Rokstar Chicken

Rokstar Chicken is a halal Korean fried chicken brand that started in December 2021 as a counter inside the Food Bazaar supermarket in Douglaston, Queens, and grew through Food Bazaar locations in Long Island City, Harlem and Williamsburg and a stall in the Bronx Terminal Market. The East 8th Street shop near NYU, opened in spring 2026, is its first standalone restaurant. The setup is quick and casual: order at the counter, wait a few minutes while the chicken is fried fresh, and eat in or carry it to Washington Square Park. Every order is made to order with all-natural, halal-certified chicken, which keeps the crust shatteringly crisp and the meat juicy.

Choose bone-in or boneless, then pick a sauce: soy garlic and sweet chili are the classics, with spicy, ranch, mala and hot buffalo for something bolder. Wings and whole birds are on the menu, as are chicken sandwiches, and the sides lean Korean and comforting, including kimchi fried rice and honey butter fries. The brand was featured by the YouTuber New York Turk in 2025, in a short on trying Korean food in New York. Orders can be placed ahead on the website for quick pickup, which helps at peak NYU lunch hours. Bring friends and get a mix of two sauces so everyone can compare, with fries and fried rice for the table.