One thing I like to do and also recommend to folks is when you first hit a city, whether by more or during travel, is to lazily wander the streets and alleyways. This works to both familiarize yourself with the surroundings and because you never know what you might stumble across. From experience I can tell, around corners, down forgotten side streets and the occasional alley, you can find some tasty food you might otherwise have not been looking for.

Seeing as how I am new in this Seattle town, I am not necessarily aware of all the “finds” many locals already know about. A few of the long standing institutions, sure, I have heard a word or two, but the rest. They are there for me to discover, eventually.

One such spot I recently came across is in the Capitol Hill neighborhood down a side street festooned with artful (and I’m sure commissioned) graffiti walls. Called Bok-a-Bok Chicken that stands out from the wall art by the flashing light arrow pointing to its tiny, take-out only window. I think we all know by now I am not one to pass up fried chicken particularly when it is a sandwich. Add in the funkiness of this spot with some spice, biscuits and tots and I couldn’t wait to try it. More than once—of course.

I guess when you try a fried chicken sandwich, it seems best to start with a places “basic” version to see how it matches up with everyone else’s “basic” version. Thus Bok’s New Classic appeared to be the best choice to kick off this chow down.

A brined chicken thigh, twice fried served on a toasted brioche bun with sweet pickles, shaved romaine and a green onion remoulade. It is a pretty heaping sandwich and one bite in gives you a satisfying crunch from the extra crisped up crust. As does the second and third bite. Much like BB’s Crispy Chicken, Bok a Bok has mastered the multi bite crispiness. Even with the generous amount of remoulade, which was really just fancy flavored mayo. And while I can’t say I really tasted the green onion part of it, it didn’t matter to me as the chicken part of the sandwich was really good. The sweet pickle was a nice offset to salty deep fried-ness but I might have liked the lettuce more if there was either more of it or it wasn’t shredded and just big crunchy pieces. Still, those are just minor quibbles that don’t detract from the fact this is a damn fine chicken sandwich.

I decided to step outside of my taste box to try the above version with comes with charred pasilla peppers, dill pickle chips, pea sprouts and a yuzu aioli, which is like a remoulade only runnier. And while I appreciate their efforts to offer to a variety of sandwich flavors, here again as above, I can’t say they really added much to the sandwich. The pea sprouts are nice but the crunch is still like lettuce. The yuzu I thought would offer some kind of citrus (acid) hit to complement the rich aioli but I couldn’t taste it all. The same with the peppers. Couldn’t taste the char in any bite nor the pepper itself. It just seemed to only add a bit of mush at the bottom of the bun. As with the sandwich above, that super crispy and tender chicken thigh is the star and I guess that is sort of the point and what you want in a fried chicken sandwich. As for these two sandwiches, beyond the fancy names of the toppings, it all just tasted like mayo, lettuce and pickle, which, for me, was perfectly fine.

I was really looking forward to the kimchi mac and cheese—two things I do quite enjoy so why not together? Sadly, this side was a disappointment. The shells were over cooked and gummy. The sauce had no real spicy kick and was a bit on the runny side. The kimchi I got amounted to a couple pieces of cabbage of which you would never have know were kimchi’d if you had not read it on the menu. I had high hopes for this but was bummed with what I actually got.

Yet all was not lost because—-TOTS! Let’s be real here, as long as you can deep fry them properly, tots are tiny heavenly bites of fried potato goodness. Here—they did the justice. Crispy on the outside, warm and tender inside. They are sprinkle with some chili flakes which just the right amount of light flavor to make them tasty with or without the side dipping sauce. The side of Bok-a-Bok ranch sauce has the extra spice in it and was a decent alternative to just plain old ketchup or something. This side definitely went well with the sandwich and you get a pretty good amount to boot.

Of course, when I see a biscuit on a menu in a place that is not the South I am always hesitant, but the guy at the window assured me they were good. And they do look like a biscuit and not some kind of scone thing, yet alas I should have gone with gut (the stomach knows!) as this was too doughy, as in under done on the inside. It was too dense and tasted like flour. Even with butter I was underwhelmed. I had the option of getting some spiced honey to go with it which, again, had hopes for, yet it would have been nice to know it was not just spice but star anise in the honey. I hate star anise. In case that wasn’t strong enough—I HATE ANISE! (that feels better) The whole licorice flavor comes off bitter to me and I can’t stand it. Foiled again. I’ll leave this biscuit to those who have never been to the South and don’t know what a good biscuit should taste like. This ain’t it, but if it is what you are down for then you can have mine too.

Regardless of some of the side dish missteps here, I will definitely be hitting up Bok a Bok again as it is a damn fine chicken sandwich and totally worth it. They also have a combo deal of a sandwich and a side plus one dip sauce for $15. Considering the size of the sandwich and the amount of tots you get, I still think it is worth it. But only with the tots as I am underwhelmed by the other options. So if you happen to be wandering the streets around Capitol Hill and find yourself turning down 10th street off Pine, grab a sandwich and some tots then head over to Cal Anderson Park to chow down while sitting on the benches and people watching. A great way to feel like a local.

(This spot also does wings which I guess they are known for or something. If they do them as well as they do them chicken thighs then I am sure you will enjoy them. Me, I’m a sandwich guy and will stick to those.)