A Korean fried chicken chain: "Goodbye Home Run Fried Chicken" — spicy and tangy platters that are a must-try

Text & Photos /Orange Dog Loves Candy

Thanks to the Korean drama 【My Love from the Star】, where the character Cheon Song-yi loves Korean fried chicken, this Korean dish became a nationwide hit in Taiwan. Even before the drama ended, fried chicken shops started seeing long lines on every corner of Taiwan. But one of the earliest to sell it in Taiwan was probably Park Brother’s Korean Fried Chicken in Fengjia Night Market — at first no one visited, but now there's almost always a long queue lasting forever (I once waited over an hour). The K-wave business opportunities are truly eye-opening. A few months ago, Caffe Bene, endorsed by Jung Gyu-woon, also had a two-month waitlist when it opened in Taichung. This summer, 【777 Korean Fried Chicken Specialty Store Wuguiwugui】, which has 86 branches in Korea, launched in Kaohsiung and Taichung. What drew me wasn’t what others said about how tasty it is, but its high prices that made me want to see for myself！

The first Taichung branch of 【777 Korean Fried Chicken Specialty Store】 is located right across from McDonald's in Fengjia Night Market.

Compared to the spacious and upscale interior of Caffe Bene on Gongyi Road, this 777 store chose to open in a tiny shop. Next to it is a huge POYA signboard, adjacent to a dried meat shop and a store under renovation. The 777 sign is so understated and unnoticeable. Had it not been for their signature chicken logo and Korean lettering, I really wouldn't have been able to find it. But it took us two tries to finally get inside because the first time we came, they had suddenly changed their business hours and we went there for nothing!!

The store’s decoration style is somewhat rustic and also quite cute. There’s also a Korean celebrity Park Hyung-sik endorsing the shop outside. Although I’m not deeply into Korean dramas, I know him because I happened to watch Nine: Nine Time Travels XD Otherwise, to be honest, the only Korean stars I know are Girls' Generation and Hyuna XD, maybe even just Actor Song Kang-ho.

Walking inside, I don’t know why, but I was suddenly reminded of a chicken farm-themed restaurant in a nearby alley — it really looked that similar XD There aren't many seats, and for a Korean chain store, this small scale really surprised me. Also, it seems the opening news didn’t create much of a stir, as there were very few customers during lunchtime. I had actually made a reservation, only to find out that it probably wasn’t even necessary... But I really do like the wall décor inside the store — it’s very rustic and cute, and there’s even a TV playing Korean dramas.

The meals here are served in individual portions, so each table gets a small plate and two small tongs, one of which is designed in the shape of a cute chicken claw — pretty catchy — and you can use it to pick up chicken pieces directly.

Of course, the focus is on their MENU, as the most talked-about aspect is their surprisingly high prices. The average price for fried chicken dishes is over 500 NTD, though the portions are relatively large, but it still makes you hesitant to order freely.

There’s a chicken platter priced at 830 NTD, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw it. What’s special is that besides Korean-style fried chicken, they also combine Italian cooking methods to offer some creative fried chicken dishes.

But since it was our first time here, we didn’t dare try anything too adventurous, so we just ordered two safe chicken dishes. Unfortunately, none of our friends could drink alcohol today, so we didn’t order any beer either T_T

【Three Free Side Dishes】 They’re not refillable, so you have to eat them sparingly, but they’re decent enough. The crackers were interesting because they seemed coated in powdered sugar, but then they turned spicy upon hitting your throat. Another side, the pickled radish, was crispy and sour — great for whetting the appetite. The corn was just what you’d expect, corn.

There was also a cup of fried chicken dipping sauce, or rather a side dish — it was tangy and spicy and actually not bad, but if you run out, refills come at an extra cost！

【Goodbye Home Run Fried Chicken / 590 NTD】 This is a dish that many people order as soon as they walk in. Seeing such an impressive name as “Home Run,” it felt wrong not to order it. It’s made by marinating boneless chicken in a special sauce, frying it, then adding rice crackers and rice cakes, and tossing it all in a sweet and sour sauce.

But there wasn’t any lemon slice visible as shown in the menu photo, so the color scheme was a bit lacking. And although they say the portion is big, it’s not as huge as described — it’s about enough for two guys to finish.

Then using the little chicken claw tongs to pick up a piece, the aroma was amazing. The reddish-brown fried chicken skin was crispy with juicy fat. The chicken was slightly hot but very tender. The outer layer had a sweet sweet-and-sour sauce, but the chicken itself would bring out a spicy kick. The interplay of flavors was layered, refreshing, and not greasy at all. I sincerely say it’s really delicious!!

But the white rice crackers on the side were like uninvolved bystanders — crispy but completely flavorless, just bland crackers. The rice cakes were coated in sweet-and-sour sauce, chewy and sweet, and the small pot seemed like a lot but was gone in no time. This dish is highly recommended, except the rice crackers felt like the useless part.

【Slim Roast Chicken / 530 NTD】 I ordered this thinking I shouldn’t just keep eating fried food, and the portion was actually larger than the previous Home Run dish.

The MENU says it uses roasting to render out the fat, and it includes chicken wings, breast meat, and drumstick meat. I don’t know if it was over-roasted or just naturally like this, but the chicken was way too dry and not heavily seasoned. Aside from one or two pieces of chicken skin with richer fat that tasted a bit better, this chicken was disliked by the whole table. The fries that came with it were pretty good though, with a soft yet firm texture.

There was also a boiled egg hidden in the pile of chicken, and the yolk was a bit moist and actually quite tasty.

In the end, only the supporting cast saved the score a little, while the main star, the chicken, was weak — not recommended!!

【Drinks / around 30 to 45 NTD】 There’s Coke, peach juice, coconut milk, and pomegranate juice. Since no one could drink alcohol today, we could only go for these juice or sparkling options. The vibe might be a bit weak, but drinking cold beverages with fried chicken is still satisfying.

【Shovel Korean BBQ / 620 NTD】 This is from the next table — we just asked to borrow their photo because it was served right when we arrived and we wanted to snap a shot. It looked like a very hearty dish, with rice, lots of meat, and a rather expensive price, and the meat did look pretty good.

I kind of joined the hype to try out the K-wave trend. When I previously ate Park Brother’s Korean Fried Chicken, aside from the queue, I already thought it wasn’t cheap, but I didn’t expect this Korean 777 fried chicken chain to be even pricier. I’d suggest going with a group to make it more worthwhile. After all, the dishes are all meant for one to two people in large portions, so coming alone is a bit tough. But the taste of the fried chicken is pretty good, and it’s the kind of flavor that makes you want to recommend it. The roast chicken needs more consideration. Overall, there are tasty items, but not every dish. For a safe bet, just go for the fried chicken and you’ll be fine. There’s no minimum spend, so the high per-item price can be split among people. Just bring more friends and more money, and you can eat to your heart’s content. Oh, and it’s open until 1 AM!! Here’s a simple sharing of my thoughts！

【777 Korean Fried Chicken (ChirChir / Wuguiwugui)】
Address: No. 420, Fuxing Road, West District, Taichung City (next to POYA)
Phone: 04-24528777
Business Hours: 11:30 AM–2:00 PM + 5:00 PM–1:00 AM
Consumption reminder: No service charge. Reservations can be made by phone. It is more cost-effective to share dishes among multiple people.

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