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    Short Order: Meshikou Chikin

    If you have $8 in your pocket, and a hole in your stomach that’s roughly the size of a chicken sandwich, Meshikou Chikin is the place to go. 

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    The Meshikou name might ring familiar. Meshikou Ramen is the spot that opened up in Bethel Centre a few years back. It’s still there, and still earning accolades for its noodle soups. Enter Meshikou Chikin. Same mall, different schtick. While the ramen joint was designed for dine-in with dark woodwork and a luxe matching color scheme, the Chikin joint is white. White everywhere. The great color void creates its own light that reflects off of everything in the joint. Crisp…

    Just like the chicken. 

    If there was any question about what to order, the paper menu clears things up. Yes, we will be having chicken. It’s sold solo, with sides, in flavors, or…here we arrive at the Spicy Chickin Sandwich. 

    This is no fast food chicken sandwich. It’s not small. The bird parts will be thick and twice the size of the bun. If that sounds unwieldy, it’s all good; your carryout order will come with two plastic gloves to use as mess protection. The gloves are a thoughtful addition, but the urge to embrace the mess prevailed. 

    The sandwich has only a few elements, but each one shines in its own right. The firm brioche bun feels freshly baked and offers a faint sweetness. The chicken itself is deboned, but not processed in any other way – juicy, natural meat, aggressively crunchy fried, tinged with a house-made chili oil, topped with a spiked golden mayo and notably crisp pickles. 

    This all comes at a ridiculously good value. Full belly. Thrill. Plastic gloves. You don’t just find that anywhere for $8 (leave a tip, though). 

    You can find Meshikou Chikin at 1504 Bethel Rd. It’s closed Mondays, but opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

    For more information, visit meshikou.com/chikin.

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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