Korean-style fried chicken concept to fill former brewery location in downtown Gainesville

One of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the U.S. appears to be coming to Gainesville.

A franchisee of bb.q Chicken has filed paperwork with the state to enter the space previously occupied by Big Top Brewing Company at 201 SE Second Ave. in downtown Gainesville, next to Dragonfly Sushi and Mark's Prime.

The restaurant — the "bb.q" stands for "Best of the Best Quality" — was started in Seoul, South Korea in 1995. It now has 3,500 locations across 57 countries, including more than 130 in the United States, which it first entered in 2014.

Three locations are currently in operation in Florida — two in Orlando and one in Tampa.

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As its name suggests, chicken is the star of the show. The menu includes whole chicken (wings, breasts and thighs), traditional wings and boneless.

Sauces vary by location and some only are available depending on the type of chicken you order. The sauces — Caribbean Spice, Honey Garlic, Golden Original and Galbi, among many others — seem focused on flavor more than spice. However, there are a couple of options that are sure to set your mouth ablaze, including the Wings of Fire, which the menu warns "Order if you dare."

An eight-piece traditional wing order costs $13.95 or $14.95, depending on the sauce, while all eight-piece boneless orders appear to cost $13.85, according to one of the Orlando location's online ordering systems.

A whole chicken with half Golden Original and half Secret or Hot Spicy costs $28.95.

Other menu items include a chicken sandwich, dumplings, Texas Bacon Cheese Fries, Kimchi Fried Rice, a Bulgogi Rice Bowl and much more.

Corndogs by Mr. Cow

A growing restaurant concept that was founded in Hawaii in 2019 is now open in Gainesville.

Corndogs by Mr. Cow is serving up a variety of sweet and savory Korean-style corndogs from its food truck at Midpoint Park & Eatery, at 931 SW Second Ave.

The handhelds are made with beef sausage and cheese (or one or the other) before being coated with a custom premix that contains a majority portion of rice flour and then rolled in a layer of toppings.

Menu options range in price between $4.50 and $7, and include the Flaming Potato, which is covered in bite-size potato fries, your choice of spicy mayo or flaming hot mayo, and then covered in Flamin' Hot Cheeto crumbs. The Mr. Cow Classic includes your choice of beef sausage or cheese and can be ordered plain or coated in sugar.

For a sweeter option try the Caramel Puff or Fruity Pop. The Yam-Yam Churro is wrapped in bite-size sweet potato fries and coated with cinnamon and sugar.

Gainesville's Midpoint Park & Eatery, just east of the University of Florida campus, is also home to Plantology, Scuola Pizza and Nopal Dos.

Corndogs by Mr. Cow is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Corndogs by Mr. Cow now open in Gainesville, bb.q Chicken coming soon