Once in a while, a gimmick comes around with so much potential that your attention is grasped and your interest is piqued. Such a gimmick in the restaurant world is, ChocoChicken. It is exactly as it sounds: chocolate flavored chicken. Now let me say this, there are a ton of gimmicks out there and they aren’t all bad. In this case, my description of ChocoChicken as a “gimmick” can be considered as the business selling something highly specific and unique, that at the least, is worth a try. Which is exactly what I did.
When I first heard about chicken infused with chocolate, I had to give it a shot. A coworker took me there during our lunch break and I was excited to experience something different. I ordered the ChocoChicken & Biscuit ($12) and she got the Chicken Sandwich ($12). The ChocoChicken & Biscuit combo is a fried thigh with sausage gravy, a butter biscuit, and honey butter. I think, they love butter. It looks delicious, smells appetizing, and actually tastes good. The chocolate favored chicken can be strange at first. While it’s not an overwhelming amount of chocolate, you can surely taste it. The gravy and biscuit are just like any other that you could find in most restaurants–nothing special. The only problem is, it is a heavy meal. So when I had it during my lunch break, I was ready to pass out by the time I got back to the office. As well, if you don’t have a tank of a stomach you may not be able to finish it and you’ll most likely have to take it to-go as I did. Of course you know I tried some of the Chicken Sandwich. Like my meal, it looked and smelled great. A few bites of it and I realized it was okay, but nothing special.
That’s what is important to note with both of these meals, and possibly the restaurant in its entirety. They are good, but they don’t excite your tastes. I think the reason for that is, you hear of such a unique concept and the expectation is set high. Then the popularity for something so different turns into hype and you now have put this restaurant on a pedestal that it unfortunately slips from. So here’s the round-up. I don’t think ChocoChicken is a bad restaurant, but I don’t find anything spectacular about it. I think was intentionally designed with a product strategy to stand out in order to usurp your attention. That’s perfectly fine. However, for myself, I can be satisfied going to ChocoChicken once and being done. I really don’t need it often unless someone else is paying. I would recommend it only to say that you’ve tried it. Whatever you take away from this post, give ChocoChicken a fair shot, make your own decision, and then tell me what you think of it. You just might love it. Might.
Get Familiar.
Address: 403 West 12th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Phone: (213) 403-1786
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