Review Chicken Institute - Sydney

Very tasty korean style fried chicken, and the accompanying sides are also very good. Good ambience, good selection of wines, cocktails and mocktails. Good table services. Lovely neighborhood gem for intimate get together or after work dinner.

Chef Heaven is an absolute legend in the kitchen! Her peanut butter fried chicken and bbq corn are deeeeeelicious! Cannot recommend this place enough. So happy that they’re back after their 3-year hiatus! Also, this new location is heaps closer to either Townhall/Central station. Thanks Chef Heaven, glad to have you back!

Small, cosy restaurant that serves really, REALLY good chicken. Had their peri peri chicken and it was succulent, tender and juicy, and their fried chicken was also very good. The only 'downside' would be the price for the chicken, but it is definitely worth it. I also love their kimchi fries.

Amazing fried chicken. Very large pieces and with 5-6 per bucket one bucket is enough between two with a aside or two. The kimchi poutine fries are a great take on the traditional poutine chips. Salted caramel milkshake was good and they do do BYO

Finger licking chicken! Good portion sizes. The spicy fried and peanut butter chicken are a must

The chicken was juicy and amazing! But I dont know why I was still charged for corkage fee when I only asked for wine glasses and didn't ask the staff to help me with anything else.

Recently visited the relaunch of Chicken institute @ Campbell St and its was a splendid experience for us. Great location, really friendly/attentive service and sensational foods. The menu has expanded & evolved from the 1st reiteration where we tried numerous dishes inc the trusty fried chicken. Everything we ordered was fantastic and standouts were the bone marrow + steak combo and Octopus dishes. We had a great experience and definitely will be back.

I was too busy eating so I only took 1 photo: kimchi poutine and corn. Oh my goodness the "Damn good" title did not disappoint! Definitely give the peanut butter and jalapeno one!!!!

Did someone say finger licking fried chicken?? With peanut butter?? Chicken institute is the way to go. Went the other night and ordered the sticky peanut butter fried chicken, the mash and gravy with brisket and the asian slaw. Everything was jam packed full of flavour - the mash was bam bam favour explosion. The big winner here was the peanut butter fried chicken, it came with heaps of sauce and was sticky and delicious. The one downside about this place is the price - i think for fried chicken when you pay $24, i think you expect a bigger portion.

Very nice place except the seat is limited. Creative Korean fusion. Love the fried chicken and sweet corn. Will go with friends next time again.

Just got back from our dinner at Chicken Institute, definitely won't go back. We asked to be seated out in the back as the main area was busy and very stuffy, we were not told that our table would be next to the outdoor toilet, ordered two dishes, they arrived 20 min apart, we weren't told that one dish would take much longer to cook, the waitress wouldn't leave water on the table so imagine eating spicy food and praying for the waitress to come out every 20min to fill up your tiny glass of water!!! <br/><br/>So yeah, never again!

We had our heart set on the fantastic reviews of the chicken, but was let down by the non-logical service. Being pregnant, simply asked for the egg on the bimibap to be well done. Only to be told that they do not customise. Mind you - the egg was already fried. Options provided by the rude staff was to either have it as it is, or they can take it off. After questioning whether taking the egg off would be classified as customisation, we choose to keep the dish as it was, as the staff was getting ruder by the moment. We get it that there are picky customers making it difficult with orders, but surely it wasn't going to be hard to fry the other side of the egg? Great chicken, but wouldn't recommend this place due to the service. Unless you want to have your experience tainted by rude service. Better places to enjoy fried chicken without this hassle.

refrained from ordering anything other than chicken at a place called chicken institute (w the exception of one beef taco). got the sticky chicken and the garlic chicken. the spicy sticky sauce went really well with the crushed peanuts. ordered only one taco (between two ppl) bc tacos in sydney are generally disappointing. the meat in this one was p good tho.

I've been to the Institute a couple of times already, and it never fails to satisfy my chicken cravings 🍗🍗🍗 We tried their recommended taco of day (beef brisket) & it was a great entree before the fried chicken. If it's still on the menu on your visit, it's highly recommended 👌🏼

Went there last night and bought a peri peri chicken , chicken uncooked and the chef / waitress cook a new batch of peri peri chicken and took the peri peri chicken out of the bill , in total i got 2 peri peri chicken for free , good ambience , good food and good service , must try all the chicken menu (chook) recommended! 5*

Had a magical night. Ordered sticky chicken and peanut butter chicken, it was shockingly good. The skin was crispy but juicy and tender inside!! The kimchi poutine is a must! And don't forget the steam bun! Nothing can't go wrong here! Definitely recommended!! THUMBS UP!! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Everything we ordered at Chicken Institute was flavorsome. And especially the fried chicken is crisp and juicy. The mash with gravy and brisket is all kinds of tasty. I was also into the corn with chipotle, which had a good spicy hit. Only the cucumber kimchi wasn't to my liking because it tasted more like cucumber in a chilli sauce as opposed to a kimchi. All in all, a decent casual spot for modern Korean fare.

