Solo-friendly kalguksu restaurant in Bokjeong-dong: Cheongdam Dak

Where is Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu, and what did we order?

Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu is a chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant located on the 1st floor of 9 Seongnam-daero 1480beon-gil, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. I went solo to this Seongnam favorite and came back with a delicious bowl of chicken kalguksu.

On days when mornings and evenings get chilly, I start craving hot soup. I wanted a warm, filling meal, so haha, I went alone to eat chicken kalguksu. Getting both chicken and hot broth in one bowl somehow made me feel like I was nourishing my body too. Here's my review of Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu, a Seongnam favorite where I could enjoy a satisfying solo meal without any pressure.

Parking and the feel of the restaurant

I drove there, and there's a public parking lot right in front of the restaurant, so I parked and went in.

The clean white signboard caught my eye with the phrase "house-made noodles" on it. Knowing they make the noodles themselves got me even more excited for the kalguksu haha.

Walking inside, the interior was also neatly done up in white tones.

I went a little after 2pm, avoiding the weekday lunch rush, so I could enjoy my meal at a relaxed pace.

Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu menu and kiosk ordering

As the name suggests, chicken kalguksu is the main menu item at Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu. Looking at the menu board, there were several types of chicken kalguksu, so you can pick according to your taste.

They also have boiled pork slices (suyuk) and dumplings as side dishes!

Ordering was done via kiosk. After looking over the menu, I ordered samgye kalguksu and two dumplings. Eating just kalguksu alone felt a little lacking for a solo meal, so I ordered dumplings too haha.

Self-serve side dishes: how spicy is the spicy kimchi?

After ordering, I went to the self-serve bar to grab side dishes. I prefer kimchi over diced radish kimchi haha, so I brought back both spicy kimchi and mild kimchi.

The spicy kimchi here is marked with 5 chili peppers, and it really is spicy haha. Being weak with spicy food, I tried it once and then only ate the mild kimchi after that — just a heads-up!

What comes in one bowl of samgye kalguksu

After a short wait, the piping hot samgye kalguksu arrived.

There's a whole chicken leg in it, and it was so big it actually surprised me haha.

Just looking at it felt filling. Underneath the chicken leg was Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu's house-made kalguksu noodles.

On top of the noodles, there was even sticky rice mixed in, making this a truly substantial, all-in-one bowl.

There was even a fragrant ginseng sprout tucked in cutely haha. They really took care of the health angle too haha.

Chicken leg, house-made noodles and sticky rice

I started with the chicken leg. It was cooked thoroughly, so the meat came off the bone easily. Just a light touch with chopsticks and the tender chicken fell right off, making it easy to eat.

So tender haha. Really delicious — protein refill!!

After eating a fair amount of the chicken, I dug into the chewy kalguksu noodles underneath with kimchi, and it was completely satisfying. Since the noodles are house-made, the hot chicken broth soaked right into them, making it taste even better!!

In between, I also scooped up the sticky rice mixed in. There's a surprising amount of chewy sticky rice in there!!! Such a hearty spread! With chicken, kalguksu noodles, and sticky rice all in one bowl, there's never a dull moment while eating haha.

Handmade kimchi dumplings and big meat dumplings

Next came the kimchi dumplings and meat king dumplings, both handmade, and you could really tell — they tasted great haha.

The dumpling wrapper wasn't too thick, just the right thinness so I could really taste the filling.

The kimchi dumplings had a nice spicy kick from the kimchi, going well with the kalguksu. So spicy and good!

The meat king dumplings were packed with meat inside, making them very filling haha. The dumplings themselves are also big.

I thought the samgye kalguksu alone would fill me up plenty, but the dumplings were so good I ended up finishing every single one haha.

Eating solo? One order of dumplings is enough

I was so stuffed I couldn't finish it all... I left a bit of the samgye kalguksu. If you're going solo, ordering just one dumpling dish is enough!

Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu, a Bokjeong-dong favorite, is a great place to visit in Seongnam whenever you're craving a hot bowl of kalguksu. Getting to enjoy warm broth, chicken, noodles, and rice all together, I felt completely satisfied after finishing the bowl. I'd totally recommend pairing it with their handmade meat and kimchi dumplings too!!