Weekend crowds at a Danyang market chicken restaurant: Danyang

Today's post is a proper eating tour of Danyang Guitgyeong Market (구경시장)!! First up, let me introduce the chicken restaurant everyone raves about — Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong, haha.

• 612 Dojeon-ri, Danyang-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungbuk / inside Danyang Guitgyeong Market
• Wed–Mon 09:00–19:00, closed every Tuesday
• Guitgyeong Market public parking lot available

Danyang Guitgyeong Market is busy even when it's not market day

Guitgyeong Market's official market days fall on the 1st of the month and any date ending in 5. The day I visited wasn't one of them, but the crowds were huge — I was genuinely surprised. The weather had cooled off and it was a weekend, so everyone seemed to be out for a stroll, haha. The market itself isn't massive, but there's food everywhere, so it's great for just wandering and looking around.

Among all the stalls, Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong had people crowding in front of it. Calling itself a life-changing dakgangjeong made me curious too, haha. It also seemed like the perfect travel snack to pack up and eat on the go!!

House-made nurungji, prepared right in the shop

This is the Danyang dakgangjeong (fried chicken) spot that's swept across TV shows, from Saengsaeng Jeongbotong to Live Today. Off to one side of the shop, they make the nurungji (rice-crust) topping by hand. House-made nurungji!! Even without tasting it, I could already imagine that crackly, nutty flavor.

Original vs. double black garlic — sample first, then choose

There are two kinds of dakgangjeong: the regular original nurungji dakgangjeong, topped with garlic but milder than the black garlic version,

and the double black garlic dakgangjeong!! Koreans are famously a garlic-loving people, and this is a rich black garlic flavor you can only really get in Danyang, so I ordered the black garlic version!! There was a sampling counter too, which made it even better — I could try it comfortably and pick the flavor I actually liked.

Black garlic makgeolli, a collab with Daegang Makgeolli

They were also selling black garlic makgeolli (rice wine), made in collaboration with Daegang Makgeolli, famous as the rice wine served at Blue House state dinners. Eating black garlic dakgangjeong with black garlic makgeolli felt so potent that even a bear might skip its 100-day trial and turn human on the spot — so I decided to take it home and try it on my wife right away.

My wife greeted me lying in bed after I came back from sweeping through Danyang Guitgyeong Market. I figured I'd better feed her the garlic quickly.

They say it's even better once it cools — I tested that over two days

They ship nationwide, and apparently it tastes even better once it cools down. There was actually quite a lot of it, so I kept it in the fridge and ate it over two days — and it stayed crispy and delicious the whole time!!

Unboxing the nurungji dakgangjeong. It's packed with black garlic chicken and rice crust. The nurungji adds a crispy, nutty note to the chicken that makes it even more appealing. The garlic sauce is also incredibly thick and rich!!

Brace yourself for the garlic smell

The chicken pieces are really thick too. It's genuinely delicious black garlic dakgangjeong, but there's one thing to watch out for. If you're eating this with a partner or someone you're seeing, you'll want to think carefully about how much you eat and how it might affect the mood for any skinship later. That's how strong the garlic smell is.

The crispy nurungji is the real kicker.

I saved the black garlic makgeolli to drink with a friend next week. It has about a month left before its expiration date, so that's plenty of time!!

Paired with the black garlic dakgangjeong, you really get the full, true taste of garlic, haha. One bite of black garlic dakgangjeong with a cup of black garlic makgeolli rounds out a Danyang trip nicely, so if you're planning to visit Guitgyeong Market, be sure to try it!!