Mapo bar for charcoal-grilled bone-in chicken: Kkoko Land

Kkoko Land’s outdoor-bar atmosphere and accessibility near Hongdae

Kkoko Land, a new outdoor bar near Hongdae, was pretty easy to reach from Sangsu Station, Hongik University Station, or Hapjeong Station. It is huge, too—Hongdae students must be happy to have such a delicious outdoor bar move in.

Here is the entrance to Kkoko Land. There is a waterwheel, and the music is blasting right from the entrance. So hot, so hot.

In weather like this, it would be a shame not to go to Kkoko Land for outdoor drinks. I think it is the best of the Hongdae outdoor bars. The atmosphere is incredible. There are so many enormous screens that there will definitely be a wait when sports are on.

Chicken steamed, then grilled over charcoal

It seems they first steam the chicken in a steamer, then grill it over charcoal to give it that smoky flavor. Isn’t that practically health food? They keep grilling it, and this nutty aroma just wafts right up to your nose.

There are outdoor seats on the first floor and quite a few tables inside, too. But the weather has been so nice lately that everyone was eating outside. What an atmosphere, right? In the cold winter, it looks like they close up the top and turn on heaters. You feel tipsy the moment you walk in.

Non-alcoholic welcome tea and cream draft beer

As soon as you sit down, they bring you non-alcoholic welcome tea. It is sweet and tasty. Since grilled chicken takes a little time to serve, I loved the thoughtful snack they brought with it.

While having the welcome tea, I ordered draft beer right away, too.

Look at that cream draft beer. It has this incredibly creamy, whipped-cream-like topping, yet it is refreshing. I think that glass plays a big role in keeping it cold. Such delicious beer—definitely order it.

Juicy, crisp charcoal-grilled bone-in chicken

The bone-in grilled chicken we ordered came in a salt flavor, with cabbage salad and pagimchi (scallion kimchi) on the side. Juicy inside and crisp outside. Wow, it was cooked perfectly. It was so moist, with no overbaking at all.

With a look like this, beer is great, but how could I resist soju? I ordered it right away. Since the food looks healthy, soju should be okay, shouldn’t it? Haha.

Music keeps playing, and sports videos fill the giant screens, so it looks great for company dinners, guys’ get-togethers, girls’ get-togethers, and couples alike.

This was my first time having food of this quality at a Hongdae outdoor bar. It had the kind of atmosphere that would make me come once a week in spring and fall, and chicken quality that felt like hotel food. The Korean chicken was in excellent condition.

The pagimchi and three-sauce combination

The pagimchi that came with it was memorable, and the radish side also included cucumber. Rather than sweet, it tasted refreshing and clean. The pagimchi went especially well with the grilled chicken.

The tableware was neatly set with three sauces: chipotle, spicy sauce, and sweet garlic sauce. The chicken itself was so good that only a little sauce was needed, but personally, I thought the hot sauce—something like sriracha—went best with it.

Look at the size of that chicken leg. It is enormous. Be sure to wrap it with pagimchi, haha.

An extra order of boneless chicken thigh fried chicken

We devoured it in no time, so this is the boneless fried chicken we ordered extra. I debated between this and yuringi (Chinese-style fried chicken), then decided to try it. It did not come with pagimchi separately, but it was nicely fried chicken made entirely with thigh meat.

We polished off the last remaining fried chicken, too. Another great meal today.

Recommended as a Hongdae outdoor bar.