FRYBABY

"This fried chicken cart within the Lil’ America pod has become famous thanks to the thunderous crunch of its wings and drumsticks’ crackling skin. The combination of rice, potato, and tapioca flour helps maximize the crispness of the chicken, which remains juicy due to the makgeolli in the batter. Get wings tossed in snow cheese or saucy with gochujang or soy glaze; when it comes to sides, the kimchi mac and cheese is a must." - Janey Wong

"The crunchy, snow cheese-dusted wings coming out of this buzzy member of the Lil’ America cart pod on Southeast Stark are rapidly approaching icon status. Korean American, Texan-raised chef Sunny Hatch pulls from both facets of his heritage at this cart, both in the double-fried chicken wings dredged in a blend of rice, potato, and tapioca flour and in the Southern-influenced sides like the kimchi mac and cheese and creamy sesame lime slaw. Opt for wings over drumsticks for maximum surface area and thus optimal amounts of the gochujang, soy garlic glaze, or salty crumbles of snow cheese." - Rebecca Roland

"The Korean American chicken wings at this Lil’ America food cart are perhaps the city’s crunchiest, thanks to owner Sunny Hatch’s thorough recipe. A combination of rice, tapioca, and potato flour provides maximum crunch, while vodka helps draw out moisture from the exterior. Makgeolli behaves almost like buttermilk, tenderizing the meat and giving it an extra touch of juiciness once diners bite through to the center. Wings are double-fried to withstand saucy gochujang or soy garlic glaze, though the wings can also be ordered with a powdering of snow cheese or simply fried. On cold days, eat your wings in the neighboring Fracture Brewing, accompanied by a beer." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Dianne de Guzman

"Located within the increasingly popular Lil’ America pod on Southeast Stark, this Korea-meets-Kentucky fried chicken cart started its run with some of the city’s crunchiest, juiciest wings in town. A blend of rice, potato, and tapioca flour in the dredge, as well as a splash of vodka in the batter, helps the skin achieve that hardcore crispness; a little hit of makgeolli, a Korean rice spirit with a flavor almost akin to yogurt, behaves sort of like a buttermilk in the batter. The chicken comes in a variety of glazes and dusts, like snow cheese or gochujang, but the chicken is also great “naked,” without glaze or seasoning powder. When it comes to side, opt for mashed potatoes and curry gravy or kimchi mac and cheese, if available." - Ron Scott, Thom Hilton

"Portland was home to plenty of exceptional fried chicken when this Stark food cart opened in 2023. Still, Sunny Hatch’s fried wings shot up the leaderboard, arguably taking top honors as the city’s finest. The genius comes in the batter: The acidity of the makgeolli gives the meat a buttermilk twang without the heaviness, paired with vodka to draw out moisture from the coating; the combination of rice, potato, and tapioca flour makes for a super-crisp exterior that can withstand a sticky gochujang or soy garlic glaze. The result is a South Korea-meets-the South chicken with a chicharron-esque crunch and meat so juicy it drips as you bite. Hatch’s Korean Texan heritage also appears in the cart’s sides, with things like mashed potatoes in curry gravy and kimchi mac and cheese." - Eater Staff