In a city full of fried chicken, there are few spots that stack up to Ma’ono. This Hawaiian restaurant in West Seattle knows their way around crisped poultry, serving it by-the-bird as well as in tender or sandwich form, all in a laidback space perfect for a family-style spread with some pals.

But if sharing isn’t in the cards, or you happen to be alone at the bar sipping a POG margarita slushie, Ma’ono’s iconic fried chicken bun beckons you. Shaken with spices as hot as you can handle and topped with chunky pickled daikon, kewpie mayo, and iceberg on a butter-toasted Hawiian roll, this expertly architected marvel of dredged poultry is sweet, spicy, and salty with an uppercut of vinegar—a pipe dream that newer fried chicken sandwiches in town should aspire to. And good enough to forgive Ma’ono for getting rid of their phenomenal kimcheese burger.

On the side, the menu has tasty options like roasted corn with miso butter, spam musubi with nori paste, and kimchi-kicked mac and cheese. The dipping sauces (like hot honey mustard, kalbi, or hibiscus BBQ) that come with the chicken are outrageously good, and you should probably end things with their salted popcorn soft serve.

photo credit: Nate Watters