Chicken galbi in Cheonho at 9pm, strawberry milk ice cream: Ondogye

Ondogye (온도계) is a charcoal chicken galbi place in Cheonho that I want to go back to regularly because it's so good. My boyfriend and I always end up doing dates near my home and I'd gotten a bit sick of it, so we headed to the next neighborhood, Cheonho, and I finally revisited Ondogye for charcoal chicken galbi and a casual drink. Even after a long gap, everything from the side dishes to the meat was better than I expected, so I'm going to write this up in detail!!!

Ondogye location, parking and opening hours in Cheonho

Ondogye is at 15 Cheonho-daero 158-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Cheonho Station, so it's easy to find. It's open every day, Monday to Sunday, 16:00-23:00, with last order at 22:00.

• ♥️ Location: 15 Cheonho-daero 158-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul
• 🚗 Parking: none on site; use a nearby public car park if needed
• 🕖 Hours: Mon-Sun 16:00 - 23:00 (last order 22:00)

It's about 5 minutes on foot from Cheonho Station, and it sits at the start of Jjukkumi Alley (the webfoot octopus alley), so even first-timers can find it easily.

Inside Ondogye and the wait: is it busy at 9pm?

Even at an awkward time like 9pm, Ondogye was packed. The inside isn't tiny, just a normal-sized restaurant, but there were so many customers that I couldn't take photos.

If you hate waiting, book ahead like we did or go right when it opens. Even with a crowd, tables get cleared as soon as people leave, so everywhere looked tidy and pleasant, and the buzzing atmosphere was great for drinking.

Ondogye menu and prices

The menu is posted big on one wall and small beside each table. It's neatly organized, so choosing from your seat is easy.

• Garlic salt chicken galbi, 2 servings ₩34,000
• Spicy chicken galbi, 1 serving ₩17,000
• Steamed egg ₩5,000

With several flavors on offer, it's a good place to pick to your own taste. We ordered the garlic salt chicken galbi and the spicy chicken galbi, plus steamed egg.

Basic table setting: fried gizzards come free

After we ordered, a staff member set the table with side dishes, stew and sauces.

The best part of Ondogye is that fried gizzards come as a standard. Crispy outside, chewy inside, so good it made me think of beer right away.

How is the charcoal chicken galbi? Staff grill it all

At Ondogye, a staff member stays by the table to grill everything and cut it into bite-size pieces, so all you do is eat once it's cooked. It was so convenient. While you're working through the basic spread, they get the charcoal chicken galbi ready.

The chicken was so tender it practically melted in my mouth; the quality of the meat made the texture stand out right away.

There was no gamey smell at all, just nutty, clean flavor, so even dipping it in plain salt was delicious. Adding wasabi, or wrapping it in pickled radish (ssam-mu) like a wrap, doubled the savoriness and made the charcoal chicken galbi even better.

Dessert: strawberry milk ice cream

After the meal, Ondogye gives you ice cream for dessert. The strawberry milk flavor was really rich and a perfect finish. Absolutely the best!!!

Ondogye in Cheonho: overall verdict

• Every dish was better than expected, a Cheonho chicken galbi spot I want to eat at again!!!
• The inside isn't large, so a wait is almost a given at peak hours. I recommend going early or booking ahead!!!!
• About 5 minutes on foot from Cheonho Station, so access is great ~!