A Vue de monde alum turning his hand to Korean-style fried chicken proves pretty irresistible at this super-cute 10-seater in backstreet West Melbourne. Jayden Park has fine-dining credentials, but he also really knows his way around a fryer – get your chicken bone-in or bone-out, brined for 24 hours and in a shattery-crisp batter, and always served, in a nod to tradition, with pickled radish on the side. Flavours include soy, honey and garlic, smoky hot and mala (tongue-numbing Sichuan pepper), and a savoury lemon pepper. You can double the fun with dipping sauces like corn mayo and honey mustard. 203 Rosslyn St, West Melbourne; bandackchicken.com.au

The shattery-thin batter on the chicken at this buzzing spot in the Glen is music to the ears of any KFC aficionado. Perennially full of local families and uni students, its remit isn’t as broad as some of the competition, but it sings within its tighter parameters. Served as nature intended with cooling coleslaw, a plate of Bon’s spicy chicken wings will brighten up the dullest Melbourne day, while the cheese and mayo-smothered chicken katsu fingers are pure cheesy comfort. Gluten avoiders will be thrilled to know that these guys also offer gluten-free options, while the adventurous can try stir-fried chicken feet or gizzards. 91 Kingsway, Glen Waverley; bonchicken.com.au

The crunch of Buza fried chicken is as worthy of trademarking as the MGM lion’s roar. Echoing across the CBD, Fairfield, Spiringvale and Maribyrnong, it emanates from the 12-hour marinated KFC. Up the decibels by opting for the ‘crunch king’ chicken, which is covered in a flurry of savoury and sweet fried crumbs, and see where it all began with the house signature soy smoke. But the flavour that has received the most press is undoubtedly the snow chicken, which is buried in a salty, cheesy blizzard of finger-licking goodness. You can also get the snow chicken with a cheese and corn dipping sauce, in case you were interested. buzachicken.com.au

Bringing (and brining) a tasty fry to Melbourne’s western heartland since 2022, Chicken Joah has suffered setbacks, including a fire that gutted the original space, but you can’t keep a good chook-based business down. Another expert in the dark arts of good KFC, Joah (‘I like’ or ‘sounds good’) also stands out for its superior range of chickeny flavours, including a black pepper fry coated in a snowfall of cheese and a ‘slightly burned’ black sugar that finds its rhythm with the housemade truffle aioli. But don’t worry, traditionalists: soy garlic and sweet spicy remain top of the pops. 1/32 Leeds St, Footscray; joah-kitchen-footscray.nextorder.com

Melbourne’s newly badged Koreatown, clustering around the Little Lonsdale precinct, is home to this satisfying one-stop Korean shop. Named after Seoul’s big-energy street-food district Dongdaemun, it’s ground-zero for a particularly crunchy KFC that sets hearts aflutter, with or without the addition of furiously red ‘volcano’ flavouring. Original, honey soy, sweet chilli and ‘snowing cheese’ round out the chickeny offerings. Balance it with the fresh hit of pickles and hit the bingsu shaved ice for dessert. Heading slightly off-piste but still in the world of poultry, they also do a chicken katsu that’ll warm your cockles. 466 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne; kpos.com.au/dongdaemoon

You’ve got to respect a place that does exactly what it says on the box: namely, letting crisp chicken and cold beer prove time and again that they’re the best of friends. Started by four Monash University mates who opened their first hot chook joint in Carnegie 20 years ago and now spread across Melbourne in franchise form, Gami (meaning ‘beautiful taste’) is a reliable go-to for all your fried chicken needs. Think wings, tenders, drumsticks and more, to which you can add the flavour rainbow of sticky, sweet and spicy glazes to bring it all zinging to life. gamichicken.com.au

There are other things happening on the menus at these two jumping joints, but the fried chicken is the mother lode. A wealth of options spells problems for ditherers, but a world of opportunity for those casting off from the soy garlic shores. Get it bone in or out and customise with compelling flavours including spicy bulgogi and ‘basil blaze’, which bears a three chilli warning. It’s also an excellent idea to see it magicked into alternate life forms, whether that’s between super-soft white bread in a sando, slapped in a fried chicken burger or given a healthier spin in a rice or a noodle bowl. haysung.com

‘Go big or go home’ seems to be the food philosophy of this favourite near South Melbourne market. The idea of coating an entire bird in batter then immersing it in boiling oil is clearly insane (we jest: it’s a traditional Korean dish called tongdak – ‘whole chicken’ – which predates the smorgasbord of cuts typically on offer today). But most importantly, it also makes for a ridiculously juicy KFC. It isn’t pretty to eat – you’ll definitely get messy, joyfully so – but it’s all so very worth it. Don your plastic gloves and get busy with what is a truly superior bird. 128 York St, South Melbourne; @mewoo_mel

More commonly known around Melbourne as the joints with the cooking robots, SamSam’s embrace of technology might feel a tad like the end of days for anyone with a dystopian bent. Yet we’ve got to admit it: these bots make a darned fine fried chicken. The batter has the soul-stirring crack of melting icecaps and the extras – including kimchi fries, mozzarella cheese sticks and corn cheese – are spot on. Pro tip: grab a group of friends, go to town on the large format chicken deals and fire up the party with a Somac tabletop drinks tower combining soju and beer. samsamchicken.com

A global footprint of more than 800 stores makes Sinjeon the Amazon of the Korean fast-casual world. The menu is a lengthy beast that strays easily from winter-warming noodle soups to kimchi fried rice and kimbap rice rolls customised with spam, bulgogi and smoked chicken – and the joy for fried-chicken aficionados is combining it with all of the above in the riotously delicious meal sets. The K-School tray is a satisfyingly compartmentalised little number with all your chicken-friendly food groups represented – plus fried tofu – while the quick comfort of spicy buldak noodles get an equal rev-up from their crunchy companions. sinjeon.com.au