Chuseok holiday brunch at a Gwacheon duck BBQ restaurant: Deo Chadol

Deo Chadol, a duck specialty restaurant near Seoul Grand Park and the National Science Museum in Gwacheon. Open daily 11:00–21:30 (break 15:00–17:00), with two private rooms for groups (6 to 16 people), kid-friendly, within 5 minutes on foot from Seonbawi Station Exit 3, and free parking in front of the restaurant.

Why Deo Chadol works as brunch before a Chuseok trip to Seoul Grand Park

Chuseok holiday, and it's time for a Seoul Grand Park outing! I don't have the confidence to play the crowd-guessing game at Everland… but Seoul Grand Park and the zoo don't have anywhere to eat, so you have to pack a lunchbox, which is annoying. Today I don't even have time to pack one, so let's have brunch at a good restaurant nearby!

Searching for Gwacheon Seoul Land restaurants, I found a lot of recommendations for Deo Chadol, a duck specialty restaurant near Seonbawi Station on the way to Seoul Grand Park, known for duck brisket and raw duck jumulleok. I've been exhausted lately… so for some energy recovery, duck restaurant it is! But since it's a famous place open through the Chuseok holiday, I figured we'd need to do an opening run!

Getting to Deo Chadol: 5 minutes from Seonbawi Station, and parking

Being near Seonbawi Station makes Deo Chadol easy to reach by public transit, and there's also a spacious dedicated free parking lot, so driving isn't a hassle either. It was busy with opening-run cars, but there was parking staff on hand, so parking went smoothly.

It's a fairly large standalone building.

Inside Deo Chadol: atmosphere and seating

The Deo Chadol dining room is spacious and clean! High ceilings, black ceiling with exposed silver ductwork, and soft lighting… it's a sleek, modern space, quite different from a traditional duck restaurant vibe.

The window seats, cozy with big windows, blinds, and vine plants, seem to be popular — tall sofas act as partitions so you don't feel too exposed even in an open hall.

Being Chuseok holiday probably helped, but with such a spacious, comfortable space, almost all the visitors were families with kids or parents in tow. Fully packed around noon lunchtime! During Chuseok holiday, doing the opening run really puts your mind at ease.

Two private rooms at Deo Chadol, for 6 to 16 people

There are also two private rooms for a more private meal — great for family gatherings, group dinners, or friend meetups. The rooms have fairly large windows, giving them a bright, cheerful feel.

What is duck brisket BBQ? The Deo Chadol menu and prices

Most duck specialty restaurants serve smoked duck, whole boiled duck, or grilled duck meat… but duck brisket? That's a pretty unusual menu item.

Sulfur duck brisket BBQ (₩19,000) — Made with raw duck that's hand-trimmed, quick-frozen, and thinly sliced. Dip it in Deo Chadol's special house sauce with minari (water parsley) and fresh vegetables to enjoy the clean, nutty flavor of duck brisket at its best.

Sulfur raw duck jumulleok (₩18,000) — Made with a secret sauce perfected over a long period of research, featuring a spicy, addictive flavor distinct from the brisket BBQ.

Nourishing duck brisket soup (₩13,000) — Made with duck broth simmered carefully for over 12 hours for a deep, rich flavor. A popular hangover-cure and nourishing-meal dish that satisfies both purposes.

There are also various lunch specials like Blue House duck jjamppong (spicy noodle soup, ₩12,000) and duck jeyuk set meal (spicy stir-fried duck set, ₩15,000). If you're torn on which grilled duck dish to pick, you can order the set menu of duck brisket BBQ + raw duck jumulleok + doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) + self-made fried rice! Since we don't eat doenjang jjigae, we ordered 2 servings of duck brisket, 1 serving of raw duck jumulleok, rice, and self-made fried rice!

Sulfur duck brisket BBQ: thin, clean-tasting, with scallion salad

As soon as we ordered, they got the duck brisket BBQ ready first. They kindly explained how to grill and eat it, and as instructed, we grilled away until it was time to make the self-made fried rice! The duck is sliced thin like beef brisket, with just the right amount of fat, piled high with minari and vegetables.

Basic side dishes like wrap vegetables, namul, and scallion salad are all unlimited at the self-serve bar! The self-serve bar is kept extremely clean too!

Being thin, it cooks fast, and since it's not too fatty, it's very clean-tasting. It pairs nicely wrapped with fragrant minari, but…

My pick is the scallion salad! The green onions are mixed just mildly enough, and the umami from the scallions is amazing!!! I lost count of how many times I refilled it… Dipped in Deo Chadol's special sauce along with minari and onion, it's amazing too!!! A special flavor unlike regular grilled meat! Highly recommend!!

Raw duck jumulleok and the self-made fried rice finish

After finishing the duck brisket BBQ, next up is grilling the raw duck jumulleok. The jumulleok duck is seasoned with regular raw duck, rice cake, and vegetables. It's thicker and chewier than the brisket, and the sauce's umami makes you overeat, as always. It's also great eaten with the big chunks of vegetables, soft rice cake, and sweet potato!

Even full, I can't resist finishing with carbs! Fried rice is fried rice, but… it was fried up nicely and delicious as always today!

Seoul Grand Park is a 10-minute drive from Deo Chadol

After a satisfying duck brisket brunch at this great restaurant, we drove 10 minutes to arrive at Seoul Grand Park! We briefly debated between the elephant train to Seoul Land or the zoo… zoo it is!! haha

I highly recommend Deo Chadol Gwacheon branch!! A great pick for a family meal with kids near Gwacheon's Seoul Land, Seoul Grand Park, and the National Science Museum. Deo Chadol lets you enjoy healthy, clean-tasting duck in a more special way! With duck brisket BBQ, jumulleok, duck jjamppong, and duck brisket soup, it's a real duck specialty restaurant with plenty of menu options!