Krave Asian Fusion Restaurant

I have been looking for a place in Southern California that has Korean fried chicken equal to that of bon chon chicken. I am glad to say that I have found it in Krave. The double fried chicken was perfectly crispy.
I ordered the soy garlic and black peppercorn chicken and they were both flavorful with their own unique flavors. Definitely try out this place as it has some of the best Korean fried chicken I have ever had!

Krave has quickly become one of my favorite Korean chicken places. I’ve had my fair share of fried chickens in LA, NYC, and even in Korea, so I should know my way around chickens. And Krave is worth coming back for.
Fried chickens– the exterior is super light and crispy, followed by a juicy, meaty interior, just the way fried chicken should be. I love it when after the first bite, the chicken is so piping hot that steam comes off of the bones — the sign of a fresh, perfectly fried chicken.
My favorites were the soy garlic and Chinese chili. Drenched with the perfect amount of sauce, it was a well proportioned combo of sauce to batter to meat.
Loaded kogi fries, where do I begin? A heavenly mixture of quality bulgogi, crispy fries and cheese! The crisp jalapeños on top provide such a refreshing kick I kept eating them until my mouth was on fire. Enter the ice cold beer — it took out the fire. I highly recommend ordering beer. It’s almost a necessity.
I also like that Krave has a minimalist simple décor. Lots of space and no one awkwardly bumping into each other like other places I’ve been to. It’s something I really appreciate in addition to the overall quality meal. I’m a fan.

I came during lunch and tried their burger and salmon, crab and avacado salad. I would definitely come back for their salad.
The burger was also quite good, but I’m not a huge fan of kimchi. Overall, the experience was quite good.

Ok if you haven’t been here. Stop what you are doing and come here and eat the wings.
Best ever.
The chicken tastes like very good chicken. The skin is like a crunchy shard of chicken brittle. Delicious. This blows away the Korean chicken I had at some hip place in la. Blows it away.
Some ex Wall Street food lover opened this place. In irvine. Go figure. Whatever I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
You want to be able to brag you ate this stuff at the first store when it first opened. Trust me.

I was skeptical reading the reviews as it seemed like most were friends of the owner doing a favor. They just seemed too detailed and positive.
That being said, I went today for lunch with coworkers. It was good! Not the best kfc I’ve ever had (Boom Boom Chicken in Fort Lee, NJ and UFC in Queens are way better), but def the best I’ve had in Orange County over the past 6 years.
Service was great. Food came out quickly. Chicken was hot and crispy. I went with the typical garlic soy. Wish they had a spicyness level option to add a kick and pickled daikon!
Overall, would go back again.

I’ve had their Korean Fried Chicken wings for take out before and loved it, but having their stuff straight out of the kitchen took it to a whole new level.
Started with Loaded Kogi Fries… OMG where was this when I was in college. Awesome.
Next the Salmon Avocado Salad — Presentation looked like something out of a 5 star restraunt… tasted like it too.
Lastly the Korean Fried Chicken wings (Garlic Soy and Black Peppercorn were my favorite). It was good the first time I had it for takeout (still crispy 40 min after getting home and getting kids to bed), but eating it straight out of the kitchen was way better.
Service was great. I had a beer in my hand within 3 minutes of sitting down and first dish was out in 10 minutes. Fried Chicken took about 18 minutes, but were worth the wait.
Will have to go back and try the other things on the menu.

