Picnico

A Japanese fried chicken that is airy and not bogged down with oil. Overall a pretty great fried chicken although some may complain that it carries a strong chicken flavor. I do wish it came with a few more pickles, 2 pickles is not much of a side. Pickles were also not marinated very long, they were a bit more like sour cucumbers. The beet salad was a bit small. The egg drop soup was filling and hot!

Went here for dinner and had a chicken sandwich. I loved it and really enjoyed the sandwich. It's a low frills restaurant where you order at the counter, get your own water and bus your own tables, but they do bring your food to your table. We ordered chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, french fries and family chicken basket which comes with slaw salad, pickles, fries and 2 onigiri (rice balls) and dipping sauces. I really enjoyed everything and the dipping sauces are quite varied and gives the chicken different flavors. If you love fried chicken (karaage) Japanese style then this place is definitely worth a try.

The front desk and kitchen staff are so cute and friendly here. Everything is gluten free here (except for the Sandwich bread which can be easily removed if you have celiacs). The fried chicken crust is thin, light, and crispy (and the chicken within is MOIST - not dry). There is something really special about that green dipping sauce, the lemon aoli sauce was light and refreshing too. Also, that miso cookie sandwich was soooooo good - it went into our mouths before we could take a photo of it.

A great fast-casual option in The Row, Pikunico worth the journey to find it. The parking is free for the first two hours, and it feels like food you’d find at a picnic. It has a pretty easily digestible menu, separated into sandwich vs fried chicken plates vs bowls vs sides. For a fried chicken place, they do have a few vegetarian entrees, which is nice if you’re going with a group. You order at the counter and get a number, and then you can choose your indoor or outdoor table based on what’s open. When we went for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon, it was pretty empty at The Row. It all comes out in one unlabeled bag, which is a little difficult when you have a big group ordering all at once. The classic fried chicken thighs tasted great in the moment, but it was a bit too heavy for me after because I don’t usually eat fried food. I was relieved that the chicken thighs were boneless because it made it easier to eat, and it was still very juicy, tender, and flavorful. The white lemon aioli and green parsley sesame sauce that came with the fried chicken were my favorite of the sauces. The chicken egg drop soup ($5.50) is good if you like bland soups, which is great if you’re hungover or sick, but I thought it was better after I added the remainder of my parsley sesame sauce that came with my chicken. It’s pretty small and it is made up of chicken broth, chicken cubes with the skin on, egg, and green onion. After tax & tip, it came out to ~$21/person.

We stood in a pretty long line to order our food at the counter. This wait was completely eclipsed by the 30+ minute wait for our food. With a menu of only a dozen items, this was completely unacceptable. One other person told me she waited 45 minutes. For chicken tenders and rice?!?! The staff poorly manages the food prep and output and everyone was waiting this long. We were about ready to leave but we were hungry and had already put in a lot of time. I will NOT go back.

Despite being known for Karage, I actually haven't tried the chicken. But I found out that these guys have curry rice bowl, which I'm a big fan of. All and all, it's definitely a favorite of mine and they certainly make good curry and rice. It's a little pricey ($15 for the curry bowl) but I would most definitely come back here again on a lunch visit during work