Aug. 23, 2022

A local restaurant owner is bringing a popular concept to Sioux Falls.

Oppa Chicken will specialize in Korean fried chicken. It will be in the former Poke Picks restaurant at 41st and Western, which closed several weeks ago.

“We will focus on Korean-style fried chicken with six different flavors: honey garlic, soy garlic, cheesling, sweet spicy, onion mayo, hot spicy and original-style fried chicken,” said Leon Teng, who owns Ramen Fuji and is partnering with Ricky Ou on the new venture. Cheesling is described on the menu as “a mild taste of powdered mixed cheese that has a lightly sweet and cheesy flavor.”

Teng’s favorite sauce is the soy garlic.

The traditional or boneless wings will come in 10 or 20 pieces.

The menu also will give diners a chance to try other Korean food.

“We’ll also include popular Korean dishes like bibimbap, tteokbokki, bull dak, japchae, bulgogi and Korean soups kimchi-jjigae and doenjang-jjigae,” Teng said.

Oppa Chicken also will serve a Korean-style ramen and an udon noodle soup. Fried rice dishes will include choices of chicken, kimchi chicken, beef or shrimp.

There will be appetizers such as fried gyoza, edamame, cheese wontons, shrimp shumai, egg rolls, spring rolls, steamed buns and Korean tacos with soy garlic or spicy chicken or bulgogi, which is marinated beef.

Teng described what makes Korean-style fried chicken different from the typical American version: “Korean fried chickens are thin-battered, fried twice to maintain the thin crispy exterior, and then the sauce is hand-brushed on the chicken. Another way to find out the difference is come to try our fried chicken when we open.”

He’s hoping to be ready for diners in September.

“I always want to bring more food options to Sioux Falls, so everyone can have more choices when they dine out,” Teng said. “That’s the reason why we opened Ramen Fuji back in 2018.”

“I like to start something new. I don’t want to be like somebody else; I don’t want to bring the same thing as somebody else. I want to start something new, be myself, you know, that kind of person.”

Teng, who is Chinese American, grew up in Mitchell and Sioux Falls. He said his friend Ou is the “Korean fried chicken expert” and will manage Oppa Chicken. Ou worked in a Korean restaurant in New York.

Oppa, which means “older brother” in Korean, will seat 50 to 70 customers, Teng said. Diners will order at the counter, and the food will be brought to their table.

The restaurant will serve Pepsi products, fruit-flavored Japanese sodas, boba milk teas, fruit teas, and matcha and taro slushies. Beer and wine also will be available. In addition to domestic choices, there will be Japanese beers and hot or cold sake. Teng said all of the beverages might not be available initially.

The restaurant at 3412 S. Western Ave. will open at 11 a.m. daily and close at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

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