‘Delicious’ Meridian restaurant closes as chain exits Idaho. ‘Such sad news’
If you’ve never tasted Korean fried chicken, you’re missing out.
Double-fried and delectable, it’s a potentially shareable meal that might blow Colonel Sanders’ mind.
Unfortunately, there’s now one less place to heat up your taste buds with Korean fried chicken in Idaho.
Vons Chicken, located in a strip mall at 950 E. Fairview Ave. in Meridian, has closed. Google claims it’s temporary, but it’s permanent.
A franchise chain, Vons no longer has an Idaho presence. The Meridian store was one of only two Gem State restaurants focused on Korean Fried Chicken. The other, locally owned Han’s Chimaek, continues to sell crispy bird and cold beer at 1716 S. Broadway Ave. in Boise. (“DELICIOUS is an understatement!” a recent Google review gushed of Han’s, admitting “... it is a little expensive, about $20 a person, but it’s worth it!”)
In South Korea, fried chicken and beer is known as “chimaek” — a combination of “chi” (chicken) and “maekju” (beer). There are tens of thousands of restaurants there specializing in the pairing.
Founded in South Korea, Vons Chicken operates dozens of stores in the United States, Guam, China, Vietnam, Guatemala and Cambodia, according to its website. In addition to fried chicken, it serves oven-baked varieties.
The Vons restaurant in Meridian was opened in 2022 by Paul and Vivian Kim. Born in Korea, they moved to Boise from California several years ago. In 2019, the couple had unveiled Idaho’s first Vons inside their Mr. Wok restaurant in Boise. But they shuttered those operations two years later. In addition to chicken, the Vons in Meridian offered Korean dishes such as bibimbap, bulgogi and kimchi soup.
Korean fried chicken junkies have a handful of remaining choices in Boise besides Han’s Chimaek. Downtown’s Seoul St. Cafe, 624 W. Idaho St., offers a boneless “Fried K-Chicken” entree: crispy, bite-sized pieces coated in the eatery’s “original sweet & spicy gochujang or soy garlic sauce.”
A potentially outstanding option should appear soon. Jaikoo “Steve” Kang, former owner-chef at Koco Bell on State Street, plans to share space inside Nanzaya, a well-reviewed sushi and Burmese restaurant at 4628 W. State St. Kang will sell Korean fried chicken, his wife, Mariela Kang told me recently.
Still, Vons will be missed.
“Vons Chicken has been one of our favorite places to eat for quite a while ...” a Yelp reviewer wrote this week. “Such sad news! We went last week and had no idea it would be our last delicious meal there! Their food and service have always been fantastic, especially the kind, friendly, welcoming owner!”
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 7:46 AM.