The bird is the word at this Asian bar

1 star [good]

According to the Chinese zodiac, we have recently begun the year of the sheep, but I don’t believe it for a second. This year, 2015, is clearly the year of the chicken.

Great roast chicken is showing up everywhere, perhaps none as fine at that at this small beer bar, where the Korean-style rotisserie bird is a minor wonder. Owner Lenny Shou and chef William Little coat the chicken liberally with Korean chile powder and honey and roast it to peak juiciness. For good measure, they run it through the deep fryer until the skin, sandpapery with spice, snaps and crackles. It arrives with gingered collard greens and pickled daikon, and it begs for one of the good craft beers on tap.

What else is on the menu? Not much, which is part of the charm of Pijiu Belly. The messy-delicious Pijiu Burger arrives piled with house-made kimchi and pickles (both great) as well as a fried egg and a beer-barbecue sauce. Also tasty: a sandwich piled with crisp pork belly and gingery pickled cucumbers. Add in a heap of crisp, hot skin-on fries, and life is good.

Read an expanded review of Pijiu Belly on MyAJC.com