Chicken takeout in Hongdae, Seoul: Galbi Cheonwang at Goobne Red Road

Why chicken takeout in Hongdae made the weekend dinner easy

Every weekend I end up thinking, "What on earth should we eat tonight?" — an occupational hazard of being a mom. Our kids love chicken so much, and since it was the weekend, my husband and I wanted a break from cooking too. Going to sit down at a restaurant felt like too much hassle, so this time we decided to solve dinner with takeout instead.

I wondered where to order from and looked for a place that could nail both crispy and sweet flavors. This time I chose — you guessed it — Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road, famous as a Hongdae chicken restaurant. I picked up their two best menu items, perfect for both kids and adults: Galbi Cheonwang and Gochu Basasak.

Inside Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road and how long takeout takes

Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road has a first and second floor, and after ordering takeout I waited about 15 minutes before my order was ready. I wandered around the neighborhood a bit while waiting — the place had opened not long ago, and since I have a reunion with old classmates planned for Chuseok and year-end, I was curious to check out the interior anyway, so I killed two birds with one stone.

The first and second floors had a really spacious hall with great sunlight, perfect for daytime drinking sessions haha. The staff were friendly too, so I snapped some photos while there were no other customers — to show off in our group chat. I feel like everyone would agree to meet here once they see the gorgeous sunlit photos, since it's in Hongdae and easy to reach by public transit. Plus it just opened, so everything's still spotless, right?

After about 15 minutes, my order came out packed up nice and heavy, and knowing the kids would love it, I rushed straight home. And sure enough — screaming ensued haha.

Galbi Cheonwang and Gochu Basasak, packed to go

The moment I got home and opened the box, the sweet galbi sauce smell and the savory spicy aroma spread through the whole house, and the kids came running with cheers before I could even set it down. They could tell exactly what it was just from the smell, and blurted out the name before it even hit the table — that's my kids for you haha.

Galbi Cheonwang vs. Gochu Basasak: what is the difference?

Galbi Cheonwang isn't spicy and has a sweet flavor, so it was the kids' pick, while Gochu Basasak is crispy on the outside with a spicy kick, making it the adults' pick. The galbi glaze on Galbi Cheonwang soaked all the way in, sweet and salty, and was perfect for the kids to eat with rice — watching their forks move nonstop without spicy heat to slow them down was satisfying enough on its own.

Gochu Basasak, on the other hand, was crispy on the outside with spiciness building up the more you chewed, which totally won over the adults — so today we overate again... Dipped in the sauce, it never got boring.

How to mix chicken with galbi sauce, plus ordering extra sauce

The chicken comes cut into bite-sized pieces, so mixing in the included galbi sauce basically turns it into a full meal — you know how that goes, right? My kids would wake up from a dead sleep for galbi sauce. Add some gim-garu (seaweed flakes) if you have it, and drizzle on a swirl of sesame oil, and you get that flavor everyone knows without needing to be told. If you've got kids at home, Galbi Cheonwang is the way to go.

As expected, the kids mixed the chicken into the sweet sauce and each polished off a bowl of rice, while my husband and I paired the crispy, spicy Gochu Basasak with a cold drink — a truly perfect weekend family dinner.

They ate so well they were already on their second bowl. You can order extra sauce separately, so if your kids eat as much as mine, definitely add one more — you won't have enough otherwise haha. One bag would be plenty for one person on top of a bowl of rice, but since both my kids are chicken maniacs, it was one bag per person!!

Is Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road good for kids and adults together?

If you're tired of eating the same thing every day, or looking for a no-fail dining/takeout option with your kids — how about solving tonight's dinner with a hearty, delicious Hongdae chicken restaurant meal?

I'll wrap up this post with a photo of Gochu Basasak so crispy you can practically feel it through the screen haha.