Gapyeong IC dakgalbi restaurant with mul-makguksu: Dami Seorak

We stopped by on the way to a weekend camping trip — four adults and one kid, haha. Long story short, the dakgalbi (grilled marinated chicken) was seriously tender, and the mul-makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles in broth) made it a perfect combo. I've got all the price, parking, and menu details laid out below!!

How to get to Dami Seorak Charcoal-grilled Dakgalbi, and where to park

Dami Seorak Charcoal-grilled Dakgalbi is at 150 Hanseo-ro, Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong-gun — close to both Seorak IC and Gapyeong IC, haha. Great spot to stop on the way to Shine Dale CC or The Stay Healing Park. There's a parking lot right in front, so bringing a car works fine!!

What Dami Seorak looks like from the street

The sign clearly says charcoal-grilled dakgalbi and makguksu in big letters, so it's easy to spot. There were quite a few cars in the lot, which gave off a strong locals-eat-here vibe, haha. Next to the entrance hung banners for Dami herbal boiled pork, buckwheat makguksu, and charcoal dakgalbi.

Inside the restaurant

Since it was the weekend and not a weekday, every table was packed. The grills and exhaust ducts at each table gave it a real charcoal-grill-specialist feel. Next to the menu board on the wall was a poster for the lunch set, haha.

What makes Dami Seorak easy with a child

Dami Seorak Charcoal-grilled Dakgalbi had four baby chairs lined up along the wall. As parents with a kid in tow, it was genuinely a welcome touch, haha. Above the counter was a row of celebrity autographs, giving off that long-running local favorite feel.

Menu board and the 15,000 won lunch set

Looking at the menu board, dakgalbi and makguksu were clearly the stars, with quite a few variations of each. The lunch set — makguksu plus boiled pork (suyuk) — was ₩15,000, which looked like great value. There were also plenty of meal options like buckwheat pancake with dakgaejang (spicy chicken soup), buckwheat steamed dumpling soup, and buckwheat steamed dumplings.

How kiosk ordering works at Dami Seorak

Ordering is done through a kiosk, split into meat dishes, meal dishes, and add-ons. Half-and-half dakgalbi had its own button, so it was easy to pick. The add-on menu had a kids' rice ball and cheese fondue, which is great if you've got a child with you. Makguksu also came with a large-portion option, so adjusting the amount looked easy, haha.

How many banchan (side dishes) come out

We got a good spread of side dishes — seasoned bean sprouts, braised tofu, spicy fried fish cake, and pickled perilla leaves. The seasoned deodeok (mountain root) and fish cake side dishes were seriously delicious!! Nicely spicy and perfectly seasoned, haha.

They also brought out a separate plate of lettuce for wraps, so I almost filled up before the chicken even arrived..

Two servings of half-and-half dakgalbi on the charcoal

We ordered the half-and-half dakgalbi for two, which came with both the seasoned and soy-sauce marinades plus rice cake slices on top. Being charcoal-grilled, the outside browned up quickly. Tender-looking already and mouth-watering to look at, ㅠ

How the dakgalbi cooks at the table

Grilling the unseasoned and seasoned pieces together made it fun to pick and choose. Being over charcoal, there was a faint smoky flavor seeping in. Four pieces at a time sat lined up on the glowing red coals.

Grilling the rice cake slices alongside made them chewy and filling too, haha.

Picking it up with the tongs, the surface had caramelized to a deep color. It was soft enough that 'tender' felt like the exact right word.. slightly charred outside, moist-looking inside.

Dakgalbi wrapped in lettuce

We wrapped a piece of chicken with seasoned vegetables in lettuce. The rice cake, slightly charred too, kept its chewiness even more.

Dakgalbi with buchu (chive) salad on top

Topping the chicken with the chive salad made each bite refreshing. No room to get greasy — chopsticks kept going, haha. The chicken and chives paired better than I expected.

Even picked up with chopsticks, plenty of juice remained, which was nice. Wrapping it up with garlic and green onion shreds kept it from feeling heavy, haha. Kept reaching for more lettuce wraps without ever getting tired of it.

How was the mul-makguksu at Dami Seorak?

The mul-makguksu at Dami Seorak Charcoal-grilled Dakgalbi had a pale broth piled with julienned radish, seaweed flakes, and sesame seeds. It looked refreshing just from a glance, so my hand went right for it while eating the chicken. A few ice cubes floated on top, making it look even more cooling.

The noodles were springy, and the broth was mild yet refreshingly cool. We ordered two and finished them in no time.. it paired perfectly with the dakgalbi. The kind of flavor that stays in your head and keeps coming back to mind, haha.

A hearty spread for four adults and one child

As we neared the end of the chicken, the side dishes kept getting refilled. The braised soybeans and sweet-spicy sweet potato salad kept my hand reaching back. The vinegared cucumber and seasoned greens rounded out a really solid spread.

Finishing with the kids' rice ball

We ordered the rice ball for the kid, but the sesame oil aroma made the adults eat it happily too, haha. Both the tender dakgalbi and the cooling mul-makguksu were satisfying. The staff were kind, and seeing so many locals around gave it that vetted, trustworthy feeling.. A place I'd love to stop by again whenever passing near Seorak IC or Gapyeong IC, haha.

With baby chairs and takeout available, it's a highly usable spot, haha.