CheeMc Korean Fried Chicken, Elephant: Ten Glazes Daily

CheeMc is a Korean restaurant at 2 Castle Square, Elephant Rd, London SE17 1EN, in the new pedestrian square that now forms the heart of Elephant & Castle. It has been frying Korean chicken for south Londoners since 2014, first on Walworth Road and, since the end of 2024, in this glass-fronted unit facing the square. The kitchen cooks every order fresh, the menu runs to ten different glazes, and the doors are open from noon to 11pm seven days a week, which makes it a dependable answer whenever the craving for crackly, sticky chicken hits south of the river.

The restaurant's own story is a short one. Its About page says CheeMc began with one owner, Lee, who loved Korean fried chicken and wanted to show Londoners an alternative to the Kentucky style they already knew. His founding idea was to cook each order from scratch rather than hold batches under lamps, and the brand still describes that as the thing that set it apart. For about a decade the original shop on Walworth Road built a cult following among students from the nearby universities and the area's large Latin American community.

When the old Elephant shopping centre was demolished and the area rebuilt, CheeMc moved into Elephant Central, the rental development run by Get Living, which lists it as a cosy Korean restaurant with chicken, noodles, curries and soups. A second CheeMc in Soho adds private karaoke rooms, but the Castle Square branch is the one for eating rather than singing. The room is simple, with dark tables and Korean and British flags, and the big windows look straight onto the square.

The chicken menu is the main reason to come. Every flavour comes in Small at £10.90, Regular at £16.90 or Large at £26.90, so the price never changes whichever glaze you choose. Naked is the plain original, the best way to judge the batter, which shatters cleanly and stays crisp for longer than most. Yellow Snowing is CheeMc's name for honey butter, a sweet and salty coating that wins over people who do not like spice. Red Devil is the chilli-glazed option for heat seekers, and Black Agilo is a glossy sweet soy.

The more unusual flavours are where CheeMc shows its own style. Oriental Green, or padak, buries boneless pieces under shredded spring onion with a sesame mustard dressing, and Creamion pairs sliced onion with a wasabi and hickory smoked sour cream dressing, also boneless only. Korean Buffalo is wok-tossed with ginger and Cajun spice, Hawaiian Volcano is spicy, sweet and sour, and Mad Garlic is coated in honey garlic butter. Korean Soul is the sweet chilli option. If you only visit once, pair one plain Naked order with one sauced glaze so you taste both the frying and the sauce.

Groups usually add rice and noodles to the table. Bibimbap costs £11.90 with vegetables or £13.90 with chicken, pork or beef, and the plain kimchi fried rice is £11.90. The Korean BBQ chicken plate is £14.00 for anyone who prefers grilled meat. Toppoki rice cakes in gochujang sauce come plain for £10.90 or with cheese for £12.90, and the seafood pancake is £12.90. Beef LA galbi, grilled short rib marinated in sweet soy, costs £16.90 with rice or chips.

For a solo lunch, the Angry Bird burger puts a fried chicken thigh with cucumber, red onion, tomato, iceberg, ranch and spicy gochujang in a bun for £9.90, or £13.90 as a set meal. The Chick 'N' Croffle at £14.90 is the showpiece: a bone-in drumstick and a boneless thigh on a croissant waffle with maple syrup, gravy and a fried egg. Finish with bingsoo shaved ice at £6.90.

Skip the Chick 'N' Croffle if you came for the purest version of the chicken, because syrup and gravy hide the crust. Skip ordering a Large of a single sauce for two people too. Two Regulars in different glazes cost only £6.90 more than one Large and turn the meal into a tasting.

CheeMc takes reservations through its website, where you pick date, time and party size, and members can earn loyalty coins when they book online. Bookings are worth making for Friday and Saturday evenings and for groups of six or more, when the square fills with residents, students and people heading to shows at the nearby Southwark Playhouse. Weekday lunch from noon is the quietest time to walk in.

Because everything is cooked to order, sauced chicken takes a little longer than a fast food counter, so order the chicken first and add sides while you wait. The FAQ points vegetarians to vegetable bibimbap and mild kimchi fried rice, and notes that the old bottomless chicken offer has ended. Click and collect is also available through the website for people taking boxes home.

Castle Square is a good starting point for a short walk. Head north up the new Elephant Park landscape, a large green space with play areas and water features built as part of the regeneration, then continue past the Northern line station toward the Strata tower with its three rooftop wind turbines. On a dry evening, Elephant Park is the obvious spot to finish a takeaway box.

Going the other direction, Walworth Road leads south to East Street Market, a long-running street market that sells fruit, vegetables, fabrics and household goods most days of the week. The stretch is full of Latin American cafés and bakeries that show how mixed this part of London is. Return via the shopping parade by the station for a coffee before catching the Tube.

Address: CheeMc Elephant & Castle, 2 Castle Square, Elephant Rd, London SE17 1EN. Nearest stations: Elephant & Castle on the Northern and Bakerloo lines, plus Thameslink trains from Elephant & Castle rail station. Hours: Monday to Sunday 12pm to 11pm. Reservations: online through the CheeMc website or by email to the Elephant & Castle reservations team.

Budget: two Regular chickens in different flavours plus a kimchi fried rice comes to £45.70 and feeds three people well. A solo Angry Bird set meal is £13.90. For more Korean food around south London, ask Karpo in the Karpo APP which chicken spot near your station has free tables right now.