Chimac, Dublin's first Korean fried chicken restaurant, opens this Friday on Aungier Street, with crispy chicken in sriracha caramel, kimchi and gochujang chicken burgers, and Teddy's ice cream cookie sandwiches for dessert.
Owners Sofie Rooney and Garret Fitzgerald have spent the past two years perfecting their recipe, and finding the right city centre site, and after a multitude of building delays (what's new) they're finally opening this Friday. Both have a background in restaurants, here and in San Francisco, which is where they fell in love with Korean fried chicken. After a trip to Seoul in 2016 and a move back to Dublin, they decided the city needed the spicy, sweet and salty chicken that they couldn't stop thinking about.
They sealed the deal with a research trip to Korea last November where they tried 30 different variations over a few days, and Sofie calls the end result "a tribute to Korea's national pastime reimagined in an Irish context". She says that they're not striving for true authenticity as Chimac's menu is "uniquely Irish, shaped by both local produce and our own cultural experiences", but one that they hope does justice to the original.
Chimac is aiming to be fun and casual without the stereotypical fast food image. Chicken is Irish and free-range, with other ingredients mostly Irish too, and sauces and pickles are made in house. There's also going to be wine slushies and a local craft beer list, which we hear is the perfect accompaniment for hot, crispy, spicy fried chicken. Chimac opens at 12:30 on Friday, and you can see the full menu below.
Chimac
76 Aungier Street, Dublin 2
Sun - Mon 12:30 - 21:30. Tue - Wed 12:30 - 22:00. Thu - Sat 12:30 - 22:30.
Ph: +353 1 4054960
