Frybaby is a beloved food cart in Portland serving Korean Fried Chicken (KFC). Entering their fourth year, they are located at The Heist (SE Woodstock & 47th), Portland’s top food cart pod and truly a premier dining destination. Frybaby does one thing and one thing really well: Korean fried chicken! You can get wings, drumsticks or tenders. Or you can get it in sandwich form (thigh meat). There are two flavors: Gochujang or Snow Cheese. Sides include the Kimchi Mac and Cheese (a must order!), cucumber salad, fries, kimchi & curry gravy and mashers (this one is new). I’ve been going to them since they opened and I first heard about them, when they were located on Stark. Originally the sandos were special occasion items only, now they are on the permanent menu. This cart has garnered many accolades locally the last few years for good reason: the chicken is top tier delicious! The wings are full and large size, the drumsticks are massive, the double fry thighs on the sandwiches are perfect and the sauces are incredible. Let’s get into the food!

My first order from 2023 and still my fave. Gochujang drumsticks with a side of Kimchi Mac. Both the wings and drumsticks are incredible, but I prefer the drumsticks due to the size and the fact that you get more chicken. You can’t go wrong with either though (haven’t tried their tenders yet). While I really like the snow cheese flavor too (so unique!) I am team gochujang all the way. The mac is incredible and you just have to get it for yourself to understand how special it is. This is a fantastic meal for lunch!

Here is a shot of the kimchi mac in all its glory! It truly deserved its own photo separate of the chicken. That is furikake on top btw. One of the most crave-able sides in town, hands down.

Snow cheese sandwich from 2024. This was back when the sandos were special and not on the regular menu yet. I have been to Frybaby more recently but most of the pics I have of them were from 2024 when they were closer to me and I was going a lot more often (once every month or two). This sandwich is really incredible. Looks a little messy here, I will say they have tightened up their sandwich preparation since then. Toasted An Xuyen Big Butter Roll, Double-fried Korean-American thigh tossed in Snow Cheese, Pajeori salad (shredded green onion and green leaf lettuce in a garlicky sesame-tamari vinegarette) Chicken-Muu pickles, mayo. The snow cheese is super unique and tasty.

Gochujang sando. Toasted An Xuyen Big Butter Roll, double fried thigh with spicy gochujang sauce, creamy sesame-lime slaw, mayo. Really incredible chicken sandwich. One of the best in town. If you don’t order straight chicken wings or drumsticks, get this! The ever present mac in the background. I do also like their smashed cucumber salad as a side.

Snow Cheese Munchwrap and corn cheese side. This was from earlier this year, a collab with Kim Jong Grillin’. Now neighbors, these two have been doing legendary collabs since the Stark street days. The first time they ran this collab I was super stoked and foolishly thought I could just roll to the cart and order one. Nope! The line was crazy and people said that they had been waiting for more than an hour. I turned my ass right around and got lunch elsewhere. This time however they had their thing down and I got my munchwrap in like 10 minutes! This is really more of a Kim Jong Grillin’ affair since they are assembling the munchwrap, though they are using Frybaby’s snow cheese and kimchi mac in there. Really incredible dish, one the best things I’ve eaten all year. It looks like franken-food (and kind of is) but in fact it is assembled carefully and all the flavors are in total harmony with each other. This is like that dish you wish existed when you were stoned late at night and thinking up your ultimate munchie. Except it is real! And even better than your imagination. But of course you can get a non-KFC munchwrap any day of the week next door at Kim Jong Grilliin’ (I recommend either the bulgogi or spicy pork). Happy eating!