Did you know that the Fatburger at the University Village has closed? Neither did we. But it has been replaced!
CUE… POPCORN CHICKEN!
It is no surprise that this authentic Taiwanese restaurant is known for its delectable popcorn chicken and refreshing homemade boba, something that we UCR students know a thing or two about. And since they just opened, they’re offering a 20% discount as their part of their soft opening. Take advantage of it while you can.
Here is our two cents after our little visit:
If you’re not a student at UC Riverside, good luck finding a parking spot in the UV during rush hour times. Although I didn’t know I could park in the student parking not 500 feet from the door of Popcorn Chicken, I only spent 15 minutes looking for a parking spot. Thank you Ford F150 for backing out and letting me in.
As you walk into this trendy little restaurant you’re greeted with an adorable monster-chicken sign outside and are immediately welcomed into the lair full of its popcornily cooked friends. The restaurant itself was pretty cozy, offering tons of seating in close proximity to others so you might feel a bit self conscious about stuffing your face with scrumptious chicken.
Since we’re broke college students, we just took advantage of their complimentary water and called it a day.
Photo by Thomas Holguin
Just kidding, we ordered a popcorn chicken and rice entree with a jasmine green tea with boba drink on the side.
Photo by Thomas Holguin
What we definitely did not expect was the portion size. It’s huge! Egg soup, cabbage mix, and scrambled eggs accompanied our rice and chicken combo.
Photo by Thomas Holguin
What we loved about the popcorn chicken, other than the fact that it fit perfectly in our salivating mouths, was the fact that even though it was mildly spicy, it wasn’t salty at all. On top of that, the rice was cooked perfectly and served as a great partner to the crunchy chicken.
Photo by Thomas Holguin
The jasmine green tea was huge and came with a hefty portion of boba. The glass container definitely made us feel fancy AF. The drink came with just the right amount of sweet and the boba was soft and chewy. That’s an A+ in our book.
Photo by Thomas Holguin
All in all, Popcorn Chicken is the perfect place to get your popcorn chicken fix for the right price. And, since it’s open til 1AM, it is also the perfect place to escape from your bed and “STUDY”.
Stay hungry UCR.