Bucheon Korean restaurant for chewy mushroom samgyetang: Oi Samgyetang

When I think about a healthy meal for a family gathering, one dish immediately comes to mind: samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) 🍗 A few days ago, I went with my family to Oi Samgyetang Bucheon Main Branch (오이삼계탕), a Bucheon restaurant famous for samgyetang.

A Bucheon favorite for samgyetang

Oi Samgyetang is also the restaurant I think of whenever I want a nourishing meal, especially on each of the boknal summer days: Chobok, Jungbok, and Malbok. Apparently, the wait gets long on boknal at Oi Samgyetang.

Oi Samgyetang Bucheon Main Branch visitor information

• Location: Unit 202, 2nd floor, 87 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon
• Hours: Daily, 11:00 AM–9:00 PM
• Last order: 8:20 PM
• Reservations, private rooms, and group reservations available
• Parking, delivery, takeaway, and separate restrooms for men and women available
• On boknal, there can be a wait, and a ticket machine is provided.

Are there plenty of choices besides samgyetang?

What’s on the menu at Bucheon favorite Oi Samgyetang?

Some people may think a samgyetang restaurant only sells samgyetang, but Oi Samgyetang has a wide variety of samgyetang options too.

There is everything from the most basic herbal samgyetang to lacquer chicken soup and neungi mushroom samgyetang. The whole boiled chicken dishes come in the same varieties. There are duck dishes as well as chicken, so anyone who prefers duck can choose accordingly. Dakdoritang, a spicy braised chicken stew, is also ready for people who like something spicy. The prices felt just right for a family meal.

Side dishes and a tidy restaurant

The basic table setting and our order at this Bucheon samgyetang spot

Once we sat down, they set out the basic side dishes, along with a bowl for discarded bones, water, salt, and wet wipes.

Such a tidy setting. The healthy side dishes included kkakdugi cubed radish kimchi, onions, chilies, and cucumber.

The neatly presented side dishes made me look forward to the samgyetang at Oi Samgyetang even more.

An interior with group seating and private rooms

The interior at Oi Samgyetang was spotless too.

It is a restaurant where groups and guests with reservations can come comfortably. It was clean overall, with plenty of tables and separate private rooms, making it ideal for anyone wanting a more private dining setup.

And if you would like a small glass of ginseng wine with your main order, you can have one on the house. A display along one wall lets you see that it is real ginseng wine.

If the basic side dishes run low, you can help yourself to as much as you like. Just take an appropriate amount so none is left over.

The side dishes were very hygienically kept too. It seemed to be well managed.

The mission is to take small portions so you do not leave anything behind.

How did the neungi mushroom samgyetang taste?

The rich broth was bubbling away in the earthenware bowl; I could sense it just by looking.

Not only did it look good, the aroma of neungi mushrooms was no joke.

True to its name, the neungi mushroom samgyetang came loaded generously with neungi mushrooms.

The neungi mushrooms had such a satisfyingly chewy bite, with a nutty flavor that came through more as I chewed. It took me quite a while to fish out and eat all the mushrooms. It went down so smoothly ㅜㅜ I wondered whether I could finish it all, but it was so tasty that before I knew it, I had polished off the whole bowl.

I fished out a chicken leg from the earthenware bowl, and it was plump, mild, and delicious.

As I bit into the meat, I saw a slight pink color and wondered, Was it undercooked? But there was a reason: it was healthy chicken. They say the chicken gets plenty of exercise and contains lots of iron and myoglobin, which gives it that pinkish color. Maybe that is why the chicken was chewier and tastier than at other samgyetang restaurants.

Even my family, who are quietly quite picky eaters, recognized Oi Samgyetang as a great restaurant 😊 In chilly weather, samgyetang is the best menu for a nourishing boost too.

I plan to come back to Oi Samgyetang when I want to treat my family to a healthy samgyetang meal again.