Mild spice level 1 chicken feet combo in Hongdae: Cheongnyeon 1987

Hi, it's Babi! I went to a Hongdae restaurant that does spicy chicken feet really well. Sharing a spot near Yeonnam-dong that also doubles as a great bar~

Cheongnyeon Dakbal 1987 Hongdae Branch 218-1 Donggyo-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul - Hours Daily 16:00–00:30 *Fri, Sat, Sun: open from 15:00 *Fri, Sat: until 1:30 the next day

Where is Cheongnyeon Dakbal 1987 Hongdae Branch? A 5-minute walk from Exit 3, Hongik University Station

This Hongdae chicken feet restaurant is near Exit 3 of Hongik University Station, on the Yeonnam-dong side. It's about a 5-minute walk from the exit, so it's easy to find.

Inside Cheongnyeon Dakbal 1987 Hongdae Branch: seating and atmosphere

The inside has a cozy, indoor-pojangmacha (street tent bar) vibe. Every table has a pen so guests can scribble on the walls, and previous customers had already covered them with graffiti~ The tables are round, and there's storage space under the chairs for bags and coats.

There are window seats where the outer windows open, plus outdoor terrace seats, so once the weather cools down a bit it would be nice to sit outside for a drink!

You order through a tablet at each table. It was easy to pick things out with menu photos and option choices.

What two people ordered, and what comes in the ₩42,000 Cheongnyeon Dakbal Combo

Today's order (2 people) 1) Cheongnyeon Dakbal Combo: ₩42,000 +Add daechang: ₩9,000 +Add napjak mandu: ₩2,500 2) Flying fish roe egg steam: ₩5,000 3) Coolpis: ₩2,500 x 2

We went with the signature Cheongnyeon Dakbal Combo! Ordering just this one dish gives you a full spread of spicy chicken feet, fried chicken skin, kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), mukjabap (acorn jelly rice), tuna mayo rice balls, and perilla leaf wraps. The daechang and napjak mandu we added come as toppings placed right on top of the chicken feet.

The basic side dishes are pickled radish and bean sprout soup — this soup is nice on its own, but if the chicken feet get too spicy, pour a little in to simmer and it cuts the heat while adding a deeper flavor! Handy tip!

It's a really generous spread. In photos it doesn't look that big, but when it actually arrives... it takes up the whole table, it's massive.

How spicy is spice level 1? Boneless soup chicken feet for a spice-shy eater

Loaded generously with the added toppings! At this Hongdae chicken feet restaurant, you can choose both the spice level and the type of chicken feet. There are three spice levels.

• Level 1: Shin Ramyun spicy
• Level 2: Buldak Bokkeummyeon spicy
• Level 3: Haek Buldak Bokkeummyeon spicy

I'm pretty spice-shy so I went with level 1 haha. For the type, there were three options — bone-in whole, tulip-cut, or boneless — and I chose boneless.

It's soup chicken feet, but all you can see is toppings, right?! That's how generous it is. The pot is a deep type, so the broth sits low at the bottom. On top of the added napjak mandu and daechang, the basic toppings are rice cakes, sausage, quail eggs and other tasty bits all gathered together.

Turn on the burner, and once the broth starts boiling, just cook it another 5 minutes or so. That makes the chicken feet more tender and the rice cakes chewy and nicely cooked. I took an excited first bite... and huh, even at level 1 it was pretty spicy for someone as spice-shy as me?!! It felt a bit spicier than Shin Ramyun. But it wasn't an artificial capsaicin-type heat — it comes from red pepper flakes and cheongyang chili, so even though it was spicy, it was a deliciously spicy chicken feet.

The "fire squad" sides that cool the heat: mukjabap, kalguksu and rice balls

If it's too spicy for you, take a look at what I'm calling the fire squad menu from here on. Bean sprout soup with mayonnaise, perilla leaf wraps~ dip the softly cooked daechang from the spicy broth into mayonnaise and eat!

And then! Mukjabap with a layer of shaved ice on top!! Wow, this really tamed the spice well and was refreshing and savory-delicious ㅠㅠ If you're not ordering the combo, mukjabap is also available as a side dish, so please, please order it...

If you're still short on carbs, there's also kalguksu in a spicy-hot broth

Rolling the tuna mayo rice ball in the chicken feet broth made it absolutely delicious! With this whole variety of fire squad items, even I, a spice-shy eater, was able to keep eating happily without giving up haha

Fried chicken skin, steamed egg with flying fish roe and napjak mandu

The fried chicken skin was great for a crispy texture break between bites of chicken feet, and the flying fish roe egg steam (₩5,000) I added as a side helped cool the heat while the popping fish roe was really tasty.

Wrapping chicken feet in the napjak mandu we ordered as a topping. It's a combo of delicious + delicious, so definitely give it a try.

Who will enjoy Cheongnyeon Dakbal 1987 Hongdae Branch?

This is a great spot for anyone who wants to enjoy a generous spread with lots of different combinations. If you're looking for a spicy chicken feet restaurant, check out Cheongnyeon Dakbal 1987, a Hongdae restaurant near Exit 3 of Hongik University Station in Yeonnam-dong!