This place is unfortunately OK for the array of Asian fusion items they have on their menu. I love Asian fusion foods, and I came in with much excitement only to me left with a tiny tinge of disappointment. I really wanted to like this place, but the mediocre food made me feel otherwise.
I had the 8 piece chicken combo ($ 11.99) which came with 6 pieces wings and 2 pieces drumsticks. I tried Chinese chili and soy garlic flavors since they were most popular according to the waiter. The chicken was juicy, tender, and perfectly crispy with minimal oil; however, the sauces that dressed the chicken were way too salty for my taste. I definitely needed a lot of water, pickled radish, and rice to even finish my chicken… not a good sign.
During another visit, I was craving chicken katsu… and it was seriously underwhelming. The portion was probably as big as my Macbook keyboard, came with no cabbage, and already pre-​drizzled with what tasted like Kikkoman katsu sauce. It was crisp and didn’t have excess panko falling off, so at least chicken and breading was on point, though. However, I cannot believe I paid $ 10.99 for this… there should at least be some shredded cabbage or salad added to it!
I decided to give this place one last try during my third visit and had the bibimbap, which was actually pretty solid, but not the best I had. It’s just rice, beef, vegetables, pickled radish, and sauce in a stone bowl. Not bad, but not overly-​amazing.
They do have a happy hour where the items are priced around $ 9.99, so I think it’s best to go between 10AM-​3PM when they have it. Service was nice and quick, though. They have a lot of potential to be so much better, but their food and flavors are subpar at best. It’s nothing special.

Absolutely loved this style of fried chicken! Incredibly crispy and the sauces I had were also fantastic. I got the garlic and black peppercorn sauce because they unfortunately ran out of their most popular chinese chili sauce. Definitely going back again to try the rest!
The presentation of the food was great and they give you ample portion to make sure it’s worth your money. The place wasn’t too crowded and the service was spot on. Having to park in the structure is kind of annoying but overall I’d say the experience was great!

Who knew that «hand brushing» the sauce on chicken wings was a thing? I’m a big fan of Korean Fried Chicken (Love Letter in Irvine, and Crazy Chi Mac in Anaheim) and Krave is right up there too.
I came right after they opened for lunch at 11:30am. My order of 8 wings and fries arrived within 10 minutes; much appreciated during lunch hours. They were too hot to eat for several minutes, just like they should be. The hand brushing technique seemed to ensure that just the ideal amount of sauce was lavished on each wing. The wings were not dripping in sauce but they were evenly coated all around. Amazingly, even my last wing still retained its crispiness thanks to the hand brushing technique.
And you know how you usually get a couple of runt wings in an order? A little pathetic piece where you wonder, «hmmm…this one shouldn’t count because it’s too runty!» Well, I’m pleased to announce that not one of the 8 wing pieces in my order was a runt!

Seeing that the reviews were decent and I’m a huge fan of Korean wings we went to try the wings here.
The parking here isn’t so great since its in the same area as the hotel and apartment complex.
Just really simple setting and minimalist with just one waitress.
So you can order by drumsticks, wings only or wings and drumsticks. So naturally we wanted the combo with 10 wings and 5 drumsticks the waitress told us they were out of drumsticks so the wings only had 10 piece or the next one was 20 piece so with no choice we opted for the 20 piece. I had no idea these wings were like chicken on hormones or something cause they were massive.
And guess what I discovered in my stack of wings? At least five drumsticks so I don’t understand why they lied to us let alone I’m not stupid I know what a drumstick looks like.
Flavorwise it was crispy on the outside not too bad though the flavor doesn’t penetrate the inside of the chicken since its so massive I guess?
They then told us they were doing sangaria wine tasting so they id us and gave us a sample. The sangaria was awful so apparently its a mixture of red wine and soju. It tasted like straight up alcohol with no fruit notes in it. My boyfriend saw them mixing it right there. You do not mix wine and soju and call it sangaria free or not.
I’m not a fan of being lied to so I don’t know I’ll be eating here again.

