A popular takeaway restaurant that attracts huge crowds every week - after the world-famous founder of RecipeTinEats declared it 'Australia's best kept food secret' - has announced it will shut its doors.
Chef-owner Kay Hwang broke the news his Joy Korean Fried Chicken shop in Chippendale will serve its last dish in mid-May, coinciding with the end of its lease.
'It's happening, guys. I am so sad and happy at the same time,' Hwang said.
'It was a crazy adventure opening a chicken shop... We started very quiet, and then we climbed up the ladder slowly and steadily.
'Many things happened and I met so many beautiful people in the last three years.'
Fans were devastated by the news of the sudden closure, but it isn't over for Joy Korean Fried Chicken just yet.
The chef said he's already planning on moving into a bigger restaurant at a new location - after spending years of working alone in his tiny kitchen.
The takeaway shop has been struggling to keep up with high demand, selling out of fried chicken daily, which typically takes at least three days to marinate.
A popular takeaway restaurant that attracts huge crowds every week, after RecipeTinEats declared it Australia's best Korean fried chicken, has announced it's set to shut its doors
Joy is best known for selling Korean fried chicken in Chippendale - and Nagi Maehashi is a huge fan of the takeaway shop
'It has become very hard physically cooking by myself, many hours of working. Demands are growing, even now,' he said.
'We decided to move to a bit bigger place so we can have a proper team.
'Cooking and running a shop by myself was crazy, so crazy. But I survived throughout those years because of your support, I mean it.'
Hwang said he hasn't found a new location yet but assured his local customers he will be reopening his beloved takeaway shop.
'Nothing has been confirmed 100 per cent, but nothing will stop me from going to a bigger place,' he explained.
'This is my dream, and it is growing.'
He urged new and regular customers to visit his store over the next seven weeks.
'It's not just chicken, it's JOY,' he said.
'I love you guys.'
Chef-owner Kay Hwang said he's planning on moving into a bigger store at a new location
The takeaway shop has been struggling to keep up with high demand, selling out of fried chicken daily, which typically takes at least three days to marinate.
Joy Korean Fried Chicken opened its doors in Chippendale in August 2022.
Thousands of customers flocked to the shop in June 2024 after Nagi Maehashi, the hugely successful founder of RecipeTinEats, revealed Joy was her favourite restaurant for fried chicken.
'This is genuinely the best Korean fried chicken I've had in Australia,' she said.
'JOY Chicken is one of our best kept food secrets. It took Kay, the genius owner and chef over a year to come up with this recipe. And it is EPIC.
'The crust alone puts it in a field of its own; the flesh is ridiculously moist - even the breast, which it never is at other shops; and that sauce, OMG!
'It is mind-blowingly good.'
Joy Korean Fried Chicken opened its doors in Chippendale in August 2022
The chef was delighted when Nagi randomly discovered his takeaway shop.
'I think we are extremely lucky; I still think it is a dream,' Hwang said in July 2024.
'She sent me a text one Sunday to say she wanted to meet me; I thought it was a scam.'
However, he was surprised when Nagi visited his restaurant as a paying customer.
'I think she is very generous and caring,' the chef said, adding: 'I feel extremely lucky to meet Nagi.'
Many fans were curious about which go-to Fried Chicken flavour Nagi orders every time she's at Joy, to which Hwang revealed: 'It's Sweet and Spicy.'
'It is the best seller of all time as well as an iconic Korean flavour. We make it a bit spicier than the normal version, called "Yang-nyum", which is a bit too sweet for me.
'I prefer spicy food so I made it a bit spicier and called it "Sweet and Spicy".'