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Owner story · Philadelphia

“I’d rather work with my family than with a big corporation.”

Jen Choi · Co-founder, Crunchik’n

1,061deliveries from 11th Street to the doorSince April 2026
$32Kof Crunchik’n’s food delivered by PinkbotSince April 2026
John and Jen Choi in chef coats in the Crunchik’n kitchen, thumbs up
A plate of Crunchik’n’s Korean fried chicken on a dark wood table

How it started

A theology professor and a public health specialist walk into a bar… no, there isn’t a punchline.

John Choi taught religion at a university in South Korea and at seminaries in New Jersey. When he retired in 2015, he set out to bring the beauty of Korean cuisine to America, and he convinced his daughter Jen, who had a graduate degree in public health from Johns Hopkins, to join him. They spent almost two years developing the menu, opened on the Ocean City boardwalk in 2017 and came to 11th Street in Center City in 2019.

“Not everything is fully Korean, but everything Korean is as authentic as it can be.”Jen Choi, to The Triangle, 2020
John Choi preparing chicken in the Crunchik’n kitchen

The menu

“It’s Korean food, but tied into American classics.”

That’s how Jen puts it. The chicken is marinated for 24 hours, barely battered and fried twice, the Korean way, then glazed in sauces made from scratch. Next to it: rice bowls, japchae made with sweet potato noodles, handmade dumplings and the Crunchball, a Korean take on arancini.

Wings, popcorn chicken, half or whole chicken

Fried twice

Korean fried chickenWings, popcorn chicken, half or whole chicken
Honey soy, sweet chili, Korean BBQ and soy garlic

Made from scratch

The saucesHoney soy, sweet chili, Korean BBQ and soy garlic
Rice, kimchi and two cheeses, beef or veggie

Korean arancini

CrunchballRice, kimchi and two cheeses, beef or veggie
Beef, chicken, pork, veggie, and kale & spinach

Handmade

DumplingsBeef, chicken, pork, veggie, and kale & spinach
Popcorn chicken, bulgogi beef or spicy pork, with pickled veggies and rice

With japchae

Rice bowlsPopcorn chicken, bulgogi beef or spicy pork, with pickled veggies and rice
Iced drinks to go with the chicken

On the side

Fresh fruit drinksIced drinks to go with the chicken
Crunchik’n wings packed in a to-go box

Pinkbot at Crunchik’n

Since April, Pinkbot has delivered Crunchik’n’s orders from 11th Street.

  • April 28, 2026The first Pinkbot delivery left 212 S 11th St.
  • 1,061 deliveriesFrom Crunchik’n’s kitchen to the door since April 2026.
  • $32K of foodOf Crunchik’n’s food, delivered by Pinkbot since April 2026.
  • 6 months togetherFrom the first delivery in April through November 2026.
“We cut all of the chicken ourselves because it is really important to us to have fresh chicken.”

Jen Choi · “Sometimes we are up late into the night cutting chicken for the next day.”

Visit Crunchik’n

Korean fried chicken on 11th Street.

212 S 11th StPhiladelphia, PA 19107
Order onlinecrunchikn.com@crunchikn
Crunchik’n’s story, from 2015 to 2021, drawn as a timeline on the restaurant wall
The Crunchik’n story, on the restaurant wall.Best of Philly 2021 for fried chicken, from Philadelphia Magazine, and featured on 6abc and the Tamron Hall Show.

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Keep more of every order.