NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The bird has landed.

Roosterspin, the New Jersey-based Korean fried chicken joint, has brought its fusion food, craft cocktails and tunes to the Hub City. The restaurant launched last week with a soft opening, meaning it has served only dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. each day, according to the business.

The 130-seat eatery and bar is expected to fully open tomorrow, July 12.

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“We are proud and excited to expand Roosterspin to New Brunswick,” Mihae Cho, Roosterspin’s owner and operator, said in a statement. “It is a city on the move with a burgeoning food and drinks scene.”

At 120 Albany St., the restaurant sits across the street from the New Brunswick Train Station and next to the site of the former Ferren Mall and parking deck.

Roosterspin takes credit for starting the “Korean fried chicken craze” in the Garden State. Its first spot began dishing up meals and drinks in September 2014 in Westfield—also near that town’s bustling train station.

Since then, it has earned gushing reviews from critics, including those at The New York Times, The Star-Ledger and more.

As Roosterspin’s second location, the New Brunswick restaurant boasts a menu featuring the cuisine that made many eaters consider the original a classic. But the new spot also has a style all its own.





For one, this is the first Roosterspin with a full liquor license, according to the company. The establishment uses this to serve “craft cocktails,” which were created by Pamela Wiznitzer and Luis Hernandez of New York’s Seamstress—two people the restaurant describes as “ace mixologists.”

Among the sprawling drink menu are the Jersey Get Down—a hard iced tea consisting of Four Roses Bourbon, Laird’s Apple Brandy (a product of Colts Neck), oolong tea and citrus—the Rooftop Mule, which plays on the standard Moscow Mule, and Morning Call, a spicy tequila drink.

But don’t drink away your appetite. New food items include pork belly ssam, seafood pajeon (a pancake made with shrimp, squid and scallion), sae-ssak bibimbap (a seasoned rice dish), jap chae (seasoned potato noodles) and stir-fried chicken gizzard.

The menu also includes Roosterspin favorites, like double-fried chicken wings, drumettes and drumsticks—which the company said are “super crispy, yet greaseless and exceptionally moist”—and other Korean and fusion dishes.

Finally, the New Brunswick branch finds character in its “industrial-chic theme with metal tubing and hand-stained distressed wood,” according to Roosterspin. What’s more, the place has 7,000 vintage jazz, rock and pop records, two karaoke rooms and, often, a live DJ.

“Together with our karaoke rooms and live DJ program, Roosterspin is a new dining and drinks destination offering robust flavors, top quality ingredients and fun times,” Cho said.

Roosterspin is open every day, from 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, call 732-545-4500 or visit its Facebook and Instagram pages.

And keep an eye out for a review of Roosterspin from TAPinto New Brunswick.