My first review on here - really want to be constructive rather than negative.<br/><br/>Ordered 1 starter, 2 fried chickens, 2 sides, food came out as follows -<br/>20 min wait<br/>1 chicken<br/>20 min wait<br/>1 side<br/>20 min wait<br/>starter<br/>20 min wait<br/>1 side + chicken<br/><br/>No explanation or apology from staff, had to chase them up on multiple occasions. Further, water wasn't refilled (I walked behind the bar to get my own water jug) and drinks were slow.<br/><br/>I've had bad service before, but never been so disappointed because the food was absolutely 10/10, and I live 40 metres down the road.<br/>Probably won't be back.

Really rude manager called Heaven. After they got my order wrong, and I explained to them they got it wrong, she rudely told me "she didn't have telepathy" to get my order right and went behind the bar to gossip about it. A real shame given the other waitress was lovely and it would've been great otherwise. Definitely won't be recommending it anymore! ❌

I ordered peanut butter chicken. The chicken was well fried just nice and the taste of peanut butter was not overwhelming. However, for the price, you would expect a larger portion.

This is one of those places that had been on the list of 'to go to' and tonight was the night that we finally made it. The place was not packed out amd managed to get a seat along the bench wall which was slightly awkward but manageable. The est is quite small, and seating is premium in this place and I can see why!? The food here is simple but delicious their fried chicken is crunchy and meat moist. <br/>We ordered their damn good fried chicken, Asian slaw, and two very up market corn dogs to end the meal. Oh! Their fizz sodas are quite good as well. My dining companion oredered their lychee soda fizz and was rather refreshing. <br/>Book ahead or come on a week night where you can get a table without booking. This is what seems to be the case any how. <br/>

The tasty of Chicken is AMAZING as I have eaten :)<br/>My favorite Chicken is Original one but soy garlic chicken also pop up my head. Always I consider which chicken i choose... it's very hard question for me. However I couldn't miss Kimchi poutine & beers.<br/>Its the best harmony to hang out with my love:)<br/>Fancy and nice staffs also make me to visit here.<br/>

Lovely interior. Clean and minimal.<br/><br/>Fried chicken was lovely. Very tasty. Unfortunately portion size wasn't quite enough. Although is was pretty pricey for the small portion (which I probably understand because the chicken was marinated and fried to perfection) but for a night out that's just catching up with friends, we felt quite hungry still after

Food was nice, but nothing too special. A bit pricey too - prob >>$25 per head. <br/><br/>Best to book as this place gets crowded with its small capacity.

Wanting to visit for some time, I ordered Chicken Institute on Uber Eats as a trial which really paid out. Their peanut butter fried chicken is incredibly moreish with coconut and jalapeno, which cuts through the thickness of the peanut butter taste. Its juicy, flavoursome and boneless. Only mildly sweet, it has an intense savoury punch. Several boxes more would have been a worthy investment. <br/><br/>Loved the spicy slaw and the crisp onions in this. We found the pork in the Ssam pork belly rendered well and tender, but the serving size was just appalling for price. The cucumber kimchi looked pretty, although didn’t have much complexity in flavour.

Chicken Institute sounds like a fast food chain that sells buckets of chicken. In fact, it is a hip little restaurant with an interesting Korean/American influence, which also sells buckets of chicken!. They have a wide variety of flavours including the Damn Good Fried Chicken (original); sticky; peri peri; garlic and peanut butter. I had tried the original, spicy, sticky and peanut butter.

I will rave about this place until the day I die, swear to god. Their Damn Good Sticky Chicken buckets are to die for. They're only losing half a point for being overpriced ($24 for a bucket) but it was worth it. It comes with 4 large boneless chicken wings and a slightly spicy, delicious, sweet and sour sauce. Their Fried Chicken bucket with ranch was a bit too plain, unfortunately, and I would say that's a waste of money. Their fried eggplant dish isn't too bad either but definitely overpriced at $8 a piece.<br/><br/>We stumbled upon this place by accident, actually, after our dinner plans failed on a quiet Sunday night at 9pm. It was empty and about to close but the kitchen was nice enough to accomodate our group of 3 and the larger group of 5 who came in immediately after us. Service was very nice and quick, too.<br/><br/>Would I come back? Definitely.<br/><br/>

IMO one of the best Chicken spots I've ever had, the food was so good I didn't want to leave lol<br/><br/>The service was fantastic, she took the time to discuss our likes and dislikes and then helped point is in a direction that wouldn't displease us<br/><br/>The chicken was cooked perfectly, succulent and flavour packed. I recommend a side, I went with the mash and Jap curry which I really liked as it bought a twist to the KFC staple

These guys already get a big thumbs up from me because you can book!!! (becoming more and more rare in popular/trendy places these days).  We tried the damn good fried chicken, the damn good peanut butter chicken, the kimchi poutine, and the plum wine. Stand out for us was the classic damn good fried chicken. It was beautifully spiced and melted in the mouth, absolutely divine!! Prices are good and service is efficient (maybe a little on the cold side though). We ate quite early and by the time we left (around 6.30) the place was jam packed, the venue itself is quite small so I imagine noise might be an issue once it's full like that so going early would be your best bet if that is something that bothers you.

