Monster Chicken Ashburton is the Ashburton branch of a proudly local, independent New Zealand business that has been serving Korean fried chicken since 2013, when it opened in Christchurch as one of the first kitchens in the country to do so. From its spot on Victoria Street, the team brings that same recipe to Mid-Canterbury: crispy Korean-style fried chicken finished with sauces made in-house.
Every sauce is made in the kitchen with real ingredients, no shortcuts — a philosophy that has been there since day one. The food fuses Korean street-food spirit with New Zealand produce and hospitality, working with local suppliers and growers to keep discovering new flavours for hungry customers. And it is all built around food that is fun to share: dishes land in the middle of the table, with loud flavours and warm service.
The Ashburton store is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 9pm, with online ordering available and table bookings taken directly by phone on 03 307 4005. For large functions or events, the team can be reached at [email protected].
Walk down Victoria Street in Ashburton and you'll find one of the most distinctive fried chicken kitchens in Mid-Canterbury. Monster Chicken Ashburton is the local branch of a proudly independent New Zealand business that helped introduce this country to Korean fried chicken — and it serves the style the way it's meant to be eaten: loud on flavour, made for sharing, and finished with sauces mixed in its own kitchen.
The Monster Chicken story began in Christchurch in 2013, when the team opened as one of the first kitchens in New Zealand to serve Korean fried chicken. That early start matters. Korean fried chicken has since become one of the world's most popular ways to eat chicken, prized for the contrast between a crisp crust and a glossy, flavour-packed coating — but back in 2013 it was still a rarity here. Monster Chicken has spent the years since refining its take, building a following and growing to locations in Christchurch, Ashburton and Queenstown. The Ashburton store brings all of that know-how to its own kitchen on Victoria Street.
If there's one thing the Monster Chicken team wants you to know, it's this: every sauce is made in their kitchen with real ingredients, no shortcuts. That philosophy shapes everything the restaurant does. Rather than pouring from off-the-shelf bottles, the kitchen makes its sauces itself — the detail that keeps the flavours bold, consistent and unmistakably Monster Chicken's own. It has been part of the recipe since day one, and it's what sets the shop's chicken apart.
Monster Chicken describes its food as a fusion of Korean street-food spirit and New Zealand produce and hospitality. In practice, that means a menu built around the punchy, unapologetically loud flavours of Korean street cooking, brought to life with ingredients from New Zealand suppliers and growers. The team works with local producers to keep discovering new flavours for its customers — a meeting point between a Korean way of cooking and this country's own pantry.
Just as central to the idea is how the food is eaten. From day one, Monster Chicken has focused on food that's fun to share. This is not a plate-per-person kind of place; it's where dishes land in the middle of the table and everyone digs in. That makes it a natural fit for group dinners, family teas and long catch-ups with friends — loud flavours, warm service and plenty to go around. New to Korean fried chicken? It's a welcoming place to find out what the fuss is about: crispy chicken, house-made sauces and a table full of people reaching for the last piece.
The Ashburton store is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11am to 9pm, and closed on Mondays. You'll find it at 104 Victoria Street, in the heart of Ashburton.
If you'd rather not wait, you can order ahead through Monster Chicken's online ordering menu. For table bookings, contact the Ashburton store directly on 03 307 4005 — the team asks that bookings be made with each store rather than through a central line. Planning something bigger? For large functions, events or other enquiries, email [email protected] and the team will come back to you with options. You can also follow Monster Chicken on Facebook and Instagram for new flavours and store news.
Whether you're a Korean fried chicken devotee or completely new to the style, Monster Chicken Ashburton keeps the proposition simple: crispy Korean-style fried chicken, sauces made from scratch in-house, and food built for the middle of the table. More than a decade after the first Christchurch store opened, that recipe — real ingredients, local suppliers, loud flavours and warm hospitality — is exactly what you'll find on Victoria Street.