Meat mandu and spicy chicken noodle set in Seongnam: Cheongdam Dak

Hi everyone! It's Jindori. 😊 Today I want to introduce Cheongdam Kalguksu in Bokjeong-dong. If you're a fan of kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), you may have already heard of this place. It's especially known for chicken kalguksu piled high with chicken and served alongside suyuk (boiled pork), making it a solid pick for anyone hunting for good food in Bokjeong-dong. I heard lunchtime gets packed, so I went at a slightly quieter time.

• 📍 Address: 664-15 Bokjeong-dong, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do
• Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00, Sun 11:00–20:00
• Parking: Available next to the store

Where is Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu in Bokjeong-dong, and is there parking?

Cheongdam Kalguksu is located in Bokjeong-dong, and the exterior is kept so clean that you can spot the restaurant easily from a distance. Best of all for anyone driving, there's dedicated parking space! When you're hunting for good restaurants in Bokjeong-dong, you sometimes find a place with food you love but awkward parking,

but Cheongdam Kalguksu has fairly generous parking, which makes it convenient for visiting with family too.

How big is the dining room?

Stepping inside, the interior was much roomier than I expected. The tables aren't cramped together and each table itself is generously sized, so it looked good for solo diners, family meals, or gatherings with friends alike.

For anyone searching for good food in Bokjeong-dong while trying to find a spot to eat with family, this kind of spacious layout feels like a real plus. The whole interior was tidy and clean too, so there was nothing uncomfortable about the dining experience.

Spicy napa cabbage kimchi at the self-serve bar

Cheongdam Kalguksu also has a self-serve bar. You can grab everything you need, from small plates to disposable aprons, which was convenient. What I personally found fun was that the spicy kimchi is kept separate! There's regular napa cabbage kimchi and spicy napa cabbage kimchi set out separately, so if you like heat, you can grab the spicy one and enjoy it alongside your kalguksu for extra flavor.

The self-serve bar has pickled radish, diced radish kimchi, regular napa cabbage kimchi, and spicy napa cabbage kimchi, so you can pair whatever suits your taste with your meal.

Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu menu and how tablet ordering works

The menu is simpler than I expected, built around dishes that pair well with kalguksu. The signature dishes are Cheongdam Dak Kalguksu and Dak Kalguksu, and there's also dak gomtang (chicken soup).

There are also side dishes like herbal suyuk, tasting suyuk, and mandu, so if you feel like kalguksu alone isn't enough, it's easy to add on. There's even a solo kalguksu and bossam (boiled pork wraps) set, which is nice for solo diners or anyone who wants to sample a bit of everything.

Having a tablet installed at every table was also convenient. You can look at menu photos directly while ordering, and once you're done eating, you can pay right through the tablet without waiting around to settle up.

The spicy chicken kalguksu (pa-gomyeong) and suyuk set

What I ordered today was the spicy chicken kalguksu (pa-gomyeong) plus the suyuk set. The food came out not long after ordering. The first thing that caught my eye was, of course, the generous portion of noodles! The milky chicken broth base was loaded with plenty of kalguksu noodles,

and on top was a generous pile of hand-shredded chicken. With the pa-gomyeong (scallion garnish) added on top, it looked seriously appetizing.

How spicy is the spicy chicken kalguksu?

With kalguksu, you have to taste the broth first, right? I added a bit of black pepper and tasted the broth, and it had that distinctive mellow, deep flavor of chicken broth. Despite the name 'spicy chicken kalguksu,' it wasn't overwhelmingly hot or numbing from the start — the savory, mellow flavor of the chicken broth came through first.

The noodles had really soaked up the broth well, so slurping them up brought the broth's flavor along with each bite. There was also more chicken than I expected, so eating the noodles and chicken together made for an even heartier bite. The portion itself was quite generous, so anyone looking for a filling meal around Wirye or Bokjeong-dong kalguksu spots should be satisfied. A single bowl of kalguksu was more than enough to fill me up.

What the suyuk in the set was like

The suyuk that came with the kalguksu deserves a mention too. Sliced to a good thickness, the suyuk was clean-tasting with no gamey smell, and paired with the dried radish strips, garlic, chili, and salted shrimp on the side, the combination was really good. The suyuk itself wasn't too fatty, so it wasn't heavy to eat alongside the kalguksu.

The crunchy, slightly sweet dried radish strips paired well with the mellow suyuk, and topping it with garlic definitely perked up the flavor! If eating kalguksu alone feels like a little too little, and you want to enjoy a few dishes together, ordering the suyuk set is a good call.

Meat mandu: four large dumplings per order

Lastly, I tried the meat mandu I'd ordered. It comes as 4 dumplings total, and each one is quite large. They were almost too big to eat in one bite, so I cut them in half — the filling was packed inside, and even one dumpling was pretty filling on its own. The steaming hot mandu was tasty on its own, but dipping it lightly in soy sauce hit just the right seasoning. Kalguksu and mandu together is hard combination to mess up.

Worth it if you want kalguksu in Bokjeong-dong or Wirye?

Overall, what I liked about Cheongdam Kalguksu was that the menu isn't complicated, and the dishes — kalguksu, suyuk, mandu — are put together well for sharing. The chicken kalguksu piled with generous chicken paired well with the mellow broth and noodles, and adding spicy kimchi gave it a different flavor to enjoy. The spacious dining room and parking made it good for family visits too, and being able to order and pay via tablet at each table made the whole meal convenient. For anyone near Bokjeong-dong, or even nearby Wirye looking for kalguksu, this is worth adding to the list.

Cheongdam Kalguksu today was a place where I could properly enjoy generous portions and mellow chicken broth. The kalguksu, loaded generously with chicken, was filling on its own, and with the suyuk and mandu added in, I really felt like I'd had a proper feast. It should suit anyone looking for good food in Bokjeong-dong, or a mellow yet hearty chicken kalguksu spot.

I also liked that the spicy kimchi is kept separate, so anyone who likes heat can enjoy it with the kalguksu to their taste. With a clean dining room, plenty of parking, and generous food, Cheongdam Kalguksu was good for a family meal or a hearty lunch. If you're ever craving warm kalguksu around Bokjeong-dong or Wirye, it's worth a visit. 😊