Good food but so not worth the price and wait time. We waited 50min for our bucket of fried chicken!! It's a joke. Patience is a virtue but this is a waste of valuable time on a Saturday night!

Went here for a Friday night, phoned ahead on the night and got the call up 30mins later. We were a group of 5 out for a night drinkin' and lookin' fo chicken. We found it. The chicken is at chicken institute, look no further for good chicken. We ordered one of each bucket and a few corn cobs and kimchi sides. The peanut butter chicken is not only not to be missed, it is to be spoken about. It will leave you wanting more and more, and we will be guaranteed to return for it alone. The other chicken is all equally as good, periperi, original, garlic and sticky. All worth a visit in there own right. So get yourselves in here for some finger lickin'. BBK

Definitely would recommend making a reservation as this place is tiny! Although, they are very punctual and strict on time. Staff were friendly and accommodating. We ordered the half and half bbq set which was nice but the portion was so small, the six of us had a piece each. However, the kimchi poutine (kimchi & gravy actually work so well together), bbq corn, and specifically the peanut butter fried chicken were amazing. Hot, juicy, boneless, and fresh. Also not overly sickening when you think of PB. Could definitely finish a bucket or two by myself so always order extra, because you'll have to wait at least 20-30 minutes for your second round of food. Would definitely go again once in a while as its quiet expensive for the small portions you get. $215 for six people including drinks and unfortunately we weren't full. But nonetheless would again in the future.

My friends and I were there on Wednesday night and it's extremely busy - bad luck we did not book the table but OMG!!! We got the seats straightaway which the table against the wall, the waitress is very helpful. We ordered few chickens and some sides as well. Trust me. Thats the best chicken ever and so far! It was juicy and mouth watering. I loved every single bite of them. Thanks god that they are near by my house. Will go back next week again. Chicken institute! You are genius!!!!<br/><br/><br/>I give her 10/10

Odd place! Chicken Institute is a fusion restaurant of Korean and American food. Somehow, it does work and it does make for an interesting experience. The menu is fairly limited to four or five fried chicken dishes, one burger and a few sides. I was super excited to have the kimchi fries. They come with shallot, kimchi (obviously!), cheese and...gravy. An odd and unexpected mix which my boyfriend didn't really enjoy. However I thought it was delicious! We both ordered the chicken burger which is accompanied by one disposable glove as it is messy. I feel that this is a bit of a gimmick as what use is only one glove!! With a burger this huge you really do need two hands! The burger was really interesting. The fried chicken was huge and perfectly crispy on the outside but soft and moist on the inside. The slaw was lovely as was the sauce and the jalapeños made a nice touch. The bun (of sorts) was very different to what I've ever had before. It was a honey bun which is an extremely flat but perfectly round piece of sweet bread filled with a layer of very dark, rich honey. Delicious but very rich. I have to say that I enjoyed my burger but felt pretty ill afterwards! Way too much sweet and fried food! My boyfriend said he'd only rate his burger 6/10 - didn't really enjoy it. I have to say that Chicken Institute is an interesting place to go in terms of experiencing flavours that you wouldn't normally. However, I unfortunately don't think that the chicken is free range and aside from the ethics of not using free range, $24 for a plate of fried chicken is a bit steep. The burgers for $16 was justifiable I felt but wouldn't want to be any more than that. It was an interesting experience but I don't think that we'd go back.

Love the chicken here! So crispy, tasty and tender inside. A bit spicy yet not stopping me to eat more! The fries and pork bun is great too. Not to forget for the cozy place and such a nice service. Will definitely gonna come back here!❤️

Took my girl friend to this restaurant yesterday for a nice date; I was impressed with the large variety of options of food they offered; especially with chicken menu! <br/>In addition, the staffs were exceptionally kind and quick to attend to us. I had garlic chicken, which was full of flavour, moist inside, crispy outside and something completely new! If you are looking for an exciting adventure with your buddies or even your partner, I would highly recommend this awesome place!!

I heard many raving reviews about Chicken Institute from my friends so I decided to check it out on Wednesday night.  My first impression was that it has a clean and modern style with comfortable seating. It was super busy however the staff were quite friendly and attentive and not to mention quick on their feet to cater to my needs.<br/><br/>The menu had a great variety of choice, mainly chicken dishes however also lots of vegetarian options and gluten free dishes. I had the "Mash & Japanese Curry" (which the waitress told me that it is the newest addition to the menu) with the damn good fried chicken. It was crispy and well cooked.<br/><br/>I would highly recommend my friends to come with me for a girls night out or dating. <br/>I give 5 out of 5 stars!<br/><br/>Definitely coming back :)

The fried chicken is reallllyyyy yum here. We really enjoyed it and the service was nice and friendly too. We were in a rush when we went so it was just a quick dinner, we had ordered the kimchi fries- the dish we were most excited to try but it never arrived and then we had to cancel it because we were running late :((( unfortunate!

