Mushroom-stuffed rotisserie chicken in Dongmyo, Seoul: Obang Tongdak

Where is Obang Tongdak, and do you need to book?

Obang Tongdak is an electric-roasted whole chicken restaurant tucked away on a bit of a hill between Dongmyo Market and Sindang Central Market. I found it while bowling near Dongmyo and searching for somewhere good to eat nearby — turns out it's already known as an old-school-style open-air chicken spot with serious waits?! I wanted to keep it all to myself... but I'll spill the beans!

We booked through Naver Reservation, and maybe because it was a weekday at 9pm, there was no wait at all! Plenty of seats too! But apparently waits are usually long... so I'd recommend reserving ahead!

Takeout gets you a ₩2,000 discount!!

Inside Obang Tongdak: open-air first floor, group tables upstairs

Obang Tongdak runs both a 1st and 2nd floor. Maybe because we arrived a bit late, the 1st floor was already full (apparently it has more of an open-air-yard vibe). We ate on the 2nd floor instead — lots of tables, so it seems like a great spot for group gatherings too!

There was open-air-style seating on the 2nd floor too (a '1.5th floor'?), but it only fit one table... so that spot is probably popular too! When we arrived there were already guests there, so we headed indoors instead.

Obang Tongdak menu and what comes in the set

The menu is really varied! Going with a set gives you great composition and good value for money! Plus, thanks to the review event, a 330ml draft beer! 🍺 Join the event and get your beer, haha.

• Obang Dak-jeon Set (₩50,000) — golden whole chicken + chicken jeon + cucumber salad + Yeongwol kimchi + 2 draft beers

Aprons are self-serve, FYI.

The smell of electric-roasted chicken 🍗 hit us the moment we walked in the door and it was seriously appetite-stirring... Since we went late in the evening, there weren't many whole chickens left. Lucky Vicky!

The draft beer

Chicken and beer really is the unwritten rule. Beer is the best way to wash away the greasiness of fried chicken. Maybe because we ate after exercising, it tasted even better. That carbonated refreshment — so crisp and clean.

Seasoned cucumber side dish

At first I thought, why would a chicken place serve cucumber salad...? But one bite in, I'm calling it an essential item. 👍🏻👍🏻 Take a bite of chicken, then some tangy cucumber salad, and your palate is refreshed instantly! 💯 The kicker is the onion flakes on top of the cucumber salad!! Truly a hidden gem, haha.

Yeongwol kimchi

The Yeongwol kimchi apparently carries 70 years of skill from a grandmother in Jeolla-do, and maybe that's why it tasted so refreshingly good. Naturally, it's a perfect match with the chicken too 😉

Mushrooms instead of rice inside the golden whole chicken

Obang Tongdak's signature golden whole chicken arrives topped with whole garlic cloves, shredded red pepper, and onion flakes — and hidden underneath the chicken is nurungji (crispy rice), haha. Just look at this visual...

A staff member mashes the whole garlic for you at the table — since it's slow-cooked for 15 hours, all the sharpness is gone, leaving only a mellow, clean flavor!

The garlic just melts in your mouth lol. Ridiculously good!!!

But here's the twist. Inside the chicken, instead of rice... there's a mushroom filling, packed full!!!

These mushrooms — shiitake and four other kinds — are apparently cooked for 8 hours. Mushrooms instead of rice as the stuffing! Total game changer!! haha. The finely chopped mushrooms had a fun texture too, no awkwardness while eating at all!!

Ta-da~

Garlic-oil nurungji under the chicken

The nurungji here is a bit different from the nurungji we usually know. Soaked heavily in garlic oil that's been slow-cooked for 15 hours, it comes out moist rather than crispy. But it's genuinely so good... I get why people wait in line for this place.

⭐️The best way to eat it⭐️ Chicken + nurungji + mushroom + kimchi. This combo is unbelievable..🐷 You have to try it.

Chicken jeon: not a thin pancake at all

Obang Tongdak's chicken jeon is a crispy-yet-moist scallion-chicken pancake made with thigh meat and chicken gizzard. I heard 'chicken jeon' and assumed it'd just be a thin pancake like pajeon... but can you see how thick this is??

With thigh meat in there, it's full of juicy moisture, plus the chewiness of the gizzard — so good, I can't even.. It stays crispy even after cooling down? The owner is basically a genius.

You eat the chicken jeon dipped in sauce along with shredded scallions. This sauce has kind of a whole-chicken-sauce feel — spicy and tangy, and it went really well with the jeon.

Officially recognized as a Sindang chicken restaurant!! If you want an open-air-yard dinner in Sindang or Dongmyo, head to Obang Tongdak 🍗