8-​piece chicken wing lunch special– $ 8.99
–was tasty and less saucy so had a crispy crunch to it
–you get to choose two different sauces on the wings
–comes with a decent amount of fries on the side
Bibimbap lunch special — $ 8.99
–it was okay
–gave a decent amount of rice
Tips:
–free parking in the parking structure behind in case it’s full outside
–use Unilocal deal for discount to total bill

So me and my friend Thomas were talking about chicken… specifically Korean fried chicken because well, thats what I talk about with my friends… food. Yeah I know I’m a pig, whatever. Anyways I was telling him how delicious love letters chicken was and he mentioned this place called Krave being way better. Ok I’ll be the judge of that.
So the next day during lunch I made my way over. Its located in the same complex as Souplantation and Boudin. Parking sucks big time. I was so lucky to find a spot after a 5 minute hunt (keep in mind time is precious since I’m on my lunch break). The décor is more of a bar type of place. They have minimum seatings available and the bar area was also quite small. With that in mind, service was among one of the best I’ve ever experience. Everyone was professional and efficient. When I tried the chicken I was instantly hooked on the texture. Its quite crunchy and crispy with a lot of flavors dancing around my taste buds. The chicken wasn’t as juicy as love letters but they were still amazing.
Overall this is a solid location for Korean fried chicken. Is it better than Love Letters? I’d say yes on a few factors. They are more efficient in getting your food out quicker. Their chicken has a bit more flavor and the chicken pieces are way bigger. The downer is the price. Its a bit on the pricier side but hey sometimes you gotta pay the cost to be a boss.

Loaded Kogi Fries are French fries topped with sriracha cheese sauce, marinated ribeye, scallions, and jalapenos. The fries are crispy and make a great base for the toppings. The bulgogi is tender and uniquely flavored just like bulgogi should be. The silky sriracha cheese sauce seals the deal with a slight kick of heat. This is the ultimate Korean fusion comfort food! Rating: ⁵⁄₅
Korean fried chicken is a different technique of frying chicken using a twice fry method similar to Belgian frites. The skin comes out crispier while the chicken is itself is less greasy. The technique also seals in juices for tender, juicy bites. The soy garlic sauce is the most flavorful of the sauce choices. It has an excellent balance of saltiness from the soy and the sweet, yet bright flavor of the garlic. Chinese chili sauce is similar to a sweet chili sauce found in most Chinese and Filipino cuisines and not overly sweet. Spicy sauce is a medium-​hot level of spiciness that yields a slow burn which migrates from the tip of the tongue and down your throat. Black peppercorn sauce is a little bit on the sweeter side with a nice balance of pepper. Try them all and decide for yourself! Rating: ⁵⁄₅
Bibimbap is a hot stone bowl filled with rice and topped with seasonal vegetables, marinated ribeye, and an egg yolk. This is Korea’s version of beef bowl. The bulgogi is definitely the star of this dish with its tender texture and marinated flavors. The yolk adds a richness similar to tamago meshi in Japanese cuisine. The vegetables add texture and brightness with a balance of acidic pickled flavors. Rating: 4.5÷5

Loved them fried wings, shared a medium with a friend for lunch. We got half plain and half covered in garlic soy sauce, those were awesome! That’s a lot of food, but since we shared the wings we got Ramen soup too, why not? Loved the food, loved the service and I’ll definitely come back for dinner, so I can have a beer or two too and slowly enjoy my fried chicken! The parking is a mess here, use the structure behind, it’s the best option, you can’t park near the hotel and there are no spots usually near Souplantation.

I’m always on the hunt for Korean Fried Chicken, so when my friends asked if I wanted to try this new place when I was in town, I said yes! We tried all 4 flavors, my favorites were the Chinese Chili and the Soy Garlic. I may have made the mistake of eating the Spicy one before the Soy Garlic one because I thought that could’ve used more flavoring, but I must add a disclaimer that I love garlic. We went with the wings, and I was quite surprised by how big they were. The wings came out crispy, with not too much batter.
We also had the kogi fries, garlic noodles and salmon avocado salad. I loved the salmon avocado salad, great flavor and combination of dressing and sauce. The addition of the cucumbers made the salad very refreshing.
Portions are huge! So if you are looking to try different dishes, bring friends or family! I would totally be satisfied with making a meal for myself with the salad and some wings.

