The new Boba Guys on Fillmore has a secret (that we’re not keeping). It’s called Sunday Bird, and it’s a Korean fried chicken joint hidden behind a narrow garage-style door toward the back.
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Popular New York City chef Deuki Hong (Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong, Momofuku) has relocated to San Francisco, and is debuting his fun Korean style here in San Francisco at this indefinite pop-up at what the Boba Guys are calling the Boba Lab. The menu (in full below) leads with chicken, of course, as well as pickles and sauces to match. Sides include a honey butter bao-scuit, perilla slaw, schmaltz roasted cauliflower, and chicken bone broth. The space has a much darker, more hip-hop feel than the airy, bright Boba Guys concealing it.
“I think of like PDT in New York where you walk through a phone booth in Crif Dogs,” Boba Guys co-founder Andrew Chau told Eater SF. “That whole experience is very New York. We don’t have anything like that here.”
Sunday Bird notwithstanding, this location of Boba Guys is also stepping up the company’s game with the addition of Straus Family Creamery soft serve in tea flavors, starting off with matcha, with tie guan yn (an incredibly popular oolong tea in Taiwan, but lesser known in the U.S.) to be on the menu, too. Toppings will include boba, of course, as well as housemade mochi, jelly, and more.
“We're pivoting a little in our offering, because we always want to push the envelope,” Chau said. “Because of Deuki, we’ll stay open pretty late, so we wanted it to be more of a dessert house.” To that end, they’re also applying for a beer and wine license.
The front area has a seated couch area (Chau’s inspiration was Central Perk in Friends), plus plenty of stools on which to perch with your soft serve and fried chicken. It’s the largest Boba Guys yet, at 1,600 square feet, so there’s Wifi to encourage hanging out, which can be difficult to do at the smaller stores.
Boba Guys and Sunday Bird will open on Saturday, February 4 and be open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. or 12 a.m.
- Anthony Bourdain-Approved Korean Barbecue Is Coming to SF [ESF]
- Sunday Bird [Instagram]
- See Boba Guys' Flagship Store, Now Open in Hayes Valley [ESF]
Sunday Bird Menu by Eater.com on Scribd