Before coming into this restaurant I had very high expectations as I had to make reservations because they are always overbooked when walking in. I just want to say that I've tasted better fried chicken. The sauce did not sink into the meat of the chicken, it was only tasty on the skin. On a good note, the sauce is tasty and chips was good.

I went here on Saturday night and had terrible service! I ordered the bibim-bap, which wasn't listed as being spicy, and it came VERY spicy! I explained to the waitress that it was too spicy for me to eat, and she was entirely unapologetic. She said that was the way the dish came, and that if I didn't like it I could order and pay for a side of plain rice. This was the cherry on top of the poor service all night. I would never go back there.

Was loving the food and the vibe, but they poisoned me with uncooked chicken. On a positive note I lost 3kg in a week...one of the worst in my life.

I love this place! But remember to book a table!!! Or else you will be waiting for at least 1hr! They have the best chicken in town! Juicy tender and full of flavor! I love the fried chicken as well as the grilled one (peri peri chicken)! Just like it says on the menu they are damn good! Lol

Amazing fried chicken with a Korean twist. There is so much flavor and so so crispy- all boneless too. kFc has nothing. The steamed and filled buns are really great too.

There's cosy and then there's too cosy... this is a rather cute little Korean restaurant that offers a modern take on such Korean standbys as KFC and bibim bap. We tried the garlic chicken, bibim bap and bbq sweetcorn, all of which were very good. No complaints about the quality of the food but it was very pricey, with the size-adjusted KFC ($24 for 5 pieces) probably being around 3 times the price of the same quality equivalent at that Korean joint in Strathfield. Of course, you could say that you're paying for location, the cool design and the even cooler jazz music playing in the background. Which works for me except for the fact that they absolutely cram their customers in, with a table that would comfortably seat 8 being set for 12 ... I would come here at a quiet time but would baulk at coming here when it's busy, being crammed in like cattle and paying through the nose for the privilege. <br/>Food - very good.<br/>Service - good.<br/>Squish factor - yeow.

OMG,<br/>For me, Its better than KFC and yes i still cant believe this.<br/><br/>The skin is really crunchy and juicy thights boneless chicken. Boneless yes it is but don't worry about the size, its not served in small pieces BUT in KFC sizes approx.<br/><br/>The cozy and clean place, the services is also not too bad. The table is limited, +-30seats available.<br/><br/>I ordered kimchi poutine fries which is a standard shoestring fries poured with gravy and grated parmesan, also i asked the kimchi on side, normally they put the kimchi on top of the fries.<br/><br/>Otherfoods, Damn fried chicken and damn caramelised garlic fried chicken. The damn fried chicken is the original taste that salty, crunchy and lil bit pepper on it. The garlic is a lil bit sweet because the glaze of the smokey caramel and the flavor is just ✨👌🏼<br/><br/>Overall, i really love this restaurant one stage above KFC! ❤️ recommended

One of the tastiest chicken KFC style I've ever tasted! We squeezed ourselves into a 6pm slot as they were pretty booked out. <br/><br/>Had the garlic fried chicken and spicy flavored, the bimbibap with brown rice, chips with poutine and grilled corn! All pretty good dishes.<br/><br/>We also had a bottle of Pinot Gris (can't remember the name) and it worked well with our meal.<br/><br/>Place is pretty small and can get squishy!

It is quite unusual to see Korean restaurants that have a cool ambient in Sydney.. I noticed recently they are popping up slowly.. as most of Korean restaurant is eat and go kind of place with very genetic atmosphere. This place has small but cozy ambient and quaint backyard dining area. Unfortunately I found the menu limited and expensive for what they serve. We ordered dame good spicy chicken and garlic chicken. Their method of seasoning and the way it's fried is definitely unique compare to average Korean fried chickens. I liked the spicy chicken better than the garlic one. They were both quite salty but spicy chicken had peanuts which soaked up saltiness well. Yes Chickens were pretty good. But I think this is glorified KFC with Asian seasoning. I mean 4 piece of fried chicken at $20 or more. That’s expensive.  I also ordered Korean Sake. I understand its different style then Japanese but it’s little sweet so I think if you don't like sweet alcoholic drink you better off ordering soju.<br/>The one thing I would like to advise to stay clear is Kimchi fried rice burrito. I don't know where to begin. This was bad food. It was so goopy and sauces did not match the flavor whatsoever. It tasted just mumbo jumbo and gooey and goopy. Again it was approx. $20. Buy a kimchi from Korean grocery store and fry it with rice and you will get better tasting kimchi fried rice than this.<br/>I think this is one of those places, you go once and that's that.

average, very pricy for fried chicken, we tried to order one bucket of chicken with other stuffs and waitress suggested we get 2 buckets which we couldnt even finish half.

We have heard so much good things about the chicken at this place so on a cold winter Tuesday night, we decided to visit this place to try out their infamous chicken.  Due to the unusual events which unfolded, we will set out in a time line format of what we have experienced at this place that night.

After the horrific experience at Chicken Institute two weeks earlier (which we have posted here), we went back to the place to try their infamous chicken. This time, we made a booking in advance, and when we got to the restaurant, we found the place to be empty.  There were no people waiting, and there were empty tables everywhere.  Maybe other people had the same experience as us last time and decided it was not worth the wait or hassle.

