Frybaby

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Frybaby
Frybaby logo.png
Portland, OR - June 2025 - 13.jpg
The food cart at Lil' America, 2025
Frybaby
Restaurant information
Established2023 (2023)
OwnerSunny Hatch
ChefSunny Hatch
Food type
  • Korean
  • Korean-American
LocationPortland, Multnomah, Oregon, United 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 Heist in southeast Portland's Woodstock neighborhood. Previously, the restaurant operated from the Lil' America pod in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood.

Contents

Frybaby 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.

Description

Frybaby operates from a food cart at The Heist, a pod in southeast Portland's Woodstock neighborhood. [1] Previously, the business operated from the Lil' America pod, which hosts BIPOC- and LGBTQ-owned businesses, in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood. [2] [3] 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". [4]

Frybaby specializes in Korean fried chicken and other Korean (or "Korean American") foods, [5] [6] [7] as well as "Southern-inspired" sides. [8] [9] Wings, drumsticks, and thighs [10] are mixed with potato, rice, and tapioca flour, with vodka in the batter. [11] Sauces for wings include gochujang and soy garlic snow cheese. The menu also includes garlic butter rice, [12] macaroni and cheese with kimchi, smashed cucumbers, [4] sesame lime coleslaw, [8] bo ssam collard greens and mashed potatoes with curry gravy as sides. [13]

History

Frybaby opened with the Lil' America pod in 2023. [14] [15] Sunny Hatch is the chef and owner. [13] 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. [16] In October 2025, Frybaby relocated from Lil' America to The Heist. [1]

Reception

In 2023, Frybaby was named Food Cart of the Year by The Oregonian. [4] [17] The business was a runner-up in the Best Wings category of Willamette Week 's annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2024. [18] Alex Frane included Frybaby in Portland Monthly 's 2025 guide to the city's best fried chicken. [10]

Frybaby won in the Best New Food Cart category of Eater Portland 's annual Eater Awards in 2023. [19] 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. [11] In 2025, the website's Rebecca Roland included Frybaby in a list of Portland's best Korean food [8] and Katrina Yentch included the business in an overview of the best restaurants in Buckman. [20]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Russell, Michael (November 4, 2025). "Portland restaurant closures: 39-year-old Italian spot, 35-year-old taqueria, many neighborhood bars". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  2. ↑ "In Portland, food cart pods foster connection, cultural exchange". The Missoula Current News. August 5, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  3. ↑ Russell, Michael (April 1, 2023). "Here are Lil' America's 7 BIPOC/LGBTQ-owned food carts". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Russell, Michael (September 25, 2023). "With Korean fried chicken and snow cheese, Frybaby is Portland's 2023 Food Cart of the Year". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 15, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Grand opening for Lil' America food cart pod draws foodies to SE Portland". kgw.com. April 1, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Editor of Eater Portland on 2023′s best restaurants, food carts and more". opb. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Frybaby - Review - Buckman - Portland, OR". The Infatuation . May 24, 2024. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 Roland, Rebecca (June 15, 2018). "The Best Korean Food in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Meet the Food Carts at Lil' America, Portland's Most Exciting New Pod". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Portland's Best Fried Chicken". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Scott, Ron (May 28, 2015). "The Best Real-Deal Fried Chicken in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  12. ↑ Meagher, Sean. "Frybaby food cart". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Wong, Janey (February 28, 2023). "Frybaby's Sunny Hatch Is Reconnecting With His Heritage Through Korean Fried Chicken". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  14. ↑ Russell, Michael (April 1, 2023). "Meet Lil' America, Portland's new BIPOC/LGBTQ-focused food cart pod". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  15. ↑ Sorenson, Saundra. "Two Months In, Lil' America Providing 'Safe Space' for BIPOC- and LGBTQ+-Owned Food Trucks to Thrive". The Skanner News. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Portland's 2025 'Wiener Week' features $8 dogs all week long". kgw.com. January 28, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  17. ↑ Hilton, Thom (March 4, 2025). "Frybaby's Sunny Hatch Talks Popeyes Cravings and Portland's Most 'Absurd' Breakfast Sandwich". Eater Portland.
  18. ↑ "2024 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Food". Willamette Week. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  19. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (December 6, 2023). "Here Are 2023's Eater Award Winners for Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  20. ↑ Yentch, Katrina (March 31, 2025). "The Best Restaurants to Eat and Drink Around the Buckman Neighborhood". Eater Portland. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
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