Chimmelier

Chimmerlier is a strip mall spot in Koreatown that serves Korean street foods like tteokboki and cheese balls until 11pm, but the specialty is its excellent Korean-style fried chicken. You can order the golden, thick-crusted poultry as a whole chicken or wings, but the best way to enjoy it is inside the K-Chicken Burger.

This loaded sandwich looks straight out of a national fast food ad: it’s big, its pickles are oddly symmetrical, and the sesame buns are so glossy you’d think a food stylist gave them a quick touch-up before they left the kitchen. And besides being camera ready, these Korean-style chicken sandwiches are extremely balanced in flavor and texture. The dry rub dusted all over the crackly fried chicken gives it a BBQ-like smokiness, the hot sauce adds moisture and a sharp vinegary heat, and the briny slaw brightens up the thick-crusted poultry. And then there’s the secret ingredient: the perilla leaf that lingers in the background but adds an extra floral sweetness you didn’t know this beautiful sandwich needed.