Ok, I eat lots of food. The peanut butter fried chicken here is one of the greatest edible items I have ever put in my mouth. I would probably move to Sydney just for it. So yeah, come and eat food here. Now.

This is a great place for a small group of friends or date night. Their fried chicken is dam good! We had their garlic fried chicken, spicy cold noodles and ssam BBQ grill half and half. It was all delicious but probably just a tad pricey. But this isn't your average Korean place in Strathfield. I would skip on desserts as for me it was below average. Service was friendly and prompt. I recommend coming here for their fried chicken (chicken juice splashed onto my top)!<br/><br/>P.S. Their wine menu is very very small. So BYO!

Who doesn't love fried chicken. It's such a hard dish to fault. There were 5 menu options and we went for the sticky fried chicken and the garlic fried chicken. The sweet, spicy and sticky sauce was finger lickin' good. The skin was crispy and the flesh was tender. Definitely well executed. My one negative comment was that it didn't come piping hot, which made me wonder whether it was freshly made. We also ordered the steamed pork belly buns which was good. The pork belly itself was not tender but flavours were good with the Asian slaw combination and the bun was soft.<br/><br/>My deepest regret here is dessert and I truly wish I didn't order it so I could have an untainted image of the place. We ordered both the desserts on the menu (gold fish waffle and sweet potato donuts). It's great if you have peanut butter cravings or if novelty shaped desserts are your thing but for me, both were disappointing due to the peanut butter overload.

Unlike many other chickens in Sydney, <br/>I dare to say it's the most unique one I've ever had<br/>, that's got potential to attract many more, loved the service, their eagerness to explain the portion and recommendation<br/>Will certainly visit again!!!

I was thinking the other Korean Fried Chicken restaurants in the city were the best, until I tried Chicken Institute. Selection of foods and the restaurant ambience is super chic.

Terrible! Food took a really long time. Some came out cold. Wait staff took forever. Tried to squeeze as many as possible into small tables. What a disappointment!

Its a sweet little place that is warm and cosy. I booked and got in early but after 10 mins this place was packed to the rim. Food is delcious but i highly recommend the eggplant schnitzel steamed bun = so bomb.

The chicken was dry, the sauces were over vinegary and salty and the batter was unappealing; I know my fried chicken and this was some of the worst I've had.

Very cosy place. Better for a snack type of place cause not many MAIN meals. Fried chicken was slight above average. I wasn't a fan of the cold noodle soup, the baos were okay too.

Loved this place! Food was delicious - ordered the bibimbap, poutine, bao and kfc. All excellent. Sweet potato donuts and waffle also good. Servive was lovely and food was quick. Recommended.

I’d say this is the most elegant Bibimbap that I’ve ever had. Barely any rice at all (but lovely purple rice hidden underneath the centre) and mostly an explosion of colours and fresh and picked veg. It was delicious. I kind of missed the crunchy bits of rice you get when it served in a stone bowl, and there’s something satisfying about mixing everything together in the cheap and non-elegant version, but I loved this. The food instagrammer #PrincessPorky told me that this is actually the way bibimbaps are supposed to be. Who knew?

Chicken Institute is a relatively new restaurant in Surry Hills which as the name implies, sells chicken and lots of it. Korean Fried Chicken. The menu also consists of a few other Korean favourites but the main items are definitely the four different types of fried chicken available.

Amazing buckets of finger licking, crispy & tender boneless chicken goodness! Kimchi poutine fries with the BBQ corn, are delish. For a tasty soda the Passionfruit Mojito is fantastic!!

Our first attempt was a bust... we rocked up without booking as a group of only three and was informed that they had no room for us. So my second attempt, I called, booked and manage to score myself a one hour time slot to sample what the fuss in town is about. <br/><br/>We started with their Steam Bun - Eggplant Schnitzel, Chipotle Dressing, Tangy Cucumber. The eggplant schnitzel tasted predominantly like batter/crumbing and the sauce left a weird, tangy, numbing feeling to the tongue. The bun was fluffy but overall it was quite small for it's $6 price tag. I was quite disappointed with it overall.<br/><br/>Next up was their Kimchi Poutine - Shoe String Fries smothered in cheese, kimchi, chilli and shallot. I think this looks as interesting as it tastes. My initial reaction was a simple "meh" but I found it to be quite moreish as you power through. We then find ourselves both fighting over who will lather up the gravy sauce at the end. I can see why this dish was included in many lists for "Top Chips in Sydney".<br/><br/>Finally their piece de resistance, a bucket of Damn Good Fried Garlic Chicken - Half a dozen pieces of garlic caramel glaze, crushed peanuts and lime... with a side of radish. The chicken was as promised... damn good... BUT it was also damn salty. I found myself sculling water to power through as it's flavours were intense. At least I can't complain it was dry or without sauce. I also found the pieces to be quite small for it's $24 price tag.... definitely on the higher end with respects to other Korean Fried Chicken. On a positive note, each piece of chicken had a deliciously seasoned crunchy layer with was succulent chicken inside. Quite mouth-watering... if not for the salty aspect.<br/><br/>My recommendation has to be their dessert, Sweet Potato Doughnut and Dulche De Leche. For a measely $8 you're taking your palates for a treat. A taste of a sophisticated dessert that balances smoothness, sweetness and soul warming food all in one. Despite being quite full, we managed to gobble it up without any complaints.<br/><br/>One of the biggest issues with the restaurant is it's layout. You're essentially sharing large benches and tables with people. The space between tables are quite narrow which meant you'll constantly be bumped in the back by the wait staff which was a bit frustrating.<br/><br/>In saying that I have to commend the service here though. It's spot on... diligent water refills without asking, polite manners when your ordering and even when they take reservations. I like the way these guys do business and if they keep serving up good food and great hospitality then there's no doubt in my mind this place is here to stay.<br/><br/>The decor was minimalistic, filled with large wooden tables, rustic feel and a massive chicken muriel on one wall. I quite like what they done with the place... and they provided enough lighting for the ambience and still enough for photos.<br/><br/>I think you should go into here expecting nothing. Forget that their chicken and poutine have topped many lists for being the best in Sydney. Don't over hype it. It's just a great Korean Fusion place, located away from the main district of Surry Hills... but I assure you that the walk and wait is worth it.

