Grilled chicken salt & soy combo in Daegu: Hyeongnim Dakgui

Here's a look at Hyeongnim Dakgui (형님닭구이) Daemyeong-dong Gyeongdae branch, where I went for grilled chicken in Daemyeong-dong.

Hours and parking at Hyeongnim Dakgui Daemyeong-dong Gyeongdae branch

• Hours: Daily 15:00–02:00
• Parking support available: 2 hours free

A room and even a play area — good for group dinners

The inside is huge. There are plenty of tables, a room-like separated space, and there's even a play area further inside.

So it looked good for a family meal, and also fine for a gathering with several people. It had more group-friendly elements than I expected, so it would be perfect for a company dinner too.

From side dishes to ramyeon and ice cream — the self-serve bar

There was a space in the middle that looked like a salad bar, and at first I wondered what it was. Turned out it was various side dishes and soup, ready to take as much as you needed, self-serve. The side dishes were also the kind that go well with grilled meat, so it was convenient — you could just go grab more without feeling awkward about it.

On top of that there's a separate ramyeon (instant noodle) self-serve corner, plus coffee and ice cream — so you can cover the meal and dessert in one visit!

You come for the grilled chicken but end up with a full course, ramyeon and ice cream included. The ice cream shape came out a bit questionable hahaha.

I just pulled the lever hard and this is what came out... but it was still tasty. Frozen chocolate milk flavor. A nice cool palate cleanser!!

We ordered the salt & soy grilled chicken combo — it comes 60% pre-cooked

We ordered one tray of grilled chicken. For flavor, we split it half salt-grilled and half soy-grilled.

When you order, the chicken doesn't come out raw — it arrives about 60% pre-cooked. So at the table you just flip it and finish cooking it, which was definitely easier than grilling from scratch. Since it's already pre-cooked, you just set it on the table grill and cook it a bit more, so you don't spend too much time grilling.

How the salt-grilled chicken tasted

They grilled the salt-grilled one first. They told us to cook it until it looks white, almost like baeksuk (boiled whole chicken). They also warned that grilling it too long makes the chicken tough! The chicken itself is mild, so the salt-grilled version was clean and easy to eat.

How the soy-grilled chicken tasted

The soy-grilled version had a subtle seasoning, and alternating between it and the salt-grilled version really let you feel the difference. I was glad we ordered one tray split in half. Between the two, we preferred the soy-grilled one, which had a saltier, more savory seasoning.

Spicy sauce and garlic sauce

The grilled chicken came with a spicy sauce and a garlic sauce. I mostly dipped mine in the garlic sauce, while the person I went with said the spicy sauce was really good. Even with the same chicken, the feel changes depending on the sauce, so switching between them kept it from getting boring. The salty soy-grilled chicken with garlic sauce was a great combo!

The owner kept an eye on the grilling — that made it easy

While we were eating, the owner came by from time to time to check how the meat was cooking. If something was getting overcooked, he'd let us know, and I liked how attentive he was throughout. With him checking in constantly, even a first-time visit wasn't hard to navigate.

There's also a big screen like this. At first it was showing a baseball broadcast, and once that ended, old pop songs started playing — it was really nice.

How about it as a group dinner spot in Daemyeong-dong?

If you're looking for a Daemyeong-dong, Daegu restaurant for grilled meat where you can go with a group, this one is worth considering. Rather than just a place to eat meat and leave, it's equipped with a self-serve bar, ramyeon and dessert, so if you like grazing on extras while you eat, you'll be even more satisfied. If you're looking for a place to eat grilled chicken in Daemyeong-dong or a group dinner spot there, I'd definitely recommend it.

• The salt & soy grilled chicken combo is recommended
• A spacious restaurant with everything from a room to a play area
• Works for anything from a family meal to a dinner with coworkers who feel like family