Wow! Talk about a great dining experience! Korean Fried chicken wings are the newest rave and Krave Asian Fusion restaurant is where it is at! Located in Irvine this new location serves up delicious dishes like garlic noodles, bibimbap, salmon avocado salad, edamame, korean chicken wings and awesome Kogi fries. They play great music in the background and the restaurant is super clean. Our waitress was really on the ball and very attentive and the dessert options were also really good. Try the red bean ice cream for something unique!
What makes the Korean chicken Wings so crispy is that they render out all the fat. Did you know that the K in «Krave» stands for Korean?

Really yummy Korean fried chicken. You can choose from 4 different sauces. My favorites are spicy and Chinese chili. Served with pickled radish.
I also ordered a few other dishes:
Bibimap was really good. Let the rice sizzle in the bowl to get the crispy rice on the bottom. Yummy.
Udon. Surprisingly good. Never would have guessed a Korean fried chicken restaurant can make good udon. The broth is refreshing and not over salted. In fact, I think their udon is much better than Fukada.
Garlic noodles. This dish was just ok for me, but the wife and kids loved it.
I really liked this restaurant. Everything was seasoned well and not over salted and not over sweetened. Service can pick up its pace a touch but we will definitely be going back.

Best Korean fried chicken in Orange County! I brought two of my children for dinner here tonight, and it was the first time that I was going to introduce them to Korean food. I wasn’t sure how they would react to the food, but my youngest was practically licking the plates he loved it that much.
We started with the salmon and avocado salad (and I didn’t tell the kids there was fish in the salad). The seafood was fresh (and didn’t have a fishy scent or flavor) so the kids would eat it. It was very flavorful, and my kids loved the pea tendrils on top.
Next was the garlic noodles, and my kids were practically fighting over them. They were aromatic and delicious — I highly recommend ordering a dish for your kids.
Then there were the fries. OMG! The loaded Kogi fries are my new favorite comfort food. I will happily drive from AV to Irvine over and over again to get more of these fries.
Finally there is the highlight of Krave — the Korean fried chicken. It is hard to find good Korean fried chicken in Orange County. They cook the wings a special way so that there is hardly any fat, they are crispy, and the sauces are spot on. I brought my leftovers home for my husband to have later at home, and they were still crispy over an hour later.
Try Krave — You’ll LOVE it!

I’ve been here twice and both times were for take outs. My experience was overall a 3.5 stars.
Service: awesome! Servers were all very nice and attentive. It seems like all servers knew the menu pretty well and were able to recommend dishes right away! One server offered me water while i was waiting for my food. Good host!
Food: the fried chicken wings and drumsticks are delicious! They’re crunchy on the outside and juicy with each bite! I love all 3 sauces offered. Beware of the spicy sauce! Korean fried chicken done right!
I also ordered the bibimpap which was just ok. The rice was too wet almost porridge like. Maybe they had just cooked the rice and served it right away without the rice cooling a bit? The sauce was good. Nothing I haven’t eaten. No explosions in my mouth with this dish.
Burger: not enough flavor except for the coleslaw. Fries were okay too. That’s all I have to say.
Price: not bad for lunch but a little on the pricey side overall.
Cons: maybe Krave is still new but the wait for my order was long!!! They promised 15 minutes but I think I waited for 25 – 30 minutes when they had only 3 tables of 2-​guests. My mom also came in on a separate day and had the same complaint about the wait. There’s room for improvement here.

I’m going to have serious cravings for the Loaded Kogi Fries. The fresh jalapenos added just the right amount of kick to the fries.
The Soy Garlic, Spicy, and Black Peppercorn wings — ALL soooo yummy. The crisp on the chicken wings is Amazing! The wings were so juicy and delicious that I didn’t even need to wipe off my fingers… I licked them clean!
My son ate his Garlic Noodles in a record 2 minutes. Very flavorful, and perfect in portion size. He said he was already full but he wanted to keep eating!
Great location with plenty of parking. We’re definitely going back soon!