Chicken Institute is a relatively new restaurant in Surry Hills which as the name implies, sells chicken and lots of it. Korean Fried Chicken. The menu also consists of a few other Korean favourites but the main items are definitely the four different types of fried chicken available. Damn good sticky chicken – sweet, spicy, sticky sauce, crushed peanut, shallot

Even on a week night prepare to have a bit of a wait as it's so popular right now. Once you're in the staff are lovely and the chicken is tasty. For 2 people a fried chicken dish and 2 sides is plenty. This will set you back around $40. We did 2 fried chicken buckets and it was way too much. The kimchi is mild by kimchi standards. Take cash as the eftpos does appear to go down a bit. Also, sleep with a litre of water beside your bed as you will get a dry mouth if you've lapped up every last bit of sauce like I did.

After hearing about the Chicken Institute in an article "top 5 places for friend chicken in Sydney" I decided to give it a try. I was expecting an Asian KFC but I was wrong, it's much better. It ticks all of the following boxes: modern, fusion, Asian inspired, chicken! I've been twice so far an intend to go again. The service is good and efficient. The drinks are tasty and come in jars, I'd recommend the watermelon fizzy soda while you're downing your chicken. I had the salted caramel magic shake the second time and it was quite sweet when matched with the sweet sauces of the food. Food wise there are three must haves - a steamed bun, the damn good sticky chicken (if you like sweet and spicy) and the kimchi poutine. Damn good and worth a try.

Everyone loves fried chicken and the Chicken Institute does a damn good fried chicken. We've been once before and this second visit was equally amazing! This time we also tried the kim-chi poutine which was incredible! Highly recommend their fried garlic chicken with sticky garlic caramel glaze and lime. Finger lickin' goodness!

I received an email from DK from Excuse Me Waiter notifying me that he was to move to Japan long-term and so I was invited to a going away dinner along with some other food bloggers. Along with Droolworthy World, Nessy Eater and The Food Diary we meet up at Chicken Institute to gorge on some fried chicken.Â

Come for the Kimchi Poutine, stay for the BBQ and Chicken. Fried chicken comes in a batch of 5 pieces, so if you're headed here with a bunch of friends, you best be ordering the chicken in bulk!<br/><br/>We ordered the kimchi poutine to start, followed by the mixed bbq of pork belly and bulgogi (served relatively traditionally with lettuce leaves, bean paste and kimchi) and then had the fried chicken at the end.<br/><br/>Everyone raves on about the chicken for good reason, but can I just say that the BBQ is just as tasty?! Wrap up a piece of pork belly, bulgogi and the amazing kimchi mix they have, pop it in your mouth and be transported into Seoul (with a little extra sass).<br/><br/>They take bookings- which I highly recommend to do as the place is on the tiny side!<br/><br/>

Serval mates and i decided to check the chicken Institute out since alot of people have been referring to the mouth watering chicken on the town. We arrive without a booking and turn out to be packed. Luckly there were peole leaving and managed to find a seat. The waitress gave us overview of the variety of chicken in the menu. We order dam good fried chicken, dam good garlic chicken, dam good sticky chicken. Whats with this dam good names, ordered the kimchi poutine and the steam bun on the side. The chicken turn out to be dam good, now i know why its dam good. The chicken turn out to be really tasty espically the garlic chicken i would give 5 out of 5 you must try. The sticky chicken turn out to be spicy and sweet where ive never tried this kind of flavour. The staff kept coming to fill our bottomless cups with a golden steel pot. Honstely i would definitely be back for the dam good garlic chicken and the services.

