Seoul Korean BBQ with heaps of minari: Gongjung Dodeok duck set

If you're duck-hunting for something a bit different in a sea of pork-belly restaurants, a spot built around duck as the main event is a fun detour.

This time I ordered Gongjung Dodeok's signature combo: the Gongjung half-and-half set for two, plus a cheese potato pancake. You get spicy-seasoned duck jumulleok (stir-grilled duck) and plain duck roast on one grill at the same time, then it keeps going with minari, potatoes, and duck potato stew — a genuinely hearty spread.

Adding the cheese potato pancake, loaded with cheese and corn over thinly sliced potato, rounded things out nicely from main to side.

What kind of duck restaurant is Gongjung Dodeok in Mapo?

What stands out about Gongjung Dodeok is that the menu centers on duck rather than the usual pork belly or pork neck. Being able to eat duck roast and seasoned jumulleok together in one sitting is great if you're after a variety of flavors.

The Gongjung half-and-half set for two is ₩69,000. It includes half deeply seasoned jumulleok, half plain roast, plus minari and gonggamtang, a duck potato stew.

The set isn't just about the grilled meat — it flows from grilling to vegetables to soup all in one sitting.

Side dishes served at Gongjung Dodeok

Before the main menu arrives, the basic side dishes are set out first. Fresh perilla leaves, pickled radish, green onion kimchi, and pickles come out, along with a dipping sauce for the duck. They're the kind of sides that work well once the meat's flavor gets rich, so the whole spread comes together well.

The perilla leaves in particular pair well with the duck jumulleok. Their distinct aroma cuts through the heavy seasoning while bringing out the duck's savory flavor.

Putting meat on the pickled radish with a light dip in the sauce adds a tangy note for a different feel. Mixing in green onion kimchi or pickles here and there keeps the flavors from feeling monotonous over a whole plate.

What comes in the ₩69,000 half-and-half set for two

And finally, the Gongjung half-and-half set arrives. As you can tell from the photo, it nearly fills the wide grill plate. On one side sits the duck jumulleok, thoroughly coated in red seasoning, and on the other is the plain roasting duck.

In between there's a generous pile of minari, along with chunky-cut green onion and other vegetables. Up front, neatly sliced round potatoes complete a visually hearty spread.

The biggest perk of the half-and-half set is not having to commit to just one menu. You can eat the heavily seasoned jumulleok, switch to the plain roast, then add minari, and keep rotating flavors.

Spicy-sweet duck jumulleok, seasoned right through

What catches your eye first is the duck jumulleok. The glossy red seasoning coats the duck evenly, topped generously with sesame seeds. As it cooks on the grill, the seasoning's aroma rises and really stirs up your appetite.

The flavor is spicy, sweet, and salty all at once. Rather than sitting just on the surface, the seasoning blends naturally into the meat, so it works well with rice or as a drinking snack.

The duck's characteristic savory fat combined with the spicy seasoning makes for a fairly rich flavor. That's when the minari served alongside really works — its fragrant, crisp texture lightens up the heaviness of the jumulleok.

Piling jumulleok and minari onto a perilla leaf, adding pickled radish, and taking one big bite was a great combination too.

Roast duck, the mild half of the plate

Another reason I liked the half-and-half set is getting to eat unseasoned duck roast alongside the jumulleok. The roast shows off a completely different charm than the jumulleok.

Without heavy seasoning, the duck's own savory flavor comes through more clearly, and as it cooks, the rendered duck fat naturally flavors the vegetables grilled alongside it. Grilling green onion or minari together adds a nice aroma too.

After a few bites of jumulleok, moving to the roast resets your palate to something cleaner. Conversely, going from the plain roast to the spicy jumulleok gives a clear contrast in flavor.

So if you're not sure what to order on a first visit, tasting both at once with the half-and-half set feels quite practical.

A generous pile of minari with the duck

What catches your eye almost as much as the meat in the Gongjung Dodeok half-and-half set is the minari. It's piled high in the middle of the grill, and the portion is quite generous. Duck and minari are a familiar pairing, but grilling them together really makes clear why they work so well.

