1981 K-Chicken

1981 K-Chicken is an independent Korean fried-chicken sports pub in Overland Park, opened in spring 2024 by three friends all born in 1981 — the source of the name. It pairs Korean-style fried chicken with Korean and local beers and soju in a sports-bar atmosphere.

Description

1981 K-Chicken is an independent Korean fried-chicken restaurant and sports pub in Overland Park, opened in spring 2024.¹ The concept centers on Korean-style fried chicken paired with Korean beers, local beers, and soju, served in a sports-bar/pub atmosphere (“People can come enjoy our chicken and enjoy our beer, and just enjoy the sports and the atmosphere,” per co-owner).¹ It occupies the former Steve’s Villa Capri space in the Wycliff West shopping center.¹

Ownership & history

1981 K-Chicken is independently owned by three best friends — Kue-Jin Hwang, Sung Jo, and Kyoungmin Kim — all born in 1981, which gives the restaurant its name.¹ The trio’s friendship spans roughly two decades, and they had discussed opening a restaurant together for about ten years before launching in spring 2024.¹ Public coverage does not detail deeper Kansas City roots for the owners beyond their establishing the business in Overland Park; for owner KC-tenure / origin specifics.

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-23 · Source: 1981 K-Chicken official online-ordering menu (HungerRush/Menufy) · URL: https://www.1981kchicken.com/order · Confidence: High (direct from official menu)

The anchor is build-your-own Korean fried chicken: Step 1 — choose your batter; Step 2 — choose your chicken (wings, boneless breast, or boneless thigh); Step 3 — choose your sauce.² The menu pairs that with Korean bar-snack appetizers, rice/stew specials, and a chicken-and-beer (“chi-maek”) combo built for the sports-pub format.

1981-K Fried Chicken (the anchor)

• Wings — 10pc $17.00+ / 20pc $32.00+.²
• Boneless Breast — Half $17.00+ / Whole $32.00+.²
• Boneless Thigh — Half $17.00+ / Whole $32.00+.²
• Finishing sauces are selectable per order; the dipping-sauce roster (each $1.00) includes White Honey Garlic, Truffle Mayo, Spicy Mayo, Spicy Ranch, Sweet Chili, Spicy BBQ, BBQ, Honey Mustard, Ranch, and Blue Cheese.²

Chi-Mac Combo (chi-maek)

• Chi Maek Combo — any 24pc wings + any large fries, $47.00+ (chicken-and-beer pairing, the house centerpiece for the sports-bar concept).²

Fried appetizers

• French Fries $5.00+ (Regular, Cajun, Cheese, Honey Butter, Onion, Melted Cheese, or Truffle Oil); French Fries Combo (up to four flavors) $22.00.²
• Glazed Honey Shrimp $14.00+, Fried Shrimp $13.00+, Fried Calamari $13.00, Mozzarella Sticks $9.00, Onion Rings $8.00, Sweet Potato Fries $8.00, Mac & Cheese $7.00+.²
• Fried Dumplings (Beef, Chicken, Kimchi, or Vegetable; mild/spicy) $8.00.²
• Korean-style sweets/snacks: Yellow Snowing Cream Cheese Ball (5pc) $9.00, Twist Mochi Donut (3pc) $8.00, Twist Mochi Cheese Ball Combo $12.00.²
• Fried Combo (fries, sweet potato fries, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, calamari) $32.00+.²

1981-K Specials

• Teokbokki Spicy Rice Cake $13.00+ and Teokbokki Rose Rice Cake (with heavy cream) $15.00+.²
• Budae Stew (Korean army stew — pork, sausage, spam, kimchi, red chili paste) $29.00+.²
• 1981 K-Taco $12.00 and 1981 K-Burrito $12.00 (choice of protein).²

Meals (rice plates, served with house salad)

• Bulgogi Over Rice with Fried Egg $16.00; Spicy Pork Over Rice with Fried Egg $15.00.²
• Fried rices $13.00–$14.00: Vegetable, Shrimp, Chicken, Vegetable Kimchi.²

Salads, sandwiches & sides

• Salads $8.00–$12.00 (Garden, Crispy/Grilled Chicken, Avocado, Cajun Shrimp, Avocado combos).²
• Chicken Sandwiches $9.00–$10.00+ (Original / Crispy, plain or Spicy; combo adds fries + drink).²
• Extra sides $2.00–$4.00 (kimchi, avocado, cheese, chicken, rice, egg, shrimp); Korean drinks include Milkis and Pororo Juice.²

Price tiers verified High (direct from the official online-ordering menu, 2026-06-23). ”+” denotes build/size upcharges set at order time. The Johnson County Post feature confirms the broader Korean-beer/local-beer/soju bar program that anchors the chi-maek concept, but a current itemized drink/alcohol list is not published online — for the beer/soju menu.¹

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. “Korean eatery meets sports bar at new Overland Park restaurant,” Johnson County Post (2024-01-31). https://johnsoncountypost.com/2024/01/31/1981-k-chicken-overland-park-224647/ — asserts: independent ownership by Kue-Jin Hwang, Sung Jo, Kyoungmin Kim (all born 1981 → name); ~20-year friendship; spring 2024 opening; address 10412 Mastin St (Wycliff West, former Steve’s Villa Capri); Korean fried chicken + Korean/local beer + soju; sports-pub concept. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

2. 1981 K-Chicken — official online-ordering menu (HungerRush/Menufy), retrieved 2026-06-23. https://www.1981kchicken.com/order — asserts: full current menu with categories and listed prices — build-your-own 1981-K Fried Chicken (wings 10pc $17+/20pc $32+; boneless breast/thigh half $17+/whole $32+; batter→chicken→sauce build); Chi Maek (chi-maek) Combo (24pc wings + large fries) $47+; fried appetizers (fries $5+, glazed honey shrimp $14+, fried calamari/shrimp $13+, mozzarella sticks, mochi donuts, cream cheese balls, fried dumplings); 1981-K Specials (teokbokki $13+/$15+, budae stew $29+, K-taco/K-burrito $12); rice meals (bulgogi over rice $16, spicy pork over rice $15, fried rices $13–$14); salads $8–$12; chicken sandwiches $9–$10+; extra sides $2–$4; dipping sauces $1 (white honey garlic, truffle mayo, spicy mayo/ranch, sweet chili, etc.); Korean drinks (Milkis, Pororo Juice); carryout hours; note “Online Ordering Coming Soon.” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