Adding to the growing number of fusion restaurants in Sydney is Chicken Institute. Situated in Surry Hills, Chicken Institute offers modern Korean cuisine with Korean fried chicken as their specialty, which they have proclaimed as “damn good”. The girls and I decided to come here one Sunday evening to see if this was really the case. We arrived at 5pm on a Sunday night and looked like eager beavers standing outside, waiting for it to open. Chicken Institute is a small restaurant, seating about 20-30 people, with a floor to ceiling glass window at the front.

I've had my fair share of Korean fried chicken in Melbourne so my Sydney friend decided to bring me here in the trendy area of Surry Hills.  We went on a Friday night so it was getting pretty packed, but managed to get a seat with a walk in.  The staff were cheerful and led us to our table at the front of the restaurant.  Quite frankly, I didn't mind the seated in a shared style table as it has its own character and the general chatter from the customers makes the whole place come alive.<br/><br/>I definitely came here for chicken so we ordered the damn good fried chicken, the fried garlic chicken and the sticky chicken.  The friendly and helpful staff also made some good recommendations - suggesting that we order the BBQ corn and the kim chi poutine.  The service was quick and the food came out promptly.  The first thing I noticed was that the chicken was boneless which made eating it a whole lot easier!  I disagree with some of the negative comments about the value of the fried chicken as most Korean chicken places in Sydney and Melbourne charge a lot more (about $30 - $32)  with the bones on.  It deceptively looks like you get more, but in actual fact it's about the same portion as what Chicken Institute have done with the boneless style, plus it's ALOT easier/cleaner to eat.  The flavours from each type of chicken was distinct and I honestly must say it's probably the best fried chicken I've had in awhile.  The BBQ Corn and the kim chi poutine were also very tasty sides to compliment the chicken we ordered and the selection of beers available was well suited to this type of food.<br/><br/>Overall, I was extremely impressed with the taste of the food and my Chicken Institute experience was elevated further by the cheerful and helpful staff.  I will definitely be back to try the other items on the menu when I next come to Sydney and look forward in anticipation to what else might possibly be added to the menu!  Highly recommended.

Been living in Surry hills for a while just came across my new favourite local fried chicken place serving damn good friend chicken. Went on a sat night was very busy but manage to be seated for a group of 4 of us. Had a nice buzz about the place and communal tables are a nice change. Thought the food was fantastic. One of the best fried chickens had in Sydney and I have been to a few places. Had the original Damn good fried chicken and the garlic chicken, kimchi poutine was different but very tasty. Staff we friendly and helpful in menu selections. Will have to return to try the other 2 types of chicken.

We arrived promptly after opening time to a quarter-full restaurant (mind you, the front has very limited seating and we were not advised that there was seating in the back and if that was open to us too) and we given a gesture indicating "one minute" as the waitress waited upon a sizeable Filipino or Vietnamese family, which stared at us after we had entered and kept looking back and forth at us for no good reason. As the aforementioned family took their time and vacillated while ordering their in fact small order, we decided one of each type of item. When the waitress was finally done with the family's order and running to and fro the restaurant, she informed us that the restaurant was booked out today. We thus suggested to take-away, which surprised the waitress, even though take-away was an option on their website. Despite having such a small and cramped place for seating, there was nowhere to sit to wait or stand to wait (unless the doorway is somehow acceptable), so we sat where a supposedly booked table. Soon enough, a fairly passive-aggressive kitchen worker came out from the back and informed that the wait for the food would be 15 to 20 minutes and that there were no sandwiches/burgers, which was a disappointment. The waitress then repeated the same thing after entering from the whatever is in the back of the restaurant. The wait allowed us to appreciate the ambience and decor of the restaurant, which wasn't thought to be appealing; the lighting was a bit of an issue and the room was limited.<br/>The food arrived as indicated, with the chicken looking decent but underwhelming in terms of quantity; the poutine, on the other hand, looked unfortunate, given the use of frenched fries instead of more substantial chips, the use of "plastic-tasting" cheese, the lack of any kick to the kimchi, and the haphazard preparation of the dish. While we thought the chicken was pretty good or decent, it is such poor value, even if the restaurant is located in hip and gentrified Surry Hills. Further adding to our disappointment, the take-away container and bag was sopping wet with the sticky glaze of the chicken and there were no accompanying utensil or serviettes (or even ones that you could get yourself or ask for).<br/>All in all, we are glad to have tried the Chicken Institute but would not recommend to our friends a visit to this eatery. Sadly, the service and value of the food are simply not up to scratch such that dining out would even be an option.

Was disgusted on discovering feathers in my chicken. (Refer to photos). Rude, careless owner justified it with "but KFC has feathers". No sincere apology.<br/>Other dishes were average.

Looooong wait. Had great expectations of the place after reading about it in previous blogs. Long line outside when we arrived. Thank goodness we had a booking. <br/>Appalled by the long wait for our food. Got told chicken is only just in the fryer 40mins after ordering. Perhaps I should just leave now

Simply... Damn Good Chicken!. Fantastic and will definitely go back. Highly recommend the eggplant steam bun, the eggplant was light and crunchy and the fluffy soft bun was mouth watering. The fried chicken was simply damn good, crispy and crunchy on the outside and moist in the inside. The passion fruit soda was light and refreshing. Overall a fantastic place to dine.

