Frybaby

Last updated
Frybaby
Frybaby logo.png
Frybaby
Restaurant information
Established2023 (2023)
Owner(s)Sunny Hatch
ChefSunny Hatch
Food type
  • Korean
  • Korean-American
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 45°31′10″N122°39′19″W / 45.5195°N 122.6552°W / 45.5195; -122.6552

Frybaby is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. Chef and owner Sunny Hatch operates the business from a food cart in the Lil' America pod in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood. The restaurant specializes in Korean fried chicken and the menu also has Southern-inspired sides such as macaroni and cheese with kimchi, mashed potatoes with curry gravy, and coleslaw. The restaurant has garnered a positive reception and was named Food Cart of the Year by The Oregonian in 2023.

Contents

Description

Frybaby operates from a food cart at the Lil' America pod, which hosts BIPOC- and LGBTQ-owned businesses, in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood. [1] [2] Michael Russell of The Oregonian described Frybaby as the owner's "ode to the fantastic fried chicken he first tried during a tipsy night hanging with new hostel friends on a trip to South Korea". [3]

Frybaby specializes in Korean fried chicken and other Korean (or "Korean American") foods, [4] [5] [6] as well as "Southern-inspired" sides. [7] [8] Wings, drumsticks, and thighs [9] are mixed with potato, rice, and tapioca flour, with vodka in the batter. [10] Sauces for wings include gochujang and soy garlic snow cheese. The menu also includes garlic butter rice, [11] macaroni and cheese with kimchi, smashed cucumbers, [3] sesame lime coleslaw, [7] bo ssam collard greens and mashed potatoes with curry gravy as sides. [12]

History

Frybaby opened with the Lil' America pod in 2023. [13] [14] Sunny Hatch is the chef and owner. [12] For the Portland Mercury 's "Weiner Week" event in 2025, Frybaby served a Korean Corn Cheese Dog, or a hot dog with mozzarella Korean corn cheese, kimchi-gochujang sauce, sesame seeds, and green onions. [15]

Reception

In 2023, Frybaby was named Food Cart of the Year by The Oregonian. [3] [16] The business was a runner-up in the Best Wings category of Willamette Week 's annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2024. [17] Alex Frane included Frybaby in Portland Monthly 's 2025 guide to the city's best fried chicken. [9]

Frybaby won in the Best New Food Cart category of Eater Portland 's annual Eater Awards in 2023. [18] Ron Scott and Thom Hilton included the business in the website's 2024 overview of Portland's "best real-deal" fried chicken. The duo recommended the mashed potatoes with curry gravy and the kimchi mac and cheese. [10] In 2025, the website's Rebecca Roland included Frybaby in a list of Portland's best Korean food [7] and Katrina Yentch included the business in an overview of the best restaurants in Buckman. [19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "In Portland, food cart pods foster connection, cultural exchange". The Missoula Current News. 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  2. ↑ Russell, Michael (2023-04-01). "Here are Lil' America's 7 BIPOC/LGBTQ-owned food carts". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  3. 1 2 3 Russell, Michael (2023-09-25). "With Korean fried chicken and snow cheese, Frybaby is Portland's 2023 Food Cart of the Year". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-01-15. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  4. ↑ "Grand opening for Lil' America food cart pod draws foodies to SE Portland". kgw.com. 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  5. ↑ "Editor of Eater Portland on 2023′s best restaurants, food carts and more". opb. Archived from the original on 2024-11-12. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  6. ↑ "Frybaby - Review - Buckman - Portland, OR". The Infatuation . 2024-05-24. Archived from the original on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  7. 1 2 3 Roland, Rebecca (2018-06-15). "The Best Korean Food in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  8. ↑ "Meet the Food Carts at Lil' America, Portland's Most Exciting New Pod". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  9. 1 2 "Portland's Best Fried Chicken". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2025-03-12. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  10. 1 2 Scott, Ron (2015-05-28). "The Best Real-Deal Fried Chicken in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  11. ↑ Meagher, Sean. "Frybaby food cart". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  12. 1 2 Wong, Janey (2023-02-28). "Frybaby's Sunny Hatch Is Reconnecting With His Heritage Through Korean Fried Chicken". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  13. ↑ Russell, Michael (2023-04-01). "Meet Lil' America, Portland's new BIPOC/LGBTQ-focused food cart pod". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  14. ↑ Sorenson, Saundra. "Two Months In, Lil' America Providing 'Safe Space' for BIPOC- and LGBTQ+-Owned Food Trucks to Thrive". The Skanner News. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  15. ↑ "Portland's 2025 'Wiener Week' features $8 dogs all week long". kgw.com. 2025-01-28. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  16. ↑ Hilton, Thom (March 4, 2025). "Frybaby's Sunny Hatch Talks Popeyes Cravings and Portland's Most 'Absurd' Breakfast Sandwich". Eater Portland.
  17. ↑ "2024 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Food". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  18. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2023-12-06). "Here Are 2023's Eater Award Winners for Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  19. ↑ Yentch, Katrina (2025-03-31). "The Best Restaurants to Eat and Drink Around the Buckman Neighborhood". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
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