Gapyeong charcoal-grilled chicken for kids: Dami Seorak Dakgalbi

Not long ago, we went camping in Gapyeong and had lunch near Gapyeong IC after checking out. Since we were visiting with the kids, we needed somewhere with non-spicy food they could eat, and luckily there was a charcoal-grilled dakgalbi restaurant. How nice is that? 💟 It was Dami Seorak Charcoal-grilled Dakgalbi (다미설악숯불닭갈비)!

Charcoal-grilled dakgalbi after camping checkout in Gapyeong

There is a parking lot right in front of the restaurant, so we parked very easily and went inside.

As you would expect from a popular spot near Gapyeong IC, parking is convenient, and the menu is posted in large print on the wall. Spicy dakgalbi, soy-sauce dakgalbi, and boiled pork are the main dishes, while meal options include bibim makguksu (spicy mixed buckwheat noodles), mul makguksu (buckwheat noodles in chilled broth), and more, so it was fun choosing.

If having dakgalbi as your main meal feels like a bit much, I also recommend the makguksu set (makguksu plus boiled pork) as a good-value lunch special. They also had several high chairs ready for little guests.

Half-and-half dakgalbi with the kids

We ordered four servings of half-and-half dakgalbi—two servings of spicy chicken and two of soy-sauce chicken—plus two bowls of rice for the kids.

Dami Seorak Charcoal-grilled Dakgalbi also offers takeout. They say they use only fresh domestic chicken thigh meat, which made me trust it even more.

Crunchy deodeok salad and side dishes

The side dishes went so well with the dakgalbi! There was seasoned chive salad, perilla-leaf pickles, seasoned acorn jelly, seasoned deodeok (bellflower root), bean sprouts, stir-fried fish cake, and ssamjang dipping sauces. The deodeok salad was especially crisp, with such a lovely texture and flavor for my taste, that my chopsticks kept heading right back to it.

I was so hungry that I was chewing through the side dishes first, haha.

The soy-sauce and spicy dakgalbi arrived on one plate, and we decided to grill the soy-sauce chicken first! It seemed to come with a little extra tteok (rice cake), too 🤭 It already looked tender, but once grilled it was definitely even more tender.

There is no separate self-service bar, so if you need more side dishes, you ask a staff member and they bring them over.

The dining room was much bigger than I expected. I first loved how generously spaced the tables were, and there were also large seating areas suitable for groups.

Grilling non-spicy soy-sauce dakgalbi

First onto the charcoal grill went the soy-sauce dakgalbi! It is not spicy at all, so it is a dish our spice-shy kids can enjoy. It was not overly fatty either, so even my eldest, who does not like chicken skin, gave it a thumbs-up and ate it well.

It is really important to turn the dakgalbi often so it does not burn ✨ Speed is everything when grilling dakgalbi deliciously 💗

The pieces were just the right thickness to eat, so the kids did not find them dry at all and happily ate the less-fatty soy-sauce chicken.

The adults' dish: spicy dakgalbi and wraps

The spicy dakgalbi was the adults' dish! It had a gentle kick, and eating it with the seasoned chive salad made the chicken taste even better and more savory. The marinade burns especially quickly, so you have to flip it often—swish, swish.

Lettuce wraps are a must~!!!! Adding side dishes makes them twice as good. I also liked placing a perilla-leaf pickle on the lettuce, then adding dakgalbi and either bean sprouts or seasoned chive salad on top 🤎

We joined the receipt-review event posted in one corner of the restaurant and received steamed buckwheat dumplings 💙 They were meat dumplings; the wrappers were chewy and the filling was wonderfully packed, so they were delicious. Next time I visit Dami Seorak Charcoal-grilled Dakgalbi, I will have to order these buckwheat dumplings as an appetizer.