Fried chicken with a twist!. Great dining experience! We ordered some of the signature chicken dishes in sticky & garlic fried chicken... Great flavours leaving me wanting more...Also highly recommended are the BBQ Grill, Kimchi poutine and the surprising fried eggplant streamed bun... Simply awesome! Intimate communal dining experience and will definitely be back to try the other dishes.

Over priced korean chicken. Firstly we were offered a table at the back of the restaurant. fair enough, it was packed. although upon going out to their backyard the lighting was so bad that you cant even read the menu without taking out your phone flash light. the tables were unstable and the toilet for the restaurant was right next to the tables = awkward and smelly much. We ordered the peri peri chicken, the burger and the poutine. The peri peri chicken came out first, i dont know why the poutine didn't come out first but anyways. The chicken was literally 5 pieces for 24$ thats 5$ a pop, the chicken was Ok... lacked a punch and definitely not worth 5$ each. The burger came out next, it was pretty good the chicken was crunchy and succulent in the inside and the sauce was nice with a bit of spice. The poutine came out last 30mins later and it was ok, nothing great. Overall wasnt really spectacular at all dont know what the hype is about on overpriced chicken.

Good chicken. Embarrassingly bad customer service. We had the most awful experience here. It was so bad that by the end we weren't even angry- just utterly shocked at the ridiculousness of a restaurant manager telling our group it was "policy" that more than six peole cant sit at the same communal table in a half empty restaurant, even though they happily acccepted our booking for 10.

Great food. some of the worst customer service I've ever encountered. I love great tasting fried chicken and will pretty much go anywhere and brave most anything to get it. So when we organised a night out to the chicken institute you can imagine my excitement. I've heard great things about the food and after getting together a rag team of 8 people, off we went. After we arrived that's when things turned sour. To start our table was split, which isn't the end of the world, we were going to the pub afterwards anyway, but requesting up front that if a suitable table became free could we sit there was obliged but when it came time to make good on it, things turned ugly. The waiter on our table (Kyle you legend) was really helpful and easygoing, his boss (??) However was not.<br/><br/>What was originally a simple request turned from discussion to argument in a matter of minutes which ended up in a request to leave the restaurant and pay for our meal, including items we hadn't even received yet. Threats of suing us were thrown around and to be honest, I don't think I've ever encountered such bad customer service in my entire life. I'm calling out Kyle again because he was amazing, everyone else, get some lessons on how to treat your customers...we are after all, paying you.<br/><br/>Phew. That's out. I'm done.<br/><br/>I'm sure everyone was having an off day, but here it is in summary: great chicken, the starters are way too small and waaaay too pricey to go near. Do yourself a favour, just order all the chicken variants (there are 4) if your in a group. Bring a nice bitter beer to go with it, the milkshakes will just fill you up. Use your hands...fried chicken wasn't supposed to be eaten with chopsticks(???). Would have loved to have tried the poutine but the incident happened.<br/><br/>....oh and don't go in a large group, the place and the people just are setup for it. Yet. I hope.

Amazing... Simply amazing chicken. A must try for foodies

With her passion for cooking excellence and her ingenuity for creating high quality food, Chef Heaven Kim came up with her brain child. A fashionable eatery at Surry Hills catering for the discerning customers wishing to share some tasty Korean style fried chicken & casual drinks in an informal venue.

Found this place via this app. Thursday before Easter without a booking but they managed to squeeze us in. We were very impressed with the food, which was a bit different from the standard Surrey Hills offerings, and the service. Would definitely go again

Try the garlic chicken seriously yum!! The eggplant boa and corn is awesome too! Really enjoyed it :)

This chicken was as the title states, damn good. Finger licking good! Squeeze some of that zesty lime juice on top and the amazing flavours just burst in your mouth as you munch in. The picked vegetables on the side were a nice addition against all that deep fried goodness.

There's a new Korean fried chicken joint in town and it has the perfect name of the Chicken Institute (61 Fitzroy St, Surry Hills) and is headed up by Heaven Kim, the executive chef from Paramount Coffee Project.

Delicious sticky chicken and fresh fruity sodas. Service was absolutely lovely. Worth a visit.

I visited there with my wife and son tonight. Warm welcoming and the server really looked after us all the time. Absolutely delicious food as well. We will definitely come back!

Beautiful restaurant!. I live close by and wondering what chicken institute for? and very strange name for me.<br/>came here at their opening day and we straight ahead for sticky chicken and fried chicken. we also had smoked trout pancake and burger. <br/>chicken institute is very dedicate and creative. dam. food was awesome! i already miss their damn good fried chicken (its actual name of fried chicken)!<br/>service was magnificent. staffs were very helpful and participate what we wanted.<br/><br/>welcome to our new neighbor! and good luck to chicken institute!

Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!. No doubt why they are called chicken institute.<br/>must try chicken!!! but also we had steam bun and ssam?.<br/>very twisted but fantastic flavor.<br/>it was very decent price but service was great.<br/>thanks girl! and see you soon!