Charcoal chicken galbi restaurant for a Cheonho work dinner: Ondogye

Why we came back to Ondogye in Cheonho for the charcoal chicken galbi

Ondogye has basically taken over Cheonho with its charcoal chicken galbi alone! It's genuinely soft since it's grilled over charcoal, and the owner is so kind that it's worth waiting for — a real hidden gem in Cheonho. I loved it the last time I came, so I came back again this time, and everyone I brought was completely satisfied!

It's hard to find good restaurants around Cheonho Rodeo, but there are actually a lot of hidden gems in Jjukkumi Alley across from the rodeo street, so it's fun to explore them one by one.

How to get there: Cheonho Station Exit 6, waiting times and Naver reservations

It's walkable from Cheonho Station Exit 6, and honestly anyone who visits Cheonho and doesn't eat jjukkumi (spicy octopus) is missing out — there are so many good restaurants here. Ondogye has a main building and an annex, and you can book through Naver Reservations too, so it's great for a Cheonho work dinner, plus the staff grills everything for you so it's easy to eat.

After it appeared on Lee Won-il and Hong Seok-cheon's YouTube channel, it became even more popular, but the wait is manageable and Naver reservations are still possible!

The ratings are excellent and it's a well-known spot by word of mouth — basically every Cheonho local already knows it. Even on a weekday evening it was packed, with lots of people there for work dinners too. Of course, a place where they grill the meat for you is the best for work dinners.

They pre-grill it over charcoal themselves before bringing it out, and the staff finishes grilling it right at the table too, so it's really easy to eat.

The Ondogye menu: three chicken galbi flavors and what comes with them

The menu is this simple — garlic salt, soy sauce, and spicy sauce chicken galbi, plus salt-grilled chicken thigh. There's a good variety of makgeolli, plus other alcohol and drinks, so it's nice to pair according to your taste.

Doenjang stew (fermented soybean paste stew) and fried gizzards come standard, with an extra charge if you want more, and there are also side dishes like steamed egg and grilled vegetable skewers.

Kimchi, pickled radish, wasabi, and scallion salad come out, along with a set of three sauces — spicy sauce, white sauce, and honey.

There's fried gizzards included as standard, which is great to snack on while waiting for the chicken galbi to grill.

Garlic salt vs spicy sauce: two tender charcoal chicken galbi orders

They bring out charcoal that genuinely looks premium.

The chicken galbi comes out pre-grilled! Since the salt and spicy sauce versions were delicious last time, I ordered both kinds again.

They cut the chicken galbi into easy bite sizes, and even put the fried gizzards back over the fire so you can eat them warm, haha.

Can chicken galbi really be this soft?? It honestly outdoes pork belly.

The spicy sauce version is nicely spicy and delicious too, and especially good dipped in the white sauce — a real winner. They cut the rice cake and mushrooms into easy pieces too, and the mushrooms are packed with juicy flavor.

The complimentary doenjang stew, packed with tofu

The doenjang stew comes out loaded with tofu too, which makes the standard combo really great — the broth is made with a ton of domestic dried seafood, so it has real depth and is delicious. The tofu has a slightly firm texture too, so it's good to eat instead of rice, haha.

Dining as a group of three: staff grill and plate each portion

Since there were three of us, they thoughtfully plated a separate dish for easy sharing. Such a nice touch!! Ondogye isn't a huge place, but that actually means the staff can keep a close eye on service and take care of things — it feels like they see and handle everything from within the shop! The staff are young but so kind, which was great.

Strawberry ice cream to finish: is Ondogye good for a Cheonho work dinner?

They finish things off with strawberry ice cream for dessert, which cleanses your palate completely and cuts through the greasiness after the chicken galbi. This strawberry ice cream is surprisingly delicious and the portion is bigger than expected, so it keeps coming out, hahahahahaha.

Ondogye is a great Cheonho spot for a work dinner too — recommend it when you want to load up on protein or have some soju with meat. Come to Ondogye in Cheonho for soft charcoal chicken galbi! It's become a go-to place I want to visit again, and I'd recommend it as a Cheonho Rodeo drinking spot.