Kevin N.
Yelp
Really wish there was a possibility to give 3.5 stars, but I'll go with 3 to be more conservative. I've heard many good things about the Chi Mac in U District, so when I was able to try the new Factoria location for lunch, I thought I'd give it a shot.
I ordered takeout on a Friday for lunch right around noon. I ordered two small order of wings, one snow (parmesan onion), one soy garlic. For some reason, they don't let you mix two flavors into one order, which is why I ordered two smalls - I wanted to try both flavors. If I was able to pick two flavors in a single order, I would've just ordered one medium order, as two smalls was definitely too much for one person. I also ordered a side of fries too. Within 15 minutes, my food was ready to go.
Starting with the snow wings, they were pretty good. They're liberally dusted with their snow seasoning, which contains parmesan, onion, powder, and sugar (amongst other seasonings). To my surprise, the sugar was the pronounced flavor, but I oddly enjoyed it a lot. The sweetness helps to counter the heaviness of the chicken itself.
The soy garlic was also pretty good. It's a classic chicken wing sauce, delivering salty and sweet notes. The wings are also sprinkled with some crushed peanuts as garnish, just an fyi for those with peanut allergies. The wings were freshly fried as well, and they were crispy enough without it being too crunchy due to any liberal coating of flour prior to frying. The wings are pretty small though - it'll take 1-2 bites at most to clean one up.
The fries were crinkle-cut, which I love, and they gave a lot of fries. Honestly, I could've been full with just the side order of fries - that's how much they give you. Nothing special in terms of taste or anything though.
Though the chicken was good, I do think they are a bit overpriced. A small order of 7 wings costs $10, and fries cost $6. Given how small the wings were and how simple it is to fry wings, I would imagine a $7-$8 price range to be more appropriate for a small order.
Since the store is doing only takeout orders, the tables and chains within were stacked on top of each other, so it's hard to comment on the actual dining experience. I did notice that there were several of bar tables that looked suitable for 8-10 people per table. That being said, I'd assume this place is pretty solid for large groups. It's a pretty casual place too from the look of it.
It's located in the corner of the QFC plaza, so there's plenty of parking. I've never seen the parking lot be so crowded that parking was ever an issue.
A good spot for korean fried chicken - no doubt. I just wish you could mix flavors in single order and that the prices were a bit lower.