.
Food Recap:
Chocolate Chicken: Taste really depends on which pieces you try. I wasn’t impressed with the breast or thigh and didn’t taste the chocolate. The drumettes were better. You will definitely taste the chocolate on the drumettes.
White Chocolate Mashed Potato: These are supposed to be infused with white chocolate butter. I didn’t taste the white chocolate at all. Texture reminded me of KFC’s faux mashed potatoes. It was, at least, sweet.
Duck Fat Fries: Interesting. Fries cooked in duck fat with choco seasoning? The fries were good, but again, I didn’t taste the chocolate.
Bacon Biscuit: Dry as heck! Barely any bacon in it. Save your time. Don’t get this.

My husband heard about this place over the AM radio during his morning drive to work and was anxious to try their chocolate battered chicken with fries fried in Duck fat. It was different and we were curious to taste what the hype was all about.
They have an outdoor patio so we were able to dine with our dog. The inside was very dtla with concrete floors, open vent ceilings and a clean sleek modern décor. They have a nice bar area where I wouldn’t mind coming back for drinks and fries.
We both ordered the 2 thigh and 2 side combo. I noticed that it was $ 14. Wow. Better be some melt in your mouth chicken! To justify the hefty cost, they use free range chicken only here. I got the fries and Cole slaw and he ordered the fries and biscuits.
There were two different sauces that came with the chicken. One was chocolate ketchup and the other tasted like Thai sweet chili sauce. The chicken batter tasted bitter but after dipping into the chili sauce, it was able to balance out the bitter sweet taste. The meat was very juicy and delicious but I wasn’t too fond of the chocolate battered fried skin.
The fries was the best part because it was fried in Duck fat. There should be a law that requires every restaurant to only use duck fat to fry the fries! These were super yummy and I was addicted to them! They sprinkle some seasoning which elevates the taste to a higher level of awesomeness! Fries are a must!
Our overall experience here was just OK. In our opinion, our tastebuds were not dancing and screaming with joy. Incorporating chocolate into the chicken and ketchup wasn’t that exciting for us. The highlight was the duck fat fries but isn’t worth the drive just to eat fries. If we lived closer to this restaurant, we’d be back for fries but the chicken was a one time good experience.

I’ve been wanting to try Choco Chicken due to curiosity and all the press I’ve been reading about it. Came here on a Wednesday night around 7:30 with a big group of 12 people. Luckily, they were able to seat us all together in the back area!
I ordered the two thighs and two sides (bacon biscuit — tastes like a ham & cheese bread) and coleslaw (very refreshing and not too mayonnaisey). Chicken is juicy and boneless and doesn’t really taste chocolatey until you dip it into the sauce (which tastes like mole). The duck fat fries were underwhelming and came out cold, the corn was super buttery but doesn’t come close to true elote. Mashed potatoes are super creamy and fluffy and definitely a bit sweet.
Service was friendly and fast — thank you for being able to seat such a big group! They did mess up a few orders (wrong sides) but fixed it right away.
Plenty of meters and parking lots all around. Portions of the chicken are on the smaller side, I think the sides may be bigger than the chicken pieces! I don’t think I would come back but I’m glad I tried it!

Damnit, Choco Chicken. I’m embarrassed for you.
The community was rooting for your ass. Even if it didn’t make sense, people were still excited to support you and give it a try.
This. Stuff. Is. Horrible.
Poor execution. Expensive as hell, considering the crap that you’re served. Sub-​par ain’t even the word for this. I just don’t have the energy nor the heart to rip you apart in my Unilocal review.
You couldn’t even give me a warm biscuit, though? A cold ass 4 dollar bread roll that you call a «biscuit» along with confused, mid life crisis fried chicken? Where’s the sweet, lightly crispy batter? And the seasoned/​savory element to the chicken? Cause what I got was bitter, bland and burnt! That mess cut the roof of my mouth.
The food tastes like you gave up already. Did you just quit?
Go back to the drawing board. Somebody call Bobby Flay to help.

Kinda overpriced for soggy chocolate-​fried chicken.
They have drumettes but no drumsticks which I thought was strange. There are thighs, and breasts that you can order in the combo but what I really wanted was a drumstick combo.
The duck fat fries were nothing special. I kinda thought it tasted a little strange with the chocolate seasoning. The white chocolate butter mashed potatoes tastes like regular mashed potatoes. The bacon biscuit that everyone seems to be talking about wasn’t good in my opinion. It tasted like a dry, dense croissant.
The fried chicken was really greasy and not crispy. They probably didn’t fry it in the right temp.
They were also out of the s’more dessert and this was during lunch time. But they gave us a coupon for a complimentary dessert on our next visit.
$ 45 for 2×2 thigh, 2 side combo and a 1 breast 2 side combo.
The chicken is boneless, so it has more of a chicken strip feel. But I guess it’s easier to eat but I always associate fried chicken as bone-​in, so I thought that was unconventional as well.
It’s very loud inside because the space echoes.