At first you can enjoy the crisp texture, and as it cooks a bit longer, the duck fat and seasoning soak in, making it softer. Minari grilled on the jumulleok side in particular picks up a little seasoning and gets even more savory.

Piling a generous amount of minari onto a piece of meat cuts the greasiness of the duck while adding fragrance. It's a much less tiring combination than eating meat alone the whole time.

Gonggamtang, the duck and potato stew that follows

The Gongjung half-and-half set also comes with gonggamtang, a duck potato stew. Served in an earthenware pot, gonggamtang comes topped with plenty of vegetables like perilla leaf and green onion, plus perilla seed powder, which promises a rich-looking broth.

Usually when you think of potato stew, pork spine comes to mind first, so it's a nice change to try a version made with duck here.

Eating grilled duck off the plate and then taking a spoonful of hot broth is a great rhythm. The rich broth, with the nuttiness of perilla seeds and the aroma of perilla leaf, pairs well with the spicy jumulleok too, and it's nice to spoon up between bites. Being able to have both grilled meat and a soup dish in one sitting makes the half-and-half set feel even more complete.

Cheese potato pancake at Gongjung Dodeok, ₩24,000

The side dish I ordered along with the Gongjung half-and-half set was the cheese potato pancake, priced at ₩24,000. It's made by thinly slicing potatoes into rounds, spreading them out wide, and topping with cheese.

When it actually arrives, the size alone is impressive. Layers of potato fill the wide plate, with melted cheese and corn piled generously in the middle, finished off with a sprinkle of parsley — a completely different vibe from the usual grated-potato pancake.

The edges of the potato cook to a golden, slightly crispy finish, while the inside stays moist with the cheese. The potato's plain flavor combines with the cheese's salty, savory richness, and the sweet bite of corn here and there makes for a pretty addictive combination.

Since the duck jumulleok is spicy and rich, having the cheese potato pancake in between switches things up with a softer, more savory mood.

The cheese potato pancake dipped in the duck sauce

The cheese potato pancake is plenty good on its own, but the accompanying sauce brings out another layer of flavor. Peeling off a thin layer of potato with cheese first, you get the potato's plain taste and the cheese's savoriness up front.

Adding a touch of the mildly spicy sauce keeps it from feeling one-note and brings out more umami.

Personally, I liked the order of eating a bite of duck jumulleok followed by a piece of the cheese potato pancake. The contrast between the jumulleok's spicy seasoning and the pancake's soft, savory cheese made the meal a lot more interesting than sticking to one dish the whole time.

Is the Gongjung set enough food for two?

What I liked most about the Gongjung half-and-half set at Gongjung Dodeok near Gongdeok is being able to enjoy duck in several different ways. You grill deeply seasoned duck jumulleok and plain duck roast together on one plate, with plenty of fragrant minari alongside. Add the hot gonggamtang duck potato stew on top of that, and there's quite a lot of variety packed into a single set.

The cheese potato pancake I ordered as a side was memorable too. With thinly sliced potato spread wide and topped generously with cheese and corn, it has a different charm from the usual potato pancake.

Add the ₩24,000 cheese potato pancake to the ₩69,000 half-and-half set for two, and it's a fairly hearty spread for two people. If that's too much, it's worth adjusting the side dishes depending on the number of people or your appetite.

This is a place worth remembering when you're near Gongdeok or Daeheung Station and craving something different from pork belly or beef, or when you want to try both duck jumulleok and roast. If you're a fan of minari especially, enjoying it in such generous amounts with duck makes for a satisfying combination.

In short, Gongjung Dodeok is a duck restaurant near Gongdeok where a single half-and-half set delivers seasoned duck jumulleok, plain duck roast, minari, and duck potato stew all at once. Add the cheese potato pancake loaded with cheese and corn, and you get to alternate between spicy and savory — a good menu combination overall. Recommended if you're looking for a hearty duck spread near Gongdeok.