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Fuku, the fried chicken chain from vaunted New York City chef David Chang, will officially make its debut in Houston this week.
Thanks to technology, Houstonians won’t have to wait in line to get their hands on a Fuku chicken sandwich — the Houston outpost of the chain will be open for delivery only. The fast-casual eatery will arrive in Houston via a ghost kitchen operated by REEF, a national company that helps “food entrepreneurs, local restaurants, and national restaurant brands to open and quickly expand their delivery businesses.”
For the unfamiliar, Chang opened the first outpost of Fuku in New York City’s Hudson Yards development in 2015. The restaurant’s signature chicken sandwich got its start as a secret offering on the menu at Chang’s beloved restaurant Momofuku Noodle Bar, and has since grown into a chain of mostly delivery-only restaurants in cities like Miami, Washington, D.C., and now, Dallas and Houston.
As far as the food is concerned, expect an extremely tight menu at Fuku, mostly centered around juicy, habanero-brined fried chicken. There’s five different types of sandwiches, including a chicken burger topped with American cheese, and the “C.B.R,” which adds buttermilk ranch, pickles, and crispy bacon to the formula. The menu also boasts waffle fries and sweet-and-spicy chicken tenders.
Don’t confuse this fried chicken purveyor with the restaurant formerly known as Fuku, either. Back in March, Eater reported that chefs Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee had a new Houston sushi restaurant in the works called Fuku, but the duo has since changed the restaurant’s name.
When Fuku makes its Houston debut, its chicken sandwiches will be available via all major delivery apps, including DoorDash, Grubhub, and UberEats. Proceeds from the first day of sales will be donated to Houston’s own Southern Smoke Foundation, for which Chang won a $1 million donation while appearing on the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Disclosure: David Chang is producing shows for Hulu in partnership with Vox Media Studios, part of Eater’s parent company, Vox Media. No Eater staff member is involved in the production of those shows, and this does not impact coverage on Eater.
