Chicken stew spot in Guwol-dong, Incheon: aged kimchi, cheese fondue

Today I'm giving you an honest review of Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang Guwol Branch (통큰솥뚜껑닭볶음탕 구월점), a Guwol-dong spot that works as both a meal place and a drinking place, and a chicken stew favorite near Yesulhoegwan Station.

What kind of place is Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang Guwol Branch?

Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang Guwol Branch is a chicken specialty restaurant in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, serving generous dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken stew) cooked in a big cauldron lid. With its crowd-pleasing flavor and big portions, it's said to be popular for family meals, dates and company dinners.

It's open daily from 11:00 to 23:00 (last order 22:00) and closed every Tuesday. Wi-Fi, takeout, separate men's and women's restrooms, baby chairs, a waiting area, group seating, reservations and parking are all available.

Where is Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang Guwol Branch, and where do you park?

The address is 497-28 Inha-ro, Namdong-gu, Incheon, Unit 206 on the 2nd floor. I'm attaching a map for anyone who doesn't know the area.

It's right next to the National Pension Service Namdong Yeonsu branch, so it was easy to find!

You can park in the building's underground lot, but I hear there's no parking support, so heads-up for anyone visiting. Parking costs ₩1,000 per 30 minutes (no parking support). We parked at Lotte Department Store and walked over!!

Now, shall we head up for some delicious chicken stew? The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, so up we go!

I liked that the menu isn't only inside: there's one outside the entrance too (so nice to check the menu before you walk in~~)

There's a big mirror at the entrance, which was handy for checking my face on the way out after eating!

What's the atmosphere inside?

Instead of ordinary square tables, the inside is set up with round drum-can tables with a gas burner and a big cauldron lid in the center. It had a homey, old-school eatery or street-stall (pocha) feel, and the place was clean and comfortable, which I liked.

Being on the 2nd floor, the big windows make it feel open, and there's a tree right outside, so eating there felt really relaxing~ The tables are spaced fairly generously and come in a variety of types, so it seems good for dates as well as groups like family, friends and company dinners.

They're currently running a receipt review event, so if you enjoyed your meal, leave a review and get a free glass of draft beer 😊

Menu and how to order

The menu includes cauldron-lid chicken stew, aged kimchi chicken stew, cauldron-lid soy-braised chicken (ganjang jjimdak), mountain-of-chicken-and-tripe stew (sandeomi gopdori-tang), and whole-chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), plus add-ons, alcohol and drinks, so it's easy to choose to suit your taste and group size!

Every table has a kiosk with menu photos, so ordering is easy 🙏 We usually like aged kimchi chicken stew, so we picked it without a second thought!!

For reference, the restaurant says it uses only top-quality chicken and good ingredients, with 100% domestic chicken and aged kimchi ❤

Self-serve bar and side dishes

This is the self-serve corner. Staff bring the first round of side dishes, but refills are self-serve, so please use the bar!! Just take what you'll eat :)

The basic sides are kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), kongnamul muchim (seasoned bean sprouts) and baek-kimchi (white kimchi). They weren't fancy, but the clean flavors went well with the chicken stew. The white kimchi and bean sprouts were seasoned just right and paired nicely with the stew, so I enjoyed them.

Each table has paper cups, wet wipes and a bottle opener, and staff bring small plates and a cutlery set once you sit down. The cutlery is individually wrapped, which is nice and hygienic~

Aged kimchi chicken stew for 2 (₩38,000), until the 8-minute timer rings

The aged kimchi chicken stew for 2 at Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang Guwol Branch is ₩38,000. It's spicy with deep savory flavor, with tender chicken and whole pieces of aged kimchi, so if you visit, I really recommend trying it!!

As soon as the stew arrives, the owner sets a timer. It's a system to get the chicken at its most tender with the seasoning well absorbed~ It's set to 8 minutes, and when it goes beep-beep-beep, that's when you eat~~

Hurry up, time.. 🙏

The more time passed, the more reduced and delicious-looking the aged kimchi chicken stew became! The wait was a little boring, but I was told it gets even better after 8 minutes, so I held out 😊

The moment the alert rang after 8 minutes, the owner came over and prepped the kimchi so it was easy to eat. There was really a lot of aged kimchi, and since it's slow-cooked kimchi, my mouth was watering before I even ate 😘

How do you eat it?

There's a proper way to eat it here: you don't scoop everything at once, but take a little at a time. Put some chicken, vegetables and so on into a naengmyeon (cold noodle) bowl in small portions 😊

So, chicken and kimchi first? Probably thanks to the good ingredients, even just the chicken and kimchi without any other side dish was savory and so good!

The chicken was fresh, with none of that chicken smell or gaminess, and it tasted clean. Probably because it's simmered down on a high-heat cauldron lid by the timer, the meat wasn't dry but tender. The texture that melts in your mouth the second it goes in was a work of art.

The chicken alone is delicious, but it's even better with potato, aged kimchi and cheese fondue, so I recommend eating them together!!

Getting the savory kimchi, tender meat and creamy cheese in one bite is pure happiness 👍

The longer it boiled, the more the broth reduced and thickened, and the seasoning soaked into the meat, so it kept getting tastier haha

Are the cheese fondue (₩3,000) and ramen noodles (₩1,000) worth adding?

The cheese (fondue) is ₩3,000. I heard chicken stew tastes even better with cheese fondue, so I ordered it, and the cheese gently wraps the rich stew flavor, so I think anyone of any age would be happy with it~ It came in a ttukbaegi (earthenware pot) so it stayed warm to the end, and it was creamy and soft with a slightly salty touch, which made it even better.

They say to lift the cheese with chopsticks and cut it with scissors, so give that a try :)

The ramen noodle add-on is ₩1,000. Gotta try the ramen too, right? I was going to have fried rice, but with this tasty broth I figured I'd regret not getting ramen, so I ordered it. You don't put it in at the start; you add it when you're about halfway through the stew.

Once I was about halfway through, I pressed the bell, and the owner poured in broth and added the ramen noodles~ Kyaa, look at that!!

It looked a bit like budae-jjigae (army stew)? The thin, chewy ramen noodles soaked up the seasoning, giving a familiar yet premium savory taste~ Really like budae-jjigae, you know?? Ramen alone is tasty, but together with the crunchy, tangy aged kimchi I couldn't stop slurping. Even if you're full, the ramen add-on is a must!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall verdict

The aged kimchi chicken stew at Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang Guwol Branch, slow-simmered on a cauldron lid by timer, stood out for its tender chicken and deep, clean broth. The ramen noodles soaked in spicy-tangy seasoning and the savory cheese fondue that tamed the heat were a great combo too, and with the homey, warm drum-can table atmosphere you can have a filling meal, so if you're looking for a Guwol-dong favorite, do give it a visit!