Guui Station chicken shop, closing-time dakgangjeong: Mr. Kim's

Where is Mr. Kim's Chicken Jayang Market Branch?

Mr. Kim's Chicken Jayang Branch is a dakgangjeong and old-style fried chicken shop at 44 Ttukseom-ro 49-gil, 1F, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, inside Jayang Market. It's 628m from Exit 4 of Guui Station on Line 2, open daily 11:00–22:00, and offers group seating, takeout, and reservations.

Today I went to Mr. Kim's Chicken, a dakgangjeong and old-style fried chicken spot in Jayang Market. I went late, close to closing time, for takeout, and the takeout customers kept coming even then.

A sign that caught my eye: 'Chicken is way too expensive these days.' 'We're not selling cheap — there's just no reason to charge more.' Hahahaha.

How clean is this market chicken shop?

The second I saw the chicken I thought, wow, this place is really well kept. The oil is clearly managed well because the chicken's color was so clean-looking, and the counter and prep area were spotless too!

Most importantly — a lot of market chicken shops sell dakgangjeong and old-style fried chicken out in the open with no cover, but here everything was under glass, which felt way more hygienic.

The old-style fried chicken and different cuts were on display, and everything is fried fresh to order and warmed up right then.

How cheap are the prices at Mr. Kim's Chicken?

The prices are seriously good value. I could already feel the conviction from that sign, but old-style fried chicken for ₩7,000 — these days even food trucks charge ₩8,000–9,000 for that. And plain fried chicken is just ₩10,000. Mr. Kim's even has seating, so you can eat cheap and sit down too, which is a real perk.

Since the chicken and dakgangjeong prices are so low, radish, sauce, and cola cost extra. I liked that there were lots of sauce options though.

• Dakgangjeong, medium-spicy, medium size: ₩9,000
• Drumsticks, 6 pieces: ₩9,000

Order placed! The dakgangjeong I ordered gets fried once, then tossed right on the counter. The smell got serious from this point on, haha. They piled on plenty of sauce too, which I appreciated.

Doesn't it look amazing? If there's not a huge backlog of orders, it takes about 5 minutes. Since Mr. Kim's is right in Jayang Market, the food scene there is really well set up. In weather like this, taking this to Ttukseom Han River Park would be great too. I took mine home for takeout.

The packaging was neat so nothing got messed up on the way. The smell on the bus home was so good I wanted to just start eating it there... The dakgangjeong was still good even cold, but I wanted the drumsticks extra crispy so I ran them through the air fryer briefly (the photo is from before the air fryer).

What does the medium-spicy dakgangjeong taste like?

Mr. Kim's medium-spicy dakgangjeong has a charcoal-grilled BBQ-style sauce that isn't too sweet. It looks moist and glossy even just looking at it, and the moment you bite in there's that charcoal-grilled feel too. I'm not a fan of dakgangjeong that's too sweet, but true to being a dakgangjeong spot in Jayang Market, Mr. Kim's had really good balance of flavor. Not too intense, and the batter isn't too thick either, so it's the kind of dakgangjeong that works for all ages.

The medium-spicy level is below buldak (fire chicken) spicy, so if you want it spicier you can order the spicy version — but if you want a hint of spice without too much of a burden, medium-spicy was just right.

Six drumsticks for 9,000 won: portion and crunch

Next, the drumsticks! Big pieces, and 6 for just ₩9,000... Usually if you order 10 sticks or drumsticks elsewhere it starts at ₩23,000 minimum. If this place were near my house it would 200% be my go-to spot... (I wish it were near my house)

Even before the air fryer, the crispiness held up nicely. Once I bit in, it really was crispy and tasted exactly like old-style fried chicken. Knowing it's domestic Korean chicken makes it even easier to trust.

Inside it stays moist too, so if you go to Mr. Kim's, I'd recommend the dakgangjeong plus whichever part you like — drumstick recommended — combo.

If you're around Jayang Market, Guui Station, or Jayang-dong looking for dakgangjeong or old-style fried chicken, give Mr. Kim's Chicken a try — it's the dakgangjeong spot Jayang Market is known for.