(to the tune of Ice Ice Baby)
«dun dun dun duda dun dun… dun-​dn-​dn-​dn duda dun dun
Alright STOP. Collaborate and Glisten
Fry is back with a fried new invention
Choco grabs a hold of me tightly
Clucks like a chicken breaded so lightly
Will it ever stop? Yo– I say ‘NO’
That fly fry smell… it’s Cho-​CO
With biscuits and cream this place will never dwindle
I’m just gonna munch and throw out my Kindle…»
Yeah… I don’t care. I like the place. It’s new. It’s hip. It’s crazy.
Love the waitresses («sigh… Amy…»)… the crazy cucumber boss Keith (I swear he could pass for a WWF Wrestler from the 90s), and the Amazeballs cocktails.
Look… straight up… it’s like nothing you’ve ever had. It’s like someone crossed a Harry Potter, a hot stripper, and some chicken… and out came this place.
Whatever you do… get the «Old School»… chicken in biscuits and gravy. Not your thing? then just order a side of gravy and sip on it like breast milk is goin out of style. It’s forever.

I love chicken and I love chocolate so it’s sad that I don’t love ChocoChicken. The restaurant just opened this week and I heard so much about it already but my meal was not impressive. The only thing great about them is the service. Our waitress was so friendly.
I tried the chocolate martini and the chococolada for drinks. Both were delicious but a little too sweet. The chococolada didn’t taste like chocolate at all so that was a little disappointing.
I had the chicken combo with 2 pieces of thighs and 2 sides. If you choose the breast combo, you get 1 piece of breast and 2 sides. The portions were ridiculously small. My chicken thigh is about the size of half a chicken strip. While the chicken was nice and moist, I couldn’t taste the chocolate on the skin and Muy S said that the chicken tasted sour to her.
The sides are also not anything to rave about. I did enjoy the bacon biscuits but the butter spread was once agani too sweet. The duck fat fries was okay without the chocolate ketchup but becomes too sweet with the sauce. The white chocolate mashed potatoes was… you guessed it… too sweet! They also don’t serve it with any gravy and a small tiny order of country gravy is $ 4. In fact all sides and sauces are $ 4 and they’re tiny.
The concept sounded good and I like that they try to incorporate chocolate into their dishes. Taken separately, they may be fine but when put all together, you have a meal of super sweet items. I left with a craving for something salty.
They also don’t have a set closing time. They told us they were closing at 9pm that day and that it changes based on the chef’s discretion everyday based on restaurant traffic. I wouldn’t risk coming here later than 9pm even though their page says 11pm.

I heard about this new place on 12^th & Grand in DTLA, and I had a friend who wanted to check it out, so I said WTH! However, afterwards I had such a bad experience I wanted to drop this review right away before waiting for Two Star Tuesday.
Choco Chicken specializes in free range chicken that has chocolate in the batter. They offer combos, a la carte and sandwiches. Sides include duck fat fries, white chocolate mashed potatoes, and biscuits (one w/​caramelized bacon). The menu is very limited.
We ordered the chicken sandwich w/​house made choco roll, slaw, miso and a side ($ 15), and the drumettes ($ 7 for 4 pieces). The chicken was very good. The sweetness of the chicken w/​the chocolate in the batter contrasted well against the habañero dipping sauce: 4 Stars. I don’t think the chocolate ketchup would have gone together as well. However, the $ 7 for 4 wings is overpriced, the side (caramelized bacon biscuit) at $ 3 extra was ridiculous. BTW, sides are normally $ 4 and way overpriced for the portion.
My friend ordered the Electric Chocolate Smore for dessert: $ 5. It turned out to be a moon pie, and was just OK: 3 Stars. They did not have ice cream that was on the menu.
Our waitress Melissa, was originally overattentive then disappeared later. It took us 20 min to settle the bill. In addition, the bill came in an Amex folder but they don’t take Amex. Although the Asst GM apologized the foregoing, the experience trying to pay the bill was Stoopid!!!: 2 Stars. The ambiance is very nice at the bar area: 4 Stars. The remainder of the restaurant is just OK: 3 Stars.
Choco Chicken has good food, but it is overpriced, and they were out of signature items like white choco mashed potaoes. It was their second night, so good luck to them, but I won’t be back.